FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chip
Spalding, Team Manager
KWS
Motorsports
4657
Franchise Street
North
Charleston, SC 29418
Phone:
1-877-RACE-KWS
Millennium/KWS Suzuki Finishes Eleventh at Daytona
Daytona, FL Ð March 2008 -- Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Suzuki of Orangeburg
finished eleventh in the AMA Superstock race Thursday at Daytona International
Speedway with rider Ben Thompson. Thompson also finished seventeenth in the
Superbike race on Saturday. Through out the weekend the team showed great speed
but had some problems during the races that affected the end results.
The AMA Superstock class is Millennium/KWS SuzukiÕs focus for 2008. This was
ThompsonÕs first visit to the Daytona International Speedway on a Superstock
bike and he raised a lot of eyebrows by qualifying on the second row with time
of 1:39.530. This was good enough for seventh position. In the race, Thompson
got an excellent start and was circulating in sixth place with the lead group
when he overshot the chicane. Thompson tried to battle his way back to the
front but the bike developed a shifting problem that caused instability on
the ultra-fast Daytona banking. Thompson rode a smart race to bring the Pit
Bull sponsored Millennium/KWS Suzuki home in eleventh place and get valuable
championship points.
The Daytona Superbike race is traditionally a war of attrition so the team
didnÕt put a lot of emphasis on qualifying. Instead the team used the session
to develop a race set up and Thompson was still able to qualify in nineteenth
position with a time of 1:40.379. At the start of the race Thompson moved up
to the twelfth position and was battling at the tail end of the factory riders.
On lap two Thompson had suffered a small problem going into the new horseshoe
and dropped back to the twentieth position. Thompson was able to fight back
to finish in the seventeenth position.
Ben Thompson Ð ÒI was happy with our Superstock qualifying time and we had
made good progress with the setup of the bike. When it came time to race, I
got off to a good start and was right there with the lead pack. The Millennium
Technologies/KWS Suzuki had a really good motor but I immediately started having
some shifting problems in the race. I made a mistake on the second lap and
missed the chicane which caused me to lose about seven positions. The mechanical
issues got worse as the race went on and I rode as hard as I could while just
trying to bring it home in one piece. The team did a great job this weekend,
and put me on some very competitive bikes. I can't thank them enough for all
of their hard work. I really look forward to the next race and I think we will
be able to run at the front of the pack at Barber. I would like to thank Bell,
Fieldsheer, Puma, and K&N for all their support.Ó
Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) Ð ÒThe team did really well this weekend and the results
donÕt show it. Ben rode really well and was fast enough all weekend to finish
in the top five in Superstock and the top fifteen in Superbike. We had some
problems and Ben did an excellent job adapting to those problems and bringing
the bike home in one piece and getting some points. Both Ben and the team showed
a lot of potential and I am very excited to go Barber Motorsports Park in April
and show what we can do.Ó
Millennium/KWS Suzuki is proudly sponsored by:
Millennium Technologies, American Suzuki, Suzuki of Orangeburg, Dunlop Tires,
Pit Bull, LeoVince Exhaust, K&N Filters, GP Tech, Galespeed, Active, Bazzaz
Performance, Sebimoto, Yoyodyne, VP Fuels, EK Chains, Wiseco Pistons, BG Lubricants,
Webcam, Performance Friction Brakes, Shock Doctor, Worldwide Bearing, Zero
Gravity, XT Racing, APE, CTR Suspensions, Chicken Hawk Racing, Hel Brake Lines
For Pictures
and more Information: http://www.kwsracing.com or
Contact: chip@kwsmotorsports.com
Phone: 1-877-RACE-KWS
# # #