A Brian Pilcher & Foxy collaboration.New Yorker Jason DiSalvo is just 22, and is already one of the most popular and talented racers in the AMA Superbike and Formula Xtreme paddock. Having started riding motorcycles at the age of two and taking part in his first dirt track race at aged four, Jason quickly found his way into road racing and made his first UK debut in 1999, aged 15 on a 125cc GP bike at Oulton Park. DiSalvo has been credited as being the youngest American to ever compete in World 125cc and 250cc GP championships.
Jason’s instinctive ability has seen him regularly winning races and scoring top points in every championship that he has taken place in. 2002 saw DiSalvo compete in 750cc Superstock with one win, two podiums and finishing fifth overall. If that wasn’t enough, he also came third in the Magny-Cours Suzuki World Cup in France, and won best privateer in AMA Superbike. Jason was offered and accepted a ride with Yamaha factory team at the end of the 2002 season and has stayed racing with them ever since.
In 2003, DiSalvo competed in 600cc Supersport and 750cc Superstock finishing tenth and fifth overall respectively. Jason’s 2004 highlights include qualifying first at Daytona with a new track record, winning the 600 Pro Oils Supersport at Daytona on his R6, winning at the Mid-Ohio in his R1 and also winning at the Virginia International Raceway on both his R6 and R1.
If all of the above wasn’t enough, 2005 saw Jason coming first on his R1 at the Californian Speedway, winning at the Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway and getting eight consecutive Superstock poles. He finished second overall in the Superstock championship that season and third overall in the Supersport championship getting 14 out of the 20 possible podiums.
2006 had been no different for Jason, marking his fourth season riding with Yamaha in the 1000cc Superstock class on his YZF-R1 LE and the Formula Xtreme class on the new YZF-R6.
Last week at The Virginia International Raceway, londonbikers managed to catch up with Graves Yamaha Factory Team rider Jason DiSalvo. Jason was in his garage making final adjustments to his Factory Yamaha R6 and graciously took the time out to speak to us for this interview.
Brian (gixxerUSA): Jason you're leading Formula Extreme, it’s getting tight, Eric's (Bostrom) trying to give you a run for your money. I’m going to say you're working extra hard, you’re here on Thursday and I haven’t seen anybody else here.
Jason: Eric was here, a lot of the guys were actually here doing some stuff. They’re actually doing that karting event, the thing they do up there, the media thing and I just had some stuff I had to take care with the bike set-up and just making sure everything is perfect. I’m missing out on some of the fun, but at this point in the season and my situation, there’s no excuse, for anything other than race wins. That’s really what it’s going to take to put away this championship.
Brian: You’re here at VIR, the series has been coming here for three or four years, how do you like the track here in Virginia?
Jason: I love Virginia. I think they’ve been coming here six years because they were coming here before I was, and my first year here with AMA was ’02. It’s a great track, I love this place. I’ve always liked VIR, usually had pretty good results here.
Brian: How would you compare it to Mid-Ohio, where you are just coming from?
Jason: Definitely it’s a little but more flowing. Mid-Ohio and here are actually kind of similar in the fact that they’re both relatively flowing but this one flows more in the back section and the elevation change here is more critical. It’s funny too because we went from Mid-Ohio to Road Atlanta and had a test in Atlanta straight after the Ohio race and this track is kind of a combination of both of those.
Brian: So you take what you get from the two tracks and you put them together here and it meshes well?
Jason: Makes for a good set up here…
Brian: Have you been out on the bike today?
Jason: No, not at all…
Brian: So, you’re just working on set up?
Jason: Yeah, doing meetings and making sure all the stuff for the tires is going to be good.
Brian: Any significant changes or new parts for the bike here, we are a little over halfway through the season?
Jason: Not so much. We picked up a couple of things at this last test and got some stuff sorted out. Been moving forward, slowly but surely in every race, you know during practice seasons, making good use of time and getting some stuff sorted. We’ve got a couple of practices before qualifying tomorrow, try to make good use of that time and get a good set up for the race.
