(NEWS RELEASE)

M4 Suzuki concluded a hugely successful AMA Pro Road Racing weekend at Mid-Ohio with two more strong results, scoring top-five finishes in both the AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike and Superbike classes on Sunday.

Saturday race winner Dane Westby came close to replicate his remarkable come-from-behind triumph of the day before, again running down the lead pack from nearly three seconds back.

Once involved in the five-rider fray for victory, Westby showcased his impressive overtaking abilities aboard his GSX-R600 racebike with a pair of surprise maneuvers to move up the order entering the Carousel. The Oklahoman was in contention for victory right up to the checkered flag; he ultimately crossed the stripe just .0833 seconds off the win and 0.024 seconds off the podium, finishing a very close fourth at the end of the thrilling contest.

“The race was a lot like yesterday,” said Westby. “We caught up with the lead pack after a few laps and were right there at the front. I felt like if we’d had another couple of laps, the result might have been different, but I guess everyone says that. Another rider did to me what I’d done to everyone on Saturday in the big braking zone, so we ended up fourth instead of third. It was a great weekend and winning will sink in for me in about a week. The team has been awesome and made improvements to make the bike suit me in every area I have asked. They are doing a great job and we’ll celebrate the weekend but keep looking to improve to make it happen every time.”

Westby is currently seventh in the SportBike title race with 144 points.

Martin Cardenas registered another gutsy ride on Sunday. Still hobbled by his Friday fall, the Colombian charged up from eighth early and even kept the lead pack in sight for a number of laps. He eventually consolidated his position and piloted his GSX-R1000 Superbike to a clear fifth-place result.

Cardenas is fourth in the Superbike championship rankings with 154 points.

Unfortunately, Santiago Villa was caught up in a two-rider incident entering the opening corner of the SportBike contest that brought out a red flag. The Colombian was unable to resume his race at the restart.

M4 Suzuki will head to Laguna Seca in two weeks as the AMA Pro Road Racing tour joins the MotoGP World Championship for the USGP on July 22-24.