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ANOTHER SUPERPOLE FOR DISALVO AT HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA |
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Published: August 15, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki came back strong on Saturday at Virginia International Raceway, putting in a pair of spirited rides to collect another AMA Pro Daytona SportBike podium finish and remain squarely in the class championship hunt.
Jason DiSalvo sliced his way up through the field to battle for the win right to the checkered flag, while Martin Cardenas put in a brave ride to finish in the top ten after breaking his right hand on Friday.
After starting from ninth due to his Superpole crash, DiSalvo actually finished the opening lap in tenth following a moment just after the start. However, he put his head down and quickly closed on the huge pack contesting the lead.
The superior speed the New Yorker had shown on his Suzuki GSX-R600 during practice and Basic Qualifying on Friday allowed him to work his way up through the battle and claim the lead as the laps wound down.
In the end, the race evolved into a two-rider showdown with Josh Herrin for victory with Jason just coming up short on a drafting maneuver that would have secured his his first win of the season following a thrilling final lap in which the lead was traded back-and-forth three times.
DiSalvo took the runner-up position a scant 0.010 seconds off the win.
"It was just incredible. To come up from tenth and race for the win was something," Jason said. "It took me a little while to catch those guys because there was a bit of a gap to the front train. Once I got to the pack I just started picking them off one at a time. My bike felt really good; it was really stable on the brakes. It was slippery out there and we were sliding around a good bit at the end. It really took a lot to ride the bike at the end of the race.
"I was strong up in the last section and I thought I might have had the race won, but I left the door open a little bit. I didn't think he'd try to make a pass there because I've been the fastest guy into that corner by a good bit but I should have protected a little more.
"I didn't know if I was going to be able to get him back at the flag. It was close. It was good though. A lot of things went my way in that race, and I put in some good moves and lappers worked in my favor. It paid off pretty good for us. We'll come back tomorrow and try to do one better."
Team M4 Suzuki will be back in action tomorrow at Virginia International Raceway looking to add to their 2009 trophy haul and championship aspirations. |
| OPPORTUNITY FOR VICTORY SLIPS AWAY FROM DISALVO AT VIR |
Published: August 16, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki's Jason DiSalvo was robbed of a chance to fight for the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike victory on Sunday at Virginia International Raceway when a fluke incident dropped him from contention while battling for the lead.
Just as he did on Saturday, the New Yorker quickly charged up through the pack aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600 from his ninth-place starting position to join the dogfight for the win.
But while sitting a close third behind Roger Hayden and Josh Herrin on lap 9 of 23, DiSalvo's right knee impacted the inside of the curbing and wrenched his leg back. He rode off the track and dismounted his machine in pain, ending his promising ride early.
A disappointed DiSalvo explained, "I had the pace, I had the bike, the settings were perfect, and I was just biding my time. I was going to try to get them both at once and get a clean break. The pace was incredible at the beginning but right around when I went out Roger started to struggle with grip.
"When my knee hit there was so much pain I couldn't even focus. Everything went blurry and I just rode it off into the grass. I had a pretty good idea I wasn't in an impact area. I was going to try to get it over to a wall or something but the pain was just too intense. I put it down and just laid there. I lifted up my thigh and my knee just bent to a 90-degree angle to the side. They told me in the medical center the trauma just turned my knee into jelly for a few moments.
"The leathers were just torn open completely by the impact, but fortunately the knee is intact and there were no major injuries."
Team M4 Suzuki will head to the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, on September 4-6. |
| DAYTONA SPORTBIKE THRILLER |
From AMA Press Release for day one at VIR - www.amaproracing.com
Herrin took the lead from fifth on the grid on the first lap and then had to pass Jason DiSalvo (No. 40 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600) twice on the last lap to score his first AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL race win. It was the third Daytona SportBike victory of the year for Team Graves Yamaha and Herrin's first victory in AMA Pro Road Racing competition since winning in AMA Pro SuperSport at Barber Motorsports Park last year. Ben Bostrom (No. 1s Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) won the season-opening Daytona 200 and at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in July in a pair of Daytona SportBike cameo appearances for Team Graves Yamaha earlier this season.
Herrin battled at the front of the field for the entire race but led just the first and final laps and only two others in the 23-lap race. He charged by DiSalvo in Turn 1 on the last lap only to have the Suzuki rider retake the top spot a few corners later. Herrin then regrouped and slipped past DiSalvo in the Turn 16 downhill run leading up to the front straight. DiSalvo made a final move as the leaders crossed the finish line but Herrin held him off for a tight .010 of a second victory.
