TOOELE, UTAH, MAY 27 – Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes cut into the AMA championship lead of Blake Young (Yoshimura Suzuki) by a single point with his fourth pole position in a row.

Today’s pole came late on a windy, overcast morning at Miller Motorsports Park, on a track that was finally dry after rain affected the AMA Superbikes during practice and qualifying on Saturday.

“Everything went pretty smoothly,” Hayes said after cutting Young’s lead to three points, 166 to 163, at Miller on Sunday. “It was definitely a bit of a relief after the morning to have some dry race track to ride on. The track was pretty good and clean all the way around and without the wind we were able to get back to business as usual.

“Yeah, I’m happy. The R1’s running really well. Everything seems to be clicking pretty good. I think tire life is probably a little bit of an issue for everybody right. I started the session on one of yesterday’s tires. It was tough to get up to speed. I was watching Roger (Hayden) kinda ride away from me for a while and I was going, ‘Man, I hope it’s not like this when I get a new tire.’ When we put on a fresh it was definitely worth quite a bit to us. All in all things went pretty smooth and it was fun riding around.”

Hayes’ time would have put him 12th on the World Superbike grid, which was an accomplishment given the discrepancy in machine spec, which was reflected in top speed.

“I wanted to do 49s last year and I thought I had the bike to do it and I didn’t quite get there,” Hayes said. “And I still don’t think that this is ideal conditions. I think we can go faster.

“But it’s a pretty straight comparison I guess right now, considering when I looked at the speeds yesterday in the wind we were down, what? 12-13 mph on those guys, and the gap’s not too bad. I guess we’re doing a pretty good job. I guess we can ride pretty decently here.”

At the previous Superbike round at Infineon Raceway Young admitted he needed to get going faster sooner in the weekend. When Hayes rolls onto the track he quickly gets up to speed. Young takes longer, and having both sessions compromised at Miller on Saturday hurt his aim to be at the top from the outset.

Young said, “I definitely think it wasn’t ideal for me. Just a little bit upset, but that’s out of my control. I would’ve liked obviously for it to be either all wet or all dry session. But with the wind and everything, yes, it definitely go according to plan for sure.”

For the first time ever in AMA superbike, a pair of EBRs landed on the front row, Team Amsoil/Hero’s Geoff May in front of teammate Danny Eslick. The EBRs have no aftermarket electronic aids, which makes riding the twisty 3.06-mile Miller Motorsports Park a challenge.

“It’s definitely a handful,” Eslick said. “Just give credit to the crew. Geoff’s (May) side of the team and mine as well, everybody’s working really hard together to get this EBR Team Hero/Amsoil 1190RS working good. and to go from Infineon, where we both came off of podium finishes, to be on the front row here it speaks volumes to what the team’s doing and how far along the bike’s came already.”

TOOELE, UTAH, MAY 26 – Gusting winds, cool temperatures, and a green track kept the World Superbike regulars from showing their best in Saturday afternoon provisional qualifying at Miller Motorsports Park.

Heavy morning rains gave way to cool temperatures and gusts of over 30 mph at MMP, the 3.06-mile road course set in a valley surrounded by foothills and snow-capped peaks. Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati’s Jakub Smrz took the provisional pole with a lap of 1:49.842, a time that was 1.6 seconds slower than Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) had lapped the track in first qualifying one year ago.

MMP master Checa—he won twice last year and twice in 2009—came second to Smrz today at a deficit of .070 seconds, the two Ducatis the only riders in the 49s. BMW Motorrad’s Marco Melandri improved BMW’s fortunes at Miller by qualifying a provisional third fastest. Teammate Leon Haslam had his worst race of the season here last year, with then World Superbike teammate Troy Corser finishing 13-DNF.

Aprilia’s Max Biaggi joined the crowded field at the top by lapping within .053 seconds of fellow Italian Melandri after languishing at the bottom half of field during the first half of the session.

Checa’s teammate Davide Giugliano and Smrz’s teammate Sylvain Guintoli finished fifth and sixth, respectively, making it four Ducatis in the top six.

Jonathan Rea was the first Japanese bike down in seventh, though less than a tenth from fifth fastest Giugliano. Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty was a close eighth, with Tom Sykes only .005 seconds behind Laverty. Sykes missed out on the chance to improve his time by crashing late in the session.

FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier was about a tenth behind Sykes and almost exactly a second up on teammate John Hopkins. Seventeenth-fastest Hopkins was making his return to World Superbike racing at Miller after having broken his foot in Monza nearly three weeks ago.

TOOELE, UTAH, MAY 26 – The winds were howling into the valley where Miller Motorsports Park sits, but that was OK with Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes. Hayes survived 32 mph gusts and temperatures in the mid-50s to take the provisional pole for the Memorial Day AMA Pro Superbike race. With the morning practice washed out by rain, and the possibility of more rain tomorrow, dry track time in moderate conditions is at a premium, which may play to Hayes’ strength.

Hayes, more than most, and especially title rival Blake Young (Yoshimura Suzuki), is almost always fast off the truck. Though he may not be the fastest rider all session—National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Lee Hayden led most of the Superbike qualifying session this afternoon—he’ll get it figured out before anyone else and get down to running race pace, then going about the business of fine tuning his Yamaha YZF-R1.

“Typically I get up to speed pretty quickly, but you know, it plays in my favor in one way and it just doesn’t in another because the guy can just latch on,” Hayes said after his provisional pole time of 1:51.046. In much more moderate conditions, Hayes had taken last year’s pole with a lap of 1:50.401. " figure it out when the chips are down and pressure’s on and he has a knack for figuring it out really quick. If he has to go through a few people, then no, he might not, if I get clear. If I can get a couple of guys in qualifying in front of him and they get good starts, it may work into my favor, big time. If he gets a good start and he’s right on me, then it’s probably going to be a dog fight all weekend.”

Saturday’s 45-minute AMA Superbike provisional qualifying session at Miller “was very, very windy. It was a very tough session,” Hayes said. He’d first gone to the top with about 17 minutes to go, then did a handful of laps before pitting. “I came in with, I don’t know, six-eight minutes to go, and the guys looked at me said, ‘You want another tire?’ And I’m like, ‘Only if you want this bike out in the weeds. I’m not going any faster than that.’

Rome, Georgia, May 25, 2012 – Pirelli Moto celebrates the return of World Superbike to the United States during Memorial Day weekend, which honors the nation’s past and present military personnel. Following excitement delivered by bothBMW’s first win in WSBK and the last corner melee at Donington Park Circuit in England, the series joins hands with AMA Superbike for a weekend of racing in the old west.

TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 25, 2012) — Jonathan Rea, who rides the No. 65 Honda CBR1000RR for the Honda World Superbike Team in the FIM Superbike World Championship, will be unable to participate in today’s Second Annual DRIFT BigM Superbike Super Celebrity Mega Kart Showdown at Miller Motorsports Park. As a result, his teammate, Hiroshi Aoyama, who rides the team’s No. 4 entry, will take his place.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association expresses its deepest gratitude to the families and friends of loved ones who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to the United States of America, and honors their memories on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28.

Team Suzuki Press Office - May 25 . After a successful opening International Road Race of the season last week at the North West 200 in Northern Ireland, Tyco Suzuki's Alastair Seeley and Josh Brookes return to action this weekend at Snetterton for round four of the 2012 British Superbike Championship.

We are very proud to reveal these Authorized Motus Dealers, each carefully selected for reputations of superior customer service. Each will get a limited number of 2013 MST's and MST-R's this Fall, so locate your closest Authorized Motus Dealer here and let them know you want to ride a Motus! Our search for fine dealers elsewhere continues, so if you have a favorite store that may be a good fit for our line of comfortable sportbikes, let us know here

Team Suzuki Press Office - May 25.

Samsung Honda head to Snetterton in Norfolk this weekend for the fourth round of the British Superbike Championship as Jon Kirkham and Michael Laverty target a return to the podium.

With over 15 years of experience in designing textile motorcycle jackets, AXO has perfected the art with the Gridlock. AXO’s Gridlock jacket offers a racing look with the comfort and protection every rider needs. The jacket is designed for every type of rider: those commuting to work, going cross country or just riding around town. It will keep them safe and looking good.

Team Suzuki Press Office - May 24.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the first member of the induction class of 2012. The late Rod Bush, who helped establish and grow KTM North America and served as company president from 1987 until his death in 2005, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2012 AMA Legends Weekend at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 16-17.

