Team M4 EMGO Suzuki rounded out the first-ever AMA roadracing weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT with a trophy-winning effort on Sunday. Entering the weekend with a season-long run of fourth-place results in the Superstock class, Geoff May picked up his game even further in Utah, claiming his first podium finish of the year with a third-place ride aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000.
May actually set the pace for much of the contest, charging into the lead on the second lap and pulling out an early advantage. The Georgian was awarded the point for leading the most laps, holding down first place until lap 11 of 13.
After finishing a close third and looking like a potential winner throughout the 60k race, May said, “Once again, we showed that we can run up front with the best of the best. I can’t be upset about that. I didn’t do anything wrong — I went out there and was very consistent. I was fast in the beginning and then only dropped off maybe five tenths a lap late in the race. It was all I could do on this day. While I wanted to win, podiums are always good. I was happy to lead much of the race and show the type of potential we’ve got.”
May’s strong finish moves him to within four points of third place in the Superstock championship race.
Unfortunately the team was hit by a bout of bad luck in the Supersport final. With both May and Michael Barnes starting on the front row, the team had high expectations for the contest.
Barnes got off to a fantastic start, running in second place for the opening three laps. However, an electrical problem spoiled his chances for a podium result and the Floridian showed good sportsmanship by allowing the riders chasing him to move past without incident while he adjusted his machine.
Barnes would go on to finish in 10th after dropping to 14th during the middle stages of the race.
“We had a problem and it got to the point where I just wanted the guys behind me to get by me safely,” he explained. “While we were hoping for a better result, the opening laps showed the kind of pace we were capable of today.”
May’s double podium hopes were dashed by a technical problem, which forced him to enter the pits late in the race.
The team’s developmental rider, Shea Fouchek, had a positive outing at Miller Motorsports Park, taking his GSX-R600 to his best result of the season. After qualifying in 20th position for the Supersport race, the Texan worked his way up from 19th early on to finish in 16th.
The next round of the 2006 AMA calendar takes place at Laguna Seca on July 21-23 where they’ll share the spotlight with the MotoGP World Championship.