Brian: So, obviously you’re totally focused on Formula Extreme right now? You’re obviously still working the Superstock bike, its track time.
Jason: Yeah, exactly. For the most part, we tested in Atlanta and did two full days on the FX bike and did four laps on the Superstock bike.
Brian: To win the championship is what you’re totally focused on?
Jason: That’s my goal and that’s Yamaha’s goal. It would be foolish for us not to pool our resources.
Brian: Last big question, what’s the plans for next year?
Jason: Rumours are flying around that we’re all going to be on Superbikes, so that would be good to get all the factories back in the top class.
Brian: We’d love to see Yamaha back in Superbike. That’s where they belong.
Jason: It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like things are going to pan out where everybody can be happy and in the same class. So we’ll see, it’s going to be a lot of work.
You know we stepped into this class (Formula Extreme) this year and we were two years down on development to the Hondas and it shows still, even this late in the season they have big speed down the straights and it’s like if we go Superbike racing next year we’re stepping into a class with Yoshimura whose got twenty years of development, steady, never been out of the class. So it’s definitely going to be a big step but I think everybody at Yamaha is pretty prepared to make the push and make it happen and do it right.
Brian: Which leads into the question, if you can answer it. What about traction control, are you working on that with your FX bike looking forward to Superbike next year?
Jason: Yeah, I mean the electronics have come so far so fast especially with the AMA changing the ruling and everything and yeah, everybody’s been experimenting with it.
Brian: Do you like it; can you feel it on the bike?
Jason: Yeah, I mean it’s not an exact science. For the most part it definitely helps with tire wear and management but as far as getting the lap time probably not so much. I think it would take a lot more refinement to really be at that point and that’s where I think maybe Mladin and Spies still have a step up on the field because, you know, come on, everybody knows they’ve been running it for years now. They have their system very, very well refined and they’ve proved they could do that without the use of a front wheel speed sensor and by just going off a number of different parameters and now with just the addition of another variable to measure traction off of it only has to make their system even better.
Brian: Jason, I appreciate you taking five minutes out of your time. Anything you want to say to the Londonbikers crowd back in the UK listening in?
Jason: I just got an email from a fan in the UK. His name was Nick and it was just kind of funny that you came up to me and said you were with Londonbikers.com a UK web magazine and I was like, oh, that’s weird because I just got an email like yesterday, so it was pretty cool that the UK fans are still following what’s going on in AMA and I don’t know if you know this but I use to race over there.
Brian: Yeah, when you first came out. I remember you and your dad going over there and racing.
Jason: And it’s cool to kind of still stay in the know about what’s going on and everything with my career cause definitely my plans are to be back over there some day.
Brian: Certainly… I know they’d love to see you in World Superbike and Haga is getting the R1 ready, those guys have really been impressive coming on late in the season.
Jason thanks again for your time and good luck this weekend.
Jason: Thank you…
Jason went on to set the fastest qualifying time in the Formula Xtreme class at the Virginia International Raceway, extending his seventh consecutive pole position of the season and creating a new track record. He also qualified the fastest in the Superstock class, putting him once again on pole for the race.
From pole on Friday in Formula Xtreme, Jason had to battle hard in Saturday’s race. He found himself in fourth after the first lap, and finished with a podium position with a very respectable third. In the Superstock class, from pole Jason also finished on the podium, again in third after he ran fifth for most of the race.
Whit just two races left until the end of the season, Jason is in second position with two points separating him from the leader in the Formula Xtreme championship. Jason is determined the win the series and with the dedication and hard work that he has shown so far, he’s sure to win.
Jason’s next race will be at Road Atlanta this weekend, with the final being held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the 30th September, 1st and 2nd of October.
We would like the thank Jason for taking the time out to speak to us.
Related Linkswww.jasondisalvo.com www.yamaha-motor.comRelated GalleriesAMA Superbikes @ VIR '06 - SundayAMA Superbikes @ VIR '06 - SaturdayAMA Superbikes @ VIR '06 - FridayAMA Superbikes @ VIR '06 - Thursday
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