CARDENAS & YOSHIMURA SUZUKI SONOMA PODIUM

[totalmotorcycle]

CARDENAS & #YOSHIMURA #SUZUKI #SONOMA PODIUM


Team Suzuki Press Office – May 7.

Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Martin Cardenas followed up his 2014 Superbike Shootout win last weekend with a solid third-place result at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California on Sunday.

Yoshimura Suzuki team-mates Roger Hayden and Chris Clark also turned in impressive performances with Hayden bringing home fifth and Clark following him in eighth.

The race was the second of three events that make up the 2014 Superbike Shootout; a Western-states series pairing the Pros with Semi-pro and Amateur events. In Sunday’s race, Cardenas got a good start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Although he admitted to struggling during qualifying, he turned in an impressive performance in the race, slotting into third place early on. The Colombian rider then stayed put for the remainder of the 20-lap race and brought home a podium finish.

“We had a tough time on the first day,” said Cardenas. “But we made some changes to the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the practice and warm-up on Sunday, and then we made another step in that direction for the race. It was a good race but I made a few mistakes and let the leaders get away. I did the best I could to reel them in again. But overall, I’m happy to get on the podium; that’s always good.”

Hayden got a top-10 start but then had a minor off-track excursion trying to avoid another rider. Undaunted, the Kentucky rider got back on track and was able to race his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 through the field and into the top five. By the race’s end, Hayden had picked up fifth place.

“I really didn’t get the best of starts,” said Hayden. “Then I got shuffled back a bit. And on the second lap, I came up on somebody quicker than I thought I would and I had to go off track to avoid hitting him and I fell back to 16th. From there, I kept a steady pace and just worked my way up. It wasn’t a good weekend for me, I’ve been under the weather and that affected me on the bike. Now we’ll go back and get ready for the next race.”

Clark got off the line right with team-mate Hayden and worked his way into fifth by making the most of his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. He focused on turning smooth, fast laps and eventually finished eighth.
“I got off to a pretty good start and took advantage of a few things and got in the top five,” said Clark. “We had a good set-up for the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 but I had a little bit of trouble towards the end of the race. But overall it was a pretty positive weekend. The Yoshimura Suzuki team and I are working well together and communication was great. I’m just focusing on the positives and getting ready for the next race.”

Sonoma Raceway Superbike Shootout Results: 1. Cameron Beaubier, 2. Josh Hayes, 3. Martin Cardenas (Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000), 4. David Anthony, 5. Roger Hayden (Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000), 6. Chris Fillmore, 7. Cory West, 8. Chris Clark (Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000), 9. Tyler O’Hara, 10. Chris Ulrich.