US NEWS: REED CONTINUES TO LEAD MX SERIES

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Chad Reed battled the elevation as well as his competitors at Colorado's Thunder Valley MX Park and came away with his overall championship points lead intact.

The two-time AMA Supercross champion finished in fourth place overall, thanks to third and seventh-placed moto finishes. Rockstar Makita Suzuki team mate Michael Byrne was right there with Reed, finishing in fifth place overall. The Australian rode two impressive motos, bringing home sixth and fourth finishes.

Finally, an injured Mike Alessi attempted to race the first moto but crashed early and was unable to finish. Alessi recently had successful surgery on his broken kneecap and hopes to resume racing full-time as soon as possible.

In the 250 class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey finished with identical results to his 450 class team mate Byrne. In the first moto, Dungey overcame a bad start to go from 21st to sixth place on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250. In the second moto, the Minnesotan fared better on the start and brought home a fourth-place finish. Dungey is currently second overall in the championship points standings.

Chad Reed:

"I got a good start, actually a great start, in the first moto, then I went out and rode like crap out there. It's pretty disappointing. I've been struggling all day long. In the second moto, I was still struggling. I'm dealing with some personal issues that I just have no control over and it's tough. But I've got to say thanks to all the guys at the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team."

Michael Byrne:

"It was a pretty good weekend for us. I had a good practice again this week, which was good for me. I was a little bummed in the first moto because I was in third at one point and then some guys got by me. But I'm still making progress, so I can't be too disappointed. I have to look at where I'm coming from. In the second moto, I rode strong. I just need to work on a little more speed so I can run with the guys at the front."

Mike Alessi:

"I wanted to get back in the championship because there's still a lot of races to go and motos to be raced and the championship isn't out of reach. So I just wanted to try and get some points this weekend. In the first moto, I got a great start - I think I was second or third right off the gate, but a few guys got past and they were running a fast pace. I was trying to stay with them but I went down and my first thought was my knee. I thought about trying to make the second moto, because that's just my mentality - even after I crashed I tried to do a few laps -- but it just hurt too much."

Ryan Dungey:

"It was a tough race and the altitude definitely played a part, but everybody had to deal with it - no excuses. Where I really threw it away was on the starts. I just couldn't get off the line like I wanted to and that set me back. But overall, I came out of this race healthy and I finished both motos, even though I've struggled here in the past. Now I'm just looking toward Red Bud."

AMA Motocross 450 Class Top 10:

1. Ivan Tedesco (Honda)
2. Andrew Short (Honda)
3. Thomas Hahn (Kawasaki)
4. Chad Reed (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
5. Michael Byrne (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
6. Josh Grant (Yamaha)
7. Ricky Dietrich (Kawasaki)
8. James Albertson (Yamaha)
9. Kyle Summers (Yamaha)
10. Jake Moss (Honda)

Championship points: http://www.suzuki-racing.com/championship_points.aspx?SRS_ID=2


AMA Motocross 250 Class Top 10:

1. Jake Weimer (Kawasaki)
2. Christophe Pourcel (Kawasaki)
3. Tommy Searle (KTM)
4. Justin Barcia (Honda)
5. Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
6. Broc Tickle (Yamaha)
7. Brett Metcalfe (Honda)
8. Blake Wharton (Honda)
9. Tyla Rattray (Kawasaki)
10. Darryn Durham (Yamaha)

US NEWS: WIMMER AND GUST DOMINATE MUDDY CREEK

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing's Dustin Wimmer and Doug Gust celebrated their first double podium of the season at the weekend's Muddy Creek AMA ATV Motocross National in Blountville in Tennessee.

Wimmer piloted his Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450 to victory while team mate Gust followed him home in second place. This victory is Wimmer's fourth of the 2009 season and he is currently in second place in the overall championship points standings. For Gust, this result marks his third podium finish of the season and he is in fourth place in the overall championship
points standings.

In the GNCC, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing's Chris Borich continues his winning ways: The series championship points leader charged hard on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450 at the Snowshoe National in West Virginia and picked up his fourth consecutive victory of the season.

As if that weren't impressive enough, this win is also Borich's sixth overall win this season and Borich now heads into the GNCC's two-month summer break with more than 20 points on second place.

