YOSHIMURA SUZUKI CELEBRATES YET ANOTHER SUPERBIKE PODIUM AT MID-OHIO

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young cards second on Saturday, Chris Clark brings home top-10 on Sunday

LEXINGTON, OH (July 16, 2012) – This past double-header race weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in [Lexington, OH, saw Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing put another podium finish into the proverbial books for the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike season. Rider Blake Young raced his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a well-earned second place in Saturday's race, while Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Chris Clark picked up a top-10 result the following day.

In Saturday’s 21-lap race, Young started out strong by getting a good launch on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and was running in fourth when a red flag stopped the race. After the restart, Young got another good start and fought hard for his second-place finish. On Sunday, Young wasn’t as fortunate with his start but worked his way up into fourth place to battle for a podium position. Unfortunately, Young went down but managed to recover and finish 13th.

“In Saturday’s race, I got two good starts and I can’t complain,” said Young. “I ended up slotting into first for the first few laps, but I was kind of hesitant to run up front. I had a tough time finding my flow, but I need to thank my Yoshimura Suzuki team because the GSX-R1000 was great. On Sunday, I had some issues and the crash is going to make the points battle pretty tough.  But we have a bike capable of winning, so I just need to keep my head down and do my best at Laguna Seca.”

Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Clark pushed hard all weekend and walked away from Mid-Ohio having made some overall progress. On Saturday, Clark put his head down on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and rode a smart, consistent race to finish 11th. On Sunday, he again turned in a smart, solid performance and finished an even better ninth.

“Overall it was a really positive weekend,” said Clark. “Mid-Ohio is a track I’ve always struggled at, but the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 is an incredible bike. By the end of the weekend, I’d improved my lap times by almost two seconds over my qualifying pace the year before. Obviously, I’m not too happy with where I finished, but it was a huge step in the right direction. I have to thank my Yoshimura Suzuki crew for their efforts and I’m really looking forward to Laguna Seca.”

Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA, the weekend of July 27 - 29, 2012.

Mid-Ohio Superbike Results, Race 1:

1.  Josh Hayes

2.  Blake Young

3.  Roger Hayden

4.  Steve Rapp

5.  Larry Pegram

6.  Geoff May

7.  Ben Bostrom

8.  Taylor Knapp

9.  Danny Eslick

10. Chris Ulrich

Mid-Ohio Superbike Results, Race 2:

1.  Josh Hayes

2.  Roger Hayden

3.  Josh Herrin

4.  Steve Rapp

5.  Geoff May

6.  Larry Pegram

7.  Danny Eslick

8.  Taylor Knapp

9.  Chris Clark

10. Chris Ulrich

2012 Superbike Class Standings:

1.  Josh Hayes – 383

2.  Blake Young – 316

3.  Josh Herrin – 225

4.  Roger Hayden – 204

5.  Geoff May – 190

6.  Larry Pegram – 182

7.  Steve Rapp – 151

8.  Danny Eslick – 147

9.  Ben Bostrom – 146

10. Chris Clark – 146

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