"At the start of the race I just had to stuff it in there," Herrin said. "I think I passed six guys right there. I didn't think I was going to make it but I did. From there on out it was a pretty smooth race, no big moments. I try not to be a real contact racer. I tried to pass Jason as clean as I could and I didn't feel any contact. My Yamaha's been working really awesome today and I just can't thank my crew enough."
DiSalvo finished second for the third time this year and scored his sixth overall top-three finish. He charged to the lead Saturday after starting ninth after an accident in yesterday's Superpole qualifying.
"I just felt really, really good making passes out there today, which I needed to," said DiSalvo, who was not injured in yesterday's spill. "That was one of the biggest things that I focused on after yesterday, because I knew I'd be coming from ninth. Just figuring out what I needed to do to get from ninth to first, and we did it, we just couldn't hold on. I knew I had the pace. I didn't really expect Josh to come with me, but he did and he put up a great fight at the end. The pass up at the top of the hill was good. I leaned on him a little bit, because at that point that's really all I could do. It was a good race. Tomorrow I just hope to be one spot higher." |
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ANOTHER SUPERPOLE FOR DISALVO AT HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA |
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Published: July 31, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki's Jason DiSalvo secured his fifth consecutive Superpole triumph of the 2009 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike season on Friday at Heartland Park Topeka.
The return of the single-lap qualifying procedure following a couple rounds away from it allowed DiSalvo to once again put his superior outright speed on display with a blistering lap around the circuit.
The New Yorker headed the field with a time of 1:38.924 aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600.
"I'm really exited," said DiSalvo, who will be seeking his sixth podium and first victory of the season tomorrow.
"The bike feels great. We've made a lot of development to the chassis this weekend. It's been an awesome deal so I'm just really pumped to get out and race tomorrow.
"The lap wasn't super spectacular but I just put everything together which is something I hadn't really been doing all weekend long. It went pretty much mistake-free. Maybe a little something here and there, but I had a good run onto the back straightaway which I had been struggling with and everything kind of clicked."
DiSalvo was followed closely behind by teammate, Martin Cardenas, the Daytona SportBike title leader, qualifying third at 1:39.632.
Cardenas, who has taken six victories this season, bounced back with a podium result on Sunday at Mid-Ohio following a couple of disappointing outings and is hopeful to get back to his winning ways this weekend.
The Colombian said, "I'm happy with qualifying. I've been improving in Superpole. I wasn't very good at the start of the year but this time I got third position and made a good lap. It could have been a little bit better but that's the way it is.
"The bike has been working great and the crew has been trying some different settings because here the back of the bike slides a lot. I think we found a good solution and the bike is ready for tomorrow and I hope it will be a good race."
DiSalvo and Cardenas will open their quest to score a third 1-2 result of the season for Team M4 Suzuki tomorrow at 4:00pm local time. |
TOUGH BREAKS FOR M4 SUZUKI TEAMMATES IN KANSAS
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Published: August 1, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki endured a difficult raceday on Saturday at Heartland Park Topeka when the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race that opened with the tantalizing prospect of another double podium finish for the squad ended with that promise unfulfilled.
Martin Cardenas and Jason DiSalvo both took their turns at the front of the 20-lap affair aboard their Suzuki GSX-R600s but misfortune spoiled incredible efforts on their part in the hard-fought battle for victory.
Polesitter DiSalvo took control of the race on lap 3 and held it until lap 8 but found himself running through the grass and losing ground just one lap later. A frantic series of passes saw the top group shuffle the runner-up position multiple times in just a handful of corners but ultimately ended with DiSalvo running off track.
Cardenas took up the charge at the point and put in a stellar ride just to match the pace of title rival Danny Eslick. The Colombian clawed his way back up to his opponent and made a pass for the lead on lap 17.
However, Eslick's advantage on the front straight proved too much and Cardenas suffered a front-end crash in Turn 4 while trying to work out any possible strategy to claim the win.
"I was pushing very hard to get Eslick because I know either one of us has to win for the championship," Cardenas explained. "I was trying so hard."
"I was thinking when I got right on the back of him maybe I'd pass him on the last lap but he was pulling a very big gap on the straight so that wasn't going to work. So four laps from the end I tried to put pressure on him and pass him and maybe get away or maybe he'd make a mistake because I think that was the only way I was going to beat him today. Unfortunately I lost the front.
"We'll try our best again tomorrow."
Cardenas rejoined the race and finished 18th at the checkered flag. He now trails Eslick by 18 points (306-288) in the Daytona SportBike title race.
DiSalvo came back to take a strong sixth despite his off-track excursion, as he battled to claim back a couple positions late in the contest.
"I was thinking about throwing it into that left-hander but it would have been about a 25% chance that I wouldn't have crashed," DiSalvo explained of the incident that saw him run into the grass.