Dustin Wimmer - 1st place AMA ATV MX:

"It feels great to be back on top. In the first moto, once I got the track down, I just put my head down and started passing people on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450. I had to work hard for the win in the first moto but in moto two, I got a much better start and I was able to take over the lead quickly and just be in cruise control. This win was a real confidence-booster for me. I put in a lot of hard work and it paid off for me this weekend. I'm still only at about 95 per cent but I'll be at 100 per cent for round nine and I'm looking for another win. I'm only about seven points off the lead and I hope to take over that soon and give Suzuki another championship."

Doug Gust - 2nd place AMA ATV MX:

"My Rockstar Makita Suzuki performed really well for me this weekend. It had the power I needed to get good starts and good results. I put in a good charge in the first moto and worked up to second. I've been doing a lot of training in between races and I'll be training hard again because at the next round, I want to win. It's really great when Dustin and I are both on the podium in the number one and two spots like we were this weekend. It's a big confidence-booster for the team when we both do well. I'm in fourth place in the points chase right now, so I'm excited about that."

Chris Borich - 1st place GNCC:

"The track was a little different from the last time I raced here. They added in a 10-mile section so we were doing 20-mile laps. I took it easy on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450 on the first lap because I didn't know what to expect. My goal was to keep moving forward. I'm really happy that I have a nice points lead going into the break. It takes a little weight off my shoulders. Over the break, I'm going to take a couple of weeks off to relax, and then I'm going to be training hard again.

"The prospect of taking a championship this year has me really pumped up, but I have to stay grounded and focused. I'm just going to take it one race at a time. I'm hoping for a couple more wins when we come back from the break so I can give Suzuki a championship,"

AMA Pro ATV Motocross Top 10 Finishers:

1. Dustin Wimmer (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
2. Doug Gust (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
3. Chad Wienen (Kawasaki)
4. Jeremy Lawson (Can-Am)
5. Josh Upperman (Honda)
6. Harold Goodman (Honda)
7. Jeremie Warnia (Can-Am)
8. Cody Miller (Can-Am)
9. Joe Byrd (Honda)
10. Thomas Brown (Yamaha)

AMA GNCC XC1 Top 10 Finishers:

1. Chris Borich (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
2. Bill Balance (Yamaha)
3. Brandon Sommers (Yamaha)
4. Jarrod McClure (Yamaha)
5. Bryan Cook (Honda)
6. Donald Ockerman (Yamaha)
7. Chris Bithell (Can-Am)
8. Ryan Lane (Honda)
9. Taylor Kiser (Yamaha)
10. Duane Johnson (Honda)

NATE ADAMS WINS 3RD STAGE OF RED BULL X FIGHTERS

Double Backflip Comes to Cow Town!
American rider Nate Adams claimed victory at the third stop of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2009 in Fort Worth (Texas, USA) on Saturday night. In the Lone Star State 22,000 fans witnessed an FMX sensation as Cameron Sinclair (AUS) landed two double backflips in competition and rode off with third place.

Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2009 / Fort Worth / USA / 2009

FORT WORTH (USA). BIG, BIGGER, TEXAS!

It was a night of intense action on the 4,200 m³ of dirt that made up the huge course comprising 15 different kickers catapulting the riders 15 metres into the air and 40 metres across the arena. At the start of the event the crowd fell silent as Thomas Pagès (FRA) became the first man to attempt a frontflip in competition before losing control of his bike and hitting the ground hard. The Frenchman had to be taken off to have a hip injury examined by the medical team.

While stifling 41-degree heat in Texas got the European riders in particular somewhat hot under the collar, Australian Cameron Sinclair managed to keep cool. The 24-year-old from Melbourne landed two double backflips in the main event. “There has never been a double backflip in competition before. I don’t really care about the fact I was eliminated in the semis – I’m just happy I’m more or less healthy!” The man from Down Under had to be helped off his bike after both tricks as the hard landing from a height of 10 metres had resulted in serious bruising of the Australian’s bones.

Mat Rebeaud (SUI) benefitted from Sinclair’s injury and advanced to the Final where he came up against the man who was ultimately to win the event, Nate Adams, after he had defeated Japanese rider Eigo Sato in his semi-final.

