Cycle News Staff | August 20, 2011
Jason DiSalvo ended two days of XR1200 testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway yesterday as the fastest rider, the Team Latus Motors Harley-Davidson rider turning in a 1:58.342 to best Steve Rapp’s 1:58.597 as testing concluded for next weekend’s two Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XR1200 races that will be held in conjunction with the Red Bull Indy Grand Prix.DiSalvo and Rapp were the only two riders to crack the 1:59 barrier.
“The track seemed to come in really well there toward the end of the day,” said DiSalvo. “For the race, this track is just going to get better and better. We’ve been working on some stuff with the tires, but the spec Dunlop tires we run are lasting pretty good and it’s only going to get better. I love riding the XR1200. I’m actually riding my teammate, Chase McFarland’s, backup bike and I haven’t changed one thing – spring rates, anything – from the time I got on it. All in all it’s been really good. It’s a blast to ride, and fun. It’s going to be a great show for the fans out here and I can’t wait to see thirty-plus Harley-Davidson XR1200s line up in front of a packed house here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”Championship points-leader Chris Fillmore ran a limited number of laps yesterday, but declared himself fit to protect his overall lead.”We’re ready to go,” said Fillmore, “and I wanted to rest my shoulder a little. It’s been a good couple of days and we feel pretty good about this race. After that, we’ll look forward to the final race at New Jersey, where I’ll also be riding my KTM AMA Pro Superbike.”A total of 22 Harley-Davidson XR1200s tested at the Speedway, and a number of additional riders are slated to be join them for the inaugural AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 doubleheader, pushing the number of expected entries to more than 30, according to AMA Pro Racing.Vance & Hines’ Terry Vance reflected on the significance of the upcoming races, saying, “It’s a great thing to see the class out here and the number of bikes we’re going to have on the grid for the MotoGP weekend. I’m just really happy everybody has come together with Harley-Davidson, Vance & Hines, and AMA Pro to make all this happen, culminating in the upcoming event. We only started this class a year and a half ago, and we have 33 guys entered for this race, so we’re doing really good. There aren’t too many young racing series in the United States that are actually growing, and to look at the Harley-Davidson class and say it’s made leaps and bounds is an understatement.
“I never really thought about racing here at Indy,” Vance continued, “but the opportunity became available this year when Mel Harder from IMS said it was a possibility. David Atlas from AMA Pro got it put together, and we started talking to Harley-Davidson and Vance & Hines and made it a reality. It’s a nice moment for us, and I’m really excited to see the XR1200s on the track.”
