K&N Sponsored LTD SuperSport Racing Team Looking Good Halfway Through the 2010 Season
- 14 Jul 2010
K&N recently had the opportunity to interview Jason Parker of LTD Racing and get a first hand testimony of how their season is going to date and how the team feels about their performance.
Has your team experienced any challenges with bike setup? What's working well and what isn't? "In 2009 we fought with many challenges with bike setup. To start with, the Yamaha R6 was a new bike to us and the riders. Every track we went to, we had to start from scratch with chassis setup and the riders were taking huge bites off of their lap times each session. Just when we thought we were dialed in, the riders would often drop another second or two riding at their race pace, and their bikes just were not set up for that. Subsequently, we had many crashes. All in all, that season was a success and we had several podium finishes."
How does this year compare to last year? "2010 has been a much different and more successful season. With the riders becoming more familiar with the Yamaha R6 and the tracks it just got easier. A key component was the addition of Gary Medley to the crew, along with some other hard working technicians. Gary, a veteran of pro racing, brought with him the knowledge of what it takes to be a championship team and combined with all the data we had acquired over 2009, brought us to the top. Now we are the team to beat."
"As far as personal growth, when we formed the team in 2009 I only had experience as a racer and a technician. We had very few sponsors and our budget limited us on team members; therefore I took on several duties: manager, crew chief, technician, etc. It was very overwhelming but at the end of the season I was very rounded.
On the technical side, we now put a lot of focus on the electronics technology that is available to us. With that we are able to fine tune each bike to its rider and in turn get better results." How do you feel about the team's performance this year? "The team's performance this year has been nothing short of outstanding. We began the season with a podium sweep at Daytona, so we set really high expectations for the team and the rest of the season. We have had some challenging rounds but all together I am proud of the riders, the crew, and everyone who has supported LTD." What challenges are you expecting in the next race? "The only challenge I foresee is getting all my riders on the podium at once. We did it at Daytona but we would love to do it again. Right now everything is working very well. The riders and crew have bonded into one fine tuned mechanism and everyone wants to win." Things seem to be coming together over at LTD Racing, both technically and personally, as this young team finds their stride in just their second season. It will definitely be an exciting race at Mid-Ohio, "the most competitive track in the U.S," and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca never fails to entertain when AMA SuperSport comes through. LTD Racing is poised to be a strong contender for the podium in both races with Huntley Nash and Thomas Puerta riding to near perfection. Motorcycle racing fans won't want to miss the exciting finale to the 2010 AMA SuperSport season. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
