ROCZEN AND SUZUKI DOMINATE THE LEGENDARY UNADILLA
August 15, 2016
RACE WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
The Unadilla National in upstate New York is one of the most history rich events in all of motorcycle racing, and on Saturday, it was Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen adding his name to the lore of the track. Roczen dominated the Pro Motocross Championship round, easily winning both motos and the 450 National overall aboard his agile and powerful Suzuki RM-Z450.
Weekend highlights include:
- Ken Roczen scored 1-1 moto finishes on his Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450 at Unadilla, grabbing his seventh victory of the season and further extending his championship lead to 63 points.
- Matthew Bisceglia stormed back in his return at Unadilla to finish 10th overall on his Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450 after missing several rounds with broken ribs.
- A total of 10 Suzuki riders made the national at Unadilla – six on Suzuki RM-Z450s in the 450 class and a quartet of racers in the 250 class on Suzuki RM-Z250s.
- Maverick Viñales finished a strong sixth in the Austrian MotoGP round on his Team Suzuki Ecstar GSX-RR.
- The Man in a Van with a Plan, Cycle World Suzuki’s Hayden Gillim, was victorious in the GNC2 class at the legendary Peoria TT AMA Pro Flat Track National on his Suzuki RM-Z450.
Roczen on the Verge of the Title after Unadilla Victory
Ken Roczen continued to show the heart of a champion during the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross action this past weekend in New Berlin, NY. On Saturday at the fabled Unadilla circuit, Roczen dominated the competition on his quick and agile RCH Suzuki RM-Z450, going 1-1 to score his seventh overall victory of the series.
With his 16th moto victory of the year, Roczen has put himself in a great position to clinch his second 450 Class title next weekend when the championship visits Budds Creek, Maryland.
"We had a great day today,” Roczen explained. “The Suzuki was great in these rough conditions and it was a huge help to be able to get into the lead early and ride my own race. It feels good to get another 1-1 and get back on top of the podium. We'll go out next week looking to do the same thing."
Comeback Kid Bisceglia Scores 10th on his RM-Z450
Matthew Bisceglia returned to action Saturday at Unadilla after missing three rounds with fractured ribs. Bisceglia raced the Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450 to 10th-place overall on the legendary upstate circuit, scoring 9-10 moto finishes. It marked the third top-10 450 class result of the season for Bisceglia, who signed on with Yoshimura Suzuki in June as a fill-in rider.
“It was a decent day for my first race back after missing a few rounds,” Bisceglia explained. “It was a good day with the 9-10. I think my pace was a little bit faster in both motos. Unadilla hasn’t exactly been the best place for me in the past, so keeping in the top ten was a good accomplishment.”
Team Suzuki was well represented at Unadilla, with a total of 10 Suzuki riders making the national – Ken Roczen, Matthew Bisceglia, Dustin Pipes, Ronnie Stewart, Daniel Lippman, and Kevin Rookstool racing the Suzuki RM-Z450, and Kyle Cunningham, Jimmy Albertson, Josh Osby, and Luke Clout racing the RM-Z250.
Another Solid MotoGP Performance for Viñales
Maverick Viñales continued his impressive 2016 season in MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, qualifying his Team Suzuki Ecstar GSX-RR on the second row and then finishing sixth in the Grand Prix. The Spaniard has now scored eight top-10 MotoGP finishes in eight rounds and is ranked fifth in the championship standings.
“We did more than half the race with the leading group and I really felt confident and comfortable,” Viñales said. “I’m satisfied because when we had full performance from the grip we were very competitive.”
Gillim Wins Peoria TT GNC2 Thriller
Cycle World Suzuki’s Hayden Gillim won a thrilling GNC2 final at the Peoria TT National. The full-time pro road racer led most of the race but was passed on the final lap by Andrew Luker. Gillim was able to utilize the handling of his Suzuki RM-Z450 to stuff his way back into the lead on the final set of turns and held off Luker by a half-bike length to score his first career AMA Pro Flat Track GNC2 victory.
“It feels so awesome, especially to do it here at the only TT on the circuit,” said a smiling Gillim. “This is definitely one for the books. I’m just so happy with how everything is going right now. I can’t thank Suzuki and Cycle World enough for putting together an amazing program for me.”
COMING UP: Team Suzuki and the Pro Motocross Championship now head directly to Maryland for the Budds Creek National on Saturday, Aug. 20. Live coverage begins at 10:00 am Eastern on www.promotocross.com. The motos can also be viewed on MAVTV and NBCSN. MotoGP heads to Brno for the Czech Republic Grand Prix. That race can be watched on beIN Sports.
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