From a press release issued by GEICO Motorcycle:
FONTANA, Calif. (April 22) — GEICO Motorcycle Honda SportBike rider Jake Zemke will be one of many motorcycle road racers battling it out for a victory in race one of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout when it kicks off at the Yamaha SoCal Nationals at Auto Club Speedway, April 26-27.
As part of a three-race series, Zemke is ready for the Shootout if it means extra seat time on his GEICO Motorcycle. Not only is he trying to battle for a win this weekend, but the extra races really help bring fans closer to the sport, which is the ultimate goal in Zemke’s mind.
“I’m really excited for the start of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout this weekend,” Zemke said. “Most people who follow racing in the United States know that the AMA Pro Road Racing Series doesn’t have a lot of rounds throughout the season. It’s great that the Superbike Shootout is giving the riders an opportunity to go race but also giving fans, especially those on the West Coast, the chance to see the best racers in the United States compete against one another.”
After getting off to a slow start in Daytona, Zemke is hoping that the Shootout will fare differently for him and his team, and they know they are capable of better performances.
“The team has been working nonstop on the bike since we left Daytona,” Zemke said. “Come Saturday, we will see what we have in store for everyone once we get to the racetrack. I’ve got faith in my team that they will get the most out of our bikes, and hopefully we can get back up where we belong competition-wise.”
Zemke’s teammate and Southern California native Chris Ulrich, rider of the GEICO Motorcycle Honda American SuperBike, is ready to return to his home track and try to capture a GEICO Superbike Shootout win.
“This is the first time we have been back to race in Southern California since 2010,” Ulrich said. “With Fontana being my home track, I look forward to being able to show off what I do to all the people who haven’t really been exposed to it, like my friends and family.”
Ulrich and the GEICO Motorcycle team have been preparing for this race like they would for any other. However, the off time in between races was drastically diminished with the addition of the Shootout.
“The bike has improved and we’ve got a little bit more horsepower now than we did in Daytona,” Ulrich said. “We really haven’t had that much time to go ride due to the fact that we have been working hard on getting the bikes ready. Because of the GEICO Superbike Shootout, we have a little bit of a shorter break than we would normally have. That doesn’t matter though because I’m ready and I want to go race.”
Action kicks off Saturday, April 26, from Auto Club Speedway with a full day of practice and qualifying for both the SuperBike and SportBike classes starting at 11:40 a.m. PT. Sunday starts off early with practice leading up to the 1:30 p.m. PT GEICO Superbike Shootout Dynojet Pro SportBike race, followed by the GEICO Superbike Shootout RaceFuelZ Pro SuperBike race at 3:30 p.m. PT.
