Monday, June 30, 2014

Indy's Mid-America Speedway Announces Return to Original Management Effective Immediately




























 
  
Indianapolis' own hidden gem, Mid-America Speedway, located on the southeast side of Indy at the Marion County Fairgrounds, recently went through a short-term management change when track founder and president Jim Terchila decided to step down earlier this year due to family and work commitments. With his travel schedule at work and home life being affected in a major way, Terchila turned over management duties to a local club to run the regular racing activities at the track, which he has operated along with a very stout, loyal and professional team now for some seven years.

Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan, and effective this last Satuday, June 28, Jim stepped back in and re-took control of complete operations of the track along with his full, original crew of long-standing referees, pit stewards and track announcer, among others. After talking with Jim over the course of the last few weeks, it was obvious things weren't going to work out with the new team running things, and even with the support of his wife never ending, gave in the ghost and decided to take back control of operations, after fulfilling his initial obligations to those that had tried to take over operations--something he had originally hoped would be seamless, but which turned into more of a cluster than what the man who IS Mid-America Speedway could sit by and let happen.

Below is the press release we prepared for Jim (Mr. Mid-America Speedway himself) after we talked late Saturday about his coming back to helm the ship, and he and his lovely wife Holly are looking forward to bringing everyone the same level of professional racing activities that they and their crew have been synonymous with for all of their years of operation at the Marion County Fairgrounds.

In the shot above, Dave Atherton #15X and David 'Bones' Aldana battle during one of the Bultaco Astro Cup heat races during a round of the AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Series at Mid-America Speedway in August 2013. Mid-America Speedway will again host round 10 of the 2014 AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Series on August 9 with the Bultaco Astro Cup event returning for the second season running. Photo by Mike 'Stu' Stuhler/Stu's Shots.
  
 

















 

Bri Hazen #15K, Kevin Wilson #45, Rob 'Bugs' Pearson #27 and Fight for Dirt Track.com's own Tyler Porter #28C blast off the line during one of Mid-America's regular season events in June 2012, all of whom are regular attendees and supporters at Mid-America Speedway. Photo by Mike 'Stu' Stuhler/Stu's Shots.
 
 
We want to take the time to welcome Jim and his crew back, as I am sure many of you as well as the regular attendees and racers will be in seeing that things will be back to normal at the next race on the schedule on Saturday, July 12 at Mid-America Speedway in Indy, the little track that could!
 
 
        Press release—For immediate release
 
     Indy's Mid-America Speedway Announces Operations to Return to Original Track Management Effective Immediately
      
       Indianapolis, IN., June 29, 2014 – Mid-America Speedway in Indianapolis, one of the finest racing facilities in the Midwest, announced yesterday that track operations would return to the original management team effective immediately. Track founder and president, Jim Terchila made the announcement on Saturday afternoon, June 28.
 
       After founding the facility some seven years ago, Terchila had turned over operations to another local club in lieu of job and family obligations that were taking their toll in being able to maintain the track's operations at the level with which he had originally started the outing over half a decade ago.
  
       “Unfortunately, due to some difficulties with the three races with which they had been in charge here at the Marion County Fairgrounds, it just didn't work out,” stated Terchila. “As of today and for the rest of the season, our original management team will be back in charge of race operations, which will commence with our next race on Saturday, July 12.
 
       “We are obviously looking ahead to the rest of the season, especially with the fast-approaching premier event on our schedule, The Night After the Indy Mile race, which this year will be held on Saturday, August 9,” continued the president of track operations, “and this year's event will again see the two premier classes in the Open Pro and Bultaco Astro Cup events. Jared Mees will again return to defend his unbeaten record here at Mid-America and Dave 'Bones' Aldana, last year's winner Steve Morehead and a host of other former AMA Grand National Championship greats will also be on hand again for some of the racing we have lined up.  
     
 "All of our previous personnel will also be returning to action, our pit steward and referee, as well as long time announcer Bret Cheek, who is known for his intense level of excitement and fiery enthusiasm which bestows the overall sentiments which we have tried to bring to the table in all of our years of operating here at the fairgrounds.” Terchila also wanted everyone to know that his lovely wife, Holly, whom everyone has known to become the welcoming hostess in the sign-up area, will also be returning to greet all of the riders and team members as they arrive for each outing.
 
       You can expect the same level of great racing that has been seen for years at Mid-America Speedway going forward, and you can keep up with their full compliment of events by visiting their website at www.midamspeedway.com.  Mid-America would also like to take the time to thank all of the racers, teams, personnel, sponsors and fans who have been a part of the track's success over the years and for making it the great facility that it has become during all of the years it has been in operation.
 
