VIR07

ELLISON AND CORONA EXTRA HONDA CBR1000RR SUPERBIKE TAKES TENTH AT SWELTERING VIR
VIRginia International Raceway
Alton, VA August 19, 2007
Photo by Brian J. Nelson James Ellison and his Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR SuperBike rider put in a spirited ride to post tenth place in the first SuperBike race held at the picturesque but sweltering Virginia International Raceway. Getting to grips with the tight and twisty VIR track took some time for James. This challenge, when combined with the search for grip made for a difficult practice and qualifying.

The problem, attributed to the extremely hot conditions (over 105 Farenheit at times), was a very greasy surface. The crew tried a number of suspension settings which slowly got Ellison up to speed in only his second time at the track, the last being 2003. Ultimately James qualified thirteenth.

The first race, held on Saturday and in 100+ temperatures, saw Ellison in eleventh after the first lap, a position he held for eight laps. As he got comfortable on the bike and his tires came “on” he was able to pass Holden for tenth but was then nearly eight seconds down on the pair of Jake Zemke on the factory Honda and Tommy Hayden on the factory Suzuki.

Amazingly, with an incredibly spirited ride, James made up the time and caught the pair three laps from the end. He tried everything to pass but the tight track and traffic prevented him from taking any more slots by the finish so he had to settle for tenth. Without a doubt James’ ride was the talk of the race! He said, “I took a while getting going but then everything seemed to come together. The bike felt really good. I could See Tommy (Hayden) so I just put my head down and rode as hard as I could. When I caught them I thought it would not be difficult to pass but there’s very little room on the track and the traffic made it even harder. Still I tried!”

The second race looked to be a humdinger for James with him and the crew finding another half second over his best race time in the morning practice. Come the start he could not find any rear grip and after a number of near high-sides and off-track excursions came in on lap two for a new rear tire. Unfortunately he was deemed to have exceeded the pit lane speed limit on the way in and was black flagged for a ride through penalty. A lap later he came in and retired citing aggravation of his 2005 injury to his left arm from the high-side incidents.

The weekend leaves Ellison down one spot at eleventh in the SuperBike Championship series.

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