ANOTHER SPECTACULAR VICTORY FOR
MARTIN CARDENAS AND TEAM M4 SUZUKI
Team M4 Suzuki's Martin Cardenas
backed up Saturday's Daytona SportBike victory at Barber
Motorsports Park by claiming his third win in four races on
Sunday and putting the finishing touches on the weekend sweep.
The Colombian showed incredible
skill negotiating the day's very trying conditions, swiftly
racing up to second place on the damp but drying racecourse.
Once in the runner-up position, Cardenas stalked race leader
Jamie Hacking, studying his strengths and weaknesses while
biding his time for a pass.
On lap 15 of the shortened 16-lap
final, Cardenas made his move, slotting his GSX-R600 up the
inside of his rival's machine on the brakes entering the
Hairpin. He then quickly put a pair of slower riders between
himself and Hacking and posted a blistering lap to eliminate any
chance of retaliation en route to the checkered flag.
Cardenas' double victory now sees
him ranked third in the season's point tally with 142 points,
just four out of the championship lead.
"The conditions were difficult,"
Cardenas admitted. "I got to Jamie after a few laps and I knew
the race was 16 laps so I didn't rush to pass him and maybe risk
crashing or allow him to learn from me. I decided to wait until
the end to make my move. With just over a lap to go, I decided
to try to make a pass and put my head down and hopefully pull a
gap and it worked out. I ended up winning the race but it was
really tough. It took a little while to get the first win but
now I have three. We'll see how it goes from here but I'll try
my best every race.
"My M4 Suzuki was awesome again
today and I want to thank all of our sponsors and the whole
team."
Pole winner Jason DiSalvo was
unable to replicate Saturday's 1-2 for the team as the
changeable conditions took its toll on his race effort. The New
Yorker managed to hold on for seventh in the end and is
currently ranked in fourth place, just one position behind
teammate Cardenas, in the Daytona SportBike points standings.
Up-and-comer Kris Turner saw a
promising start to the SuperSport contest quickly turn to
disappointment. Running third in the early stages of the wet
race, the Chattanooga, TN resident was thrown off the side of
his machine exiting the slick final corner and entering the
front straight. He clung on for several tense moments before
ultimately falling in the grass.
Turner didn't give in, however,
and remounted his GSX-R600 and carried on to claim 16th
position in the end.
Team M4 Suzuki will look to
continue their win streak when the AMA Pro Road Racing series
picks up again at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on May 15-17.
CARDENAS AND DISALVO DOMINATE IN
BIRMINGHAM DAYTONA SPORTBIKE RACE
Team M4 Suzuki dominated
Saturday's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race at Barber Motorsports
Park, clearing off at the front en route to a brilliant 1-2
result for the team.
Martin Cardenas and Jason DiSalvo
emerged from the pack early to establish themselves as the men
to beat aboard their Suzuki GSX-R600s and engaged in a thrilling
showdown to the checkered flag.
Cardenas moved into the lead on
lap seven of 21 and attempted to pull a breakaway. The former
Spanish Supersport champion was unable to escape from his
teammate, however, and DiSalvo took over the top spot himself on
lap 13.
Cardenas studied DiSalvo's lines
and struck back with just a lap-and-a-half remaining, storming
by on the brakes at the end of the back straight. The New Yorker
looked to retaliate but couldn't make it happen as the Colombian
put in a flawless final lap to claim his second career AMA race
victory just one race meeting after earning his first.
"This win was very tough because
the track is very demanding physically," Cardenas remarked.
"Jason and I had a huge battle for ten laps or more. At the
beginning I tried to put a gap to him but I pushed and could see
I wasn't able to get away so I tried to stay in a rhythm. After
a couple laps he passed me and I tried to look for his stronger
points and mine. Two laps from the end, I made the move and put
my head down and rode as fast as I could. It was a great race
and I want to thank the team for giving me a great bike."
Superpole winner and race
runner-up DiSalvo said, "Martin and I just had such a terrific
race. It was awesome. He led for a little bit and I think he was
trying to pull a gap but then settled into a rhythm. I made the
move on him and put my head down for a lap or two but I don't
think there was anything I could do we were so closely matched.
All I could do was sit in front and try to figure out where he
was going to try to come by and ride defensively. But where he
passed me, it was just such a great pass. I didn't think he'd be
able to make it stick but he did. We hung in there pretty good
but again, both bikes were so evenly matched it just made it
difficult. Tomorrow we'll just try to get out in the lead and
stay there."
Qualifying for the AMA Pro
SuperSport class was canceled on Saturday following a delay in
the schedule due to the track conditions. As a result, the grid
will be based on Friday's practice times, which means the team's
talented youngster, Kris Turner, will start from the inside of
the fourth row on Sunday, posting the 13th fastest
time at 1:34.344.
On Sunday Team M4 Suzuki will look
to continue their incredible Daytona SportBike form with high
hopes of claiming another race win and additional podium
finishes.