 
 
Press release prepared by:
 

Mike 'Stu' Stuhler
Stu's Shots
Indianapolis, IN. 46234
(317) 299-2072-home
(317) 373-0522-cell
 

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Jared 'The Jammer' Mees Takes the Win at Lima Half-Mile AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Round 5


























2012 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees took advantage of fast man and two-time Lima winner Sammy Halbert's misfortune last night and cruised to the win by just over 2.6 seconds ahead of runner-up Brandon Robinson and by just over 2.8 seconds ahead of 3rd-place finisher Bryan Smith at the Lima Half-Mile, round 5 of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship.

Mees, on the Kenny Tolbert-tuned #9 Rogers Racing/Las Vegas H-D/Blue Springs H-D-backed XR750, took his third win at the track where he won his very first AMA Grand National event in 2005 and then won again in 2007. It was The Jammer's 13th-overall win of his Expert career.

Halbert, who was fast all night from the get-go setting fast time, winning the fast heat and powering to just over a 1.5 second win in the Dash for Cash, looked to have it sewed up for what would have been his third win in-a-row at the Allen County Fairgrounds, saw his dreams disappear in smoke-literally-when the engine on his #7 South East H-D XR blew up just shy of the half-way point of the 25-lap Grand National main.

Robinson, who had started on the second row, was able to get around mid-point leader Smith and took the runner-up spot on the #44 USC Racing Kawasaki, while Smith rounded out the podium on the #42 Villa-Esparza Kawasaki mile rocket. Obviously, the Kawi teams are getting closer to getting the parallel twins worked out on the half-mile tracks, especially last night's pea gravel cushion. Although only two other Kawis finished in the top-10 (Jake Shoemaker #55 in 8th-place, Jake Constantine #13 in 10th-place), the gap seems to be closing in spite of Kawis only having garnered 7th-10th places two weeks ago at Knoxville.

Points leader Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. ended up in 4th-place on the #2 Zanotti Racing XR, while 2nd-place points man Jake Johnson rounded out the top-5 on the #5 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati, his fourth top-5 in-a-row for the 2010-2011 AMA Grand National Champion.

Coolbeth still holds the point heading into Hagerstown this coming Saturday, July 5, with Johnson still in the 2nd-place slot (95-86). Mees moved up a spot in the standings into 3rd-place with his win last night and now only sits a single point behind Johnson (85 points). Robinson sits another 12 back in the 4th-place spot (73 points), while Halbert now sits in the 5th-place slot with 72 points. Smith now sits in the 6th-place spot with 60 points on his revamped team for the still young 2014 season.

In the shot above, Mees heads to the line after rider intros at the Springfield Mile I on May 25 during round 3 of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship, while the second-winningest tuner in Grand National history, Kenny Tolbert, rolls the #9 Rogers Racing/Las Vegas H-D/Blue Springs H-D-sponsored mount towards the starting grid.

This season is turning into an epic battle with 11 races left to go in the season heading to the Hagerstown Half-Mile this Saturday, where defending AMA Grand National Champion Brad Baker got the first win of his young career last season. Baker wasn't a factor last night after the #1 Harley-Davidson Motor Co-sponsored XR wasn't even able to complete a single lap in the main.

Full results from last night's spray-fest at Lima can be found here, while Cycle News' own Larry Lawrence filed this brief race report in the wee hours of the morning today, and below you'll find AMA Pro Flat Track's official report on last night's event.








Jared Mees wins third career Lima Half-Mile, Kyle Johnson cruises in second-consecutive Pro Singles victory

LIMA, Ohio (June 28, 2014) - In a wild and entertaining showdown between some of the most prominent names in the game, Jared Mees took home the Lima Half-Mile main event victory on Saturday night at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio, aboard his Rogers Racing Harley-Davidson.
 
"I got a great start and it feels great to get this win," said Mees. "I saw several guys up top on every turn but I decided to stick with my plan and stay low. I got a little better each time I went out and I felt I was finally perfect once the main event came around. I knew I wasn't going to get tired and that I just needed to get through it. It's just so great to have such a strong team behind me, I couldn't have accomplished this without all of their hard work." It's safe to say Mees knows his way around the pea-gravel oval, as the 2012 Grand National Champion holds 2005 and 2007 main event victories at Lima.
 
 
 
 
 
Jammin' Jared Mees took the win last night at the Lima Half-Mile on his #9 Rogers Racing H-D XR750, the third win of his career at the Allen County Fairgrounds and the 13th overall for the 2012 AMA Grand National Champion. AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.
 
 
 
 
Though Mees won by an impressive 2.663 seconds, his victory wasn't as smooth-sailing as it appeared. In fact, there's a good chance that the Clio, Mich., product wouldn't have earned his 14th overall Grand National victory if it hadn't been for Sammy Halbert's extremely costly bike malfunction on lap 12. Halbert maintained a massive lead for the entire first half of the race before his South East Harley-Davidson blew up on the backstretch and started smoking, causing the Graham, Wash., native's night to be cut short and result in a lackluster 16th place finish.
 
