Road America Previews From Mladin, Bostrom And AMA Pro Racing

Road America Previews From Mladin, Bostrom And AMA Pro Racing

© 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Rounds 9 & 10
Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA
Event Preview


ROAD AMERICA EXCITES MLADIN

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA –The return to what Mat Mladin calls a ‘proper race track’ could be the inspiration that sees the Australian make a return to the top step on the winners podium when the 2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship heads to Road America in Wisconsin for rounds nine and ten of this year’s championship.

“It’s nice to head back to a race track where there is a bit of length about it,” said Mladin. “Road America is definitely one of my favourite tracks in the championship and one I look forward to coming to, as I do with Brainerd for the following round. They are good flowing tracks, nice length and nice speed.”

The three-times American Superbike champion knows what is required to win at the ultra fast 6.44km (4.00miles) having taken home two trophies from the circuit in 1997 and 2001.

He has the form on the board to add to his win tally at Road America as he has taken his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to five race wins from eight starts this year, but tyre problems during the other three races while holding down strong track position leaves him lying third on the championship points table, ten points adrift of teammate and current leader Aaron Yates.

“It wasn’t the best weekend for us last weekend, but that’s how it goes sometimes. We’ve just got to keep going. We’ve had eight races so far, I’ve won five of those and the other three we’ve had tyre problems. The appropriate people are looking into those problems now, but at the moment our attention is focused on the coming rounds of the championship.

“As opposed to Pikes Peak, Road America presents itself with different range of characteristics. At Colorado we were loading up the side of the tyre, but this weekend we will be more upright, with longer and faster straights that you’re doing about 300kph (185mph) on and therefore loading the middle of the tyre. I don’t think it will be as much of a problem as with some of the other places we’ve been to this year.”

Mladin and his Yoshimura Suzuki team have worked extremely hard in getting their new GSX-R1000 Superbike up to a level that they are happy with since the model was allowed entry into the championship at the start of the season.

He has shown the potential of the new bike already this season, but knows that there is still sufficient work to be carried out to make it an even better race and championship-winning package.

Qualifying for this weekend’s round begins on Friday, June 6, with the first of the double-header Superbike races being held on Saturday afternoon, with the second 16-lapper scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

Road America – FAST FACTS

Circuit length: 6.44km (4.00miles)
2002 Pole position: Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki ZX-7RR) 2:08.510

2002 Results:
Race 1
1. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda RC51)
2. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki ZX-7RR)
3. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750)

Race 2
1. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda RC51)
2. Nicky Hayden (American Honda RC51)
3. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki ZX-7RR)

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (points after 8 of 18 rounds)
1. A Yates 244
3. E Bostrom 239
3. M Mladin 234
4. B Bostrom / K Roberts 221
6. M DuHamel 187
7. L Pegram 162
8. S Higbee 159
9. J Pridmore 150
10. V Haskovec 140.


More, from a press release issued by Eric Bostrom’s publicist:

Before the Pike Peak race weekend, Eric Bostrom needed twelve points to lead the points table in the 2003 Chevy Trucks AMA Superbike Championship. After his strong performance and race victory in Colorado, he now only needs five. But these five points could be the toughest ones to earn, as Eric takes his momentum into this weekend’s round at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.

“Road America is definitely one of the best tracks that we have in the States. It’s exciting that we’re going there this weekend. Hopefully our bike will have what it takes, because that track not only takes a good handling bike, but a lot of ‘HP’.”

Eric’s race win at Pikes Peak International raceway last weekend was Eric’s first since his exciting defeat of Mat Mladin at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) in the last race of the 2002 season. It also marks the fourth podium this year for the Las Vegas resident. “I had no idea who would win that race, going into it on Sunday. There were six guys that I felt could have been right there with me. Even though that wasn’t the case, it still ended up being a really fun race. I had some awesome moments going into turn one. I’d go in there and the bike would get loose and I’d have these 100 yard drifts!

“And I was pretty pumped on my start. I was just happy to be starting anyway, because I thought that we might not have had a race with the way the weather had been earlier that day, so I was just excited to get on the bike and go racing. I got off to a great launch and it seemed that both Mat and Aaron got pretty poor starts and it left me nowhere to go. I was either going to have to back off or go on the inside down into the paint. I knew that it was going to be icy slick down there, but backing off didn’t seem like an option. I was able to squeeze by them and that really set us on fire for the race. Had it not happened, I think it would have been more of a battle. It made our race easier, but that’s not to say that it was easy. Every lap I had to try and bring my heart rate down on the front straight because I was just working so hard trying to get around for 48 laps while still keeping the tire on the bike. I definitely had to conserve tires every lap of the race!

