New Jersey Motorsports Park news 2010-08-31

See it, Feel it.... This Weekend at NJMP!

Millville, NJ (August 31, 2010) Last year, Josh Hayes and Josh Herrin won both races in their respective classes at the Labor Day weekend races at NJMP. In 2010, the two would like nothing better than to repeat those results. But this year, what the two riders are fighting for couldn't be more different.

In AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, Team Graves Yamaha rider Hayes is in the middle of a very tight battle for the 2010 series championship with Tommy Hayden and his Rockstar Makita Suzuki team. With a series high five race wins, Hayes holds a slight advantage over Hayden who has taken four wins of his own during this breakout season for Tommy. The two riders have been matching each other, win for win, point for point as they confidently lay their claim for the 2010 SuperBike championship.

Josh Hayes has said the track at New Jersey suits his style and the two wins last year certainly verify that feeling. Hayes was able to race and beat the now departed seven time AMA Pro SuperBike champion Mat Mladin in one race and Hayes beat Tommy Hayden in the other race during the 2009 inaugural race at NJMP. Hayden, riding for the very same team that Mladin dominated the sport with for so many years has had his best ever season as Tommy took his very first AMA Pro SuperBike career victory and then added three more wins to underscore the point. These two riders, Hayes and Hayden will make the 2010 version at New Jersey Motorsports Park a memorable one for sure.

And those two aren't the only story in SuperBike as the travelling series makes its return to the Garden State, Jake Zemke, Ben Bostrom and Larry Pegram have all captured wins in what is one of the most competitive AMA Pro SuperBike seasons in a long time. Zemke took a couple of very popular wins at the season opening races at Daytona International Speedway in capturing the first series wins for the Michael Jordan owned National Guard Jordan Suzuki team. Zemke led the points championship until Hayes and Hayden began their personal battle at the head of the points table. The next rider to take a win was Larry Pegram on his Foremost Insurance Ducati, Larry won at the season's second race weekend at Auto Club Speedway and looked set to take the second race but it wasn't to be. Larry continues to run well and has had numerous podium finishes as the year has progressed. The rider who started the season very quietly is Ben Bostrom. He and his teammate Chris Clark run with the new Pat Clark Motorsports team with support from Palms Casino and Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Yamaha motorcycles. Ben did take a third place in race two at the season opener but then encountered a dry spell before he returned to his trademark form at Infineon with two very solid second place finishes. After that, Ben has been a factor in every race and took a popular and expected win at his beloved Laguna Seca track. He is right in the middle of the mix with Hayes and Hayden now and could end up affecting the overall outcome of the championship. A couple of other riders have had breakout seasons in SuperBike. Brett McCormick, brought in by the Jordan Suzuki team to sub for the injured Aaron Yates took his best finish yet with a nice fourth place finish at the last event at VIR. Aaron actually took part in practice and qualifying at VIR but elected to sit out the race, feeling he wasn't quite up to his full race distance strength yet after his long recuperation from injuries suffered at Auto Club Speedway back in March. Hayden's teammate, Blake Young has also been sidelined since a testing accident but he took his first series wins earlier this year at Road Atlanta. Chris Ulrich and his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki is also having a good year. He has run consistently in the top ten and currently sits seventh in the points, the highest placed rider in the series without a race win to his credit but that day is coming soon. Taylor Knapp is also doing big things with his small but effective team, the RidersDiscount.com Suzuki rider has shown good speed and racecraft all season long.

Like Josh Hayes, Josh Herrin and his Team Graves Yamaha team would like nothing more than to replicate the two wins from 2009. He has shown a great deal of pace and maturity this year as he battles with 2009 Daytona SportBike champion Danny Eslick, Martin Cardenas and Steve Rapp for the 2010 title. Josh has five wins which is one less than Martin Cardenas and his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki team with six wins of their own. Eslick, riding his GEICO Powersports Suzuki has led virtually every race and his take no prisoners' style has endeared him to fans at every race. Danny backs up his form with two wins of his own and he also has taken three pole positions. A new winner this year is Bobby Fong, who, riding his DNA Energy Drink Ducati won the photo finish race at VIR over Cardenas. Bobby had been knocking on the door since Road Atlanta and he led until the late stages at the Laguna Seca race. Everyone was pleased to see him finally get his first AMA Pro Daytona SportBike win. Steve Rapp, the 2007 Daytona 200 winner runs with the Team Latus Motors Ducati team and this tightly knit group continue to run right at the front of the field week in and week out. Steve has finished on the podium seven times this year and a win is not far away. Team Graves Yamaha rider Tommy Aquino has taken three pole positions of his own and he runs right at the front every week and there is no question he will be joining the ranks of winners sooner that later. There are many other key players in Daytona SportBike, Cory West, Dane Westby, P.J. Jacobson and Clinton Sellers, ten bikes fighting for the lead is not uncommon in this spectacular series.

As the championship fight comes to NJMP, keep your eyes on the front, the pressure is on and Josh Herrin, Danny Eslick, Martin Cardenas and Steve Rapp will all have something to say about where the championship title goes...

All in all , the 2010 season has been one of the most competitive ever and the action will be nonstop all weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

-source: njmp