ANAHEIM TOUGH FOR ROCKSTAR ENERGY SUZUKI

Courtesy of Rockstar Suzuki

Team Suzuki Press Office - February 16.


Rockstar Energy Suzuki hit Angel Stadium once again for the third Anaheim round of the AMA/FIM Supercross Series, hopeful of being back to racing at full strength with Ryan Morais rejoining team mate Hunter Hewitt in the Lites class and Tommy Hahn taking on the competition in the Supercross class.

But fate seemed to have other plans as Hahn fell ill the night before the race with a bad case of the flu, and Morais found himself still in great pain on Saturday from the injuries he sustained during his heat race at Anaheim 2.

With two of his team mates out for the night, the spotlight fell on Hewitt (pictured) in the Lites class: He was running a respectable sixth in the Main Event until another rider collided with him while turning onto the starting straight and knocked him over. “You have to watch your back when you’re running up front and that’s something I just wasn’t doing,” said Hewitt. “I was pretty mad about it, but that’s just part of racing and I did my best to keep going.”

The collision and resulting crash left Hewitt towards the back of the pack with his clutch lever bent out of position, but he continued to press on despite the damage and even without the use of his clutch, he managed to retake a few positions by the end of the race, placing 13th overall.

With the final Anaheim round finished, the series moves east for the first time to Indianapolis. Indy also marks the beginning of the Eastern Regional Lites Championship, which will bring in a whole new crop of Lites riders including Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Blake Baggett and Jake Moss. “Things are going to be very competitive in the East,”

Team Manager Bill Keefe said. “There are a lot of fast riders out there, but Blake and Jake have put in a lot of hard work and we expect great things from them.”


Was this post helpful? Add yours to our service or subscribe to our feed above.

MORAIS SET FOR ANAHEIM SUPERCROSS RETURN

Courtesy of Suzuki

MORAIS SET FOR ANAHEIM SUPERCROSS RETURN
Team Suzuki Press Office - February 12.


Rockstar Energy Suzuki rider Ryan Morais is preparing for his return to racing in the Western Regional Lites class at this Saturday’s AMA/ FIM Supercross sixth round at Anaheim, California.

Morais had to take some time away from racing after a crash in his heat race at Anaheim 2 resulted in several injuries, including some deep bruising to his kidneys, lungs and the surrounding muscle fibres. After participating in an aggressive rehab program for the past two weeks, he is fit enough to train with the team again and remounted his RM-Z250 this week to get in some solid laps on the practice track.

“Ryan’s times were very good, and he looked comfortable on the bike; like he’d never taken any time off,” said Team Manager Bill Keefe. “We are excited that he is up to speed and ready to race at Anaheim 3.”

Morais missed three races in the series, but finished on the podium every time he lined up at the starting gate. He’s looking forward to getting back on track at Anaheim and is feeling prepared for the race.Was this post helpful? Add yours to our service or subscribe to our feed above.

Ryan Dungey's Blog

Courtesy of Suzuki

Team Suzuki Press Office - February 4.


So far, the 2010 season on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team has been really great. I put in a lot of hard work in the off-season, but the start of the AMA Supercross has been better than I could’ve imagined.

Roger DeCoster always tells me the only thing that matters is the last race, so I’m really focusing on keeping healthy and racing smart. I’m just going to try to carry the momentum and remember it’s one race at a time, and also to have fun, enjoy it, and let the rest come. The season is a long one, 17 races, and there’s a lot of racing left to do.

Winning the first race of my 450 career in Phoenix, Arizona, was great and following up that win with another one in Anaheim 2 was like icing on the cake. The setup on my Suzuki RM-Z450 is really good, and all the guys on the team are really working hard to make sure it’s in great shape.

The fuel injection on the bike is really good, and right off the starts I have instant power. There’s no bog, and it just launches out of the gate. No one knows how the rest of the season is going to go, but I hope that I can continue to do well and put the team and the bike on the podium.

Before I sign off, I want to thank my fans, my sponsors, and my family for supporting me. I couldn’t do this without help from a lot of great people, so thanks!

 

Was this post helpful? Add yours to our service or subscribe to our feed above.

ROCKSTAR MAKITA SUZUKI SET FOR ANAHEIM CLASH

Courtesy of Suzuki Press Office
ROCKSTAR MAKITA SUZUKI SET FOR ANAHEIM CLASH



Team Suzuki Press Office - January 21.

Amidst a large group of storm systems hammering Southern California, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey and Austin Stroupe are preparing for another big clash this weekend at Anaheim 2, the third round on the AMA/ FIM Supercross Championship.

