Michael Jordan Motorsports Ends Season with Pair of Podiums at New Jersey Motorsports Park

MILLVILLE, NJ (September 7, 2009) – Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) closed out the 2009 AMA Pro Racing season with an impressive two podium performance from Jordan Suzuki's Aaron Yates at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). The Millville, New Jersey facility hosted its inaugural AMA Pro Racing event over the Labor Day weekend and the new venue proved to be a huge hit with racers and fans. Great races and packed grandstands were the theme of the weekend and the final round saw plenty of smiles as teammates, friends and fans bid the scintillating 2009 season adieu.

The Michael Jordan Motorsports pairing of #23 Aaron Yates and #54 Geoff May capped off the year with a set of solid results from both riders at NJMP, highlighted by Yates' dual podiums. The 2009 season saw Michael Jordan Motorsports step firmly forward as one of the top teams in the National Guard American Superbike field with the MJM riders making nine podium appearances in 20 races over the 11 rounds, compared to just one podium visit in 2008.

Aaron Yates, Jordan Suzuki No. 23
Third year MJM rider Aaron Yates continued his second half surge with a great pair of third place finishes this weekend. After a frustrating start to the 2009 campaign, the entire Jordan Suzuki team never lost faith and began reeling off good result after good result as the season reached the midway point. Yates, on his all new 2009 Suzuki GSX-R 1000, ended the season with six total podiums and a best finishing position of second (Barber, Mid-Ohio) up from one podium and best finish of third (Laguna) in 2008.

Jordan Suzuki's Aaron Yates finishes out the year sixth in the championship, tied with factory Suzuki's Blake Young, with 290 points.

3rd PLACE, SATURDAY RACE 1 – After starting from the front row (P3), Yates was as far back as P6 during the opening portion of Saturday's American Superbike race. Quickly wicking up the throttle, the Georgia rider started his move forward and battled for second position as the race wound down. At the line, Yates was just 1.6 seconds behind winner Josh Hayes and .2 off second place man, Tommy Hayden.

“I was definitely trying. At the beginning, Mat (Mladin) got away and then Josh got out there and got to going,” said Yates. “I finally got by (Ben) Bostrom and I was trying to put in some good laps. When Mat went down, I was a little surprised but it was nice, like ‘okay, now we’re second and we’re going to have to dice it out here. It looks like these guys are hanging on.’ Then Tommy got by me and we raced it to the end. I thought there were a couple of spots I could try to get under him but it was really tough, really hard. We have a couple of things to work on with our bikes. It’s getting around pretty good and the Jordan Suzuki will be ready to go at it again in tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) race.”

3rd PLACE, SUNDAY RACE 2 – Race 2 at NJMP was an excellent battle, with four riders running in the front pack for much of the race, and Yates notching a third place finish at the flag. The Jordan Suzuki rider started from third position and quickly broke away from the rest of the field in a four rider pack that stayed less than .5 seconds apart for most of the race, with Yates sitting in P4. As the race wound down, one of that front four crashed out, moving Yates into P3 behind 2009 series champion Mat Mladin. Yates moved past Mladin with mere laps to go and held P2 as the white flag flew. The battle between Yates and Mladin raged all the way to the finish line, with the factory Suzuki pilot slotting past Yates’ Jordan Suzuki on the last lap and whisking across the line just .1 second ahead. It was a sterling finish to the season for the #23 rider and gave Yates his second podium of the weekend and sixth of the season.

“It feels really good to be up here and finish the year out with a few decent finishes,” said Yates. “Racing with Josh and Mat, it feels good to be up here and running with them. It was a really good race, lots of fun. I got by Mat on the front straight and he came by me on that last lap, came up beside me, got on the brakes and I thought he was done, but then he just slipped off to the inside. There was really nowhere else to try to get back by him on that last lap. I was looking around the long right-to-left, that transition there. You can almost stick it up under someone, but you have to be pretty rude to do it. We just weren't close enough and I got all crossed up. But I had a good time and it's a nice way to close out the year with two podiums here at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Thanks to all these great fans that came out this weekend and all of the sponsors that have supported us throughout the season.”