"The pace wasn't quite what I wanted it to be early so I moved into the lead. But I knew Danny was coming; I could hear the twin. When he passed me at the end of the straight I made some mistakes trying to stay with him and that allowed the group behind to catch up. Then after the whole thing went down in 5-6 and I went off track but came back and put in a good effort.
"I was happy with the rest of the race. I was able to gather it up and get back by a couple guys. I had to put in a couple bold moves to get back up to sixth."
DiSalvo sits fifth in the championship hunt with 217 points.
Team M4 Suzuki will be aiming to come back strong on Sunday and capitalize on their stellar race pace at Heartland Park Topeka in the weekend's final 50-mile Daytona SportBike contest. |
CARDENAS VICTORIOUS IN KANSAS FOR TEAM M4 SUZUKI |
Published: Auguast 02, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki's Martin Cardenas put in a heroic effort on Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, KS to score a thrilling final-lap victory and reclaim a piece of the 2009 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike championship lead.
The Colombian was once again embroiled in an intense battle with his championship rival, Danny Eslick, at the head of a four and five-man lead group disputing Sunday's win.
Facing an obvious straight-line deficit, Cardenas looked to fighting an uphill battle in his hopes to climb back to the top spot on the podium. However, he leveraged the strengths of his sweet-handling Suzuki GSX-R600 and timed his assault for the dramatic triumph perfectly.
Martin made a pair of slick maneuvers to take control of first on the 50-mile race's final lap and held on to claim the checkered flag in first position by 0.245 seconds. The former Spanish Supersport champ's title hopes got an additional boost when Josh Herrin slotted between Cardenas and Eslick on the final lap, leaving the two tied with 318 points apiece and four races remaining on the 2009 schedule.
Cardenas, ecstatic with his hard-earned triumph and relieved to get his seventh victory on the season after a few disappointing outings recently, said, "The race was very tough. I knew it was going to be very difficult to win here today because of the power of the Buell in a straight line but today I noticed the pace wasn't as good as yesterday and Danny was struggling a little bit in the first part of the circuit. I made a move three or four laps from the end and tried to get a little bit of a gap where I saw that he was struggling but he came right back by me again so I decided to wait for the last lap and try to maintain the position and just hope he didn't come by in a straight line before the finish line.
"In the end it worked out. It was a very good race. My Suzuki worked awesome and thanks to the team for doing such a great job and believing in me."
Teammate Jason DiSalvo put in a strong ride of his own, joining Cardenas in the race's top four after leading several laps at the beginning of the contest after starting from pole.
The New Yorker was a factor with the lead group throughout the stunning affair and ultimately crossed the strip less than 1.5 seconds off the win.
DiSalvo remains ranked fifth in the Daytona SportBike title hunt with 235, just six points removed from fourth.
Team M4 Suzuki will look to add to their victory tally with an eye on taking the next step towards the 2009 Daytona SportBike championship in two weeks time at Virginia International Raceway on August 14-16. |
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DISALVO & TEAM M4 SUZUKI WIN ROAD AMERICA SUPERPOLE |
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Published: June 05, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki carried their dominating form into Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Friday, coming away with from the opening day of action at Road America with a spectacular 1-2 result in Daytona SportBike qualifying.
Jason DiSalvo once again outpaced the field, guiding his GSX-R600 to a fourth consecutive Superpole victory. The New Yorker posted a lightning quick 2:20.152 lap around the high-speed venue to continue his run of qualifying excellence.
DiSalvo's teammate, Martin Cardenas, will open the weekend's twin SportBike finals right alongside, directly behind the Safety Car, after clocking the session's second best time at 2:20:908.
The starting spot is the best yet of the season for the Colombian. Cardenas has taken control of the championship race by scoring five wins in his last six attempts despite opening the races from some less than ideal grid positions. While he admittedly struggled to adapt to the flying-lap qualifying procedure utilized in Superpole earlier in the season, Martin proved that he's coming to grips with it quite nicely this weekend.
DiSalvo and Cardenas were originally credited with second and fourth following Superpole but a pair of rival times were disallowed for the use of non-compliant fuel, ultimately increasing DiSalvo's Superpole streak to four.
"It's good to have another front row start," said DiSalvo who is aiming for his first race victory of the season this weekend. "With the rolling start format it's always really important to be up front. If you're not, it's tough to make up the time you lose when the leading pack gets away.
"I think tonight the guys are going to tuck in and crunch some numbers and just try to find a couple more tenths."
Cardenas remarked, "It's going to be very tough to duplicate my recent results, but we'll see what happens in the race and I'll do my best. This has been my best Superpole so far because I was having a hard time getting used to it, but still, I made one mistake and I was a little bit disappointed because my bike is feeling so good. I was hoping for a little bit better lap but we'll try even harder tomorrow."
