Press Release

YOSHIMURA-Backed Teams Show Their Strength At season Finale Las Vegas SX


CHINO, CA (May 10, 2011) –
Yoshimura-backed teams showed the performance advantage of their
Yoshimura products Saturday night during the final round of the 2011
AMA/FIM Supercross Championship season at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las
Vegas, NV. A capacity crowd of 39,506 fans was on their feet and
witnessed the Rockstar Makita Suzuki and Rockstar Energy Suzuki teams
put their Yoshimura products to the test in a successful campaign in
Las Vegas.


Team Rockstar
Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey finished up the season strong by
powering his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450 to a second-place
podium finish in Las Vegas, NV. Dungey rode a great race to cap off
the most exciting supercross season in history.


Dungey and his RM-Z showed their
strength all day, starting with scoring the third fastest lap in the
afternoon timed practices. The reigning champion grabbed a
second-place in his heat race, which resulted in the third best gate
pick for the main event. In the main, Dungey’s RM-Z blasted him out
of the gate to a solid start and into the front group. The Rockstar
Makita Suzuki rider was able to work his way into third by lap six
and kept pushing hard to eventually pass for second on lap 12. From
there, Dungey had the capacity crowd on their feet as he and the
frontrunner battled for the remaining eight laps. Dungey pushed hard
on his Suzuki, catching the leader, but unfortunately was unable to
make the pass and crossed the line in second. The reigning champion
had a great year, claiming one win and 12 podiums and finishing third
in the championship, just 10 points from the top spot.


"It was a good weekend,” said
Dungey. “We got off to a good start with solid practices and I was
able to get a second in my heat race, which gave me a good gate pick.
I didn’t get that great of a start in the main, which is something
I need to work on, but I was able to get up into second and got close
to Chad (Reed), right up to his wheel, but I wasn’t able to get
around him. A big thanks to my Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and my
family. Without them and my great bike, I wouldn’t be able to be
out here doing what I do. They are incredible. It was a long, tough
season and I think we can learn a lot from it and apply it to the
future and move forward and leave the past behind. The outdoor series
is right around the corner and these next few weeks will be crucial
to get ready and be in the best position to start the season.”


Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki claimed two
top-ten finishes at the final round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross
Lites East and West Championships in Vegas. In the west 15-lap lites
main event, Ryan Morais used the awesome power of his
Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z250 to claim a seventh-place finish, as
teammate Martin Davalos followed close behind in ninth. In the east
main, Christopher Gosselaar ran as high as tenth but ended up
crossing the line in eleventh.


Following tradition, the Vegas round
also played host to the annual Davey Coombs, Sr. East/West Shootout,
where Martin Davalos piloted his Suzuki to a fifth-place finish after
running as high as second. Morais suffered from a bad start but was
able to work his RM-Z way up to ninth before going down and falling
back to eventually cross the line in 15th. Gosselaar fell just short
of qualifying for the shootout and did not race.


“Overall, my weekend in Vegas went
all right,” said Morais. “No heat race and going straight to the
main event was a little different, but I got a good jump at the start
of the main but then I pushed my front end out in the first turn and
ended up with a bad start. I was able to work my Suzuki up to seventh
and felt I was riding really well. I got up to the front of the pack
and we were all really close from about third back – Overall a good
race. In the shootout, I suffered from another bad start and worked
my way up to ninth but came up on the rear wheel of someone and ended
up going down and finished up 15th. I’m glad to be healthy and now
I’ll get ready for outdoors and look forward to a new season and
new beginning. I want to thank my Rockstar Energy Suzuki team and my
mechanic, Rene – My RM-Z250 has been great all year and I just want
to thank them for all they do.”


“My weekend in Vegas was pretty
good,” said Davalos. “I got a decent start in the west main, but
I struggled a little and could only just ride around and got ninth. I
got a great start on my RM-Z in the shootout and ran second for a
little bit and thought I could get a podium, but the guys right
behind me were able to get around me and I ended up with fifth. I’m
really looking forward to the outdoors. My Suzuki is working great
and my Rockstar Energy team is doing a lot of testing. There are 12
rounds of racing and a lot of motos and I’m looking forward to
doing good for the team.”


The Yoshimura-backed team’s next
event is the first round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship
on Saturday, May 21st, at Hangtown in Sacramento, CA. You can meet
all the Yoshimura-backed Suzuki riders on Friday, May 20th, from 6 to
7 PM, at Professional Cycle Parts, 5800 Florin Road in Sacramento,
CA.


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.



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