“There were a few laps in lapped traffic where I had to buzz the thing up to get some drives on some slower riders, but otherwise I was focusing hard to conserve my tires and still put in strong laps. Pikes Peak was definitely more of a ‘ride your ass off kind of race’. In fact, I rode so hard that I made myself sick. My head, eyes, and lungs have hurt since. But I hope to be mended up and strong for this weekend to take advantage of our momentum.”


More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

POINTS LEADER ZEMKE READY FOR HIGH-SPEED ROAD AMERICA

Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (June 4, 2003) — Jake Zemke loves speed and that puts Road America high on the Erion Honda rider’s list of favorite tracks. On Saturday, June 7, Zemke hopes the long straights and sweeping corners of the four-mile Road America course will play into his strengths as the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series hits the mid-way point in the 10-race season.

Consistency has been the hallmark of Zemke’s racing career and this season is no different. A string of podium finishes in the first half of the season has earned the Paso Robles, California, resident the Formula Xtreme Series lead. Last year he tied Jason Pridmore in the final series standings, but lost the title in a tiebreaker – Pridmore won more races.

Zemke is going ahead with the same formula this season and hopes his steadiness pays off this time around. He looks forward to the Road America race, where his best finish came in 2000 when he finished third.

“It the kind track were you can push the bike and slide both ends,” said Zemke, who is trying to get Honda back atop the podium at Road America for the first time since the 2000 season. “The high speeds really suit my style so we’re looking for another good result there. Getting on the podium every weekend is what it takes to win championships.”

Young Yoshimura Suzuki rider Ben Spies also eagerly awaits Road America. The 18-year-old Texan led the championship after dominating the first two rounds. He lost the points lead after a crash at Road Atlanta last month. He’s hoping the power of his factory Suzuki will be the key to victory Saturday. Spies finished fourth in this race last year.

2001 Road America winner Damon Buckmaster comes into this year’s race ranked third. The Aussie veteran is coming off a victory last week at Pikes Peak International Raceway on his Graves Yamaha and will be keen to start a winning streak of his own. “Bucky” could take sole possession of third place on the all-time AMA Formula Xtreme wins list with a victory at Road America.

Defending race winner and series champ, Jason Pridmore is still searching for the combination that brought him the 2002 title. The No. 1 Attack Suzuki rider is all the way down in 12th in the series standings after a poor start to this year’s campaign, but he’s almost certain to crack the top-10 after this week’s race.


Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Series

It doesn’t get much closer on the championship trail than the hotly contested Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Series. Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden leads the series by a single point over Hooters Suzuki rider Vincent Haskovec. Corona Suzuki’s Adam Fergusson is right there as well, only two points out of the series lead. The scouting report on Road America’s Superstock race reads that the more powerful Suzuki GSX-R750 should have an advantage over the Kawasaki ZX636 and Yamaha R6. But that’s what they said about Daytona as well and Hayden earned a well-deserved win in the season opener.

One fact to consider is that Suzuki is enjoying a 10-year winning streak in the Superstock race at Road America. Jason DiSalvo won the race last year on a Suzuki. He’ll be in the field again this year, but this time on a factory Yamaha R6. Kawasaki’s Tony Meiring got a breakthrough win in the series last week in Colorado and he’ll be another rider to watch at Road America.


MBNA 250 Grand Prix Series

Rich Oliver will be better than halfway home to a perfect season if he wins the MBNA 250 Grand Prix Series at Road America. Oliver has won five of five coming into round six of the 11-race series on his Team Oliver Yamaha. He’s earned eight victories at Road America dating back to 1988.

The Northern California native is looking to win back the MBNA 250 Grand Prix title he last held in 1997. Oliver is a stunning 60-points ahead of former teammate Chuck Sorensen after five rounds, meaning it would take major problems in the second half of the season to keep Oliver away from his fifth AMA 250 Grand Prix title. Sorensen is the defending Road America race winner.

For ticket information call (800) 365-RACE or visit www.roadamerica.com. The Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series race from Elkhart Lake will broadcast on Speed Channel, Tuesday, June 24 at 1 p.m. EST.

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