It is almost time for the green flag to drop in Daytona, for the Pro Superbike class.
We are all excited to see the start of the 2013 AMA Pro Superbike Road Racing Series. We know the Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Team, armed with Martin Cardenas and Chris Clark will give us a great season of racing. Today Cardenas has qualified in 4th position, and Clark in 7th. Good Luck!
A short video of Cardenas on the 2013 AMA Pro Superbike season:
CHINO, CA – Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing announced today that they have entered into a promising new partnership with Shorai, the leading lithium-based powersports battery manufacturer in the United States. Heading into the 2013 AMA Pro Superbike season, the championship-winning Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbikes will be equipped with batteries provided by Shorai.
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Martin Cardenas
“Yoshimura Suzuki is very excited about our new partnership with Shorai,” said Yoshimura Suzuki Race Director Don Sakakura. “At Yoshimura Suzuki, we use only the highest-quality products and technology on our Superbikes. This comes from countless hours of development, testing and racing around the world. Shorai’s products and attitude reflect Yoshimura’s own dedication to providing high-performance, championship-winning products. We look forward to a very successful relationship.”
Yoshimura Suzuki has a long and triumphant history in road racing, having dominated the sport for more than 50 years. The respected team has captured the last 10 out of 14 AMA Superbike titles, as well AMA Supersport, AMA Superstock and AMA Formula Xtreme championships. In the 2013 AMA Pro Superbike season, Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing will field two riders in the premier AMA Pro Superbike class.
“We are extremely excited about taking Shorai to new heights in partnership with Yoshimura,” said Kevin Riley, EVP Sales & Marketing for Shorai. “Yoshimura is the preeminent aftermarket performance parts manufacturer and race team in the United States, and we look forward to working with their team to take our company to the next level. We are thrilled to have been selected by Don and his team at Yoshimura as their official battery provider.”
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.
About American Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded The Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information visit www.suzukicycles.com.
About Shorai: Shorai is the world’s leading producer of Prismatic cell, lithium Iron Phosphate Powersports batteries. The company is located in Sunnyvale, CA. Further information can be found on the company website, www.shoraipower.com. For further information, please contact Kevin Riley, EVP Sales & Marketing at 408 720 8821.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Suzuki, Parts Unlimited, Motorex, Dunlop, Shorai, Renthal, BMC Air Filter, RK Racing Chain, Enjoy Manufacturing and Chicken Hawk Racing
Wardlow, AB: This past weekend was the final weekend of the AMA Geico EnduroCross series in Las Vegas. Ben Rego has had a stellar year, winning the Canadian Enduro E3 Championship, riding the X Games and finishing 3rd overall in the Canadian Off Road Championships. It was obvious that the snow bound, Kitimatt BC resident wanted to ride his Husaberg TE 300 after not riding for 2 months.
Ben’s Friday night qualifiers went well as he won both Open Amateur and Pro qualifier. Both races gave Ben the chance to get rid of his cob webs.
Saturday, Ben continued to push hard after a poor start in the Open Amateur main, passing into the lead by the end of the first lap. During his second lap, Ben posted the fastest lap of the heat by 2 seconds. On the last corner of the last lap, disaster struck when Ben was forced to an unfamiliar line by lappers and he became stuck in the rocks. In an panicked effort to push his bike out and maintain his lead, Ben accidently launched his bike into the air! He quickly recovered, collecting his bike and crossing the finish line in second place just seconds behind the winner.
Immediately following his Open Am main, Ben went straight to the start line for Pro qualifying, which did not go well for him so quickly after last race.
Also, competing in the Night race, Ben raced without a headlight in the darkened arena to finish 6th.
Ben is proud to be supported by: Husaberg Canada, A&E Racing, Dunlop, FMF, Omega Transport, FLY, Dragon, Shorai Lithium Batteries, UFA, SIDI, Warp 9, PG Graphics, ProMoto Billet, ProAction Suspension West, Kermaxx, T.M. DesignWorks, Motonation, Gamma Sales, Royal Distributing and ViSalus.
Follow Ben Rego and Corner Grass Racing Team on Facebook and Twitter @cgrt77.