Winner of the last Tour stop in Calgary, Robbie Maddison, showed that Texas is a place for real men. The Australian dislocated a shoulder after landing heavily before then popping it back in himself. “I couldn’t stop. The fans were just phenomenal and I really wanted to show one more trick,” explained the holder of several world records as he finished fifth on the night.

Winner Nate Adams underlined the status of the event: “Red Bull X-Fighters is the very top of FMX. There is nothing like winning against such world-class athletes.”

Eigo Sato now leads the overall standing of the international FMX tour with 215 points, closely followed by Mat Rebeaud (210 points) and Robbie Maddison (145 points). Despite their strong position in the table, both Sato and Rebeaud are still without a win in the 2009 season.

Since the first ever World Tour in 2007 the Red Bull X-Fighters have been kicking up a storm with spectacular tricks in the bullfighting arenas of Mexico City (MEX) and Madrid (ESP) or in the legendary Sambodromo in Rio de Janeiro (BRA). The World Tour 2009 continues in Madrid (ESP/16/17 July 2009) before the season finale in London (GBR/22 August 2009).

Red Bull

AUS CHAMPS: MERRIMAN BACK TO HIS BEST

Ballard's Wellard Yamaha's Stefan Merriman displays the skill and determination that has delivered him four career world endurance titles as he easily claimed victory at rounds 5 and 6 of the Yamaha Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) at Murray Bridge on the weekend.

Ballard's Wellard Yamaha's Stefan Merriman displayed the skill and determination that has delivered him four career world endurance titles as he easily claimed victory at rounds 5 and 6 of the Yamaha Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) at Murray Bridge on the weekend.

The result marks his second clean sweep of a dual-round weekend - he won rounds 1 and 2 at the beginning of the season.

A niggling shoulder injury was the only factor threatening to slow his charge on the WR450F, but he fought through the discomfort and relished the challenge of racing a sand-based track in the sprint format.

Merriman made a slow start to the weekend, admittedly struggling early on Saturday morning.

He stayed with the leader and found a rhythm which would help him make back significant ground in the closing stages.

A sub nine-minute lap, some 13 seconds quicker than the second-placed rider, helped to secure the outright round 5 and Pro E2 class wins.

Riding the momentum from Saturday afternoon, Merriman charged away in the opening heat and was never challenged.

He set the quickest time in each of the 8 sprint laps and secured his fourth outright victory of the year by a margin of over a minute.

"I started pretty slowly on Saturday and left myself with a lot of work to do to make up ground," said Merriman. "The bike was awesome, I pushed as hard as I could and found the rhythm to take back the lead before the day was out.

"The sprint format was tough and it was hard work to line up for another 8 laps on Sunday.

"I felt good and got away to a better start, it was then all about keeping the other guys behind me and being consistent.

"Everything worked well this weekend and I'm happy to come away and extend my championship lead."

Another maximum points weekend sees the 35-year-old make solid ground over his closest competition in the race for the 2009 title.

Merriman is now 21 points clear of second place in outright terms, and maintains a similar comfortable lead in the Pro E2 class on his WR450F.

Teammate and fellow Pro E2 frontrunner, Jarrod Bewley endured an uncharacteristic weekend, finishing fifth and sixth outright on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Bewley enjoyed solid speed and was laying down laps comparable with the top 3, but when a few small mistakes crept in he lost touch with the leaders.

A consistent season to date ensures the New South Welshman is still strongly-placed in the championship standings.

He is now third, with 116 points to his name, and just a single point shy of second place.

"It's disappointing to drop a place but there's still four rounds to go and a lot of racing ahead of us," said Bewley.

"I felt pretty good but wasn't at my fastest on the sand, the WR450F worked well and kept me in the hunt with some good laps along the way.

"I'm looking forward to the next round up in Queensland, it's good to have another new track on the calendar."

Pro E1 class contender, the WR250F-mounted Kirk Hutton delivered two solid second place finishes to retain his position in the championship.

He was quick off the mark on Saturday morning and stayed with class leader Ben Kearney for the opening laps before opting for a more consistent approach to hold down second.

He scored similar results on Sunday to record his fifth consecutive second-place of the season.

The Queenslander is just 12 points off the lead with four rounds remaining.

