HODSGON LOOKS TO CLOSE ON CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AT INFINEON Sears Point, CA (May 12) — Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom will race their Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin 999s at Infineon Raceway this weekend at another doubleheader event, the fourth stop on the 2005 AMA Superbike tour. Neil and Eric will contest two 28-lap battles with the other competitors in one of the top national-level motorcycle racing series in the world at the scenic 12-turn, 2.22-mile course north of San Francisco. Hodgson is currently third in AMA Superbike points, but the Isle of Man resident actually gained ground to the Superbike points lead at the last round held at California Speedway two weekends ago. Despite a virus that dehydrated him over the weekend and required him to seek medical attention, Hodgson put in a courageous performance that impressed his team, rivals, and fans. “It’s all about the championship,” said Hodgson, who closed from 22 to nine championship points at California Speedway. “The bottom line is I was sick and we got through a race at a track I didn’t particularly care for in testing. Now we’ll continue to fight on.” Hodgson has been the only man this season to consistently challenge the Suzukis in America and has three podium finishes this season, his first in America. Eric Bostrom has finished every race in 2005 on his factory Ducati 999 Superbike, but the man who won the 2004 Pikes Peak Superbike race for the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team is still looking to contend for wins more than anything else. The 28-year old California native has dramatically improved his feel for the machine since a break in the schedule allowed the Ducati Austin team to test. “Right now, we’re not really thinking about our place in the championship,” said Eric Bostrom. “I want to be up front. We’re still trying to find a little more pace. We found some more speed in practice at Fontana and we really need to keep up the momentum. Infineon’s going to be a challenging race for me.” Now a resident of Las Vegas, Bostrom was born in San Francisco and grew up north of the city. “We’re hoping for big things this weekend at Infineon,” said team manager Tom Bodenbach. “Neil is back to full health and he’s ready to go. He’s been very consistent this year and ridden at a high level. Eric has continued to improve this season and we saw he really bettered his lap times at Fontana.” Eric and Neil will appear at Sport Bike Night, held at the Hard Rock Café in Sacramento on Thursday Night at 7:00 PM. AMA Superbike Points (after 5 of 17 rounds) — 1. Spies (Suzuki) 155, 2. Mladin (Suzuki) 152, 3. NEIL HODGSON (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 146, 4. Yates (Suzuki) 143, 5. ERIC BOSTROM (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 122, 6. DuHamel (Honda) 118 THE CIRCUIT Name: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California, 12 turns, 2.22 miles (3.57 kilometers). Permanent road course, Superbike races are 28 laps each. STATISTICS Lap record: Gobert (Yamaha) 1:31.692 (2002) Race distance: Mladin (Suzuki) 45:59.18 (2003)