"I'm happy to be starting from the front this week, however, and for sure that makes my job a little easier but you never know how a race is going to play out. We'll find out tomorrow."
In the last six races, Team M4 Suzuki has started each from pole, claimed five victories, and two 1-2 finishes. The squad look to continue that remarkable trend tomorrow afternoon at Road America when the Daytona SportBike race gets underway at 4:00pm local time. |
CARDENAS/TEAM M4 SUZUKI EXTEND CHAMP LEAD @ ROAD AMERICA
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Published: June 06, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki's Martin Cardenas extended his AMA Pro Daytona SportBike championship lead on Saturday at Road America thanks to a skillful and calculated ride to the podium.
Dealing with the treacherous cold and rainy conditions, the Colombian had to appropriately balance the risk with the reward. He settled into a comfortable yet brisk pace and appeared to be well on his way to a solid top-ten finish late in the race.
However, he was given a renewed shot at the top three as the laps wound down in the incident-filled event, as the Safety Car came out for a second time following a full-course yellow and bunched up the field with just two laps remaining. Martin guided his GSX-R600 back up into contention and finished third, only missing out on stealing away the runner-up position by 0.004 seconds at the checkered flag.
The result was Cardenas' seventh podium of the season and opened up his title advantage to an imposing 32 points.
"Today's race was good for the championship," the former Spanish Supersport champ said after the tricky contest. "It was very tough to race in these conditions. In the warm-up I almost crashed a couple times so I was very nervous. At the beginning some guys came by me and I tried to stay with them. Some I could and some I couldn't but I tried to stay in my rhythm and not lose too many positions. After the second Safety Car, I concentrated and did two very fast laps hoping to gain some positions and it worked. I ended up on the podium and I'm happy with that result."
Teammate Jason DiSalvo came away from the race with some valuable championship points of his own. The New Yorker led early after opening the contest from pole, but was dropped down the order while making sure he avoided the kind of major mistakes that resulted in several of his rivals' exit from the race.
In the end DiSalvo wisely settled for 12th, retaining fourth place in the '09 SportBike championship battle, and will look to put himself in position to claim his first victory of the season in his next attempt.
Cardenas and DiSalvo will be out to add to Team M4 Suzuki's already abundant 2009 trophy collection tomorrow afternoon in the Road America weekend's second 13-lap Daytona SportBike contest. |
CARDENAS AND M4 SUZUKI WIN AGAIN AT ROAD AMERICA |
Published: June 07, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Martin Cardenas' incredible season continued on Sunday at Road America as the Team M4 Suzuki star scored perhaps the most exciting of his six 2009 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike victories.
The Colombian broke free of the pack early in the 13-lap affair but was soon joined by the reigning Formula Xtreme champion, Jake Zemke, in the battle for the win. Zemke moved into the lead on lap 7 of 13 at which point Martin chose to sit in his tow and stalk his opponent from behind as the laps wound down.
The title leader finally struck on the final lap, diving underneath in the opening turn with hopes of making a break to the checkered flag. Cardenas' rival came back, however, and the two traded the position a couple more times leading up to a dramatic sequence in which the two chased each other through the final few corners practically alongside each other.
Cardenas entered the race's final corner in second position but he set up his launch off the exit perfectly, positioning his Suzuki GSX-R600 to motor into the lead as he stormed up the hill and to the checkered flag for his sixth win in the last eight races.
Speaking about the thrilling final lap, Cardenas said, "My first plan was to pass him early and make a very good lap and get away but he came back by in turn five. I tried to pass him again in the chicane and we went past me in the next turn. We went side-by-side for the last half of the track and it came down to the last corner. He was protecting the inside and I got a great run out of the turn and it worked out for the win. The last lap I just went for it and gave everything to try to win it.
"My bike was very fast today and it helped me a lot. Thanks to M4 Suzuki and all the team."
Teammate Jason DiSalvo gave Team M4 Suzuki further reason to celebrate, contesting Cardenas for the lead early before settling into third for his fifth podium ride of the season.
DiSalvo and Cardenas have now finished together on the podium three times this season, including their two earlier 1-2 results.
"We had a good start and the first opening laps were pretty exciting racing with Martin," DiSalvo said. "We were dicing around but after the opening few laps I had trouble holding onto the draft down the straights. It was kind of a lonely race. It was kind of a lonely race but I had a great view of the battle up front.
"It was good to get back on the podium and I'm thankful to the whole team. They did a great job this weekend."
Cardenas now leads the Daytona SportBike championship race by a mammoth 51 points at 255 points while DiSalvo is fourth at 179.