After Halbert's mishap, it was Bryan Smith, aboard his Crosley Radio/Villa-Esparza Kawasaki who briefly took control of the lead. Between turns one and two on lap 15, however, Smith went too wide and coughed up the lead to Mees. The rest is history. Mees ripped the lead from Smith and never looked back, earning his first win of the 2014 season and catapulting himself to third in the overall Grand National Championship point standings.
 
Smith fell back to third place by the race's conclusion, as Brandon Robinson claimed the impressive runner-up finish aboard his USC Kawasaki after starting ninth on the grid to begin the main event. Kenny Coolbeth, aboard his Zanotti Racing Harley-Davidson and Jake Johnson, aboard his Ramspur Winery Ducati rounded out the top five, respectfully.
 
AMA Pro Singles
 
Kyle Johnson started from pole position and crossed the finish line first to take home the coveted AMA Pro Singles main event victory Saturday night aboard his Parkinson Brothers Racing Honda. Johnson, who also won last weekend's Knoxville Half-Mile, has caught fire as of late, as he claimed the Lima Half-Mile checkered flag by a whopping 5.439 seconds.
 
"It was a great race all around," said Johnson. "I got off to a great start and really got some great drives in there and was fortunately able to walk away with the win. We're on a roll right now and I hope we can keep it going to make up some ground and get up there close to the points lead." After back-to-back main event victories, Johnson has propelled himself to fourth in the AMA Pro Singles point standings in just his second season as a professional motorcycle racer.
 
Davis Fisher finished second aboard his TJ Burnett Farms Honda despite starting from sixth on the grid. Fisher was riding in fourth place for most of the main event but managed to turn on the jets on the race's final two laps to earn his second second-place finish of the 2014 season. Robert Descenna, aboard his Bob Weirbach Racing Honda closed out the podium with a solid third place finish while Brandon Wilhelm, aboard his Sylvester Farms Honda, and Dylan Morin, mounted on his Arai KTM, rounded out the top five finishers, respectfully.
 
Next Up

The stars of AMA Pro Flat Track will head to Hagerstown, Md., for the Hagerstown Half-Mile at Hagerstown Speedway on July 5, 2014. Footage of the Lima Half-Mile will be available to view on AMA Pro Racing's YouTube portal at www.youtube.com/amaprovids in the coming days.
How to Watch 

FansChoice.tv will be the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Flat Track and AMA Pro Road Racing events in 2014. The site will also provide coverage of IMSA's development and single-make series, and NASCAR's touring and weekly series.

About AMA Pro Flat Track

AMA Pro Flat Track is a national motorcycle racing series in North America and is considered one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the Series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track racing in the world. The 2014 schedule consists of 16 rounds on the country's finest flat track courses. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft.
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.  

For additional information contact:
 
AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com







Saturday, June 28, 2014

Repsol Honda's Marquez Wins 8th Race of Season, Pedrosa 3rd in Assen MotoGP Round 8































Press Release www.repsolhondateam.com

TT Assen

Round 8 - Saturday, June 28th 2014

  Netherlands - Race Report

Weather conditions
wet/dry 19°C
Air temp
25°C
Track temp
69%
Humidity
Marquez makes it a perfect eight after dramatic Dutch TT