The 2010 RM-Z450 Suzuki has proven to be the class of the field so far this season with holeshot after holeshot and Dungey's fine breakout win in Phoenix. He currently sits atop the points standings but knows that it's still very early in the season.

'I'm going to put in a good week of practice and work on what we've got to," Dungey explained of his strategy. "We're going to show up to Anaheim 2 ready. Getting the win in Phoenix was cool, but Roger always tells me 'You're only as good as your last race.' So, I'm going to keep pushing."

Austin Stroupe (pictured) is also pumped for the return trip to SoCal: "For Anaheim 2, I want to maintain my good starts and make the top 10 again. That would be great. I want to stay safe and just put a good 20 laps in and then get ready for the East Coast, where I'll be racing the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites class. I think riding the 450 will help me do well on the 250 later this season."

Dungey is the only 450-class rider to be on the podium at both events so far this season, something he wants to continue. The 2010 Suzuki RM-Z450 has proven to be fast and consistent. The Suzuki fuel injection makes the power useable, and has proven to have what it takes to get a holeshot. Just rewind to last week's double holeshots in the heat races plus the one-two first turn domination by Dungey and Stroupe in the Main Event.


It will be interesting to see how much the weather plays into the track conditions this weekend. The track crew is doing a great job in keeping things dry -- covering each section of track as they complete it -- so, it could be anything from a perfect track to a mud race. However, the action on the yellow bikes will be the same rain or shine -- looking to win.Was this post helpful? Add yours to our service or subscribe to our feed above.

ROCKSTAR MAKITA SUZUKI SET FOR PHOENIX

Courtesy of Suzuki

Team Suzuki Press Office - January 14.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Supercross team, fresh off a spectacular second-place performance by Ryan Dungey at Anaheim 1, is busy preparing for the upcoming Phoenix round of race action that takes place on January 16th at Chase Field.

And Team Manager Roger DeCoster feels particularly positive about Dungey's chances after his Anaheim performance. "I think Ryan has the potential to be on the podium on a weekly basis," DeCoster said. "If the right circumstances are there, and if he rides like he did at Anaheim 1, he'll be solid." Dungey led for 17 laps of the Anaheim 1 race, and made a charge at the end of the race to almost overtake first place. "We will meet to discuss how the riders felt about the bikes' performance during the A1 race and see if there's anything we can do to make improvements. Then we'll practice and get ready for Phoenix."

Both Dungey and team mate Austin Stroupe pulled massive holeshots aboard their fuel-injected RM-Z450 Suzukis at the season opener in Anaheim. On his first go-round on a 450, Stroupe grabbed the holeshot in his qualifier and finished a strong fourth to make it to the Main Event. Dungey got the holeshot in the Main and kept the lead for most of the race, putting himself well ahead of his competitors. Heading into Phoenix, the team is busy practicing and testing to make the already-great RM-Z450 even better.

As the riders prepare for the second race of the season, Dungey is analytical in his approach. "I feel like I have room for improvement going into Phoenix," Dungey said. "We're going to put in a solid week of practice and testing, and I think with a little fine-tuning, we're going to be good. I want to take it one race at a time and be consistent, be smart, and have fun." Dungey is second in overall points for the season so far, and he wants to continue to collect points.

Stroupe is also excited about round two: "I'm looking forward to Phoenix, now that I have those first-race nerves out of my system," Stroupe said. "I never thought I'd be on the 450 this year, but it feels good. I'm definitely ready to do some work this week and get out there and race." Stroupe is slated to contest the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites class on the RM-Z250 but is racing the first few West Coast 450-class events in place of team mate Matt Moss, who will return to the series in a few weeks.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Goes Social

Courtesy of Monster Energy Kawasaki
Irvine, Calif. - Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing will utilize the popular social media sites Facebook and Twitter to give green fans a place to get quick results for Kawasaki riders, behind the scenes photos, and special messages and offers Kawasaki racing fans. The first postings are scheduled to start during the Anaheim 1 supercross on January 9.

The Twitter site will be updated frequently on race days from supercross and motocross events, along with select off-road, amateur motocross, and drag race events. Fans, whether at the race or at home, have a chance to monitor their favorite Kawasaki riders immediately following practice, heat races, and main events.

The Facebook page will post upcoming race activities, including dealer appearances and special events. The page also allows the fan to post their own photos of racing events in the racing gallery and communicate to other fans on the home wall.

Kawasaki Racing's Twitter home is Kawasaki_Racing (www.twitter.com/kawasaki_racing) while the Facebook effort will join forces with the already established Kawasaki fan page, which can be accessed at www.facebook.com/kawasakionlin