Team M4 Suzuki will look to continue their remarkable run of success following the summer break when the AMA Pro Racing series joins the MotoGP World Championship at Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA on July 3-5. |
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DISALVO & TEAM M4 SUZUKI WIN INFINEON RACEWAY POLE |
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Published: May 15, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki continued their recent tendency to show the Daytona SportBike field the fast way around on Friday at Infineon Raceway, scene of the fifth stop on the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing calendar. Jason DiSalvo claimed his third consecutive Superpole triumph in impressive fashion to close out the opening day of what's promising to be an exciting race weekend for the squad.
DiSalvo, who once again displayed why he is considered one of the paddock's elite qualifiers, dropped over four tenths of a second off his previous best effort during his flying lap. Guiding his GSX-R600 around the demanding circuit with a blistering time of 1:39.517, he proved almost a half second quicker than any other man in Superpole.
The New Yorker is currently ranked fourth in the SportBike championship standings on the strength of his three poles and three podium finishes. He's now looking to turn his ideal starting position into his first victory in the new class.
After Superpole a delighted DiSalvo said, "The M4 Suzuki guys did a tremendous job all day trying to get the bike set up to where we felt comfortable on it. We kind of started off the day not super happy with how the bike was set up coming into this event. A big thanks to the M4 Suzuki team. They've done so well setting the bike up and making me comfortable. Those guys even went so far as to put a new motor in before Superpole. I had no clue -- they didn't tell me until after the lap. It was really cool, and big thanks to them for all the hard work."
DiSalvo's teammate, Martin Cardenas, has captured the attention of his rivals by winning three of the most recent four Daytona SportBike races. The Colombian will open his quest to add to his victory total from the inside of the fourth two-rider row, laying down the seventh fastest time in Superpole at 1:40.646.
Despite not posting his best lap of the day during Superpole, the former Spanish Supersport champion has already proven that he doesn't need to start from the front row in order to win, his three wins coming from fifth (twice) and tenth on the grid at Barber Motorsports Park and Road Atlanta, respectively.
On Saturday, DiSalvo and Cardenas will look to continue their front-running form in the weekend's first of two 22-lap Daytona SportBike contests. |
TEAM M4 SUZUKI & CARDENAS DO THE DOUBLE AT INFINEON RACEWAY
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Published: May 17, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki backed up Saturday's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike victory at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California in perfect fashion on Sunday, claiming a dominant second 1-2 finish of the season.
Martin Cardenas claimed his fourth straight victory, narrowly holding off an intense challenge from teammate Jason DiSalvo as the two powered away from the rest of the field during the race's second half aboard their Suzuki GSX-R600 machines.
Cardenas and DiSalvo broke free of a tight pack for lead on lap 14 of 22 and battled it out among themselves in the blisteringly hot conditions. Both men took their turns at the front but the Colombian led down the stretch, doing everything in his power to keep the New Yorker corralled behind him.
The two charged out of the race's final corner side-by-side, crisscrossing as they lunged for the stripe. Cardenas took the checkered flag an instant earlier, getting his fifth win in the last six races by a meager 0.104 seconds.
Cardenas' victory opens up a bit of breathing space in the championship race, extending his title lead to 24 points (203 vs. Jamie Hacking's 179).
"Today's race was again very tough," Cardenas said. "It was a little bit different because I got to the front a little bit early and it was very tough because of the pressure; Jason was there the entire time. I knew on the last lap Jason was going to try to pass me but I tried to ride as hard as I could. I shut the door in the last corner because I knew he was fast and that was a good place to pass, but it worked out this time.
"I want to congratulate the whole team. They did a great job."
DiSalvo, who is fourth in the points with 148, was highly motivated after suffering a fall while leading on Saturday, but admitted there just wasn't anything he could do with Cardenas on this day.
"We wanted that number 1 spot," he said. "After yesterday I was really gunning for it but Martin ran just an incredible race. The last lap was faultless by both of us but we were just so evenly matched there was no place to make the move.
"Big congratulations to the whole M4 Suzuki team. These guys have really been working hard and they really deserve this second M4 Suzuki 1-2 of the season. Hopefully at Road America we can get a couple more of them."
Team M4 Suzuki will carry their four-race win streak into Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on June 5-7. |
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DISALVO/CARDENAS DOMINATE IN DAYTONA SPORTBIKE |
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Published: May 02, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki dominated Saturday's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race at Barber Motorsports Park, clearing off at the front en route to a brilliant 1-2 result for the team.
Martin Cardenas and Jason DiSalvo emerged from the pack early to establish themselves as the men to beat aboard their Suzuki GSX-R600s and engaged in a thrilling showdown to the checkered flag.