The upcoming round of the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport Championship brings the Celtic Racing team to Miller Motorsports Park, located outside of Salt Lake City, Utah in Tooele. Celtic Orient Express Racing's James Rispoli will ride his #1 Suzuki GSX-R 600 with a healthy 44 point lead in the SuperSport West series. Rispoli has been on a very consistent streak of Pole positions, race wins, and podium finishes since the season opened at Daytona, with three victories to his credit so far. Corey Alexander will ride his #5 National Guard Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600 as the returning Miller event winner, having secured a convincing victory last year in treacherous wet conditions where his margin of victory was over 18 seconds! Alexander will contest the event at Miller after two weeks of serious training, his recent 18th birthday, and some time to recover from injuries sustained at the previous two rounds.

Bel-Ray professional racers will be in action this weekend in the United States and Italy as AMA National Motocross, World Superbike and World Supermoto events are scheduled. The riders look to the performance advantages for in Bel-Ray lubricants in order to race to their maximum potential.

Riders for Health is the official charity and Associate Member of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and MotoGP. The organization not only grew out of the Grand Prix racing paddock in the 1980s, it continues to receive support from motorcyclists around the world. Co-founder of Riders for Health, 13-times grand prix winner, Randy Mamola said 'What makes Riders for Health special is that the thing that we all love, and that allowed me to have such a fantastic career, is the same thing that is saving lives in Africa. We are very proud to have been nominated for this award. Without the support of the FIM and the motorcycle community Riders for Health would not exist. This nomination is for all of us.'

TOOELE, Utah (May 24, 2012) - With Blake Young (Yoshimura Racing Suzuki) leading the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike point standings, AMA Pro Road Racing heads to Miller Motorsports Park for the BigM Weekend presented by Lucas Oil, a Memorial Day tradition mixing motorcycles, music and military. This weekend will be the Series' fifth trip to Tooele, Utah, and Suzuki has earned victory in all but one of the seven AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike races held at the facility. Each of AMA Pro Road Racing four classes will be featured in single race finals on the 3.05-mile natural terrain road course.

TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 24, 2012) — Miller Motorsports Park will again host the USA Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship on The BigM Weekend, May 26-28. As was the case last year, we will visit with race winners and other notable riders participating in the championship after each race during the 2012 season leading up to The BigM Weekend and bring you a new chapter in the “Five Questions with” series.

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BENICIA, CA — May 23, 2012 — Cycle Gear Inc., the nation’s largest retailer of motorcycle apparel and accessories, is pleased to announce the opening of its 96th retail store in Laurel, Maryland. Just a short drive from the heart of Washington DC, the new store is located at 14219 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, MD. The Laurel store represents Cycle Gear’s first retail location in the motorcycle-rich DC Metro Area.

In a sport where tenths of a second divide a good lap from a botched one, chicanes are both a challenge and secret to quicker lap times. All road courses features some type of chicanes too, with the only variance being the distance between the exit of the first corner to the entry of the next. On the street, the natural flow of a canyon road inevitably leaves the rider continually transitioning from full lean in one direction to full lean in the other. Understanding how to shorten the amount of time it takes to change direction in these chicanes not only helps curtail lap times on the racetrack, but also allows you to hold a better line on the street, making your experience in the canyons a safer and more fluid one.

May 23rd, 2012- Ft. Worth, TX - BikeMaster® announces their new Performance Oil! It is for use in both engines and transmissions. Designed to withstand increased heat and stress created from smaller, higher revving engines, the advanced additives resist premature viscosity breakdown from increased shearing action. The highly refined Hydro-cracked base oils maintain optimal lubricity and stability for longer service life. BikeMaster Performance Oil meets or exceeds the warranty specifications for all new ATV, motorcycle and scooters, and is available in 10w40 and 20w50.

TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 23, 2012) — The long wait is over, and the team line-ups for the Second Annual DRIFT BigM Superbike Super Celebrity Mega Kart Showdown at Miller Motorsports Park have been announced.

CHINO, CA (May 23, 2012) – Yoshimura R&D of America is proud to announce the addition of our new quarterly Yoshimura Racers Gallery to the Yoshimura Mobile App. The Racers Gallery is a quarterly photographic overview highlighting some of Yoshimura’s top racers and teams from around the world.

Honda World Superbike Team riders Jonathan Rea and Hiroshi Aoyama head across the Atlantic this weekend (26-28 May) for round six of the 2012 World Superbike championship at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City in Utah, USA.