Marquez makes it a perfect eight after dramatic Dutch TT

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has taken his eighth win from eight races, continuing his flawless run in 2014, and has become the youngest rider to win eight successive premier class races (21 years 131 days), taking the record from Mike Hailwood (24 years and 71 days) who won the eighth of a 12-race winning sequence in 1964. Marc’s teammate, Dani Pedrosa, had a fantastic battle with Aleix Espargaro and took third place on the podium, alongside Andrea Dovizioso.
In true Assen style, the weather played a key part in today’s twenty-six lap race. As the riders left their garages for the starting grid, rain arrived and forced a delay to proceedings. Whilst some riders remained on the grid, both Marc and Dani returned to the garage to evaluate the best course of action and to decide if they should start on slicks or wet tyres. Both selected wet tyres and the race got underway at 14h20 local time.
Marc held his position from the start, and enjoyed an early battle with Dovizioso on the first lap, passing each other five times before passing him for the lead. Dani slipped down to fourth behind Aleix Espargargo as a fantastic battle began to develop. The track began to dry quickly with a dry line emerging and on lap six most of the front runners chose to enter the pits to swap bikes for the dry set-up on slicks. They filtered back on track and began to rediscover their rhythm but Marc made a small mistake on lap eight and Dovizioso passed him to take the lead. Dani was tucked in behind Espargaro and on lap nine they passed each other a few times but Dani wasn’t able to complete the pass. On lap twelve rain flags were shown again and the bikes with wet set-up were prepared in the pit lane. Thankfully the weather held off and didn’t worsen, enabling the Repsol Honda riders to continue their chase.
Dani briefly passed Espargaro on lap sixteen but was again passed back and Marc passed Dovizioso on the final turn and began to push, setting a fastest race lap (lap nineteen). Meanwhile Dani managed to pass Espargaro on lap eighteen and built himself a comfortable gap to take the final spot on the podium – his 90th podium in MotoGP.
Marc has now won in every class at Assen – MotoGP (2014), Moto 2 (2012 and 2011) and 125cc (2010) – and he celebrates this eighth win in a row with his brother, Alex, who also won on his Honda in the Moto3 class earlier today. He now has a perfect 200 points from 200 and leads the Championship by 72 points over Rossi. Dani is in third place but equal on points with Rossi (128).
Team Quotes
Marc Marquez profile image
Marc Marquez
1st - Championship Standing: 1st - 200 points
"It was a tough day because this was a race where I could have lost many points, but we were still able to extend our lead in the Championship so I'm very pleased with how it has gone and how we dealt with the flag-to-flag. It was our first experience of a race like this, with both wet and dry conditions, and we even had a little scare after the bike change. We are very happy with this victory and to have got a very important 25 points on a weekend we had circled on the calendar”
Dani Pedrosa profile image
Dani Pedrosa
3rd - Championship Standing: 3rd - 128 points
"It was a very difficult race and was even a bit chaotic at first, when it came to having to decide which tyres to put on the bike. I kept a cool head and chose the option of wets, because at first the track was a little damp. I should have pushed more in the opening laps - but I chose not to incase it rained again - as the track began to dry out. The rain didn’t come and I had a good fight with Aleix for the podium in the dry. I am happy to have taken the rostrum finish, because you never know how races like today’s might go, but this one went well for us and we are now focusing on doing a good job in Germany”

race results

  TT Assen - Round 8
Pos.RiderNum.NationPointsTeamConstructorTime/Gap
1Marc Marquez93ESP25Repsol Honda TeamHONDA43'29.954
2Andrea Dovizioso4ITA20Ducati TeamDUCATI+6.714
3Dani Pedrosa26ESP16Repsol Honda TeamHONDA+10.791
4Aleix Espargaro41ESP13NGM Mobile Forward RacingYAMAHA+19.199
5Valentino Rossi46ITA11Yamaha FactoryYAMAHA+25.813
6Andrea Iannone29ITA10Pramac RacingDUCATI+29.003
7Alvaro Bautista19ESP9Go & Fun Honda GresiniHONDA+30.882
8Bradley Smith38GBR8Monster Yamaha Tech 3YAMAHA+30.985
9Cal Crutchlow35GBR7Ducati TeamDUCATI+44.031
10Stefan Bradl6GER6LCR Honda MotoGPHONDA+48.662
11Broc Parkes23AUS5Paul Bird MotorsportPBM+51.863
12Scott Redding45GBR4Go & Fun Honda GresiniHONDA+1'00.329
13Jorge Lorenzo99ESP3Yamaha Factory RacingYAMAHA+1'04.641
14Karel Abraham17CZE2Cardion AB MotoracingHONDA+1'05.980
15Danilo Petrucci9ITA1IodaRacing ProjectIODA-SUTER+1'17.611
16Hiroshi Aoyama7JPN Drive M7 AsparHONDA+1'19.753
17Nicky Hayden69USA Drive M7 AsparHONDA+1'27.630
18Hector Barbera8ESP Avintia Racing MotoGPFTR-KAWASAKI+1'28.142
19Yonny Hernandez68COL Pramac RacingDUCATI1 lap
20Mike Di Meglio63FRA Avintia Racing MotoGPFTR-KAWASAKI1 lap
21Michael Laverty70GBR Paul Bird MotorsportART & PBM1 lap
22Colin Edwards5USA NGM Mobile Forward RacingYAMAHA3 laps
23Pol Espargaro44ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3YAMAHADNF

Copyright Free Images - For Editorial use only

                                             

Circuit Information

View circuit page at www.repsolhondateam.com
Length4.542 m / 2.822 miles
Width14m
Left corners6
Right corners12
Longest straight487 m / 0.303 miles
Constructed1955
Modified2012
  
TT Circuit Assen
De Haar 9
9405 TE Assen
The Netherlands
 
www.ttcircuit.com
 
Pole Position1m 33.713s (174.481km/h) Casey Stoner, Honda, 2012
Race Lap1m 34.548s (172.940km/h) Dani Pedrosa, Honda, 2012
Race Time41m 18.629s (171.518km/h) Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha, 2010)
2013 Race WinnerValentino Rossi (Yamaha)
2014 Race WinnerMarc Marquez (Honda)
          
  Honda Racing Corporation
3-15-1, Senzui, Asaka-shi, Saitama-Pref., 351-0024 Japan