Cardenas moved into the lead on lap seven of 21 and attempted to pull a breakaway. The former Spanish Supersport champion was unable to escape from his teammate, however, and DiSalvo took over the top spot himself on lap 13.
Cardenas studied DiSalvo's lines and struck back with just a lap-and-a-half remaining, storming by on the brakes at the end of the back straight. The New Yorker looked to retaliate but couldn't make it happen as the Colombian put in a flawless final lap to claim his second career AMA race victory just one race meeting after earning his first.
"This win was very tough because the track is very demanding physically," Cardenas remarked. "Jason and I had a huge battle for ten laps or more. At the beginning I tried to put a gap to him but I pushed and could see I wasn't able to get away so I tried to stay in a rhythm. After a couple laps he passed me and I tried to look for his stronger points and mine. Two laps from the end, I made the move and put my head down and rode as fast as I could. It was a great race and I want to thank the team for giving me a great bike."
Superpole winner and race runner-up DiSalvo said, "Martin and I just had such a terrific race. It was awesome. He led for a little bit and I think he was trying to pull a gap but then settled into a rhythm. I made the move on him and put my head down for a lap or two but I don't think there was anything I could do we were so closely matched. All I could do was sit in front and try to figure out where he was going to try to come by and ride defensively. But where he passed me, it was just such a great pass. I didn't think he'd be able to make it stick but he did. We hung in there pretty good but again, both bikes were so evenly matched it just made it difficult. Tomorrow we'll just try to get out in the lead and stay there."
Qualifying for the AMA Pro SuperSport class was canceled on Saturday following a delay in the schedule due to the track conditions. As a result, the grid will be based on Friday's practice times, which means the team's talented youngster, Kris Turner, will start from the inside of the fourth row on Sunday, posting the 13th fastest time at 1:34.344.
On Sunday Team M4 Suzuki will look to continue their incredible Daytona SportBike form with high hopes of claiming another race win and additional podium finishes. |
ANOTHER SPECTACULAR VICTORY FOR TEAM M4 SUZUKI |
Published: May 03, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki's Martin Cardenas backed up Saturday's Daytona SportBike victory at Barber Motorsports Park by claiming his third win in four races on Sunday and putting the finishing touches on the weekend sweep.
The Colombian showed incredible skill negotiating the day's very trying conditions, swiftly racing up to second place on the damp but drying racecourse. Once in the runner-up position, Cardenas stalked race leader Jamie Hacking, studying his strengths and weaknesses while biding his time for a pass.
On lap 15 of the shortened 16-lap final, Cardenas made his move, slotting his GSX-R600 up the inside of his rival's machine on the brakes entering the Hairpin. He then quickly put a pair of slower riders between himself and Hacking and posted a blistering lap to eliminate any chance of retaliation en route to the checkered flag.
Cardenas' double victory now sees him ranked third in the season's point tally with 142 points, just four out of the championship lead.
"The conditions were difficult," Cardenas admitted. "I got to Jamie after a few laps and I knew the race was 16 laps so I didn't rush to pass him and maybe risk crashing or allow him to learn from me. I decided to wait until the end to make my move. With just over a lap to go, I decided to try to make a pass and put my head down and hopefully pull a gap and it worked out. I ended up winning the race but it was really tough. It took a little while to get the first win but now I have three. We'll see how it goes from here but I'll try my best every race.
"My M4 Suzuki was awesome again today and I want to thank all of our sponsors and the whole team."
Pole winner Jason DiSalvo was unable to replicate Saturday's 1-2 for the team as the changeable conditions took its toll on his race effort. The New Yorker managed to hold on for seventh in the end and is currently ranked in fourth place, just one position behind teammate Cardenas, in the Daytona SportBike points standings.
Up-and-comer Kris Turner saw a promising start to the SuperSport contest quickly turn to disappointment. Running third in the early stages of the wet race, the Chattanooga, TN resident was thrown off the side of his machine exiting the slick final corner and entering the front straight. He clung on for several tense moments before ultimately falling in the grass.
Turner didn't give in, however, and remounted his GSX-R600 and carried on to claim 16th position in the end.
Team M4 Suzuki will look to continue their win streak when the AMA Pro Road Racing series picks up again at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on May 15-17. |
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UP AND DOWN WEEKEND FOR DISALVO AT ROAD ATL |
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Published: April 3, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki's Jason DiSalvo scored his first career Superpole victory at Road Atlanta on Friday.
DiSalvo circulated the 2.55-mile road course aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600 with a time of 1:29.933 during his single flying lap to claim the top spot behind the safety car for the weekend's twin Daytona SportBike rolling starts.
