AMA Pro Racing
Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) finishes the season in third place in the championship after completing the final round of the 2010 AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Championship held at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., this past weekend.
National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Zemke rallied to a fifth-place finish on Sunday after a mechanical issue resulted in a DNF on Saturday, while MJM’s Brett McCormick raced to a tenth-place finish on Saturday and crashed out on lap eleven of Sunday’s race.
On Saturday, after qualifying sixth, Zemke ended up pulling out of the race after only five laps due to an engine problem.
On Sunday, Zemke was eighth after the first lap and steadily worked his way up to fifth place by lap nine. Zemke remained in fifth place until lap seventeen when he advanced to fourth for about a lap before settling for a fifth place finish. Zemke finishes the 2010 AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Championship with a solid third place in championship points.
Jake Zemke says: “Yesterday, in the dry, we had a good motorcycle. It was the best we’d had it all year. And I was just racing with those guys, biding my time, and then we lost an engine. No one likes to see that happen, but our pace was good, so we knew we had something we could race with today.”
“I wish we were starting the season today, but today was a pretty good race. We went out on slicks, not really knowing how the track was going to be. I settled into a nice pace, I was on the back of those guys and I felt like I might be able to make a move, but it just never happened. But overall I’m happy with the way the day went. At the end of the day, I’ve got to thank the crew. They did an awesome job to give me a bike I could really challenge with.”
On Saturday, McCormick started in eleventh position but a strong start propelled him to fifth by lap five. McCormick slipped to sixth by lap eight, which is where he stayed until he crashed while battling for position on the final lap.
McCormick was able to remount and finished tenth. On Sunday, McCormick started in ninth and ran as high as sixth but crashed out of the race on lap eleven. McCormick, who replaced the injured Aaron Yates after round two, finishes the season in ninth place in championship points.
Brett McCormick says: “Yesterday’s race – it was a good race. Good pace – I pretty much just hung with Eric (Bostrom) the whole time. And at the end of the race, I felt really comfortable where we were and I wanted to make a pass on him for that reason. Not that he was holding me up, but I definitely felt I had something for him. As soon as I grabbed the brakes, the thing just completely washed out and tucked on me and my bike slid in and took him out.”
“Obviously, I feel terrible about it. It’s a racing incident; it’s happened to me before. And then today, it was just the same thing – comfortable running that pace and then the high-side came out of nowhere. I’ve got to thank the crew this weekend and for putting up with me this season. I’m obviously very grateful to have been able to do that. I’ll take a lot away from it. It’s good.”
This weekend’s race at Barber Motorsports Park was the final event of the 2010 AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Championship. The Michael Jordan Motorsports team looks forward to the first event of the 2011 series at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., on March 10-12, 2011.