From a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist:

MAT MLADIN Racing – MEDIA INFORMATION
For immediate release
Tuesday, 28 May 2002

Rounds 6 & 7, 2002 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship

Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain, Colorado, USA

Event preview

MLADIN LOOKS FOR CHANGE OF FORM AT PIKES PEAK

High in the mountains of Colorado, Pikes Peak International Raceway will host round eight of the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship this weekend (June 1 – 2) and for defending AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin, he is hoping that it will be the place where he and his Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki team will begin their resurgence to the front of the championship.

For the three-times champion, the 2002 season has been the toughest since he began competing in the AMA championships in 1996. With seven rounds of the championship completed, he has had only one podium finish, a third at round three of the series at the California Speedway, This is not a situation that the Australian is used to as in previous season his ability to be on the podium at each round has been the key to his championship success.

Mladin currently lies fifth overall in this year’s points standing, trailing American Honda’s Nicky Hayden by 99-points, with only 19-points separating himself and second placed Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki).

His title defence was initially disrupted by an arm injury that forced him to miss the opening round at Daytona and hinder his pace at the following rounds. Another factor is that he and his Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Aaron Yates and Jamie Hacking have all been having difficulties in getting their chassis / suspension set ups right with the new 2002 model Suzuki GSX-R750. In recent weeks the team have been working overtime to find a remedy to their handling problems and tested at Road America (Elkhart Lake) last week prior to heading to Colorado.

“As many people would know, I’m not happy with how the season has started for myself and the team, but I can assure you that we won’t be taking it lying down,” said Mladin. “We are working hard to sort out the handling problem with the new bike and I think we made some more progress after the test at Road America last week.

“The start of the year has been a bit of a disaster,” Mladin added. “But hopefully from this weekend, the second half of the year will be a form reversal for us. I don’t like being the last factory bike across the line as I was at Road Atlanta, so that in itself is a good incentive to get things back on track. As far as the championship goes, everyone will need Nicky (Hayden) to have a couple of dnf’s to bring him back to the field, to have a chance. For us, I think we will be using the second half of the year as a development program to make sure that we are on the pace for the start of the 2003 season. We were definitely caught out at the start of this year and that won’t happen again.”

In preparation for the weekend’s round, Mladin has already arrived in Colorado where he is training and acclimatizing himself to the high altitude conditions. Last year’s race was won by Hayden, with Mladin finishing fourth.

PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – FAST FACTS

Circuit length:
2.12 km (1.315 miles)

2001 Pole position:
Nicky Hayden (American Honda) 0:53.776

2001 Race result:
1. Nicky Hayden (American Honda)
2. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki)
3. Doug Chandler (Team Kawasaki)
4. Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki)

Superbike lap record: Nicky Hayden (American Honda) 0:53.776 (2001)

2002 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (points after 7 rounds)
1. N. Hayden 253; 2. E. Bostrom 173 3. A. Yates 172; 4. P. Picotte 155; 5. M. Mladin 154; 6. M. DuHamel 146; 7. B. Livengood 138; 8. J. Hacking 131; 9. B. Parriott 127; 10. A. Gobert 118.