Team RidersDiscount.com and Jake Holden Racing are excited to get on the grid for another action-packed weekend in the Daytona SportBike class at Laguna Seca. With the recent addition of Cameron Beaubier to the Team RidersDiscount.com Jake Holden Racing garage, there will now be two bikes in RidersDiscount.com colors on the AMA DSB grid. And, to make things especially exciting for everyone, Jake is making his return to the AMA’s premier American Superbike class this coming weekend!

After testing both of the RidersDiscount.com-built and prepared Superbikes; the Yamaha YZF-R1 and the BMW S1000RR – Jake has decided that the BMW will be better suited to Laguna’s undulated and technical layout. His decision comes after two days of testing at Grattan Raceway and Gingerman Raceway, which are both a quick drive from the RidersDiscount.com headquarters. Each track provides a different emphasis on setup and after many laps riding both bikes, it was determined that, at least for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, that the RidersDiscount.com BMW S1000RR would be the machine of choice.

Jake Holden: “At first, I was really focused on the Yamaha YZF-R1 because I’ve ridden one – Ben Bostrom’s, and I really liked it, so I was just going into this test thinking that I’d be racing the Yamaha at Laguna Seca. But I gave in and wanted to do a couple laps on the BMW just to say I did it. I got on it and the package on that bike is really impressive, it just suits my riding style — I feel really comfortable on the bike. You can’t even really feel the electronics working, it just keeps the bike in line and I think it’s going to be a good package for Laguna Seca.

Last year at Laguna, I filled in for John Hopkins on the Monster M4 Suzuki GSX-R1000 and I led maybe a lap or two there and I felt pretty confident in myself. Now, I feel confident in going back there on the RidersDiscount.com BMW S1000RR. Hopefully, we can make some noise and spray some champagne!”

Cameron Beaubier: “I’m super excited to be going into Laguna Seca knowing that RidersDiscount.com is supporting me. I’ve seen how well Jake Holden Racing and RidersDiscount.com have worked together and I’m happy to be a part of it. Laguna is my home track, so my family and friends will be there. I crashed there last year in the SuperSport event, so I’m looking to redeem myself this coming weekend!”

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On Monday and Thursday of this week, Team RidersDiscount.com and Jake Holden Racing tested the RidersDiscount.com-built Yamaha YZF-R1 and BMW S1000RR superbikes at Grattan Raceway Park and Gingerman Raceway, respectively. The team got together after the AMA event at Mid-Ohio to help Jake determine which bike would be best suited for his return to the AMA American SuperBike class at the upcoming Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix weekend in Laguna Seca. The two tracks offer a sharp contrast from each other, which is ideal for testing the strengths and weaknesses of each machine. Grattan Raceway features a fast, flowing layout with many blind corners along with a few drops and rises. Gingerman, on the other hand, while mostly flat, demands a very precise line to get the fastest lap and so, puts stability under braking at a premium.

Jake remarked that the Yamaha YZF-R1 features a smooth power delivery on corner exits and a fantastic growl from the crossplane crank motor. For the BMW S1000RR, Jake’s favorite aspect was the bike’s top-end power and the unobtrusive electronics package. The positives of each bike will lend themselves well to Laguna Seca’s undulating layout and now that he’s had a chance to ride both bikes on two completely different tracks, Jake has a limited amount of time to decide which bike will work best at the California track.

Jake Holden – “I was excited to ride the RidersDiscount.com superbikes. After Mid-Ohio, which was just a devastating race for my season, I was looking forward to going riding and having fun with the RidersDiscount.com crew. And that’s exactly what we did – I got to ride a couple of kick ass superbikes that they built; the BMW S1000RR and Yamaha R1. It got my mind off of some of the things I’d been stressing about lately. Now I’m looking forward to getting on the superbike at Laguna Seca because that’s where I had my first AMA career win and I’ve always been pretty successful there.

I’d like to thank everyone at Riders Discount for supporting me this week during testing. It was a lot of fun and it was good to go back to where I started at the club level just doing trackdays with friends and people who enjoy riding and racing. It was a lot of fun to get out there and learn some new tracks. Now I just have to pick the bike I want to ride!”

Brian Gibson, owner RidersDiscount.com – “It was very satisfying to watch Jake ride the bikes we built and listen to his feedback on each one. It was clear after his first session on each bike Monday at Grattan Raceway that he knew exactly what he wanted from each machine. Now all he has to do is decide which bike he wants to take to the grid at Laguna Seca! The whole team is really excited for Jake’s return to the AMA’s main event, especially since we built these bikes ourselves using the very same parts we sell!”

In addition to his first 2011 appearance in the AMA Pro American SuperBike class at Laguna Seca, Jake will continue to compete aboard the Ducati 848 EVO in Daytona SportBike. Jake Holden Racing and Team RidersDiscount.com have only a small amount of time for Jake to decide which bike he wants to take to the line at the Laguna Seca weekend and an announcement will be made shortly. For race updates, videos and other news, check out facebook.com/ridersdiscount and facebook.com/jakeholdenracing

Jake Holden would like to thank RidersDiscount.com, FMF Exhaust, Motul, Shoei Helmets, Cortech Apparel, Sidi, Held, Motion-Pro, Liquid Performance, Vortex Racing, Bazzaz Performance Design, SharkSkinz Bodywork, Zero Gravity Windscreens, Vicci, Goodridge Brake Lines, Speedy Moto, K & N Engineering and Penske Shocks.

The post Team RidersDiscount.com & Jake Holden Test in Preparation for Jake’s Return to the AMA American SuperBike Class appeared first on Riders Discount.