Mladin On Barber

Mladin On Barber

© 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

MLADIN GETS FIRST HAND LOOK AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK, ALABAMA

Leeds, Alabama, USA (Friday, 1 August) – Current American Superbike Championship points leader, Australian Mat Mladin, had his first look at the new Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama this week as he took part in an official three-day AMA test session at the circuit which will host the final round of this years Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship on the weekend of September 20 – 21.

Mladin and his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 were fastest at the end of each days testing at the 16-turn 3.70km (2.3 miles) Alabama circuit, recording a best time of 1:25.054 set on the final day of the test.

Mladin’s final day time was an amazing four seconds quicker than the one he set on the opening day of the test. Second fastest at the test was teammate Aaron Yates (1:25.749), with American Honda’s Ben Bostrom the third fastest with a time of 1:25.942. The top trio were the only riders to drop into the 1:25 bracket.

As has been the case for much of the season, the test was again hampered by wet weather. Fortunately though, the showers cleared sufficiently for those taking part to make use of the valuable track time.

“It was good to come down here and get a look at the track, that’s for sure,” said Mladin. “We found out that Dunlop have to bring something different in the way of front tyres, because even the hardest front tyre didn’t really cope with this race track. Overall though, it was a pretty good test where the team and Dunlop learnt a lot about the track. It’s always good to know that you are quick and things are set up well, so to leave with the fastest time was nice.

“The layout seems OK, but I think that there are a few areas where they could address some safety issues,” commented Mladin on the Barber complex. “Overall it seems OK, it’s a bit small and tight, but otherwise fine. Some people had commented after being here that it had a European feel about it, but I don’t think it’s like that. I didn’t get the same feeling from this place as I did when I raced at Assen (Holland) for the first time for example. It’s still a nice track and will be a good venue for the final round.”

With the test completed, Mladin will now prepare for the penultimate double-header round of the season which takes place at Virginia International Raceway on August 30 – 31.

Heading to Virginia, Mladin has worked his way to a 33-point lead over Yates in the championship, but with four races remaining the chase is far from over.


Leading Superbike Times

Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki), 1:25.054
Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki), 1:25.749
Ben Bostrom (American Honda), 1:25.942
Giovanni Bussei (Ducati Austin), 1:26.870
Kurtis Roberts (Erion Honda), 1:26.984
Miguel DuHamel (American Honda), 1:27.862

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (points after 14 of 18 rounds)
1. M Mladin (431)
2. A Yates (398)
3. B Bostrom (376)
4. E Bostrom (350)
5. K Roberts (349)
6. M DuHamel (332)
7. J Pridmore (315)
8. S Higbee (299)
9. V Haskovec (221)
10. J Szoke (212)


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