Contact:
Matt King (414) 343-7634
matt.king@harley-davidson.com
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ESTOK
LOCKS UP THUNDERBIKE TITLE ON BUELL AT SUMMIT POINT
Crevier
is Second in ASRA Pro Superbike on Buell XBRR
SUMMIT
POINT, W.V. (Sept. 9, 2007) – Deeley H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing
rider Dave Estok secured the 2007 American Sportbike Racing Association (ASRA)
Pro Thunderbike Championship with a win aboard a Buell XB12R at the
Summers End Cyclefest at Summit Point Motorsports Park. It was Estok’s
fifth Thunderbike National win of the 2007 season. His only rival for the
title, Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky, finished
fourth on a Buell at Summit Point, leaving Estok with an insurmountable
50-point lead with one race left on the schedule.
“My
goal this weekend was to beat Dan and build up the points lead,” said
Estok, who also won the Thunderbike national championship in 2005. “He
put up a great fight right until that last lap. The Deeley team was great
all season and always put me on a bike capable of winning. After losing
the title last year at the last race, it’s great to have it locked up
early this season. We can go to Daytona with no pressure and focus on
beating the BMWs down there.”
Estok
was fast qualifier for the 10-lap Thunderbike National, setting a new
record for the class with a 1:18.058 lap of the 2.0-mile main course at
Summit Point. At the start, BMW rider Nate Kern, who qualified second,
jumped to a lead of about eight bike lengths. Bilansky, the defending
Thunderbike champion, and Estok rode together and caught, and then passed
Kern on lap three. The three riders then engaged in a race-long battle at
the front, with each passing for the lead several times. On the final lap,
the trio raced for the finish line together with Estok leading and
Bilansky second. But mid-way through the last lap Bilansky’s motorcycle
faltered with an apparent electrical problem, allowing Kern and Deeley
H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing rider Darren James to pass. During the
race, Bilansky set a new race lap record of 1:17.596 seconds.
Suzuki
rider Arnold Hastings was fifth, followed by Buell riders Arthur Diaz
(Schaeffer HD/Buell), Joe Rozynski (Sound Waves/Hal’s Speed Shop), and
Sam Rozynski (Sound Waves/Hal’s Speed Shop).
After
seven of eight ASRA Pro Thunderbike rounds, Estok has 218 points. Bilansky
is second with 168, and James third with 146.
In
the ASRA Pro Superbike National at Summit Point, Deeley H-D/Buell
Canada/Ruthless Racing rider Steve Crevier finished second aboard a Buell
XBRR. Crevier qualified sixth, took the lead on lap three and led the
10-lap race for three laps before being passed by Yamaha rider Jeff Wood,
who went on to win the race and the 2007 ASRA Pro Superbike title.
In
Championship Cup Series (CCS) sprint racing at Summit Point, Diaz rode a
Buell XB12R to win in Expert Lightweight Superbike and Expert Lightweight
Grand Prix, while Crevier rode a Buell XBRR to win in Expert SuperTwins.
The
final event on the eight-race 2007 ASRA series schedule is the 24th
Annual Race of Champions, October 19-21 at Daytona International speedway,
Daytona Beach, Fla.
Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, produces sport
motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel. To learn more
about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and
experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only
found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com.