Pan Delta Super Racing Festival - Superbike Race - Zhuhai,China 20110618/19

**Lisa** · 06-24-2011, 04:19 AM

Subject: Audi Summer Pan Delta Event at Zhuhai International
Circuit in China-Press Release

Titanic Kawasaki/BG Motorsports Rider Dan Kruger Nabs a 2nd and a 3rd in
2011 Pan Delta Summer Double Header

Date: June 17-19,2011
Location: Zhuhai International Circuit, Zhuhai, China
Weather: Very Hot, Humid, Dry track

Overcoming a number of setups over the past week, Canadian BG Pro Rider Dan Kruger managed a pair of podium finishes in the summer round of the Audi Pan Delta Championship. It also puts him back in the points running for the 2011 Superbike Championship. A full starting grid gave the crowd plenty to Cheer about throughout the weekend.

The first setback came when his new 2011 Kawasaki race bike was held up due to China Customs issues. He was forced to race his old Superbike again which is clearly showing its age in terms of running with the front guys.

Next came the weather... From last sunday all the way up to and including qualifying sessions 1 and 2, were run on a wet track. 4 days of testing in the rain followed by the 2 wet qualifiers. Kruger qualified 4th overall in the rain which due to a brand new 3 per row starting grid format-pushed him back to the 2nd row.

Race 1 had him drop a few spots after a bad start. He struggled through the race and so did his bike. Heavy smoke was coming out of his exhaust and he struggled to find grip. He made a couple of last lap passes to get himself back into 3rd and that’s where he ended up. "To be honest, I am happy to get a podium but not very happy with my lap times or the race in general. At this point, people are expecting me to be fighting for the win, not just a podium" Note: The BG team would work into the night to inspect all components in the motor only to find the bike had a little too much engine oil. Good news for the team!

Race 2 started off better with a good start and running with the 2 leaders -the Yes Factory Yamaha "A" rider and a 16 year old whiz kid riding for Petronas Yamaha out of Malaysia. After a few laps the bike started showing more signs of its age and its ability to be a front running Superbike in this highly competitive field of riders and was consistently 15km slower down the front straightaway according to the trap speeds. A very well prepared Japanese Yosh Endurance team running a GSXR 1000 got by Kruger under power as did a Macau rider-Both on the front straightaway. At that point, Kruger put his head down and chased them with determination to get past them both for a podium. The Japanese rider ended up crashing out under pressure right in front of Dan and the Yes Yamaha rider also crashed out while fighting for the lead. In the end, Kruger ended up 2nd in Superbike and was happy to end the weekend with a couple of podiums in front of thousands of spectators in a near capacity grandstands as the weekend also featured the Ferrari Challenge.

The BG Motorsport’s team worked hard to make sure the bikes were ready for both Dan and Karl Roe (Other BG Rider for the weekend) Karl, riding for the first time on a wet track managed to qualify but it was a ways back. He managed to work his way up through both races and finished up the weekend in the top 6. Expect him to be a threat for a podium for the September Pan Delta in Zhuhai.

We would like to thank our sponsors Titanic Kawasaki, BG Motorport, Pirelli,Arlen Ness/Berik, Speedmaster, Ohlins, and more. A special thanks to WSBK rider Ruben Xaus for taking some time coaching Dan a few weeks back at the circuit while they were both in China for an Arlen Ness PR event.