Updated Post: Ben Bostrom Wins Restarted AMA Superbike Race At Laguna Seca

Updated Post: Ben Bostrom Wins Restarted AMA Superbike Race At Laguna Seca

© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

American Honda’s Ben Bostrom won the restarted AMA Superbike race at Laguna Seca.

Mat Mladin extended his series points lead by finishing second, with second-in-points Miguel Duhamel third, passing Aaron Yates for the position with two laps to go.

Mladin closed on Bostrom on the final lap but couldn’t get past.

1. Ben Bostrom, Honda
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -0.630 second
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -3.997 seconds
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -4.293
5. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -15.767
6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -20.474
7. Jake Zemke, Honda, -32.596
8. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -40.372
9. Larry Pegram, Yamaha, -50.833
10. Geoff May, Suzuki, -50.971
11. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha, -51.472
12. John Haner, Suzuki, -56.911
13. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -57.122
14. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 57.764
15. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -58.177
16. Chris Siglin, Yamaha
17. Lee Acree, Suzuki
18. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki
19. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha
20. Mark Lesdesma, Honda
21. Ken Hill, Suzuki
22. Marco Martinez, Suzuki
23. Ricky Orlando, Kawasaki
24. Scott Jensen, Honda
25. Opie Caylor, Suzuki
26. Tom Montano, Ducati
27. Brien Whitlock, Suzuki
28. Kim Nakashima, Suzuki
29. Corey Eaton, Suzuki
30. Rob Mesa, Suzuki
31. Dave Kunzelman, Suzuki
32. Garry Combs, Suzuki
33. Cory West, Suzuki, DNF, Crash
34. Jeff Tigert, Honda, DNF, Crash
35. David Bell, Suzuki, DNF, Crash
36. Jason Curtis, Suzuki, DNF, mechanical
37. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, Crash
38. Jack Pfeifer, Honda, Crash


Provisional AMA Superbike Point Standings:

1. Mladin, 391 points
2. Duhamel, 381 points
3. Zemke, 372 points
4. Eric Bostrom, 288 points
5. May, 262 points
6. Ben Bostrom, 247 points
7. Haner, 219 points
8. Yates, 216 points
9. wood, 199 points
10. Hayes, 186 points


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

MLADIN EXTENDS AMERICAN SUPERBIKE POINTS LEAD AFTER SECOND PLACE FINISH AT LAGUNA SECA

Monterey, California, USA (Sunday, July 11) – An action packed twelfth round of the American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship has seen Australian Mat Mladin extend his standing at the top of the series after finishing second in today’s round.

The result could have been one better for the four times and defending series champion if not for an incident midway through the 28-lap Superbike National which resulted in officials stopping the race as the field was on lap seventeen and Mladin holding the race lead.

Fourth from the restart, Mladin worked his way up to second and with two laps to run made a bold challenge to race leader Ben Bostrom, trimming a second out of the margin, but the charge went unrewarded as he trailed Bostrom across the finish line by 0.630 of a second.

The points that he earned for second, along with the additional point for leading the most number of laps during the race has allowed Mladin to extend his lead in the championship to ten, from Miguel DuHamel (391 – 381) who passed Mladin’s Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Aaron Yates with two laps to run to claim the final podium position, 3.3 seconds in arrears to Mladin. Jake Zemke (372) continues to hold third place on the point’s table, but with an increased margin after finishing seventh today.

Starting from the front row of the grid after recording the third fastest time during yesterday’s qualifying session, Mladin was determined to make the most of today’s race and take out as much of an advantage over his rivals DuHamel and Zemke as possible. The morning’s free practice session showed that Mladin was the fastest rider on the circuit in race set up.

“The red flag didn’t do us any favours that’s for sure, as the bike was starting to feel good at that stage of the race and I felt like we could really get going,” said Mladin. “You can’t be upset about the red flag though. A guy crashed and there was fluid on the track, so they did the right thing in stopping the race and clearing it up.”

“The bike felt very good and I was feeling very confident. It’s the best bike I’ve had around here with the way it works over a longer period of time.”

“I got off the line a little slower in the restart as I didn’t want to damage the clutch and just make sure that we got away. From there, I got held up a little behind Miguel and then Aaron and by the time I got past them Ben got a little bit of a gap, we closed that down a little, but just needed a few more laps. That was OK though as it was nice to get some extra points on Miguel in the championship.”

The American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship heads to the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course for round thirteen of the championship on the weekend of July 24 – 25. Mladin, along with a number of the other leading teams in the series tested at the circuit less than two weeks ago, with Mladin posting the fastest time of the two day test.


More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:

BOSTROM GAINS VALUABLE POINTS AT LAGUNA SECA

Monterey (California) – July 11, 2004: Eric Bostrom gained valuable points at Laguna Seca Raceway with a fifth place finish aboard his Ducati 999R to maintain his fourth overall standing in the AMA Superbike series.

After a weekend marked by lack of track time for the 27-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada, Bostrom struggled to find a comfortable set-up for the technical track.

“The track time this weekend was real short,” said the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin rider. “Having never tested here I never really got quite comfortable. I qualified poorly but this morning we were quick again and the times were competitive. I thought that if we could run those times in the morning we’d be able to go out there and run mid to low 26s in the race and we’d be right there, but it didn’t happen. I was out there pushing hard into the corners but the lap times never came.”

The race was red-flagged just past half distance due to a crash.

“We put a new rear tire on after the red flag and we ran a bit quicker but not nearly as fast as we did this morning. It wasn’t where we needed to be, but it was better,” added the 27-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada.

“We really did suffer from not having enough testing time here,” explained Tom Bodenbach. “We’re still learning a lot and although we would’ve preferred a better finish, we’re still glad to get the points. Now it’s time to focus on the next round.”

Mid-Ohio hosts round 9 (races 13 and 14) of the AMA Superbike Championship at Lexington, Ohio on July 23-25.


RACE: 1. B Bostrom (Honda); 2. Mladin (Suzuki); 3. Duhamel (Honda); 4. Yates (Suzuki); 5. E Bostrom (Ducati); 6. Hayes (Kawasaki); etc.

POINTS: 1. Mladin 391; 2. Duhamel 381; 3. Zemke 372; 4. E Bostrom 288; 5. May 262; 6. B Bostrom 247; etc.

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