Geoff May, National Guard Jordan Suzuki No. 54
Geoff May and the #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki team close out the 2009 National Guard American Superbike season with a pair of top 10 finishes. It was a welcome result for May after a disappointing Round 10 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) that saw May double DNF. The #54 team rebounded well in the final contest, with May putting his 2009 Suzuki GSX-R 1000 inside the top 10 during both races and running competitive laptimes throughout the holiday weekend.

In his maiden full Superbike campaign, May made a big impact early on with a stellar run of three podium finishes to start off the opening five races of the year (2008 Superbike podiums: 0). The team continued to post good results throughout the rest of the 2009 season and May established himself as a legitimate podium contender week in and week out as the season progressed. The Georgia rider finishes the season in eighth position in the championship, with 234 total points.

10th PLACE, SATURDAY RACE 1 – Racing in one of the most competitive American Superbike fields of the year, the #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki team knew it had its work cut out starting from the third row (P12) in both Saturday and Sunday's races. May quickly got to work as the green flag flew and battled his way inside the top 10 as the race wore on. As the checkers flew, May just missed clawing his way up one more position, just .2 behind P9 at the line.

"After the debacle at VIR, it's good to get a decent result here at NJMP," said May. "While I'd like to be fighting a little higher up, there is a real good group of riders here this weekend and this is the closest field we've had all year. We had a pretty good motorcycle today but it wasn't quite enough to push it that extra bit. We'll make some changes tonight and see how it goes tomorrow.”

10th PLACE, SUNDAY RACE 2 – In Race 2, May captured another clean result to close out the year, putting his National Guard Jordan Suzuki once again inside the top 10. Making up two positions from his starting spot (P12), May kept his nose clean throughout the final 2009 contest and gave the team its second top 10 of the weekend.

"That was a fairly uneventful race for me," said May. "Starting from the third row is always a challenge, but we moved up a few positions as the race went on. We made some changes overnight and they didn't quite work the way we were hoping, but I figured I'd better bring it home in once piece rather than push it past the point and suffer a DNF. My team has been busting their butts all year, so my hats off to them and a big thanks to the fans here at NJMP, who have been great. I have to give thanks to the National Guard, along with all of our sponsors, for supporting the team this year and making it all position. This was my first year on a full Superbike and it was great to be out here with the rest of these guys and get some good podiums for the team."

ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS:
Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry. For more information on MJM, please visit www.23race.com – www.twitter.com/23race - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Jordan- Motorsports/51748732097

ABOUT THE NATIONAL GUARD:
The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest enduring institutions. The National Guard operates in all 50 states, four territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, Samoa and the Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit the National Guard's Web site at www.NationalGuard.com

Michael Jordan Motorsports is proud to partner with: Jordan Brand (a division of Nike), American Suzuki, Upper Deck, Hanes, Gatorade, National Guard, Bazzaz Performance, LeoVince Exhaust, ELF Moto Lubricants, MMI - Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Vortex Racing Components, Dainese Leathers, AGV Helmets, Oakley, Gemini Technology Systems, Ancra Tiedowns, Attack Race Bodies, Attack Performance, Chicken Hawk Racing Tire Warmers, DID Chains, Factory Pro Dyno, NGK Spark Plugs, Performance Friction Brake Pads, Roclun International, STAR Motorcycle School, Zero Gravity Windscreens, Sunoco Race Fuels, Vicci Apparel, with transportation provided by Eastside Trucking.

Contact:
For Michael Jordan Motorsports:
Kreig Robinson
Gemini Technology Systems
Phone: 310.579.5184
Email: Kreig@23race.com

For Michael Jordan:
Alyson Sadofsky
JUMP.DC
Phone: 202.686.2000
Email: Michaeljordaninfo@jumpdc.com