Josh Ballard was a major improver over the course of the Murray Bridge weekend, coming to grips with the challenging sandy surface and challenging within the Pro E3 top 5 as the event came to a close.

On Saturday he placed eighth, with a few small mistakes putting pay to a potential top 5.

He bounced back on Sunday, charging back up the timesheets on his WR480F to finish a comfortable fifth, a position he maintains on the championship ladder.

After six rounds of competition Ballard has amassed 91 points, and is just 5 points off fourth place with two more weekends remaining.

Geoff Ballard maintained his unbeaten run in the Masters class, clearing out with a series of quick early laps each morning to cruise home for victory.

The majority of his laps were over a minute-and-a-half clear of his closest class rivals, resulting in round wins by over 5 minutes and 8 minutes on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

He has claimed every possible point to date in 2009 and moves to a perfect 150 after round 6.

Ben Burrell's domination of the Junior classes looked set to continue after he took another convincing win on Saturday and another maximum points haul for the round.

A rare mechanical problem saw his run come to an end on Sunday, only able to complete 4 of the 5 laps.

Burrell is still strongly-placed in the outright standings by virtue of his five round wins from six outings.

He is second, just 8 points off the leader with 100 points still up for grabs across the remainder of the season.

Liam Robertson recorded his best dual-round finish of the season, scoring fourth on Saturday and fifth on Sunday.

He is sixth in the Expert outright championship and only single figures shy of the top 4.

Yamaha's domination of the Women's championship continued at Murray Bridge, however it was Jemma Wilson who took the spoils ahead of Alison Parker.

The pairing of WR250F riders have enjoyed an evenly-matched battle to date.

Parker took two from two at the opening event, with Wilson a close runner-up.

Round wins were split at Blayney, and this weekend it was Wilson's turn to stand atop the podium.

Both riders have 141 points after six rounds, with AWED's Jacqui Jones placed third on 120 points.

Dimity Duke recorded another two equal-best round finishes, placing fourth on Saturday and Sunday to move into fourth on the championship ladder.

The next two rounds of the Yamaha AORC will be contested at Cherrabah Resort near Warwick in Queensland on August 15 and 16.

Yamaha AORC Round 5 Outright

1. Stefan Merriman (Yamaha WR450F)
2. Toby Price
3. Peter Boyle
4. AJ Roberts
5. Jarrod Bewley (Yamaha WR450F)
6. Chris Hollis
7. Ben Kearney
8. Ben Grabham
9. Geoff Braico
10. Jehi Willis

Yamaha AORC Round 6 Outright

1. Stefan Merriman (Yamaha WR450F)
2. Toby Price
3. Peter Boyle
4. AJ Roberts
5. Ben Kearney
6. Jarrod Bewley (Yamaha WR450F)
7. Geoff Braico
8. Ben Grabham
9. Chris Hollis
10. Blake Hore

Yamaha AORC Championship Outright

1. Stefan Merriman, 138 (Yamaha WR450F)
2. AJ Roberts, 117
3. Jarrod Bewley, 116 (Yamaha WR450F)
4. Toby Price, 114
5. Ben Grabham, 94
6. Chris Hollis, 90
7. Ben Kearney, 85
8. Peter Boyle, 79
9. Kirk Hutton, 67 (Yamaha WR250F)
10. Geoff Braico, 60

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TRIUMPH'S FIRST PODIUM OF THE MODERN ERA

One for the Triumph Fans.
WSS'09 Round 9 | Donington Park, race day.
Team ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing scores a great result in Triumph's home round with as Garry McCoy puts on great performance to take the first podium for the brand in modern era. It is a historic result for the English manufacturer in their second World Supersport season.

The Australian rider got a good start and took fourth place, a position he maintained until halfway into the race when he managed to overtake Sofuoglu. He then built a substantial advantage and finished on the podium. Nannelli did well too as he finished eighth although he jumped to twentieth place after the first lap. He did however pull off a great recovery and after six laps he was already eleventh. He then engaged in a duel with Veneman, Pitt, Vizziello & Dell'Omo for the sixth place. The tyres eventually worn off in the final part of the race and the Italian passed the checkered flag in eighth place thus improving the Misano result.

After today's results, McCoy is ninth in the riders' standings while Nannelli remains fifteenth.

