YOSHIMURA SUZUKI TACKLES MUDDY, RUTTED DAYTONA SUPERCROSS TO FINISH 10TH
March 11, 2012
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 11, 2012) – Yoshimura Suzuki Racing battled inclement weather as well as a rain-ravaged motocross style track to bring home a top-10 result from round 10 of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Series at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL, on Saturday night. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Brett Metcalfe weathered the storm and raced his Suzuki RM-Z450 to a solid 10th place.
Although race day started out relatively dry, the bad weather was literally looming on the horizon. As a result, the riders had to make do with less practice time and abbreviated races. And when the rain finally hit, it created a rutted, muddy mess of a racetrack.
“Daytona was interesting,” said Metcalfe. “The weather really challenged us. The first practice was pretty good and in dry conditions. Then the rain came in, and really changed the whole dynamic. We had a pretty tough track; it was muddy and very rutty. We were still able to do the jumps, but it was a tough little track.”
Despite the horrible conditions, Metcalfe did what he had to do to bring home maximum points. In his heat race, Metcalfe went down early but rallied to race his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 to sixth position and transfer to the main. In the shortened 16-lap main event, Metcalfe also suffered a get-off but remounted and put in a smart ride that allowed him to finish with a top-10 result.
“Practice went OK and I was feeling pretty comfortable,” said Metcalfe. “I was charging on the track and I had some attack in me. With a main event that’s muddy and you don’t know what’s going to happen, you really need a good spot on the start gate to do something, so I was still pretty confident going in. But in the main event, on the second or third lap, I went down and I dropped back a bit. I just couldn’t get it going after that, and I dropped back a few more and finished 10th. The Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 was running good and made it through the whole race. The most positive thing was that we got through something that could have made us take a DNF.”
With Daytona safely behind them, Metcalfe and the Yoshimura Suzuki squad are looking forward to getting back to racing a more Supercross-style track at an indoor venue.
Said Metcalfe: “I just want to go back home and forget about this mud race, where you can’t really learn or take anything from it. We’ll just have a regular week at home and get ready for Indy next weekend. I’m looking forward to getting back to good racing and getting up there in the results.”
Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s next event is the 11th round of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship on Saturday, March17th, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. You can meet Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s Brett Metcalfe on Friday, March 16th from 6 to 7 PM at Dreyer Suzuki, 4170 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN.
Daytona Supercross Class Results:
1. James Stewart
2. Davi Millsaps
3. Kevin Windham
4. Marvin Musquin
5. Ryan Villopoto
6. Mike Alessi
7. Jake Weimer
8. Brock Tickle
9. Matt Goerke
10. Brett Metcalfe
2012 Supercross Class Standings:
1. Ryan Villopoto – 221
2. Ryan Dungey – 192
3. James Stewart – 177
4. Kevin Windham – 143
5. Jake Weimer – 134
6. Davi Millsaps – 131
7. Chad Reed – 128
8. Brett Metcalfe – 124
9. Justin Brayton – 121
10. Mike Alessi – 113
About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit, and quality that have been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.
About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded The Motorcycle and ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, CA, in 1963. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120 distributors in 191 countries. For more information, visit www.suzukicycles.com. Follow Suzuki Scoop on facebook for exclusive team content www.facebook.com/suzukiscoopfans.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki is grateful for the support of their sponsors: Yoshimura R&D, Dunlop, Motorex, Vortex, ONE Industries, Showa, Renegade Fuels, Pro Taper, Hinson Clutch Components, D.I.D, Twin Air, Works Connection, Thor, Excel, Mechanix Wear, CP Pistons, Matrix and NGK.
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