SONOMA, Ca. (May 3) — Fresh off back-to-back victories at Road Atlanta that propelled him into the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike points lead, GEICO Suzuki GSX-R600 rider Martin Cardenas is hoping for another successful outing at this weekend’s Great Clips West Coast Moto Jam at Infineon Raceway.
Like Road Atlanta, this event also offers two chances to win, a fact not lost of the 29-year-old Cardenas, who hails from Medellin, Colombia.
“This is always the goal — to win,” said Cardenas, whose 18 Daytona SportBike all-time victories leads the class. “I like this track very much and I think it suits my riding and this new bike very well. I think the 2012 model is better than previous years, and is easier to carry into turns. This is a technical course so that will be important.”
Cardenas has started all three races this season from the pole position. While he likes the view from P1, he says earning any front-row position that offers clear track ahead is the team’s first goal.
“You must be very focused at Infineon Raceway because there are lots of uphill and downhill areas and aggressive turns without many straightaways so your mind is very active setting up the next maneuver,” Cardenas said. “The less distractions you can have, it’s better, so having a clear track in front of me would be great.”
The Daytona SportBike class gets it’s first look at Infineon Raceway’s 2.32-mile, 11-turn road course layout Friday with a 1 p.m. practice session. They’ll return later in the day at 4 p.m. for the first round of qualifying.
Conditions will likely be very different in Q2, which is slated for 9:20 a.m., Saturday, when the bay fog will likely be enveloping the track. Then comes the first race at 2 p.m. with television coverage provided by SPEED.
A quick warm-up at 9:30 a.m. begins Sunday’s action with Race 2 slated to begin at 2:15 p.m. Once again, SPEED will air the action.
“If the weather is nice, it should be another great weekend,” Cardenas said. “The fans in this area are very committed to supporting motorcycle races and if it’s sunny there are hundreds of riders coming to the races, which is fun to see. I hope to give them a good show for GEICO, Lucas Oil, Suzuki and Team Hammer.”
