Daytona Beach, Fla…October 18th was definitely a night for celebration in the Aprilia USA / Lloyd Brothers Motorsports pit as they brought home their second SunTrust MOTO-ST Series SST crown at the season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
Finishing 4th in class and 8th overall at the 8 Hours At Daytona, this championship team took first place in this year’s SST class with a total of 225 points.
“We are really thrilled to be able to win this prestigious title two years in a row,” smiled team co-owner David Lloyd. “Competing in both the Moto-ST Series and the AMA Grand National Flat Track Series in the same year is an extremely busy schedule. Our crew and riders did an outstanding job all season.”
“They really went the extra mile and we are very proud of every person on our team.,” explained team co-owner, Michael Lloyd. “They are the best and we would really like to thank Chuck Looper, David Gamble, Bill and Bearl Himmelsbach, Dean Phelps, Steve Mora, Steve Stivers and everyone else that pitched in this year.”
Boasting the riding talents of Mike Himmelsbach (Quakertown, Pa.) and Ty Howard (Weatherford, Texas) the team earned victories at Daytona, Virginia International Raceway and New Jersey Motorsports Park. In addition, they took home second at Road America and Barber Motorsports Park and a fourth at Topeka and the 8 Hours At Daytona.
“Naturally, you always want to win every race,” continued David, “but being able to finish in the top five each time out is a great testament to our entire crew.” “The competition in this series is tough and each race was always a challenge, continued Michael. “Mike and Ty are extremely talented riders and we feel lucky to have them on our team. Bryan West, Henry Wiles and Zac Chapman also rode very well on our second entry earlier in the year. Bryan did a great job as our third rider at this event.”
“We came into Daytona with a 16 point lead which meant we had to finish 12th or better to take the crown,” explains Himmelsbach. “Our plan was to be somewhat conservative in the beginning and when we knew we had 12th, we would drop the hammer. We knew that the most important thing was to win the championship, but we really wanted to win the race too. Apparently the proverbial gremlins had other ideas and just about 18 laps before the end we had a technical problem. But, being able to bring home the championship was awesome and I couldn’t be happier. The Aprilia 1000R is a fantastic machine and that coupled with the team’s tuning ability, expertise in the pit and strong race strategy, made it possible for us to win.”
“We ran a really consistent pace throughout the race,” adds Howard. “When it started sprinkling late in the event, we took the gamble and decided to change tires. Of course, right after we did that the rain stopped and that cost us a lap. We got our lap back and we still had a shot at winning, but then we developed a small electrical problem and finished fourth. However, we did the important thing and took the title which is outstanding for the entire team.”
Aprilia USA / Lloyd Brothers Motorsports would not be able to compete at this level without our incredible marketing partners Aprilia USA, American Agip, F3 Motorsports, Penske Racing Shocks, Motion Pro, K & N Filters, Vesrah Brakes, Diamond Chain, Vortex, Leo Vince, Dynojet, Suzuka Tire Warmers, Martin Eurosports, Sharkskinz, Saddlemen, RaceImage, Tech Care, Strapless Transport Systems, Af1 Racing Aprilia, Daniel Kalal, FI Research, Yuasa Batteries and Arai Helmets.