The lap continued the New Yorker's strong start to the weekend, as he also set the pace in the morning's Daytona SportBike free session (1:31.126) and was third fastest in provisional qualifying (1:29.905).
DiSalvo, who is widely acknowledged as one of the paddock's ace qualifiers, was both happy and relieved to accomplish the feat in his third attempt at Superpole this season.
He said, "The lap wasn't anything super spectacular, I just pretty much repeated the same lap time I did from earlier. I just felt consistent and accurate and I didn't make any mistakes and that's what I'd been missing the last couple times out in Superpole.
"I was just really happy to win my first Superpole. I kind of felt like people were expecting more from me in Superpole due to my qualifying history and I wasn't delivering the goods. This is a monkey off my back and I'm pumped to try to give the M4 guys a win tomorrow and Sunday."
Martin Cardenas entered Superpole looking formidable as well, lapping second quickest in both the morning practice (1:31.394) and provisional qualifying (1:29.872). Unfortunately, the Colombian crashed during his Superpole lap in Turn 10 and will be forced to start the weekend's 20-lap SportBike finals from tenth place.
Friday was a frustrating day for young Kris Turner as well, who is competing in both SuperSport and Daytona SportBike this weekend. Unfortunately, Turner was caught out by another rider and was sidelined for much of the day as his bike was repaired.
Turner was forced to miss the afternoon SuperSport free session but he managed to qualify 20th for the weekend's Daytona SportBike finals.
On Saturday Team M4 Suzuki will look to continue their season's perfect podium haul streak in search of their first win of 2009 in the afternoon's 50-mile Daytona SportBike main event. |
CARDENAS WINS DAYTONA SPORTBIKE AT RD. ATLANTA |
Published: April 4, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki's Martin Cardenas scored his first-career AMA victory on Saturday at Road Atlanta in incredible fashion.
Bouncing back from Saturday's Superpole crash that left the Colombian with a dislocated left shoulder and a tenth-place starting position, Cardenas worked his way up through an extremely tight and competitive pack that fought for the win in the Daytona SportBike final.
On lap 15 Martin took control at the front and opened up a small gap aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600. Just as Cardenas was preparing for a final-lap battle to the checkered flag, a red flag was thrown. The late halt brought the contest to a conclusion and awarded the Team M4 Suzuki star a hard-earned and long-sought after first AMA win.
After the race, the thrilled Cardenas explained, "As soon as I got to the front, I broke away a little bit and had a little bit of time. I was looking back and (Roger Hayden) was right there. I was feeling the pressure and if the race wasn't stopped, I think it would have been an interesting last lap with passes and everything. The race was very tough because I started from tenth and to pass here is very difficult. It worked out and the bike was very good. I want to really thank the team.
"This feels great. I've been looking for this since I came here. I have been close a few times, and it feels great to win. That's what we're here for."
Cardenas now sits second in the season's championship chase, just two points removed from the title lead.
The triumph extended Team M4 Suzuki's perfect Daytona SportBike podium record. And it might have been two M4 Suzuki GSX-R600s on the box if not for an early mistake from Jason DiSalvo, who opened the race from the pole position.
The New Yorker held down the lead for the races opening two laps but crashed out of first while working lap 3, losing the front in turn 7.
Kris Turner qualified on the front row for Sunday's SuperSport contest, putting in a fast lap of 1:32.856. The lap was good enough for third on the grid, making up for Friday's frustration.
Turner, who finished 21st in Saturday's SportBike race, claims there is more to come. "I think I have a lot more in me. It was funny, the lap I had all my good splits I coasted across the finish line. I wasn't paying close enough attention. It wasn't the lap time I was looking for but I can't complain about the front row."
On Sunday Team M4 Suzuki will look to score more victories as they complete the Road Atlanta with the second 50-mile Daytona SportBike race and the 40-mile SuperSport final. |
TOUGH END TO WINNING WEEKEND FOR TEAM M4 SUZUKI |
Published: April 5, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki endured double frustration in Sunday's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike final at Road Atlanta. The squad entered the day hoping to repeat Saturday's victorious effort but misfortune caught up with both Saturday race winner Martin Cardenas and Superpole winner Jason DiSalvo.
DiSalvo broke free of the pack alongside Jake Zemke during he race's opening half, the two sitting out front with a two-second gap over third place by lap 6 of 20.
Zemke crashed out of contention on lap 8, leaving the New Yorker all alone out front on his Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600. However, soon after his rear tire showed signs of fading and took a further turn for the worse a couple of laps later.
DiSalvo did what he could to maintain the best pace that he could. He nursed his way to an eventual seventh place finish, collecting valuable championship points along the way.
