BILANSKY RIDES BUELL TO PRO THUNDERBIKE WIN AT TOPEKA

Sipp and Spalding Fill an All-Buell Podium; Bilansky Retakes Season Points Lead

TOPEKA, Kan. - Hal's H-D/Buell/Hal's Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky executed a last-turn pass of Bison Racing/Buell rider Walt Sipp to win the Pro Thunderbike race at the ASRA Michelin Pro Series event at Heartland Park. The win and a third-place finish by Hal's Harley-Davidson/Buell/Hal's Speed Shop rider Joel Spalding moved Bilansky back into the series lead, eight points ahead of Spalding.

Bilansky set a new Thunderbike track record during qualifying for the Pro National with a lap of 1:46.934 seconds on the 2.5-mile Heartland Park road course. But it was Spalding on a Buell XB12R that lead the field away at the start of the six-lap Thunderbike National, with Bilansky in second and Sipp in third. Sipp passed Bilansky and Spalding in a single move at the beginning of lap three to take the lead on his home track. Bilansky got past Spalding before the end of the lap and closed in on Sipp, and the two Buell riders exchanged the lead several times each lap as the race wound down. Sipp was leading as the pair entered the final turn before the finish line, and Bilansky used a strong drive out of the corner to power past Sipp and take a close victory. Joe Rozynski (Soundwaves.com/H-D/Buell of Frederick) was fourth, followed by his brother and teammate, Sam Rozynski, in fifth.

"It's good to get the points lead back, although I'd like to have a little more cushion than this," said Bilansky, who missed the previous Pro Thunderbike event at Loudon, N.H., and, as a result, gave up the points lead to Spalding. "Joel had the strongest Buell motor on the track today, and he got a good hole-shot at the start. I was kind of nursing a tired motor in the first few laps, but once Sipp got by I knew I had to get up there and race with him. We were banging on each other a little bit but I was in a great position to make that pass to win it at the end."

After five events on the 2009 ASRA Michelin Pro Series Thunderbike schedule, Buell riders hold down the top four spots in the season points race. Bilansky leads with 158 points. Spalding slips back to second with 150 points, followed Joe Rozynski with 114 points and Sam Rozynski with 103 points.

The next event on the 10-race ASRA Michelin Pro Series schedule is the Northeast Cyclefest, July 24-26 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.

Buell Riders Win Motorsports.com CCS Sprint Races

Buell racers won eight events in a double-header weekend of Motorsports.com CCS sprint racing at Heartland Park. Hal's H-D/Buell/Hal's Speed Shop rider Matt Sheahan won twice in Amateur Lightweight SuperSport, and Kegel's H-D/Buell rider Jay Smith scored a win in Amateur Thunderbike. Bilansky won twice in Expert Thunderbike, and Sipp won twice in Expert SuperTwins and once in Expert Heavyweight Super Bike.

To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com.