YOSHIMURA-BACKED TEAMS KICK OFF 2012 SUPERCROSS SEASON AT ANAHEIM 1

CHINO, CA (January 10,
2012) – Yoshimura-backed teams captured a podium and
several top ten finishes at the first round of the 2012 AMA/FIM
Supercross Championship Series at Anaheim, CA on Saturday. The Honda
Racing teams, Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki and Yoshimura Suzuki
teams showed their dominance and the performance advantage of their
Yoshimura products while taking on the competition in Anaheim.

Anaheim marked
the debut of the Yoshimura-backed Team Honda Muscle Milk, with Justin
Brayton finishing fourth in the Supercross class on his
Yoshimura-equipped CRF450R while teammate Trey Canard sat the event
out recovering from a recent injury.

After going down hard in the first
corner of his heat race Brayton was forced to race the Last Chance
Qualifier, where he finished first, allowing him to transfer to the
main. Brayton spent most of the race in eighth, but surged with five
laps to go, passing fellow Honda rider Andrew Short plus Ivan Tedesco
and James Stewart to take fourth. “I found my groove on the track
after a few practices and bike adjustments, and was pretty confident
going into the night show,” said Brayton. “I had second gate pick
in heat one, where I lined up right inside Villopoto. We got a pretty
good start but something happened, sending his back tire into my
front, causing me to high side and crash. After getting a good start
and winning the LCQ, I boosted my confidence back up going into the
main. I got a decent start in the main and was able to pick it up
about halfway through, where I made my way to fourth.”

Yoshimura-backed GEICO Honda rider Eli
Tomac had a disappointing heat race but was able to come back and win
the LCQ to move into the main, where he placed third on the podium in
the Lites class. Teammate Will Hahn finished a respectable eighth
place aboard his Yoshimura-equipped CRF250R.

For the Yoshimura-backed Rockstar
Energy Racing Suzuki, the night was bittersweet in Supercross Lites.
Although rider Martin Davalos celebrated an impressive win in his
heat race, he experienced some issues during the main event and
dropped out of the fray. Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki teammate Jason
Anderson, however, celebrated a very consistent evening, finishing
seventh in his heat race and seventh in the 15-lap Supercross Lites
main event aboard his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z250.

“This was the first race of the
season, so nerves were a little high,” said Anderson. “But I had
some good practice sessions. Then my heat race had a bunch of
pile-ups, but I ended up doing pretty good and I made it to the main.
The gate-drop at the start of the main was a little delayed and I
struggled with that, but I came back and got seventh, so it was a
decent night overall.”

Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Brett
Metcalfe started out the night on a high note by racing his Yoshimura
Suzuki RM-Z450 to a solid sixth-place finish in his eight-lap heat
race. Following that performance, Metcalfe went on to get a good
start on the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 in the Supercross class main
event and turned laps in the top 10 before finishing up the night
11th.

All the Yoshimura-backed teams are
looking forward to their next event, the second round of the 2012
AMA/FIM Supercross Championship on Saturday, January 14th, at Chase
Field in Phoenix, AZ.

About Yoshimura R&D of America:
Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for
more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for
racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust
industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same
legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark
for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view
their wide variety of performance products, visit
www.yoshimura-rd.com.

Yoshimura products are designed,
manufactured, intended, and sold for use on vehicles that are
operated only on closed course racing circuits unless otherwise
noted.  Use of these products on public roads or lands is
strictly prohibited and may be a violation of local, state, or
federal laws. Products intended for use on vehicles operated on
public roads or lands are clearly so indicated.