Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

American Honda’s Ben Bostrom took the win in the red-flag-interrupted AMA Formula Xtreme race Saturday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

It was Bostrom’s first AMA road race win since 1999, when he won his one and only AMA Superbike race at Brainerd.

Championship leader Miguel Duhamel finished second, 1.1 seconds back, but more importantly 4.2 seconds in front of title contender Jake Zemke.

Zemke was leading the first portion of the FX race by a large margin when his Erion Honda CBR600RR started smoking badly, forcing him to pull off the track.

The race was stopped to inspect the surface for oil, allowing Zemke’s crew to make repairs and allowing Zemke to make the restart.

Zemke took the restart from the last row of the grid and worked his way back up to third in the remaining nine laps.

The red flag break also benefitted Duhamel, who encountered a shifter problem in the first segment of the race. Duhamel had nothing for Bostrom and no reason to push and try to beat the class wild card.

Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Race Results:

1. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR600RR, 17 laps
2. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, -1.106 seconds
3. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, -5.327 seconds
4. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, -8.285 seconds
5. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R600, -8.334 seconds
6. Doug Chandler, Ducati 749R, -11.016 seconds
7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -18.793 seconds
8. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R6, -24.723 seconds
9. Nicky Moore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -25.304 seconds
10. Mike Ciccotto, Buell XB9R, -33.428 seconds
11. Ty Howard, Yamaha YZF-R6, -33.649 seconds
12. Danny Eslick, Suzuki GSX-R600, -34.412 seconds
13. Heath Small, Yamaha YZF-R6, -34.738 seconds
14. Blake Young, Suzuki GSX-R600, -34.947 seconds
15. Tom Montano, Honda CBR600RR, -44.880 seconds
16. Oliver Jervis, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, -48.276 seconds
17. Darin Eli Edwards, Suzuki GSX-R600, -48.749 seconds
18. Mickey Lane, Yamaha YZF-R6, -52.725 seconds
19. Brien Whitlock, Suzuki GSX-R600, -53.554 seconds
20. Nathan Hester, Yamaha YZF-R6, -56.978 seconds
21. Chad Rolland, Yamaha YZF-R6, -63.276 seconds
22. Chris Siebenhaar, Honda CBR600RR, -68.399 seconds
23. Lance Williams, Yamaha YZF-R6, -72.215 seconds
24. Tim Knutson, Yamaha YZF-R6, -77.621 seconds
25. Mike Krynock, Ducati 749R, -86.840 seconds
26. Kenan Rappuchi, Yamaha YZF-R6, -87.068 seconds
27. Brian Bartlow, Honda CBR600RR, -1 lap
28. Hector Romero, Honda CBR600RR, -1 lap
29. David Lambert, Suzuki GSX-R600, -8 laps, DNF
30. Marc Palazzo, Yamaha YZF-R6, -11 laps, DNF, crash
31. Michael Barnes, Buell XB9R, -16 laps, DNF
32. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha YZF-R6, DNS

Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Point Standings:

1. Duhamel, 282 points
2. Zemke, 265 points
3. Gobert, 220 points
4. Haskovec, 188 points
5. Pegram, 162 points
6. Pridmore, 130 points
7. Hester, 129 points
8. Small, 125 points
9. Eslick, 123 points
10. Jake Holden, 121 points


More, from a press release issued by Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki:

HASKOVEC FIFTH IN LAGUNA SECA FORMULA XTREME

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki fought through a trying day at Laguna Seca on Saturday. Even a top-five race result picked up in the afternoon left the team wanting for more.

Not having the opportunity to test at the 2.2-mile circuit prior to the weekend due to a disagreement between the tire manufacturers made things difficult to begin with — a situation further magnified by the very limited amount of track time available during the combined AMA/World Superbike weekend.

Despite the disadvantage, Vincent Haskovec put himself in position to claim a podium finish in the Formula Xtreme race. Haskovec was third and charging on a rider with machine difficulties. Unfortunately, a questionable red flag stopped the contest and a lengthy stoppage followed, allowing two factory frontrunners who were facing mechanical problems to reenter the fray after getting their machines fixed and mounting tires better suited for the shortened 9-lap dash to the flag.

