Suzuki GSXR 1000 Rider Ben Thompson Plays it Smart at Daytona
- Mar 12, 2008
Rider Ben Thompson of Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki finished eleventh in the AMA
Superstock race at Daytona International Speedway. Thompson also finished
seventeenth in the AMA Superbike race. The team showed speed throughout both
races but had a few problems that affected the end results.
Ben Thompson at Daytona, photo courtesy of Brian J. Nelson
This was Thompson’s first visit to Daytona on a Superstock bike. “He
raised a lot of eyebrows by qualifying on the second row,” said Team Manager
Chip Spalding. “That was good enough for seventh position.”
Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki's GSXR 1000, photo courtesy of Brian J. Nelson
Thompson got an excellent start and moved up to sixth place with the lead
group. He overshot the chicane and then tried to battle his way back to the
front. “Unfortunately the bike developed a shifting problem,” said Spalding. “It
caused a lot of instability on the ultra-fast Daytona banking.” Thompson road a
smart race and brought the Millennium/KWS Suzuki home to eleventh place and
focused on getting championship points. “I made a mistake on the second lap when
I missed the chicane,” said rider Ben Thompson. “This caused me to lose seven
positions.”
The Daytona Superbike race is traditionally a war of attrition and the team did not put a lot of emphasis on qualifying. Instead the team used the session to develop a race set up. Thompson was still able to qualify in nineteenth position. At the start of the Superbike race Thompson moved up to twelfth and was battling at the tail end of the factory riders. He had a small problem going into the new horseshoe and dropped back to the twentieth spot. Thompson was able to fight his way back to finish at seventeenth.
“The team did really well and the results don’t show it,” said Team Owner Kevin Hunt. “Ben was fast enough all weekend to finish in the top five in Superstock and the top fifteen in Superbike.”
Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki uses Suzuki GSXR1000 bikes in both classes with K&N Engineering air and oil filters. “We’re really happy with K&N products,” said Crew Chief Michael Godin. “K&N is a product that protects our engine and gives us excellent filtration. We’ve been approached by other filter companies but we won’t switch from K&N. We run a high-performance motorsports shop in South Carolina and we sell K&N products. We build big horsepower motors and want only the best for our engines.”
The next race for Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki will be at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama in April.
Also check out the Millenium/KWS Suzuki Racing video.
Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
Ben Thompson at Daytona, photo courtesy of Brian J. Nelson
Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki's GSXR 1000, photo courtesy of Brian J. Nelson
The Daytona Superbike race is traditionally a war of attrition and the team did not put a lot of emphasis on qualifying. Instead the team used the session to develop a race set up. Thompson was still able to qualify in nineteenth position. At the start of the Superbike race Thompson moved up to twelfth and was battling at the tail end of the factory riders. He had a small problem going into the new horseshoe and dropped back to the twentieth spot. Thompson was able to fight his way back to finish at seventeenth.
“The team did really well and the results don’t show it,” said Team Owner Kevin Hunt. “Ben was fast enough all weekend to finish in the top five in Superstock and the top fifteen in Superbike.”
Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki uses Suzuki GSXR1000 bikes in both classes with K&N Engineering air and oil filters. “We’re really happy with K&N products,” said Crew Chief Michael Godin. “K&N is a product that protects our engine and gives us excellent filtration. We’ve been approached by other filter companies but we won’t switch from K&N. We run a high-performance motorsports shop in South Carolina and we sell K&N products. We build big horsepower motors and want only the best for our engines.”
The next race for Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki will be at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama in April.
Also check out the Millenium/KWS Suzuki Racing video.
Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
