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WESTBY CAPS GREAT MID-OHIO WEEKEND

July 15, 2012

M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki's Dane Westby closed out an outstanding at Mid-Ohio weekend with his fourth consecutive top-two result.

Westby again battled at the front throughout the once-red-flagged Daytona SportBike showdown, holding down the lead for a number of laps while threatening to log a double win on the weekend. 'The Wolverine' just fell off the chase for the checkered flag in the race's waning stages as he turned his attention to defending second--which he did, by 0.141-second.

Westby's mid-season surge has allowed him make a serious move in the SportBike title hunt. He's now a clear second with 247 points thanks to his six podium finishes, including four runner-up finishes and one victory in 2012.

After notching up his Sunday second, Westby said, "We had some problems that we didn't have yesterday; we changed out the brake pads and I was able to attack in the braking zones a little bit better but we gave it up for some other chatter issues. It was pretty close -- that extra bit I was holding back because of the chatter might have been it. But it is what it is. It was a good race. I'd have liked it to be closer like it was yesterday but every race is different. That's how the cards played today."

Suzuki SportbikeTrackGear.com's Elena Myers enjoyed a fantastic outing on Sunday as well. After qualifying 12th and finishing eighth on Sunday, Myers rocketed off the grid in the SuperSport contest's restart and immediately put herself in top-five contention. Myers scrapped with a fellow 2012 race winner for fourth and came up just 0.126-second short of the spot at the flag, but still reeled in an encouraging fifth-place result.

Meanwhile, M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki's Chris Ulrich scooped up his third straight top-10 result in his march to regain the form he showed prior to being seriously injured last season. The past Mid-Ohio Superstockrace winner piloted his Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike to 10th on Sunday, equaling his Saturday performance.

Team Venezuela's Robertino Pietri missed the Sunday race, having returned to his U.S. base in Miami to seek additional medical evaluation of his troublesome left wrist, injured in a violent crash at Road America two rounds ago.

Team Hammer will be back in action in two weeks' time as the AMA Pro Road Racing series joins the MotoGP World Championship at Laguna Seca on July 27-29.

In 2012, Team Hammer, Inc. is competing in its 32nd consecutive racing season and marks its sixth year of offering technical and logistical support through its Contract Services Department. Riders on Team Hammer prepared racebikes have earned 53 AMA Pro National race wins; 122 AMA Pro National podium finishes; 4 AMA Pro Championships; 133 Overall National Endurance race wins; 13 National Endurance Championships and assorted other race wins and titles.

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