AMA SBK: Daytona Saturday Ticker (Updated)

Joey Pascarella, Blake Young, and Elena Myers walked away from Daytona International Speedway as the big winners on Saturday...

SPEED Staff | Posted March 19, 2012 Daytona Beach, FL

Blake Young edged Josh Hayes at Daytona by 0.002 seconds (Photo: Brian J Nelson)

Yoshimura Suzuki

The Yoshimura Suzuki team was a force to be reckoned with at the season-opening round of AMA Pro Superbike this past double-header weekend at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young captured the win in one Superbike race and a second-place result in the other, while new teammate Chris Clark made his Yoshimura Suzuki debut with two top-10 finishes.

The weekend’s first race saw Young get a good start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, slot into second place and hold on until the checkers. As impressive as Friday’s podium finish was, it was Saturday’s race where Young really strutted his stuff. The Wisconsin native got another great start on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and again settled quickly into second position. But this time, he stayed with the leader until the last few laps, at which point, he made his move and brought home the win.

“Today’s race was a lot better than yesterday’s race,” said Young. “My Yoshimura Suzuki team worked hard for me on Friday, and after the race, we looked at the data and I knew the problem was me. I just didn’t have a very good race, for whatever reason, and I needed to work hard to let my crew know not to give up on me yet. We need to go strong all year long. We just needed to come in here, get some points and race hard the rest of the year. Today’s race was good, and now I’m just looking forward to Atlanta and the rest of the season.”

Yoshimura Suzuki’s newest addition, Chris Clark, admittedly struggled in Friday’s race. He got a decent start on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and held his own to bring home a ninth-place finish. On Saturday, Clark lifted his game, getting another decent start but turning faster, more consistent laps to finish a respectable seventh.

“This was my first race with the Yoshimura Suzuki team, so I definitely was over-riding the bike a little bit,” said Clark. “I was nervous and wanting to do well and putting a little too much pressure on myself. So I came out today and worked on what we were having problems with. I was able to turn it around in the second race. We’re not too far off from where I want to be, fifth in the championship, so I’m just looking forward to Atlanta. The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 is working great; it’s a really fantastic bike. So we’ll head to Atlanta with our heads up and hopefully do well there.”

The 2012 Yoshimura Suzuki team’s next event of the 2011 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA, the weekend of April 20 – 22, 2012.

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