"My tire just went off really bad," DiSalvo said. "It was good until right around when Jake crashed and then it tanked after that to the point where I could barely get my knee down. It was actually a hard compound so they took it back for analysis.
"I pushed as hard as I could the whole time but it was pretty slippery at the end and I had some big moments. I was just happy to get away with some points after yesterday's disappointment."
Cardenas' plans for a double victory disappeared almost from the start, as he went off course shortly after the green flag and was forced to battle he was up from outside the top twenty. The Colombian made a spirited charge up to tenth but a mechanical problem ended his day early on lap 13.
"It was a bad race today," he admitted. "I started okay and I was moving to the front. But I missed the first corner and went back to like 20th position. I was gaining positions again and made it up to tenth but I had problems and the race was over for me.
"Still, we leave here with a win. Even though today didn't go well, we are happy with that and we'll try to do even better at Barber and be good in both races."
DiSalvo is now fourth in the Daytona SportBike championship with 74 points while Cardenas is sixth with 51.
Kris Turner picked up a top-five result in the once-stopped AMA SuperSport final. The talented youngster from nearby Chattanooga, TN was running second in the early going aboard his GSX-R600 before a red flag was shown after multiple riders, including Turner, crashed on the suddenly damp course.
Turner rejoined the fray and carried on in the runner-up position for several laps before ultimately finishing fifth, missing out on a last-lap bid for fourth by a scant 0.188 seconds.
Turner is sixth in the SuperSport East title race with 23 points following two races.
Team M4 Suzuki will head to Barber Motorsports Park for Round 4 of the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing series on May 1-3. |
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DISALVO THIRD FOR M4 SUZUKI IN FONTANA |
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Published: March 22, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki closed the AMA Pro Road Racing weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA by claiming their third consecutive podium finish to kick off the 2009 season.
Just as they did on Saturday, the squad came home in third and fourth on their Suzuki GSX-R600s, although on Sunday the positions were swapped with Jason DiSalvo claiming his second podium result of the season, edging teammate Martin Cardenas at the checkered flag.
DiSalvo battled his way up through a talented pack, falling back to the third group mid-race before regrouping and charging up to a dramatic last-gasp strike for third.
DiSalvo surged past Cardenas as the two crossed the stripe, the New Yorker getting the nod over the Colombian by a scant 0.031 seconds.
After the race, DiSalvo said, "Both of the M4 Suzukis were really strong today and Martin and I made our way through the pack of guys. I just couldn't get going at the start of the race and fell quite a ways back. I was way back there and they had a gap, so I had to get through there and work my way back. By the time I got there and got back up to the pack, I saw three laps to go and I had three guys in front of me and I figured I had to get one guy each lap.
"Martin and I came off the last corner and it was M4 Suzuki versus M4 Suzuki. I just tried to set him up and get as a good a drive as I could coming off the last turn. We made the draft work today. My M4 Suzuki had what it took coming to the line."
Team M4 Suzuki will be back in action on April 3-5 at Road Atlanta for Round 3 of the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing championship. |
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| DISALVO THIRD IN 68TH DAYTONA 200 |
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Published: March 07, 2009 - teamhammer.com
Team M4 Suzuki opened their 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing season in tremendous form on Friday night, claiming a podium finish in the 68th running of the famed Daytona 200.
Jason DiSalvo finished third in a spectacular debut ride for the team at Daytona International Speedway, fighting for the win right down to the checkered flag aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600 Daytona SportBike.
The always-unpredictable race was especially so in its first-ever running under the lights, proving to be a hectic affair that included a pair of full course yellows, a red flag, and numerous laps run behind the safety car. DiSalvo and his crew successfully negotiated all of the challenges presented to them and finished just 0.072 seconds off of second, and just 0.624 seconds behind race winner Ben Bostrom.
Following his trophy-winning ride the delighted DiSalvo said, "The M4 Suzuki was really strong on top out there. I think if we could have been a little bit closer and set up a little better on the final lap we might have been able to make a run. I was sitting in third thinking we might get the double draft and that things might really work out for us, but it wasn't to be tonight.
"I have to say the crew did a fantastic job. I came in early on in the race in fifth or sixth place and I ended up going back out in second. We had phenomenal pit stops. My hats off to my crew."
DiSalvo's teammate, Martin Cardenas, showed race-winning potential himself early on, mixing it up for the lead during the race's opening third. The Colombian ultimately got shuffled back following the confusion of the yellows, but regrouped to give the team a second top-ten result in the prestigious event, finishing in eighth position.
Kris Turner didn't fare as well in his first-ever attempt at the arduous contest, falling twice and being credited with 68th after crashing out following 37 laps.
Team M4 Suzuki will be back in action on March 20-22 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA for the second round of the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing Championships. |
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