Yoshimura Suzuki

Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing celebrated two more AMA Pro Superbike podium finishes this past double-header weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. Blake Young raced his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to second- and third-place finishes at the picturesque Southern race course, while teammate Chris Clark improved his overall standings in the points chase.

On Saturday, Young had a good showing by getting a good start and settling into third place by the end of lap one. He went on to bring home third, and remained unfazed by the Alabama heat and humidity. On Sunday, Young suffered a poor start but made the most of his talent and the power of the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to finish second. This result marks Young’s 11th AMA Pro Superbike podium in as many races.

“I ended up third on Saturday, though I felt pretty good about it,” said Young. “I’ve been kind of struggling, but I don’t think I could’ve gone any quicker. The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was feeling good and my team is giving 100 percent. On Sunday, the start was a bit of a struggle. But I put my head down and had a good race. Now, I’m looking forward to going home for a few days and then off to Mid-Ohio. I enjoy that track and the fans are great there.”

Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Clark also had a consistent race on Saturday. Getting a decent start on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, he worked his way into eighth place and stayed put to the checkers. On Sunday, unfortunately, Clark took a spill while running in the top 10. Even so, he still moved up a spot to eighth in the overall championship points standings.

“I got an OK start on Saturday,” said Clark. “And I got into eighth on the first lap and stayed there. On Sunday, I tucked the front. I was pretty disappointed because I was feeling good. But we’re getting closer and closer to the front pack and I’m hoping to improve on that at Mid-Ohio.”

Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s next event of the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series is at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH, the weekend of July 13 - 15, 2012.