AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport
Homestead-Miami SuperSport Saturday (Race 1) Recap:
Orient Express Celtic Racing’s James Rispoli outlasted Kneedraggers.com Stefano Mesa to win Saturday’s intense AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstpore.com SuperSport shootout.
Rispoli and Mesa distanced themselves from an earlier seven-rider scrap for the lead and settled into a one-on-one duel over the race’s second half. Mesa made a couple of slick maneuvers to steal the lead briefly, but Rispoli had an answer for every assault. Mesa’s bid was made all the more difficult when his helmet’s visor came off with seven laps remaining.
In the end, Rispoli won out to the stripe by 0.564 after eking out a bit of space on the race’s final lap.
“It was really slick and me and Stefano did a good job of sliding around and making it look fun,” Rispoli said. “In the middle of the race, he came rippin’ by and I was like, ‘OK, it’s time to go.’ I got back in tow, reeled him in a little bit, and found some parts where I was a little bit faster. I made my move a couple laps later. It was really fun racing today.”
RoadRace Factory/Red Bull’s Tomas Puerta narrowly edged Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki’s Jake Lewis for the final podium position by 0.043 seconds, but Lewis was still the big winner on the day.
East Region title leader Dustin Dominguez dropped out of the battle for third, and Lewis made up serious ground in the points chase, moving from 20 points out to just two points back (208-206).
National Guard/Fairhills Group/Celtic Racing’s Cory Alexander rounded out the top five.
Homestead-Miami SuperSport Sunday (Race 2) Recap:
James Rispoli (Celtic Racing/Orient Express) won Sunday’s AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, backing up his Saturday victory with his eighth win of the year. Tomas Puerta (RoadRace Factory/Red Bull) was second, followed by Dustin Dominguez (Latus Motors Racing Triumph) in a race that was stopped with seven laps remaining before being declared official with the results taken from the previous complete lap.
The race was stopped after Matt Schrag crashed, bringing out the red flag. Lightning in the area forced a further delay, and the race was called official in order to prevent the riders and teams from waiting though a lengthy delay.
Rispoli was pleased with his race, one of the few that has seen him motor into the distance. He held a lead of over two seconds when the red flag flew.
“I got a great start and made a pass for the lead two laps in,” said Rispoli. “I felt good to get a race where I could get a lead. It was a ‘dirt-tracker’s delight.’ I don’t think the handlebars were straight the whole time.”
“I had to work my way up,” said Puerta, who spent most of the race in second after passing Jake Lewis early on. “I had some issues with the front and wanted to finish second.”
Dominguez took third and was unhappy with some of the riders battling for third early in the race. Stefano Mesa was charging before the red flag on his Kneedraggers.com Yamaha and had worked his way up to second before the race was stopped. He was classified fourth.
Hayden Gillim (RoadRace Factory/Red Bull) earned fifth place as he was over a second clear of fast starter Jake Lewis. Lewis got the holeshot on his Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki but faded to sixth. Yamaha factory pilot Garrett Gerloff was seventh.