GARRY McCOY | Triumph Daytona 675 | 3rd : "It feels great to be the first rider to score a podium result with a Triumph. I've been collaborating with the English manufacturer for two seasons now, but with Giuliano Rovelli's team only since the last round. We didn't start the season on the right foot but now we're score great results. I knew that sooner or later I would ride a great race. I have to thank the entire team for a good job done on the machine which is getting better and better. Now we broke the ice but there is still a long way to go in the championship".

GIULIANO ROVELLI - TEAM MANAGER: "We scored a great result after setting up a great team who worked hard on this project. Garry did the rest today but everybody did a great job. This is the first podium for Triumph but it's a first for me as well and it's really an indescribable feeling. I asked Garry to finish the race before the others because I had a plane to catch and he almost made it...".

Race Standings:
1 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 34'15.876 (154,981 kph)
2 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 5.391
3 24 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 14.918
4 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 22.248
5 50 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 37.054
6 77 Veneman B. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 39.079
7 105 Vizziello G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 39.978
8 69 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 42.733
9 9 Dell'Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 43.030
10 1 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 47.422
11 4 Westmorland J. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 50.207
12 7 Vostárek P. (CZE) Honda CBR600RR 50.474
13 101 Coghlan K. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 50.763
14 6 Kennaugh H. (RSA) Yamaha YZF R6 58.147
15 51 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 59.756

Riders Standings:
1 C. Crutchlow GBR 185
2 E. Laverty IRL 157
3 K. Sofuoglu TUR 121
4 J. Lascorz ESP 106
5 A. Pitt AUS 79
6 A. West AUS 75
7 F. Foret FRA 63
8 M. Aitchison AUS 61
9 G. McCoy AUS 55
10 M. Pirro ITA 49
11 M. Roccoli ITA 40
12 B. Veneman NED 40
13 K. Fujiwara JPN 39
14 M. Lagrive FRA 38
15 G. Nannelli ITA 31

Bruno Sandrini
Press | Addetto stampa

THUNDERBIRD WINS BEST CRUISER ACCOLADE

Triumph's all-new Thunderbird cruiser has been awarded the title of 'Cruiser of the Year' by an influential American motorcycle magazine.

Cycle World, the world's biggest selling monthly motorcycle publication, declared the 1600cc parallel twin as best in class in its annual awards issue.

Thunderbird, the British company's first offering in the mainstream cruiser market, has been enthusiastically received since its introduction to the media at last month's world press launch in Barcelona, being universally praised for its combination of outstanding dynamics wrapped in a classic cruiser style.

"We're very proud to receive what we hope will be the first of many awards for the Thunderbird," said Paul Stroud, Triumph's Director of Sales and Marketing. "This new model has been eagerly anticipated since being unveiled at our Global Dealer Conference last July and the initial reports confirm what we always felt about the bike: that the Thunderbird sets a new standard in the cruiser class.

"This award is particularly significant as it comes from the biggest publication in the biggest market for this type of motorcycle, which is, of course, the home of the biggest cruiser manufacturer in the world. To be accepted so quickly as a credible alternative to Harley-Davidson is a fantastic boost for everyone involved in the project and vindication of our decision to focus on Triumph's signature qualities, namely the imposing parallel-twin power plant and a dedication to outstanding chassis dynamics."

Triumph has won at least one category in Cycle World's 'Ten Best Bikes' issue every year for the last five years and full details of the 2009 awards can be found in the August edition of the magazine.

The first overseas Thunderbird customers are starting to take delivery of their new motorcycles this month and Triumph's factory in Hinckley, UK, is currently working at maximum capacity to fulfil all pre-orders and deliver bikes to each of its 750 dealers worldwide.

NZ will see the first batch arrive in July if all goes to plan. Australia is expecting its first shipment of Thunderbirds late September early October this year. (Go TNZ!)

Triumph's 'Ten Best Bikes' category winners

• 2005 - Speed Triple won Best Open-Class Streetbike
• 2006 - Speed Triple won Best Standard / Daytona 675 won Best Middleweight Streetbike
• 2007 - Tiger 1050 won Best Standard
• 2008 - Street Triple won Best Standard
• 2009 - Thunderbird won Best Cruiser

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