Parts Canada Superbike Championship

ZEMKE WINS SECOND STRAIGHT SUPERBIKE AT DAYTONA - McCORMICK A STRONG EIGHTH

March 5 - National Guard backed Jordan Suzuki pilot Jake Zemke grabbed a dramatic second straight American Superbike victory in AMA Pro National action at Daytona International Speedway on March 5.  Backing up his surprise win in Thursday's opening race of the 2010 series, Zemke timed a passing manoeuvre to perfection, taking the win by inches over the Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Tommy Hayden.

The only Canadian in the race, Saskatoon, SK racer Brett McCormick, had a strong effort on the TK Picotte Racing Suzuki.  Running on a very limited budget in a last minute effort with 2009 Canadian spec equipment, McCormick stayed with the six rider lead group in the early running. 

Although he eventually lost touch with the leaders, McCormick earned a solid eighth, tailing the seventh placed works Yoshimura Suzuki of early race leader Blake Young. In yesterday's Superbike opener, McCormick was fighting for seventh before engine issues forced him to retire mid-race.

Hayden lead much of the race for Suzuki, looking to earn his first career Superbike win.  But Zemke hunted down break-away leader Hayden, joined by the second Jordan Suzuki of Aaron Yates.  Also disputing the lead was the Foremost Ducati twin of Larry Pegram and the Yamahas of Ben Bostrom and Josh Hayes.

On the crucial last lap run to the finish exiting the back straight Chicane, it seemed as if Hayden had a big enough lead to hang on for the long awaited victory.  However second placed Zemke had Yates and Pegram on his tail and close the 20 bike length sized gap, running high on the banking to make a last gasp pass for the win.

The margin of victory was .009 of a second.  A charging Bostrom slip streamed past Yates at the finish to net third. Pegram wound up frustrated in fifth, with Hayes the last of the lead group in sixth.

Talking about his impressive double success at Daytona, Zemke said "my hat is off to Tommy (Hayden), it was some race and I didn't even know who won.  Tommy was getting away, and I had to move up quick from fourth, to not let Tommy get away.  That used up a lot of tire, and there was no way to be sure how it would go - there was lots of action at the front, all race long."

For runner-up Hayden, it was an almost effort. "We were running a better pace, we improved the bike, and we could set the pace at the front," explained the eldest of the racing Hayden trio of brothers.  "I thought leading was my best bet, It was hard to time it right (to draft and pass), I didn't want to loose twice the same way. I got my head down, but I didn't make quite enough of a gap. Two podiums was a great start to the season, it's going to be a fun year."

"I had the best seat in the house, that's for sure," said Bostrom.  "I saw Jayzee (Jake Zemke) get sideways in top gear and not roll off, trying to win this thing.  I was there, but I wasn't quite there.  I think it's going to be like this all year, like a world superbike race."

For McCormick, the effort was as much as he could have expected, running against the factory American entries.  "I guess you could say I'm content, we did a good job," explained the 18 year old.

"I was there, I was right with the leaders," continued McCormick.  "But I couldn't afford any kind of mistake, or I would loose their draft.  Then John Hopkins went by me, he went off the track, and I made a small mistake - I lost touch."

"I tried to make it back up (the gap to the lead group), but I couldn't. Eventually the rear tire was pretty gone on the left side, and we just didn't get a chance to work that tire in our limited practice.  My gearing choice might have been a little tall, but in the end, I'm really happy with the effort.  We weren't far off."

McCormick and the Picotte squad will compete with their GSX-R600 in tonight's' 69th annual running of the Daytona 200, slated to begin at 8 PM ET. McCormick will start from the outside of the second row of the grid in his first attempt at the famed 200 mile event.

From Inside Motorcycles