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.

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The post Team RidersDiscount.com & Jake Holden Racing Preview AMA Pro Honda Supercycle Weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course appeared first on Riders Discount.

After a crash during the restart of Daytona SportBike Race 2 at Road America, Team RidersDiscount.com and Jake Holden Racing have decided to hold off on Jake’s attack for the top spot of the podium until the AMA Pro Honda Supercycle Weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. This means Jake will not be at the Barber SuperBike Classic over Father’s Day weekend in order to allow him to fully recover from a spiral fracture on his thumb sustained in that last crash at Road America. Having already had surgery performed twice on the same hand: once right after Daytona, and then again after a crash while fighting for the lead at Infineon Raceway – it’s going to take a little more time than originally anticipated for Holden to get back to full strength. The extra waiting will only feed the whole team’s hunger to get back to racing in Team RidersDiscount.com colors so Jake can take another shot at the podium where he’s had some good results in the past.

Jake Holden – “I’m really excited to work with RidersDiscount.com – I’m glad they believe in me as a rider and after meeting Brian at Road America, I was more excited to be working with him! I want to make sure I’m fully healed before getting on the bike and representing RidersDiscount.com. I’m hoping to come back at Mid-Ohio and put my RidersDiscount.com / Jake Holden Racing bike back up on the podium where it belongs.”

Brian Gibson, owner RidersDiscount.com – “While we would love to get back into action as soon as possible, there’s no point in doing so if Jake isn’t at full fitness, so we’ll wait until Mid-Ohio to get back at it. Mid-Ohio is a track where we’ve had some really good races both as a team owner and as a rider myself, so it’s fitting to premier the team’s new look there. We can’t wait to get back into AMA Racing again this year, and just the thought of the Ducati 848 EVO on the grid in Team RidersDiscount.com gets my heart going!”

With a little more time away from the track, Jake Holden Racing and Team RidersDiscount.com look forward to a strong performance at Mid-Ohio when Jake makes his premier in his new Team RidersDiscount.com livery. You can follow the team’s progress at facebook.com/ridersdiscount where you can see Jake’s new bodywork coming together with regular updates and, at facebook.com/JakeHolden59 for Jake’s own perspective on everything racing.

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 will make their first appearance together at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course appeared first on Riders Discount.

Team RidersDiscount.com has stepped up to help Jake Holden get to his next AMA Pro race and beyond! After Holden’s original team owner was forced to move on, the team was left with only their equipment and very limited resources for the remainder of the season. Not wanting to see a good thing come to an end, RidersDiscount.com and Jake Holden Racing have teamed up for the remainder of the 2011 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike season. The agreement will see Jake continue to pursue his goal of running up front on his Ducati 848 EVO in the competitive AMA Daytona SportBike class with RidersDiscount.com as the title sponsor. Look for Jake Holden’s Ducati 848 EVO to be in full Team RidersDiscount.com livery starting at the Barber Superbike Classic in June! 

Jake Holden – “I would like to thank RidersDiscount.com for stepping up for the remainder of the 2011 AMA Daytona SportBike season. A few weeks ago my team and myself didn’t think we would make it to the next round, but with the help from our fans and friends we made it to Infineon and put on a great show. I’m excited to represent RidersDiscount.com and hope I can do them proud!!!!”

Brian Gibson, owner RidersDiscount.com – “Team RidersDiscount.com is no stranger to racing. We’ve competed everywhere with WERA, FUSA and CCS to AMA American SuperBike racing with riders like Taylor Knapp and Kurtis Roberts. Upon hearing about Jake Holden’s plight after Daytona, we were interested to see what we could do to get on board. We’re proud of Jake and the work his team has accomplished. After watching their performance at Infineon Raceway last weekend, we’re very excited to see what happens after the next green flag drops!”

In addition to RidersDiscount.com’s continued support in Daytona SportBike, look for Jake to make a special appearance in the American SuperBike class riding one of RD’s in-house prepared race bikes at an upcoming AMA Pro event. For continued updates of the team’s progress please check out facebook.com/ridersdiscount and facebook.com/JakeHolden59.

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