Celtic Racing celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with another podium finish at Daytona, and the lead in both the SuperSport East and SuperSport West classes! Corey Alexander rode a close and hard race to bring home the #5 National Guard/Fairhills Group Suzuki GSX-R 600 in 2nd place in Saturday’s AMA Pro Racing SuperSport event. Teammate James Rispoli lead a majority of the ten lap race, finishing just behind in fourth place on the Celtic Orient Express Racing Suzuki GSX-R 600.
These great results position Celtic Racing at the front of the overall SuperSport class heading into the balance of the 2012 season. Corey Alexander leads the SuperSport East class with 42 points, and James Rispoli leads the SuperSport West class with 50 points. Celtic Racing would like to thank all of our sponsors for all their support and technical assistance which helped to make this a great weekend for the team at Daytona.
Corey Alexander saw steady improvement and narrowly missed a win in the second race. “I’m really happy with our second place finish today, it’s a great improvement over our fifth place finish yesterday. The whole crew put in a great effort to get us up to the front today after making some changes this morning. It was a hard fight to get second place and be on the podium, and I’m really happy with the points we earned. We definitely wanted the win so it’s a little bittersweet being so close to the leader but we will take it. It’s great that we could show everyone what the Celtic Racing organization as well as the National Guard Fairhills Group team is all about this weekend! Huge thanks to all my team sponsors and personal sponsors Fairhills Group, Hudson Valley Motorcycle, Spidi Leathers, XPD Boots, Arai Helmets, K-Tech Suspension and Gemini. Also thanks to my mechanics Barry, Tim, and Mike. Shoutout to my family, Mom, Dad, Uncle Richie and Auntie Kim, Grandma and Granpa, and Fatmir.”
James Rispoli had a great weekend at Daytona, winning the first race event on Friday, finishing fourth on Saturday, and qualifying in second position. “The race was really good. I got a good start after the red flag, and was able to stay consistently smooth and fast the whole race. I tested the draft a lot on the Celtic Orient Express GSX-R 600, and I knew how to win it. The red flags gave us some little problems with the clutch that we were dealing with in the race. On the last lap it started to feel funny, so I just let her cruise to the finish, and was happy to grab fourth. It’s all about getting out of Daytona with as many points as possible! Thanks again to Barry and my crew, William, Eric, and Dustin for a great bike, and to AGV Helmets, Dainese Leathers, Monster Energy, and Star Motorcycle School for all their support.”
As Corey Alexander and James Rispoli lead the East and West Championships, Celtic Racing remains in Florida for two days of testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway March 20-21 in preparation for a return to racing at Homestead in September. Preparations then begin for the second round of the series at Road Atlanta, April 20-22.
Both Celtic Racing Suzuki GSXR 600’s showcase the best in road racing technology. Product support for both machines comes from: Michael Jordan Motorsports, American Suzuki, Armor Bodies, Chicken Hawk Racing, DesignStar3, Dynojet, FMF Racing, Full Spectrum Power, Hudson Valley Racing, Galfer Brakes, GB Racing, K-Tech Suspension, Maxima Oils, Motion Pro, Pit Bull, Riviera Country Club, Saddlemen, Star Motorcycle School, Vortex Racing, and Zero Gravity.
Celtic Racing was established 2001 by Barry Gilsenan, and over the past 11 seasons has established itself as a premier privateer racing team. Development of riding talent began with two-stroke 125cc, and 250cc machines competing in professional and regional championship events. More recent Celtic Racing efforts have focused on AMA Pro Road Racing in the Daytona SportBike and SuperSport classes with Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha four stroke motorcycles. Gilsenan’s talent for coaching racers of all ages and abilities has brought Celtic Racing worldwide attention and recognition, with many former Celtic Racing riders now competing on World Championship levels. Please join Celtic Racing on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CelticRacing.
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