According to an AMA Pro Racing press release, Rich Oliver used to be Chuck Sorensen’s protege. We think they meant “mentor”; Sorensen used to be the junior member of Oliver’s team. The release follows:

HAYDEN HOPES TO BREAK AMA SUPERBIKE RECORD AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Honda Racing’s Nicky Hayden comes to rounds two and
three of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship in Fontana, Calif., as the unquestionable rider to beat. The 20-year-old racing prodigy from Owensboro, Ky., is on the verge of matching, and possibly breaking, a seven-year record held by his teammate Miguel Duhamel. Hayden is riding a five-race winning streak coming into the Yamaha Superbike Challenge at California Speedway on April 5-7.

His winning streak began last July at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and continued through the opening round of this year’s championships at Daytona Beach, Fla. If Hayden manages to win the first race of the Superbike doubleheader weekend he will tie Duhamel’s record of six AMA Superbike wins in a row. If he wins both rounds in Fontana, Hayden could leave Fontana with the longest winning streak in the history of the series.

Fontana will also mark the return of three-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin. The No. 1 Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki rider injured his left elbow in practice for last month’s Daytona 200 and missed the opening round. Despite coming into Fontana with no points, Mladin is confident that he can get back in the hunt for an unprecedented fourth title with 15 of the 16 races still to be held. He’s looking to start his comeback with a strong showing at Fontana.

Mladin’s Blimpie Yoshiumura Suzuki teammate Jamie Hacking finds himself second in the series standings after another great Daytona performance. The South Carolinian took second to Hayden with a last-lap pass on Yamaha Factory Racing’s Anthony Gobert. Hacking sees his fast start as a springboard to a solid and consistent AMA Superbike season. Hacking feels it’s his time to show that he can be a true contender for the U.S. Superbike Championship, especially considering he’s never finished the season ranked higher than eighth in his four years as a factory Superbike rider.

Aussie Anthony Gobert has to be considered one rider at Fontana who can stop the Hayden onslaught. Gobert showed true grit by getting out of a hospital bed the day before the Daytona 200 and riding to an amazing third-place on his factory Yamaha R7. Gobert should be fully recovered from the injuries he suffered in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race at Daytona. He was
consistently the fastest rider in pre-season testing at Fontana.

Fontana will also witness the return of three-time AMA Superbike champion Doug Chandler. Chandler, of Salinas, Calif., will be racing the HMC Ducati having just completed a deal that brought him to the team just two weeks before this race.

The Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Championship is more competitive than ever. The third Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki rider Aaron Yates comes into next weekend’s race leading the points race after a surprising win at Daytona. Yates and teammate Hacking are expected to be the top contenders for the title this year, but look for Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert putting on a hard charge to get back in the championship race after crashing out of round one in Daytona.

His teammate and fellow Australian Damon Buckmaster turned in a strong performance at Daytona, finishing sixth, and has said a factory ride would be the key to him becoming a top rider in the series.

Erion Racing’s Mike Hale plans on coming back and mixing it up with the established stars of the Supersport Championship after a seven-year absence from the series. Texan Hale was one of the leading AMA Supersport racers in the mid-1990s, finishing runner-up to Miguel Duhamel in 1995.

The Kawasaki camp is led by Tommy Hayden, oldest of the three racing Hayden brothers. Hayden was caught up in the Daytona crash that took out Anthony Gobert and his brother Aaron and will be coming into California Speedway intent on making up lost ground.

Corona Extra Suzuki’s Jimmy Moore had a successful kickoff in defense of his No. 1 plate in Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock. Moore, who won Daytona over new teammate Jordan Szoke will face one of the most talented filled (Maybe they mean “one of the most talented fields…Ed.)of Superstock riders ever in the history of the class.

Two-time MBNA 250 Grand Prix Champion Chuck Sorensen comes to Fontana hoping to start a winning streak that will lead him to a third title. Sorensen’s Team Stargel Aprilia had plenty of speed on the high banks of Daytona last month and that should serve him well at California Speedway. Watch for Sorensen to face a tough challenge from former protégé Rich Oliver, who is planning on racing at Fontana despite breaking his hip and losing part of a finger in a Daytona accident.

Young Jason DiSalvo is another rider that should be a top contender at Fontana. The 18-year-old former top AMA amateur challenged Sorensen at Daytona before making a rookie mistake and crashing out of the race while battling for the lead.

For ticket information of the Yamaha Superbike Challenge contact California Speedway at (800) 944-7223 or visit the website at www.californiaspeedway.com.

AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for professional motorcycle sport in the United States.