ESTOK PUTS BUELL ON THUNDERBIKE PODIUM AT LOUDON CLASSIC Four Buell Riders in Top Ten at Formula USA Thunderbike National LOUDON, N.H. (June 19, 2005) – Millville & Wildwood Harley-Davidson/Buell rider David Estok rode to a third-place finish aboard a Buell Firebolt at the Formula USA Thunderbike National in the 82nd Annual Loudon Classic, held at New Hampshire International Raceway. Estok qualified third, putting him in the front row on the grid, but he had a tough start and fell back to sixth. He fought hard to get back up to the front pack by the middle of the 12-lap race. The race was won by Eric Wood on a Ducati. Pole-sitter Richard Doucette was second aboard a Suzuki. Defending Thunderbike series champion Bryan Bemisderfer, riding for Evo-Twin Racing/Harding Harley-Davidson, initially qualified fourth but was disqualified when his motorcycle failed to complete the mandatory post-qualifying dyno test. Bemisderfer had to start the race from the back row behind 26 riders, and worked hard to finish ninth. Williams Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Randy Rega was seventh on a Buell Firebolt. Kenwood/Sirius Satellite Racing rider Sam Rozynski was tenth, also on a Buell Firebolt. With 27 entries, the Thunderbike field was the largest of the four Formula USA National races of the day. Nine of the Thunderbike entries were Buell motorcycles. After four of eight Formula USA Thunderbike National events, CAD Cycles rider David Yaakov, who placed fifth at Loudon on a Suzuki, leads in series points with 100. Estok’s podium finish boosted his total to 87 points. Bemisderfer now sits in third with 80. The next event on the Formula USA schedule is June 24-26 at Virginia International Raceway near Alton, Va. The Formula USA National Thunderbike series is a horsepower-to-weight ratio restricted class, open to a variety of production-based motorcycles. Buell-mounted riders compete in the eight-event 2005 Thunderbike series race for a share of the $70,500 contingency fund posted by Buell Motorcycle Company. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com. | SCREAMIN' EAGLE TEAM MAINTAINS PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE POINTS LEAD Hines Earns Full Throttle Award Honors for Second Consecutive Week ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 19, 2005) – GT Tonglet increased his lead in the Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings while earning a semifinal appearance Sunday at the 36th annual K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Tonglet rode his Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to two round victories, giving him a 47-point lead over second place rider Karen Stoffer in the NHRA POWERade standings. Stoffer placed second at the Englishtown race, losing to Antron Brown. Even though he didn’t make it to the final race, the 22-year-old Tonglet said it was still a good weekend for the team. "I came into this race and changed the way I staged the bike," Tonglet said. "During qualifying I treated each session like I was staging for a final round matchup, and I tried to cut the best light I could. That's something both Andrew and I work on all the time. "We didn't get either bike into the winner's circle, but we gained some ground in the point standings and we did well in qualifying." Tonglet scored the Screamin' Eagle team's first victory of the season in Commerce, Ga., in May, taking over the points lead for the first time in his career. Tonglet has not relinquished the lead for four consecutive events. "This has been a big learning experience for me because I have never been in a POWERade championship points chase," Tonglet said. "Going a couple of rounds on Sunday was the confidence booster I needed. (Crew chief) Byron and Matt (Hines, team tuner) have taught me so much about the importance of every round and it's exciting. It just makes me more anxious to go to St. Louis because I don't think we did as well as we could have this weekend." Tonglet qualified in the number two position with a 7.094-second pass at 188.78 mph – his fourth top three qualifying effort of the season. On Sunday he scored the first two round victories at the starting line. In the first round, Tonglet turned in a 7.121-second pass at 186.28, beating Michael Phillips' red-light foul (and 7.205 pass at 186.23). Tonglet went 7.168 at 184.30 in the second round against Ryan Schnitz, who also fouled at the starting line (with a 7.058 at 188.78 pass). Teammate and defending POWERade champion Andrew Hines qualified in the number three spot with a 7.104 at 189.63. In his first round matchup, his motorcycle’s belt came off, causing him to lose to Stoffer's 7.138 run at 183.44. Hines’ consistent times during four rounds of pro qualifying earned him the Full Throttle Pit Crew Award for the second consecutive event. He’s also tied for fifth place in the points race, so he’s still in the thick of it with nine races left in the 15-race series. "It’s tough to have a mechanical hitch early in the race – you just can't recover from that," Hines said. "It's just one of those things that happens in racing and the best thing we can do is take what we learned in qualifying and look ahead to the next event. We didn't have the results we wanted, but there’s plenty of time left in the season, and this team is very capable of defending our championship down the line." Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso said the team is anxious about earning a return trip to the winner's circle. "The team did a great job during qualifying and that shows by the numbers and the Full Throttle honors," Paluso said. "But this Screamin' Eagle group just can't wait to go more rounds on Sunday. The best thing is that GT increased his lead from 28 to 47 points over the second place rider. He's doing a great job handling the pressure that comes with leading such a competitive series. We have just a few days before we race again in St. Louis and I know the team is determined to be ready." Byron Hines said the team has work to do before the next event, but nothing they can't handle. "This weekend is another great example of how tough it is to win rounds," Hines said. "We saw some great performance numbers from a handful of teams on Sunday, and we're not even to the halfway point of the season. "GT's bike slowed way down during the second pass of the day, so we're going back to the shop to change all of the electronics on the bike and start fresh with St. Louis. He's in a points chase and Andrew is ready to get back after it, so it should be a great race." The next NHRA POWERade event that features the Pro Stock Motorcycle category is the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., Jun 24-26. Screamin’ Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by and built in the spirit of the raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle racing. Screamin’ Eagle Pro parts are specifically designed for race-use applications, while Screamin’ Eagle parts offer street-use performance options for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit www.harley-davidson.com for more information. The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100. |
RICH KING AND SCREAMIN’ EAGLE TEAM ARE SECOND AT SYRACUSE MILE Chris Carr Wins a Close One with Jay Springsteen Third on an All-Harley Podium SYRACUSE, N.Y. (June 19, 2005) – Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts rider Rich King led five laps but lost a race-long battle to Quality Checked Pre-Owned Ford/Lancaster Harley-Davidson rider Chris Carr as they streaked to a photo finish in the Aaron Creamer Memorial Syracuse Mile held at the New York State Fairgrounds. Bartel’s Harley-Davidson rider Jay Springsteen finished third as three veteran riders dominated the race on Harley-Davidson XR750 motorcycles. “The bike ran great all day,” said King. “The track was rough and inconsistent due to the rain and very demanding. We kept working on the bike and when it came time, we were in the hunt, but I just missed Carr at the line. We have some half mile races coming up, so we’ll keep digging and trying to go forward.” The race, round five of the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship, was originally scheduled for Saturday, but was postponed until Sunday afternoon due to heavy rains. The event was named in honor of Aaron Creamer, a rider from Massachusetts who died from injuries sustained in a racing accident last season, and marked the return of AMA Grand National racing to the Syracuse Mile for the first time in 12 years. The historic track hosted its first AMA races in 1924. Latus Harley-Davidson/Jones Powersports rider Joe Kopp led the first lap of the 25-lap main event before giving way to Carr on lap two. Saddleman/Lancaster Harley-Davidson rider Jared Mees moved to the front and led laps four through seven but was passed by Springsteen, who took his only lead of the day on lap eight. King then led for three laps, followed by Carr and Springsteen, as the three veterans took control. Carr took the lead on lap 13, but would be passed for the lead two times by King as the race wound down. Carr led as the trio started the final lap and was just able to hold off a drafting move by King on the front straight to take the win by inches. Mees finished fourth, followed by American Suzuki rider Jake Johnson in fifth and KTM/Mid-America Harley-Davidson rider Kenny Coolbeth in the sixth spot. With the win, Carr was able to pad his season points lead for the AMA Flat Track Championship. After five of 13 events, Carr has 90 points and a 24-point lead over Coolbeth, in second place with 66 points. Johnson moves up to third with 63 points, just ahead of Kopp with 62 points. Bartels’ Harley-Davidson rider Shaun Russell, who placed 11th at Syracuse, drops back to fifth place in 50 points. King, Nick Cummings and Mees are tied for sixth with 48 points. “We’re extremely happy with the Screamin’ Eagle team’s performance,” said Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso. “Rich did a great job moving up to sixth in the points race. We’re building on the momentum from the Springfield win and yesterday’s second-place finish, and plan to keep rolling with it and working hard at the race in Lima this weekend.” Round six of the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship series is scheduled for June 25 at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio. Also at Syracuse, Harv’s Harley-Davidson Racing/KK Motorcycle Supply rider Chris Hart won round two of the 2005 Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance National. Doc’s Harley-Davidson/Jim Wagner Racing rider Merle Scherb was second, followed by Powell Performance/TNT Action Sports rider Clayton Riggle. Hart, the defending Sportster Performance champion, has 39 points to lead the series over Scherb with 38 points and Lima Harley-Davidson rider Scott Stump with 37 points. Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by and built in the spirit of the raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle racing. Screamin' Eagle Pro parts are specifically designed for race-use applications, while Screamin' Eagle parts offer street-use performance options for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit www.harley-davidson.com for more information. The Screamin' Eagle Flat Track team is sponsored by Matco Tools. |
