From a press release issued by Formula Xtreme Promotions Pty. Ltd.:

Event 6, 2002 Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State
Eastern Creek Raceway, NSW (September 28 & 29)
Event Preview

MLADIN HEADS LIST OF INTERNATIONAL RIDERS FOR XTREME FINALE AT EASTERN CREEK

Three times American Superbike Champion Mat Mladin will be one of three Australian riders who have been competing internationally who will return home to race in the sixth and final round of the 2002 Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway on the weekend of September 28 & 29.

Mladin, from Camden, south east of Sydney, Victorian Marty Craggill and Newcastle’s Kevin Curtain have all competed successfully on the international race scene and for the first time will go head to head on the track.

Having won three AMA Superbike titles and an Australian Superbike title in 1992, Mladin is the best-credentialed rider to line up in this year’s series. Craggill on the other hand is fresh from a season racing in the American Formula Xtreme Championship where he took victory at the Brainerd round of the championship aboard a Valvoline EMGO Suzuki

Mat Mladin gives his Mat Mladin Motorcycles/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 its first outing at Eastern Creek last week GSX-R1000.

Curtain has been one of the busiest riders this year. He has been combining racing here in the Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State, where he currently leads both the Formula Xtreme and Supersport classes, with racing in the World Supersport Championship where he is fresh from taking a brilliant fourth place at the Dutch round of the championship last weekend.

The inclusion of the three vastly experienced riders will provide race fans with the best big bike racing action seen in Australian domestic racing for many years. Mladin and Craggill will also spearhead the Suzuki onslaught against the all-conquering Yamahas. They won’t be alone, though, as Honda, Kawasaki and Ducati are well represented with all five leading brands searching for victory at the final round of this year’s championship.

Mladin has begun testing aboard his Mat Mladin Motorcycles/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, with his first hit out being at Eastern Creek last Thursday. It was the first time that Mladin had turned a wheel on the brand new bike and he was very pleased with the performance of the bike at this early stage of development.

“I was really impressed by the Suzuki GSX-R1000 when I rode it for the first time at Eastern Creek last week,” said Mladin. “We have fitted the bike with a number of Yoshimura products such as exhaust system, cams and head gasket, plus BMC filters and it worked extremely well. Obviously we don’t have a lot of time to do a lot of headwork, etc., before the race, but other than that the bike felt really good as to how it ran anyway. We’ve built the bike up in such a way that any customer can come into our shop and either buy the parts or even the complete bike from us.”

Mladin was also happy to hear that Craggill had been able to secure a ride for the event. While racing in America this year, Craggill stayed with Mladin at his Los Angeles home and the pair has worked closely together throughout the year.

“It will be good to have another bike out there and with a good peddler like Marty (Craggill) aboard it, should make for a very exciting final round of the series,” Mladin added. “Marty rode well in the Formula Xtreme races in the States this year and has a lot of experience on the Suzuki.”

Craggill is no stranger to the Australian Formula Xtreme, having won a race in the class at the Victorian Broadford circuit in 2000 aboard an Advantage Honda sponsored CBR929RR. At the upcoming round of the Formula Xtreme, Craggill will ride the Bob Muir owned Suzuki GSX-R1000 that has been previously raced this year by Warwick Nowland and Wayne Maxwell.

“I’ve only just found out about the deal myself and haven’t even had a chance to ride the bike yet,” said Craggill, the 1997 & 98 Australian Superbike champion. “A few people have told me that the bike is very good and I’m hopeful of getting to ride it this weekend at Eastern Creek to see how good it is for myself. I know that the Suzuki is a good bike, so it’s just a matter of getting it sorted out over the race weekend.

“I’ve had a good year racing in the Formula Xtreme in America aboard the Suzuki and hope to do the same here in a few weeks time,” added Craggill.

The Suzuki mounted pair will not have everything their own way as Curtain, the three times Formula Xtreme champion and current points leader will have a few things to prove aboard his Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF-R1.

Curtain has rode exceptionally well both here in Australia and in the World Supersport Championship and will be hard to beat at Eastern Creek where he will be joined by teammates Robbie Baird (the defending Formula Xtreme champion) and Victorian teenager Craig Coxhell.

They won’t be alone though as the Bio Magnetics Sport Yamaha team of Jamie and Daniel Stauffer have been in great form of late, while Team Honda’s Josh Brookes cannot be discounted either.

With 25 action packed races scheduled for the weekend and in excess of over $200,000 worth of prizes and motorcycles up for grabs for the series winners, the Eastern Creek round of the 2002 Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State will be a round not to be missed.

Yamaha Formula Xtreme, points after 5 of 6 rounds
1, K Curtain 384; 2 R Baird 346; 3. J Stauffer 268; 4, D Stauffer 254; 5. C Coxhell 246; 6, J Brookes 203; 7. T Rees 167; 8. R Bugden 123; 9. C McMartin 103; 10. W Maxwell 87.