Cardenas Continues His Hot Streak

Henny Ray Abrams | June 3, 2012

ELKHART LAKE, WI, JUNE 3 – Geico Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas extended his championship lead with his third Daytona Sportbike win in a row, and sixth in the last seven races, in the Subway Superbike Doubleheader at Road America.

Cardenas was in control from the start of the 13-lap race, leading most of the laps and never falling below second place.

There was a crowd at the front with as many as eight early on and as few as two at the finish. The last lap started with five riders nose-to-tail, but it would come down to only two, Cardenas and Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier.

Beaubier was the only rider other than Cardenas to lead the race and the best of the rest. Going into turn eight on lap ten he made a move on Latus Motors Racing’s Jason DiSalvo, who’d taken over second, but the move went wrong and he dropped to sixth. But by the time the pack got back to turn five on the next lap he was back in second, where he’d stay.

On the last lap Cardenas and Beaubier broke free of the three just behind, DiSalvo, Road Race Factory/Red Bull Yamaha’s JD Beach and Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha’s Tommy Hayden. Ducshop Racing’s Jake Zemke (Duc), who’d been part of the top six, dropped off the pace on the final lap.

Cardenas led into the final corner with Beaubier just behind. But Beaubier was carrying too much speed and had to check up to avoid running into Cardenas,  riding straight off the track and crashing.

Cardenas sped to victory by 1.010 sec. over DiSalvo, with Beach getting his first podium of the year in third at .009 sec. Hayden was fourth, then four seconds to Zemke and Dane Westby, the M4 Suzuki rider who made a late run.

Cardenas stretch his points lead over DiSalvo to 47, 206 to 159, after eight of 19 races. Westby moved into second with 142, two ahead of Hayden.

Road America Daytona Sportbike Results:
1. Martin Cardenas (Suzuki)
2. Jason DiSalvo (Triumph)
3. JD Beach (Yamaha)
4. Tommy Hayden (Yamaha)
5. Jake Zemke Ducati)
6. Dane Westby (Suzuki)
7. Huntley Nash (Yamaha)
8. Cory West (Suzuki)
9. Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
10. Bobby Fong (Yamaha)

 

 

Henny Ray Abrams | Contributing Editor

Abrams is the longest-serving contributor at Cycle News. Over the course of his 35-some years of writing and shooting photos, he’s covered events from MotoGP to the Motocross World Championship - and everything in between.