Shawn rode his Daytona Sportbike spec Buell 1125R this past Sunday at the Autoclub speedway to get some seat time and testing before this weekends upcoming AMA race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
Shawn Higbee:
“We’ve have had some incredibly bad luck in the first two rounds of AMA Superbike competition, but we feel the mechanical issues are behind us now. The Crotchrocket.TV EBR1190 should be well suited for the tight and technical Infineon racetrack. The EBR1190 Superbike was still being prepped, but just turning laps on the Buel 1125R was a great warmup for Infineon. We collected some data and learned a bit about the performance of Dunlop AMA spec slicks.”
Also racing this weekend at Infineon will be Tyler Linders (#48) who races under the Team Rotobox/NEXX flag. This will be his first professional debut. So everyone attending please give him a pat on the back for this huge accomplishment. Tyler doesn’t have that much experience at Infineon, but if his 2011 record is any indication of his potential in the Supersport class, he will be the one to watch. Tyler will race on Sunday May 6th at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA.
Tyler Linders:
“I was out at Auto Club Speedway testing my NEXX/Rotobox Yamaha R6 to get ready for my AMA Pro Motorcycle Superstore SuperSport debut. The bike felt great and I got used to the Dunlop tires, which I haven’t had much time on. I am ready to take on the challenge of the technical track, Infineon, and the challenge of my first Pro race. I am very excited and I can’t wait to get out on track.”
Also ,if you are in the pits visit with Brice and Paul from the James Gang / Hoban Brothers racing team! They are racing in the XR1200 series and are collecting points for the XR Showdown, which is supported by Vance & Hines and the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Shorai will also be doing contingency payouts for competitors running our lithium motorcycle batteries.
Shorai sponsors many small teams and individual riders all over the world. For more information about sponsorship, please contact Shawn Higbee. Shorai Inc., located in Sunnyvale, CA, is a distributor of lithium iron based motorcycle batteries. Further information regarding the company can be found atwww.shoraipower.com
So who will be there this weekend? It should be a great weekend in Sonoma, have a glass of wine and watch some of the fastest riders around. See you at the races.
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I arrived in good time at LVMS on Friday April 6th hauling my NEXX Helmets trailer with my gear and some helmets for people to try. Thanks to Chris Schatz at Schatzmeister Works for the loaner “B” bike, just in case I had a little mishap. I set up my gear for the next day and went to the hotel for some much needed rest.
This was the first time using my Shorai Power battery in my Honda 600rr, I have to say, from the minute I opened up the small box with my battery in it I was pleased. The padding kit included made it fun and easy to fit the battery in my tray. The hardware to attach positive/negative terminals were also amazing with the little pads to help prevent the nut from falling out. Not only did the battery survive a 2 hour trip with my motorbikes electrical on, it fired up right after I noticed. It also fired up instantly in the mornings being around 50 degree Fahrenheit. You know when you get that fatigue of the battery not cranking when either cold or too hot? I Did not have a single problem with this battery cranking my motorbike over at anytime. Shorai Power really did an amazing job with creating such a lightweight, yet powerful battery.
I got up super early Saturday because my number one rule in my race program is to NOT RUSH. I setup my NEXX USA canopy and tables and headed to registration where… well the line was long enough. I signed up for 3 races this day along with 3 races for the next day; C Superstock Novice, B Superstock Novice, & B Superbike Novice. I chose to do more 750cc class racing this time because I was just there to have fun. I signed up for the 600cc class races last round and wanted to try something new. I am definitely not in it for the championship due to my work obligations with NEXX USA and the amount I have to travel, I ride & race when I can.
My first race on Saturday was the C Superstock Novice Race, gridded in the second to last row I was able to get into 5th position out of 16 by the first turn. Stuck behind a group of riders who were all trying to get by each other, I finished the race in 6th. Sundays C Superstock Novice Race was better, I was gridded in the third row this time and was able to get the hole shot! Yes, from 7th position, I got the hole shot. However, with the lack of power my bike had over some other bikes I was surpassed by 4 riders down the back straight and ended up finishing in 5th place.
