Press Release

YOSHIMURA-Backed Teams Conquer The Oakland SX




CHINO, CA (January 31, 2011)
Yoshimura-backed teams all showed their strength during the
fourth round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship season
Saturday night at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA. The Rockstar
Makita Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Suzuki, and Honda racing teams all
proclaimed the performance advantage of their Yoshimura products with
strong results.


Team Rockstar
Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey and Brett Metcalfe powered their
Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450s to third- and fifth-place finishes
in the action-packed 20-lap main event.


"The day
started off good,” said Dungey. “My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team
got things dialed in pretty good in practice and I felt really
comfortable on the bike. The heat race was a little tough – I
didn’t get off to the best start and the track was a bit greasy. I
got a better start in the main and worked my way up to second, but
unfortunately I got passed right at the end. All in all, my RM-Z450
worked great and the team did a great job. It will be great to go
back to Anaheim. We know more what to expect there and hopefully we
can get a good start and put the Rockstar Makita Suzuki up front.”


“We made some changes to my Suzuki
this week,” said Metcalfe. “And I want to thank everyone at
Rockstar Makita Suzuki, as we really found my comfort zone and I’m
feeling really good on the bike. I did struggle in the whoops tonight
but my Suzuki was working awesome. I felt a lot better out there on
the track – I was starting to make moves and pick guys off and was
able to work my way up to fifth and felt good. I got passed with
three laps to go but was able to pass back on the last lap. I’m
excited to get back to Anaheim. We’re definitely progressing – a
fifth tonight was good and now we have some momentum going into
Anaheim.”


For the second
week in a row, Canard was American Honda Racing’s sole
representative in the Supercross competition with teammate
Josh Grant sidelined with an injury. Canard got his night off
to a solid start in his heat race by getting a good start and ran up
front in second place. Unfortunately, Canard was unable to replicate
that start in the main and rounded the opening turn at the rear of
the pack. In damp racing conditions, Canard dug deep and mustered all
of his talent to fight his way up into the top 10 and finish in a
hard-earned sixth place.



“Man, I really need to figure out my starts,”
said Canard. “I definitely didn’t put myself in a good position
to get on the podium this week. I’m not sure what I did to be dead
last off the start, but I know I’m not going to be on the podium if
I put myself at the back of the field at the start of the race. I had
to work so hard to get up to sixth position and the rainy conditions
certainly didn’t make the job any easier. I got a holeshot last
week so I know I can do it. I just have to figure out how to be
consistent out of the start gate.”



Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki scored a sixth and a 16th-place finish in
Oakland. Ryan Morais powered his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z250 to
a sixth-place finish and teammate Martin Davalos finished the 15-lap
lites main event in 16th.


“I think my
day went alright,” said Morais. “My heat race went really good.
It was a good battle and I ended up second. My Rockstar Energy Suzuki
team did a great job getting my bike ready for the main. I didn’t
get a great jump in the main, but was able to work up to fifth. Then
I had a few mistakes and tightened up and ended up finishing sixth.
The track conditions were tough and I’m happy I was able to keep my
Suzuki RM-Z on two wheels. I’m third in points, but I have to start
winning some of these if I want to win this championship, so that’s
what I’m going to focus on. I’m going to put some time on my
Suzuki this week and get ready for Anaheim."


“It was a disappointing weekend,”
said Davalos. “In the first practice I hurt my groin a little bit,
but I pulled through and my Suzuki RM-Z powered me to a fourth-place
qualifying time. The heat race was tough and I went down in the sand
and just barely qualified. I went down in the sand again in the main
and eventually got going in dead last. My Rockstar Energy Suzuki team
did a great job, but I had a disappointing weekend. I know I have the
speed and the fitness; I just need to work on my head and my
concentration. I hope to be better for Anaheim.”


The next stop of the 2011 AMA/FIM
Supercross Championship for the Yoshimura-backed teams is Saturday,
February 5th, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. You can meet all of
the Yoshimura-backed riders at Chaparral Motorsports, 555 South H
Street, in San Bernardino, CA from 6 - 8 PM on Wednesday, February
2nd.


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.





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