LagunaSBK07

CORONA EXTRA HONDA’S ELLISON TAKES EIGHTH AT LAGUNA SECA SUPERBIKE FINALE

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, CA September 16, 2007

Photo by Brian J. Nelson James Ellison, riding the Corona Extra Honda Racing CBR1000RR, scored a terrific eighth place finish in the season finale held for the first time at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

In a special one-off ride arranged with American Honda and Cycle News, road test editor Steve Atlas rode the Corona Light Honda CBR600RR to an excellent seventeenth place in SuperSport, his first race in many years.

Ellison struggled in qualifying, trying to solve some handling issues that had surfaced in the first Laguna race in July. The crew tried a number of suspension components and tires before sorting out the problem. Unfortunately, with the two day format, track time was short and the issue was not resolved before qualifying. James tried his best but had to settle for eighteenth on the grid. Sunday morning practice saw James drop nearly a second and a half on his qualifying, boding well for the race.

On the drop of green flag, James made a conservative start, following the clutch problem at Road Atlanta. He finished the first lap up four places, though. From then on he dropped his lap times as he moved up the field, ultimately posting his fastest time of the weekend on the twenty-sixth lap. By lap nine he had broken into the top ten, another lap and he was up to ninth and then on lap twelve up to eighth. He held off a determined challenge from Jake Holden to secure the position at the checkered flag.

After the race James said, “I was really nervous at the start because of the clutch problems. It’s made more work for me getting through traffic. Once I got into my rhythm though everything went really well. We had sorted out some handling problems and got the bike turning good so my times got better and better!” James finished his first Superbike Season Championship in eleventh.

Photo by Brian J. Nelson Cycle News road test editor Steve Atlas joined the team to ride the Corona Light CBR600RR in the Supersport race for an article he is writing. In his first race in many years Steve and his crew put on a strong effort to get the bike set up to his liking and up to speed in the very short time for practice. He qualified twenty-sixth in the strong field of forty riders. In the race Steve got a good start and was soon up three places when a red flag came out. On the restart he got into a pack of riders and started picking off one at a time, moving up the field lap by lap. At the finish he was in a seventeenth position, an excellent result. Clearly excited, Steve said, “It was great, I really enjoyed the race, it was really gnarly getting through the traffic. It helped to be chasing guys too, I could follow their lines and learn!” Look for the article in Cycle News soon!

The event ended with the annual Corona Racing Team party for riders, crew and officials held at the Laguna Seca hospitality center. Ice cold Coronas and Mexican food was enjoyed by all, a fitting end to an exciting season!

Corona Extra Honda Racing is proud to be partnering with industry-leaders: Parts Unlimited, Cycle Gear, Ti Force, Joe Rocket, Castrol, Dunlop, Sidi, Hotbodies, GPR, Motion Pro, K&L, Thetrackclub.com, HRC, Ohlins, VP Racing, Race Tech, Vortex, CR&A, Adran, DynoJet, RK, Brembo, Marchesini, Galfer, STM, Powerstands, JETT Tuning, EFI Technology, Performance Solutions, EBSCO Media, MTS.

Next Race: Daytona International Speedway, March 8, 2008 SEE YOU THERE!