The Czech Republic native didn’t have any softer tires to switch to for the restart but fought valiantly to finish fifth.

“I really feel I was robbed of a podium,” said Haskovec. “I thought I was going to get second place — third place at the worst. I do not agree with the rule that says teams can work on the bikes during a red flag. My guys worked really hard all weekend since we weren’t allowed to test here, and I was riding like a maniac to get where I was in the first part of the race. I don’t feel it was fair. I think that if it isn’t safe for us to race, we should park the bikes until it is, then restart the race when it is safe. Also, it isn’t fair to the privateers, who need to buy extra wheels and tires in these type of situations.”

Crew Chief Keith Perry was also disappointed with the situation. “The Formula Xtreme race was personally frustrating. It’s hard to describe. The race left a bad taste in my mouth the way everything happened. Still, the Michelins worked great and we barely missed out on fourth. We need just a little more acceleration, and if we can find that, we have a package that can compete at the front.”

The day’s Superstock race was also disappointing with an unusual conclusion. Haskovec and teammate Steve Rapp battled side-grip issues throughout the entire 60K affair, but rode well enough to battle over a top ten position.

Rapp crossed the line to start the final lap in tenth, but slowed when he mistook the white flag for the checkered flag. Haskovec went by, but was unable to claim a top-ten result himself, lacking sufficient traction to hold off another rider for the spot.

Haskovec finished eleventh with Rapp once spot further back in twelfth.

A discouraged Rapp commented, “When Vincent went by, I thought he was still riding hard because he was upset. Then another rider went by too, and I figured out what was going on. I was having such a hard time riding the bike I made the mistake. I just saw a flag waving. That’s the first time I’ve ever done that in all my years of racing.”

Team Crew Chief Keith Perry remarked, “In Superstock we really suffered not being here since last year. We’ve had very little track time this weekend. Mechanical problems, a crash, and an abbreviated schedule have all made the weekend a difficult one for us. I feel like we missed out by a least one more session, and we got what we got. Everyone tried really hard, and I can’t fault that.”

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki still has one more event left on the weekend — Sunday’s 17-lap Supersport race. Chris Peris continued to show improvement on his GSX-R600 as he picked up the nuances of the Northern California track; the Canadian finished Saturday’s only Supersport session in ninth at 1:30.617. Rapp was just behind in tenth at 1:30.809.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

PRIDMORE HAS GOOD WEEKEND AT LAGUNA SECA

Jason Pridmore and his STAR Motorcycle School crew had a good weekend at round eight of the Chevrolet Superbike Series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca compared to the last two rounds. Both of Jason’s races fell on Saturday, which allowed Jason to be the television color commentator for both World Superbike races on Sunday.

Saturday’s Repsol Superstock Final – 8th Place
Jason qualified ninth and finished eighth in the Superstock final, after getting very little track time on his GSX-R1000. “Our A bike wouldn’t start this morning,” said Pridmore. “I did four laps on the B bike before I realized that the shock was seized, so we came in and it was done. I got one lap on the A bike after they fixed it, that’s when the session got red-flagged. My crew swapped everything, right there on pit road, forks, shock, everything, trying to get ready before they went green again. But then they cancelled the rest of the session. The race didn’t go so bad, we were just short on set-up and did the best we could.”

Saturday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final – 7th Place Jason finished seventh in the Formula Xtreme final, after a race-long battle with Doug Chandler, Alex Gobert and Vincent Haskovec in both segements of the red-flagged event. “I got good starts,” said Jason. “I was holding off Chandler. Personally, I don’t feel there was any need for a red flag. I’ve seen a lot worse situations on the track than what there was out there for them to red flag it. No excuses, I finished seventh in the second leg. This weekend we got two finishes, my guys did an awesome job, just trying to finish the year.”