Monster Energy Kawasaki Werner/Springsteen Team Honored at Year-End Banquet

2010-10-13 18:57
The Werner/Springsteen team, the Jones Brothers Racing team, and Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. were all honored at the end of the year banquet following the final race this past weekend in Prescott Valley, Ariz. Kawasaki earned their first-ever AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National “Manufacturer of the Year” for combined singles and twins points for 2010. Along with earning the Singles “Manufacturer of the Year,” Jones Brothers Racing-backed Henry Wiles defended his 2009 singles title with another championship in 2010 aboard his Kawasaki KX™450F. The Werner/Springsteen team was honored with the “Outstanding Achievement” award for their strides made throughout the season that included Bryan Smith’s two wins aboard the Kawasaki Ninja® 650R in the twins class.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Under the Tent

The Accomplishments
With Kawasaki taking its second-consecutive singles title and earning it’s first-ever twins win at the Indy Mile, the AMA Pro Flat Track season was already filled with several high notes. The accolades wouldn’t stop there as the “Manufacturer of the Year”, which is the combined points for the singles and twins classes, was earned by Kawasaki’s riders.

“If I would have told anyone five years ago that we would win the manufacturer’s award, I think a lot of people would have told us we were crazy,” said Reid Nordin, Team Green™ manager. “The bikes and the people behind the scenes all put in the hard work to make this achievement happen. This all couldn’t have been possible if the teams and riders didn’t believe in our brand. Kawasaki basically said ‘yes’ to a few people and now we are bringing several awards back to our offices.”

A Dream Come True
One of the biggest awards of the night was given out for “Outstanding Achievement” for the 2010 season. The award was presented to the Monster Energy Kawasaki Werner/Springsteen team for their efforts to produce two wins in their first full-fledged year in competition, along with the passion that the team showed through out the season.

“It was very nice to be recognized for all the hard work we put in this year,” said Bill Werner, owner of the team. “The wins speak for themselves, but when the sanctioning body recognizes you, it makes me feel like I’m not the only one that thought this season was significant. There were a lot of different accomplishments to choose from, which makes this honor seem that much more significant. We are honored to have received the award. ”

The Win (Video to be placed here)
The Kawasaki Ninja 650R had been creeping up on the radar of many in the twins flat track circuit, but it wasn’t until the end of August when Smith put the Kawasaki on top of the podium for the first time in history. He backed it up the following weekend with another win in Springfield, Ill.

Back To Back
There were many accomplishments that fill Wiles’ resume, but this year he was able to notch-up two more. On his way to back-to-back AMA Pro Flat Track Singles championships, Wiles earned a sixth-consecutive victory at the Peoria TT. The six-round series saw Wiles capture four victories and easily take his second career singles title.

Final Race
The final race didn’t go as planned for Smith in Arizona, but a season like 2010 ended on a high note.

“Obviously sixth wasn’t what we were looking for, but I had a few close calls so I’m glad I finished the season in one piece,” said Smith. “The track changed a lot over the course of the night and I couldn’t really ride it on the edge. Overall the season was great and I’ve been really happy to work with Bill (Werner) and Kawasaki. Hopefully we can improve on our showing next year.”

Source: Monster Energy Kawasaki

Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story

Headlines