YOSHIMURA-Backed Teams Attack The Wet At San Diego Supercross

CHINO, CA (February 21, 2011)
– Yoshimura-backed teams showed off their talent at the seventh
round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship season Saturday
night at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA. The Rockstar Makita
Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Suzuki, and Honda racing teams all showed off
the performance advantage of their Yoshimura products with their
strong results in the rain-soaked main events.

Team Rockstar
Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey powered his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki
RM-Z450 to a second-place podium finish in San Diego. Teammate Brett
Metcalfe had a solid race aboard his RM-Z, scoring an eighth-place
finish in the wet 20-lap main event.

“The track was actually in pretty
decent shape at the start of the main,” said Dungey. “I got a
great start right up with the front guys and really tried to put my
Rockstar Makita Suzuki in a good position and make no mistakes
because the rain was coming down. The track was getting greasy so I
just tried to keep my lap times good and not make any mistakes. To
finish off with a second was good – a great step in the right
direction and one step closer to that win. I’m looking forward to
Atlanta. We have press day there so we’ll get a chance to check out
the track a bit. Atlanta has been really good to me – I really
enjoy going back there. The fans are great and it’s always one of
the biggest crowds.”

“I really enjoyed riding the track
tonight,” said Metcalfe. “I’m just a little disappointed in my
results. I got a bad start in the main – I had a lot of wheel spin
at the start because the gate was so slick. I had to fight my way
through the pack with my RM-Z a bit but I was a little inconsistent.
It was a difficult one, but I still picked up an eighth and I’m
happy that my Rockstar Makita Suzuki is still sitting seventh in
points. I need to start pushing and get some better results. I’m
glad to go to Atlanta. I’ve done well there in the past and it’s
a good layout with a lot of floor space. The dirt is tacky and it
suits my style. I look forward to a better result with my Suzuki
there.”

Despite the weather conditions,
American Honda Racing’s Trey Canard put in a solid performance
aboard his Honda CRF450R, finishing second in his heat race before
going on to finish one spot shy of the podium in fourth in the main
event.

“I’m bummed yet happy all at the
same time,” said Canard. “I’m bummed because I really thought I
was going to win the race tonight yet happy with my bike set-up and
the way it handled tonight in the incredibly wet and slippery track
conditions. It was definitely gnarly out there – big ruts and very
slippery. I’m also pumped that I managed to get a great start and
be among the top five rounding the first turn. I put myself in a good
position from the start to be up front. My fourth-place result
doesn’t really reflect how hard I worked tonight and how well I
actually rode. But considering I fell twice, I’m happy with
fourth.”

Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki scored a
top ten finish in the sixth round of the lites west championship
season Saturday night in San Diego. Ryan Morais rode a strong race in
the wet conditions, powering his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z250 to
a ninth-place finish. Teammate Martin Davalos had a tough night,
finishing 12th in the 15-lap lites main event.

“I just didn’t get a good start in
the main,” said Morais. “After that, I was trying to make
something happen in the first couple laps and ended up crashing. I
got back up nearly last but I put my head down, felt pretty good, and
clicked off some pretty good laps on my Suzuki RM-Z and ended up
finishing ninth. I’m not real happy with the result but I felt I
actually rode pretty well. I plan on working hard over our break and
come back to Seattle strong.”

“I started out decent in practice,”
said Davalos. “But I made a couple mistakes in my heat race and
ended up having to go to the last chance qualifier, which I won. I
crashed twice in the main event, struggled a bit, and ended up 12th.
I’m going to go back home to Georgia over the break and try to get
ready for the last three rounds. I really want to win and I know I
can put my RM-Z on top of the box.”

The next stop of the 2011 AMA/FIM
Supercross Championship for the Yoshimura-backed teams is Saturday,
February 26th, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. You can meet all
of the Team Suzuki riders on Friday, February 25th, from 6 to 7 PM at
Freewheeling Suzuki, 6408 Fairburn Road, Douglasville, GA.

About Yoshimura R&D of America:
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more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for
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industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same
legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark
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www.yoshimura-rd.com.