YOSHIMURA-Backed Teams Dominate MX Season Opener In Sacramento

CHINO, CA (May 24, 2011) –
Yoshimura-backed teams once again showed their dominance and the
performance advantage of their Yoshimura products Saturday during the
AMA Pro Motocross Championship season opener at the 43rd Annual
Rockstar Energy Hangtown National. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki and
Honda Racing teams put their Yoshimura products to the test in a
successful campaign at Hangtown.

Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan
Dungey and his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450 were strong from the
get go, with two solid practices that gave him the eighth gate pick
for moto one. A great start put Dungey near the front, just behind
teammate Metcalfe. He worked his suzuki into second in lap two and
made a charge for the lead, which he was able to grab in lap six.
Dungey powered his RM-Z across the finish for the first 450 moto win
of the year. In moto two, Dungey had another strong start, which put
him in second place, and he was able to pass for the lead in lap six.
Dungey fell back to second in lap eight and battled for the lead for
the remaining laps but was unable to make the pass and finished
second. His one-two moto finishes gave him a second-place overall for
the day. Dungey is tied for the lead in the season points going into
next weekend’s event in Texas.

"Overall, our day was really
good,” said Dungey. “We had a good, strong setup on my Suzuki
from practice and my Rockstar Makita Suzuki team made just a few
adjustments, which made it even better for the two motos. I got good
starts today, which was very helpful. I was able to get out in front
and pull away for the win in the first moto, which was a good start
to the season. I wasn’t able to get the job done in the second moto
and ended up in second for the moto and second on the day. It’s a
really good solid start for the season. There’s a lot of motos and
a lot of racing. We’ll keep moving forward and building from here
and we’ll be good.”

Dungey’s teammate, Brett Metcalfe,
had a great first day back on his RM-Z and started by scoring the
seventh fastest lap in practice. In moto one, The Rockstar Makita
Suzuki rider blasted his Suzuki out of the gate and into the front.
Metcalfe ran in second for the first two laps before falling back and
finishing fifth. Metcalfe had a solid start in moto two and rode
strong to move from tenth to eventually cross the line with another
fifth-place finish. His five-five moto finishes gave him fifth
overall for the day.

"It was really awesome today,”
said Metcalfe. “It’s good to be back with my Rockstar Makita
Suzuki team after being out injured for a while. My
Yoshimura-equipped RM-Z was unreal this weekend. It is good to be
back racing and I really like the outdoors, so that’s a plus for
me. I wanted to get a good start to the season and I’m really happy
with this five-five and fifth overall finish. Coming away, we got a
good load of information and learned a lot that will help give me a
little more speed out there by making me more comfortable, and then
I’ll be able to be more aggressive. I’m really looking forward to
the next round in Texas so I can build on this result.”

With American Honda Racing’s Trey
Canard and Josh Grant unable to compete at the opening round due to
injuries they sustained during the Supercross season, veteran Honda
racer Kevin Windham made his return to the factory Honda squad aboard
an American Honda Racing-prepared CRF450R. Making a strong impression
at his motocross season debut with the team, Windham catapulted out
of the start gate in moto one, grabbing the holeshot and maintaining
the lead for six laps—much to the delight of the crowd. As the race
went on, Windham relinquished several spots before finishing moto one
in sixth position. The likeable Honda racer made up a few spots in
moto two, finishing in fourth place to earn fourth overall.

“I had very little time to prepare
for outdoors because I was off the bike while I waited for some
internal bleeding to stop after my crash at the final race of the
Supercross season,” said Windham. “However, I feel like today
went really well and I’m happy with fourth overall. We came out
here pretty much still a work in progress and just gave it our all.
I’m happy about getting the holeshot in the first moto and that I
held it for six laps. I know I have the bike to win and pretty soon
I’ll get the legs to be able to hold onto the lead.”

The Yoshimura-backed team’s next
event is the second round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship
on Saturday, May 28th, at the Rockstar Energy Freestone National in
Wortham, TX.

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,
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