From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Duhamel Xtremely perfect

Duhamel looks to extend streak in AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 11, 2004) — Honda’s Miguel Duhamel is a perfect three-for-three so far in this year’s AMA Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme Series. Duhamel brings his unblemished record to round four of the 11-race series at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., part of the AMA Honda Superbike Classic on May 14-16.

The newly revamped Formula Xtreme class has proven to fit Duhamel like a glove. Duhamel has already cracked the top 10 on the all-time wins list in the Formula Xtreme class, this in addition to already being the all-time wins leader in AMA Supersport and second in AMA Superbike. The Montreal native, who now lives in Las Vegas, rides a nimble Honda CBR600RR mini-superbike and has an opportunity at Barber to push his winning streak to the longest in four years in the Formula Xtreme class.

Duhamel is hoping to win back the Formula Xtreme title for Honda, which dominated the class from 1997 to 2000.

Second in the standings is Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke. The amiable Californian is a proven winner in Formula Xtreme. Under the old class rules Zemke racked up four-career wins and was twice runner-up in the series. Zemke is still adapting to the smaller Xtreme bikes, but at Infineon Raceway he looked poised to win his first race of the season before Duhamel made a last-lap pass for the lead and win. Look for Zemke, who was second in the Barber Formula Xtreme race last year, to put in a strong ride this weekend.

The third member of Honda’s Formula Xtreme trifecta is 20-year-old Alex Gobert, of the Erion Honda squad. The youngest of the famous racing Goberts from Australia, Alex is ranked third in the class and is steadily closing the gap each race on his more experienced Honda stable mates.

Two more young up-and-comers in the form of Jacob Holden and Corey Eaton round out the top five in the Formula Xtreme rankings. Holden, 21, of Puyallup, Wash., is one of the best riders to come out of the Pacific Northwest in years and Eaton is a 16-year-old amateur dirt track champ who is proving to be just as fast on pavement. Both Holden and Eaton are Suzuki mounted.


Hacking third Repsol Superstock Series leader this year

It’s lonely at the top in the AMA Repsol Superstock Series. Maybe that’s why no one seems to want to lead the series as it rolls into Barber Motorsports Park for round four.

First it was Graves Yamaha rider Aaron Gobert who held the top spot after winning the exciting Daytona International Speedway season opener in March. Then Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies came on strong, taking a convincing victory at California Speedway in April, and he too shared the series lead. Next was veteran Jamie Hacking taking the win earlier this month at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., putting himself atop the Superstock standings – at least for now.

Three different series leaders in three races illustrate just how competitive Superstock has been this season. The top six riders in the series are within 20 points and only one rider, Hacking, has made the podium in all three races leading up to Barber.

Graves Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster is hoping to become the fourth different series winner and leader this year. “Bucky” led most of the Infineon round only to be passed late by teammate Hacking. The Aussie ace will be looking to find a way to hang onto that lead for just a few more laps this weekend.

Another rider that could easily be the fourth winner in the class this year is Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden. The Kentuckian says that his new factory ZX-10R is getting better every weekend and Hayden has the confidence that goes with being the defending winner of the event.

Both the Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme and Repsol Superstock will be taped by SPEED Channel to be shown on Sunday, May 30, at 5 p.m. Eastern.

For ticket information on the AMA Honda Superbike Classic at Barber Motorsports Park call (800) 240-2300 or visit www.barbermotorsports.com