Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin took the provisional AMA Superbike pole position during qualifying Friday at Road America. Mladin’s time of 2:12.553 on his Dunlop-equipped GSX-R1000 was not only fastest, it was 0.8-second under Miguel Duhamel’s lap record of 2:13.346 and 1.8 seconds faster than anyone else on the track. Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates was the best of the rest, turning a 2:14.388 on his GSX-R1000. Miguel Duhamel qualified third with a 2:14.483 on his American Honda CBR1000RR, which has a new-spec engine package and significant chassis revisions for this weekend’s event. The final spot on the provisional front row went to the third Yoshimura Suzuki rider, Ben Spies, with a 2:14.569. Qualifying on the provisional second row were Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom, Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes, Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke and Road America rookie Neil Hodgson. With rain a possibility on Saturday, Friday’s provisional AMA Superbike qualifying results could hold up as final. Provisional AMA Superbike Qualifying Results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:12.553 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:14.388 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:14.483 4. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:14.569 5. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 999F05, 2:14.678 6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2:15.003 7. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:15.287 8. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F05, 2:15.496 9. Larry Pegram, Honda CBR100RR, 2:15.740 10. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:15.881 11. Marty Craggill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:15.946 12. Kurtis Roberts, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:16.444 13. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:16.713 14. Steve Crevier, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:17.468 15. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:17.604 16. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:17.639 17. Francis Martin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:18.230 18. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:18.315 19. Brent George, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:18.358 20. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:18.563 21. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:18.623 22. Tony Meiring, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:18.734 23. Cory West, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:19.847 24. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:20.381 25. Scott Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:20.397 26. Andrew Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:21.090 27. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:21.119 28. Jeff Tigert, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:21.161 29. Jason Perez, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:21.312 30. Jeremy Toye, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:21.321 31. David Bell, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:21.865 32. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:22.211 33. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:22.345 34. Brian Boyd, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:24.012 35. Eric Haugo, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:24.023 36. Greg Fryer, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:25.212 37. James Kerker, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:25.430 38. Peter Holzinger, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:25.797 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: AMA Superbike Championship leader Mat Mladin broke the lap record on his way to setting provisional pole for this weekend’s ninth and tenth-round Elkhart Lake double-header in Wisconsin. The Yoshimura Suzuki rider knocked 0.7 seconds off the existing record, lapping the high-speed circuit in 2:12.554 minutes to beat team mate Aaron Yates and Honda’s Miguel Duhamel to the number one grid position. The five-time AMA Superbike Champion said: “We’ve been looking forward to coming to this track all year because I think it’s going to be one of the better ones for the new Suzuki GSX-R1000. It’s such a solid motorcycle; it’s fast and we can just do amazing things with it. On this race track, when you have a fast bike and a bike that works on the front end, you’ve got just about everything you need.” Friday Superbike Qualifying: 1. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 2:12.554. 2. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki) 2:14.388. 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 2:14.483. 4. Ben Spies (Yoshimura Suzuki) 2:14.542. 5. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 2:14.677. 6. Joshua Hayes (Kawasaki) 2:15.002. 7. Jake P Zemke (Honda) 2:15.286. 8. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 2:15.496. 9. Larry Pegram (Honda) 2:15.741. 10. Geoff May (Suzuki) 2:15.880. More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin: BOSTROM AND HODGSON GETTING UP TO SPEED AT ROAD AMERICA Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (June 3) – Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom and Neil Hodgson qualified provisionally for the weekend’s Superbike races at Road America on Friday. Pikes Peak Superbike race winner Bostrom qualified fifth on his Ducati 999, while Hodgson was eighth at his first time ever on the track. “Actually, I feel pretty good about things,” said Hodgson. “First of all, I’d never been here before. This is going to be the hardest track to learn because it’s the longest and it’s fast. You need to be inch perfect. If you break five meters late at these speeds …” said Neil after a best lap time of 2:15.496. “We’re about a second off second place, really. I’m really upbeat and looking forward to tomorrow. I think we can chip away at it.” The 2003 World Superbike Champion commented on the 4.0-mile lap, the longest on the AMA tour at well over two minutes. “When you have a problem or two or you make some changes on the bike in practice, it can hurt you. If you spend much time in the pits or going slowly around this place, it’s really going to limit the number of laps you can do,” Neil said. “That probably affected us a bit today but we will get some more track time in the morning.” Both riders will participate in final qualifying at 11:10 local time. Bostrom was fifth in qualifying with a time of 2:14.677 after holding third for much of the session. The former Elkhart Lake race winner says the team is working on a solution that will see his times improve in the first part of the lap. “We gained a lot of time from the morning to the afternoon,” said Bostrom. “Overall, the tires are working well, the top speeds for the Ducati 999 are cool. I think we have some improving to do in a couple of areas. I’m not totally happy with the bike setup and we need to work on the gearing a little bit. The second split is really good, and the third split is okay. It’s the first split that’s terrible right now, as far as I am concerned. We’re struggling a little bit with the front end being a little unsettled in turn one.” On the heels of his Pikes Peak victory, Bostrom says things continue to improve on his side of the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin squad. “We’ve been going in the right direction, Since Fontana, things just been improving and we’ve gone from way off the pace to halfway competitive. We’ve had some different ideas within the team and we are improving.” The first 16-lap, 100k Superbike race of the weekend will be held tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM local time. Qualifying times: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2:12.554, 2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 2:14.388, 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 2:14.483, 4. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 2:14.542, 5. ERIC BOSTROM (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 2:14.677 6 Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 2:15.002, 8. NEIL HODGSON (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 2:15.496