My second race on Saturday was the B Superstock Novice Race, which was a 2 wave start. This was really confusing and considering the flag guy wasn’t looking at us and just threw the flag, I ended up with a hand full of throttle after I dropped my clutch and a huge wheelie which really messed up my amazing starts. I was able to finish the race in 8th place, starting 8th on the grid.
The second day of the B Superstock Novice race was better; better grid and RACE FUEL! I was sick of being overpowered by some of these bikes so I put in some race fuel to alleviate some of the disadvantage. I ended up 3rd in this race from 6th position.
My third race on Saturday was the B Superbike Novice Race, which was also a 2 wave start, but I learned from my mistakes this time. I paid attention and got a great start & the hole shot. I ended up finishing this race in 2nd place. Sunday’s B Superbike Novice race was a bit more competitive, but again on the first row I was able to get another hole shot. The most frustrating thing is that these other bikes had at least 10 HP more than I did so they would always catch me on the straights making me work extra hard on the brakes and in the corners. As I came down the front straight on the white flag I took a look back and saw 3 other riders right on my rear, so I put my head down and tried to go as fast as I could. I maintained my position and I finished this race in 3rd place.
Awards
None of this would be possible if I didn’t have the support of my sponsors or the racing community. They all help me in their own individual ways as I create promotional avenues for these companies by putting stickers on my bike, listing them on my sponsored list, talking about my products with other riders, and being on the podium to show the potential these products can bring. So help me by helping support my sponsors.
Thanks for the fantastic update Stephen, and congratulations to you. We are always excited to hear about how riders in the community are enjoying our products.
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Shorai Inc. sponsored rider Shawn Higbee, competed on the Buell 1125 in the Daytona 200, to finish 17th out of 44 riders. The small and lightweight Shorai LFX14L2 started the big V-twin engine quickly and performed flawlessly all weekend. On track performance was improved by using the Shorai battery because it saved about 7lbs compared to the OEM lead acid battery.
During the AMA Pro Roadracing event at the Daytona International Speedway fan walks allowed the spectators to meet the riders in person and see the bikes up close. Shorai pins and stickers where handed out along with autographs for the fans. As people picked up the Shorai sample battery the most common comment was, “wow….is that the actual weight!”.
Higbee also debuted the CrotchRocket.TV EBR1190 Shorai sponsored effort in the AMA superbike event at Daytona but mechanical problems prevented Higbee from starting the Superbike races. ”It was a real bummer not to be able to race the EBR1190. I only had a chance to circulate in practice for 5 laps before we dropped a valve. The EBR1190 is really fast, the data indicated over 190mph on the intial laps and it had a lot more speed left!”
Look for Shorai, Shawn Higbee and the CrotchRocket.TV EBR1190 later this season in AMA Superbike competition.
March 7th, 2012. Sunnyvale, CA. Shorai Inc. is proud to announce a sponsorship and contingency plan in support of AMA Pro Road Racing for the 2012 season. Shorai will provide contingency money to the top seven finishers for all 11 of the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 events, totaling $7150 for the season, to racers utilizing Shorai LFX lithium Powersports batteries. The company will also offer rider support programs as part of ongoing sponsorship efforts. Interested racers may contact Shorai directly.
“We are very excited about entering a contingency program with the AMA Pro Racing Series”, states Kevin Riley, EVP Sales & Marketing for Shorai. “As the world’s leading, lithium Powersports battery, we are excited to offer the myriad of product benefits, including dramatic weight savings, faster starting, lower self discharge rates and lack of sulfation to this exciting racing series.” “We are quite certain that many racers will appreciate Shorai’s class leading technology, and we are proud to support the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series. “
About Shorai: Shorai Inc. is the leading lithium based Powersports battery manufacturer in the world. The company is based in Sunnyvale, CA. For more information about the sponsorship program see the details at www.shoraipower.com/sponsorship , or email Shawn Higbee at racetech@shorai.org.
About AMA:
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. ###
Shorai is proud to be an event sponsor for the Red Bull US GP event at Laguna Seca July 22nd-24th. Shorai batteries will be available for sale at the Motowheels booth in the Yamaha marketplace. Stop by the booth for free Shorai swag, pins and stickers.
