News - New Jersey

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Finishes Solid Weekend of Racing in New Jersey

•    Tommy Hayden finished second on Sunday in a near repeat of Saturday's battle on the track.
•    Blake Young pulled together a fourth-place effort on Sunday, returning to racing this weekend after a three-race absence due to injury.
•    The GSX-R1000 took eight of the top-10 spots in the race on Sunday.

Brea, Calif. – September 7, 2010 – Rockstar Makita Suzuki and their championship-winning GSX-R1000s took to the track again on Sunday for the second half of the AMA American SuperBike Round 9 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park doubleheader. Tommy Hayden and his No. 22 GSX-R1000 put on a spectacular show for the fans as he fought for the lead throughout the race, finishing second. Blake Young just missed the podium with his strong fourth-place ride. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 had a great day on Sunday as well, taking eight of the top-10 spots in the class.

Tommy Hayden went into the race on Sunday hoping to capitalize on the momentum he built up with the pole position and a second-place finish on Saturday. After a few minor changes to his Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000, Hayden took the first spot on the grid prepared to stay up front for the entire race. Tommy did just that as he rocketed his motorcycle to the front off the start, using the smooth power of the GSX-R to put himself in the best position possible to make a run for the checkered flag. He battled with another racer throughout the 23-lap event, trading between first and second. On the last lap, Tommy made a thrilling pass but couldn’t make it stick, ending the day in second place.

"For the most part, the race went the way I expected," Hayden said after the race. "I could tell it was going to come down to the last lap again today. I didn't expect to be able to get away, but I wanted to put up a fight. I felt like I did that, but it wasn't quite good enough." Tommy is still firmly planted in second place in the championship points race, 22 points behind the leader.

Blake Young hoped that his return to the racetrack after a three-race absence would go well, though he wasn't sure if he'd be physically prepared to battle it out for 23 laps on the track. After Saturday's strong performance aboard his GSX-R1000, Blake lined up on the grid focused on riding another fluidly smooth race. Young got a great start, powering his way into second behind his teammate Hayden for the first lap. Young eventually fell back to third place and stayed there for the majority of the battle. Toward the end of the race, another competitor was able to overtake him and Young finished in fourth place again. Overall, it was a successful return to racing for the 22-year-old Wisconsin native.

"We made some changes last night and after the warm up today I could tell we were headed in the right direction," Young said after the race. "I set my goals a little bit higher today, and I wanted to cut the gap in half between us and the leaders from yesterday, and I was pretty happy that we did that. My crew on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team worked really, really hard for me and I want to thank them for being patient with me and getting me back up to speed on my bike."

Tommy and Blake will get two more chances to show what their GSX-R1000s are capable of in the 2010 AMA American SuperBike class at the series finale doubleheader hosted by Barber Motorsports in Alabama on September 24-26.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Finishes Strong in New Jersey

• Tommy Hayden took second, though he was leading during the last lap when the race was red flagged.
• Blake Young finished a strong fourth in his first race back in competition since June.
• Hayden and Young both used the power and maneuverability of their GSX-R1000s to finish strong on Saturday.

Millville, New Jersey – September 5, 2010 – Rockstar Makita Suzuki's AMA American SuperBike duo of Tommy Hayden and Blake Young put together great performances aboard their championship-winning GSX-R1000s on Saturday. Hayden finished the race in second place, and Young marked his return to the track with a great fourth-place finish.

Hayden set the fastest time in qualifying and got the pole position, the first pole point he's earned. With a smooth start, Tommy found himself fighting for the lead throughout the 23-lap race. As the white flag came out, Tommy made his move from second to take over the lead. He was rolling on the power of the GSX-R1000 and looking to keep himself out front until the checkered flag, but instead the race got red flagged when another racer crashed on the course. Due to AMA rules, the racer who led the last complete lap is awarded the win, putting Tommy second on the podium.

"This is a rhythm track and I started feeling pretty good after a few laps," Hayden said after the race. "I thought, 'I think I can keep this up to the end and see what happens.' In the last lap I could tell it was going to come down to a last-lap battle like it has so many times this year, and then the red flag came out. It's very frustrating, but that's racing. I won't have any trouble putting it behind me and getting ready for the race on Sunday. Let's forget it and move on…that's my plan, anyway."

Tommy's teammate Blake Young made his comeback on Saturday in New Jersey after missing three rounds of action due to a back injury. Young was confident in his ability but wasn't sure where he'd stack up against the competition. Blake traded sixth and fifth place before finally moving his way into fourth and making it stick until the end of the race.

"Today, I knew what I needed to do and I knew what I was capable of doing," Young said. "This is, out of all the races I've ran this year, the one I've been most consistent and smooth. I wasn't in the lead group where I wanted to be but I think fourth place is pretty decent. I don't think I thought about my back at all the whole race, and I came into the weekend thinking about it a lot. I've turned my focus from my back to what I'm doing out on the racetrack. Overall I feel about 85 percent. I think if we can do what we did Saturday on Sunday, maybe just a couple tenths quicker pace, I think that's going to be pretty respectable."

The second race of the Round 9 doubleheader at the New Jersey Motorsports Park kicks off on Sunday at 3:15 pm. Look for Tommy Hayden and Blake Young to put down some impressive lap times aboard their GSX-R1000s.