Homestead, FL - Inching ever closer to his 2nd straight championship, Dainese and AGV rider Orient Express Celtic Racing's James "The Rocket" Rispoli kicked off the weekend with a fantastic win in SuperSport Race 1. After an early battle with fellow Dainese rider Roadrace Factory's Thomas Puerta, who went on to capture 3rd place, Rispoli found himself in a great fight with Kneedraggers.com's Stefano Mesa. Swapping the lead throughout the race, The Rocket let his confidence and late braking put him on the top step of the podium.
In SuperSport Race 2, the weather hounded riders and created an unpredictable race surface. Again, James Rispoli took early control and never looked back. Locked into a strong pace right behind the Rocket, Thomas Puerta continued his strong showing for the weekend. When a race that started in the sun was red flagged at an abbreviated 18 laps, Rispoli was awarded the win and Puerta 2nd place.
Adverse weather conditions left the racers in SuperBike with little understanding of bike set-up or tire choice, and a starting grid based on an abbreviated qualifying round. The situation lent itself to some amazing racing among Dainese riders. As the race settled in and field spread out, Dainese and Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Young ensued in an epic contest with Hero EBR's Danny Eslick. In one of the most memorable sights of the season, the two racers swapped positions and paint through most corners of the race, with Young earning a hard-fought 3rd place. In tow, and just off the podium was Dainese and Hero EBR's Geoff May. Dainese and Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom rounded out the top five after suffering from tire issues similar to Dainese and Graves Yamaha's Josh Herrin, who was forced to retire.
SuperBike Race 2 came under fire from Mother Nature again, with about a third of the grid including Blake Young, choosing to opt out of racing due to dangerous conditions created by weather. A gamble for all, tire choice became critical. Geoff May lead most of the race before tire problems relegated him to a 5th place finish. Suffering a similar fate, Ben Bostrom maintained an amazing pace despite his tires and reeled across the finish line in 3rd, with Josh Herrin a few seconds back. Dainese's man of the hour was Steve Rapp, who previous to the weekend had never ridden the Homestead track and missed Friday's practices. Starting from the back of the grid, Steve hustled at a furious pace and surprised even himself when he took the checkers in 2nd place.