Celtic Racing is pleased to report a successful visit to Daytona for the opening round of the AMA Pro Road Racing 2013 season. National Guard Celtic Racing's Corey Alexander rode hard in Saturday's AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport race and finished a strong third place on his #5 Suzuki GSX-R 600. Teammate James Rispoli finished seventh in the Daytona 200 in his first attempt competing in the historic race, enjoying a race long battle in the lead pack on his #43 National Guard Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600. Caroline Olsen worked hard all week with limited practice laps and cold weather to finish twenty-fifth in Saturday's SuperSport race on her #44 Celtic Orient Express Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600.
Corey Alexander. Photo by...
Corey Alexander. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
In SuperSport, both Corey Alexander and Caroline Olsen saw limited practice and qualifying time at Daytona. Cold ambient and track temperatures, combined with a heavily packed SuperSport field and several red flags reduced the number of pre-race laps dramatically. Alexander worked carefully to secure eleventh place on the starting grid. In Friday's SuperSport race, Alexander's bodywork was damaged by another rider and Corey was forced to ride the entire race using his knees to keep the bodywork in place at speed - an incredible show of grit and determination! Corey would finish fourteenth under these challenging conditions on Friday. Saturday's race saw Alexander at the front for several laps in a hotly contested race for the finish among seven riders. Ultimately Corey would capture third place and a podium finish! Alexander stated that "after a long off-season recovering from an injury I am very excited to conclude my rough weekend at Daytona with a podium finish. I felt like we had the speed all weekend to win, and we finally put the pieces together for the second race. My National Guard Celtic Racing bike ran phenomenally well all weekend and I can't thank my crew and everyone supporting the team enough. Hopefully there are many more podium finishes to come this season, but only at the top step of the podium in the future!" Corey's personal sponsors include: Hudson Valley Motorcycles, Arai Helmets, Spidi Leathers, XPD Boots, and AMMO NYC.
James Rispoli. Photo by Andrea...
James Rispoli. Photo by Andrea Wilson
James Rispoli moved into the Daytona Sport Bike class for the 2013 season after back to back SuperSport championships in 2011 and 2012. This was the first time Rispoli had raced in the Daytona 200, and despite limited track time before the race, James was able to qualify in tenth position - only a few tenths behind the fifth fastest qualifier. Rispoli has been training hard in the off season, to prepare for his 2013 season, and the test of endurance that comes with racing in the Daytona 200. All the work by the Celtic crew and Rispoli's smart riding would help him bring home a strong seventh place finish for the team. Rispoli said that "to start the season with a 7th at Daytona, and to be running the top guys in the U.S. is an amazing feeling. Daytona didn't give us a lot of track time, and we didn't get the kind of draft we were looking for in practice and qualifying, so we didn't post up a good lap time and ended up P-10 on the grid. I knew going into the race I had to get a good start and get on with the lead group if I was going to have a shot at a good result. I got a pretty good start and for the first 19 laps I ran in the top five. The first pit stop was clean but I could tell in the second stint I couldn't get the bike to turn the way I wanted it to, so I just rode as best as I could until the second pit stop. The second stop we had a bit of a problem but the boys still got me out, and I was on my way into 7th about five seconds on Rapp. For the last 15 lap sprint race I closed the gap to Rapp until we just ran out time. The team is working well together, overall a great weekend! James' personal sponsors include AGV Helmets, Dainese Leathers, Monster Energy, and Techmount.
Caroline Olsen. Photo by Brian...
Caroline Olsen. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Caroline Olsen, in her AMA SuperSport debut, rode carefully and wisely, trying to maximize her track time despite cold track conditions and an abundance of red flags in her practice and qualifying sessions. There was a great deal for Olsen to learn in a very limited time frame before each of the races. Additionally, the SuperSport field was fifty-two riders deep, adding traffic to the mix as well. Olsen was able to qualify in thirty-sixth position, gaining experience and speed with each lap. In both races, Olsen rode well, and improved from her qualifying position in each race to finish twenty-seventh on Friday, and twenty-fifth on Saturday. Caroline's enthusiasm was only strengthened with the results and stated "Daytona was awesome! The track was new and challenging, but the team was working great. I'm happy with the overall first weekend with Celtic Orient Express Racing, knowing we have a lot of potential together. I'm already looking forward to the next race at Road America." Caroline's personal sponsors include Arai Helmets, Cato Composites, and LOXY.
Celtic Racing is proud to partner with: Army National Guard, Michael Jordan Motorsports, Orient Express Racing, Hudson Valley Motorcycles, American Suzuki, Armour Bodies, Bazzaz, Chicken Hawk Racing, DesignStar3, D.I.D. Chain, FMF Exhaust, Galfer, GB Racing, K-Tech Suspension, Maxima Racing Oils, Motion Pro, Pit Bull Products, Saddlemen, Signs Ink, Star Motorcycle School, Vortex Racing, and Zero Gravity.
CELTIC RACING
Celtic Racing was established in 2001 by Barry Gilsenan, and over the past 12 seasons has established itself as a premier privateer racing team. Development of riding talent began with two-stroke 125cc, and 250cc machines competing in professional and regional championship events. More recent Celtic Racing efforts have focused on AMA Pro Road Racing in the Daytona SportBike and SuperSport classes with Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha four stroke motorcycles. Gilsenan's talent for coaching racers of all ages and abilities has brought Celtic Racing worldwide attention and recognition, with many former Celtic Racing riders now competing on World Championship levels. Please join Celtic Racing on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CelticRacing.
ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
The National Guard is the oldest military branch. Today, Citizen-Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while training part time, staying ready to defend America in the event of an emergency. The National Guard serves both state and federal governments. During local emergencies, Guard units assist residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard companies deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. Please visit www.nationalguard.com to find out more.
ORIENT EXPRESS
Established in 1973, Orient Express is a high performance motorcycle parts and accessories warehouse distributor; offering dyno tuning, engine building services and precision machine work. Orient Express has an extensive history of racing, including support of both professional and amateur race series and individuals. For more information regarding Orient Express, or to find out what Orient Express can do for your racing success, please call 800.645.6521 or 631.231.9552 (NY/International), visit www.orientexpress.com or join them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OrientExpressRacing.