Updated Post: Duhamel Comes From Behind To Beat Zemke In AMA Superbike Race At Barber

Updated Post: Duhamel Comes From Behind To Beat Zemke In AMA Superbike Race At Barber

© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

America Honda’s Miguel Duhamel took his second win of the 2004 season Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in a very similar fashion as his first – he came from behind to beat Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke.

For Superbike rookie Zemke, it was the fourth time he has finished as runner-up (and his fifth podium appearance) in seven races.

Duhamel’s teammate Ben Bostrom held the early lead but was passed by Zemke not long after the start. Zemke then pulled away, while Bostrom dropped back.

Duhamel and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, who had both gotten bad starts and were outside the top 10 in the first corners, worked past Bostrom on lap 16 of 28 and began chasing Zemke.

Duhamel was able to get through traffic better than Zemke or Mladin and closed on the leader. The French-Canadian made his move with less than two laps to go, going up the inside of Zemke in the final corner, and held his advantage – with a little help from a backmarker – to the checkered flag.

Mladin faded slightly with bike troubles to finish third.

Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates got a strong start, ran off the track, held a conservative pace through the middle stages of the race and charged forward at the end to pass Bostrom for fourth.

Bostrom held on for fifth, well clear of early front-runner Josh Hayes, who held a good lead over Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom at the line.

Hooters Suzuki’s John Haner was third into the first corner, was slowly overtaken by the slow-starting factory riders but held eighth to the finish.

Top privateer Geoff May, who rode a Pirelli-equipped Suzuki GSX-R1000, finished ninth after a race-long battle with Jeremy Toye, who rode a Roadracingworld.com Yamaha YZF-R1 on Dunlops.

Provisional AMA Superbike Race Results:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 28 laps
2. Jake Zemke, Honda, -0.377 second
3. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -9.094 seconds
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -18.980 seconds
5. Ben Bostrom, Honda, -23.975 seconds
6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -31.659 seconds
7. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -36.645 seconds
8. John Haner, Suzuki, -75.247 seconds
9. Geoff May, Suzuki, -77.528 seconds
10. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha, -77.771 seconds
11. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, -1 lap
12. Mike Smith, Suzuki, -1 lap
13. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, -1 lap
14. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -1 lap
15. Chris Caylor, Suzuki, -1 lap
16. Cory West, Suzuki, -1 lap
17. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap
18. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, -1 lap
19. David Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap
20. Marco Martinez, Suzuki, -1 lap
21. Mark Ledesma, Honda, -1 lap
22. John Jacobi, Suzuki, -1 lap
23. Jack Pfeifer, Honda, -1 lap
24. Jason Curtis, Suzuki, -1 lap
25. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -1 lap
26. Lenny Beckman, Suzuki, -2 laps
27. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -2 laps
28. Kevin Hanson, Suzuki, -2 laps
29. Rick Narup, Suzuki, -2 laps
30. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -3 laps
31. Larry Pegram, Yamaha, -9 laps, DNF, mechanical
32. Jeremiah Johnson, Suzuki, -17 laps, DNF
33. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -18 laps, DNF
34. Scott Jensen, Honda, -28 laps, DNF, crash

Provisional AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 7 of 18 races):

1. Mladin, 243
2. Duhamel, 218
3. Zemke, 216
4. May, 154
5. Eric Bostrom, 147
6. Acree, 136
7. Haner, 132
8. Pegram, 117
9. Hayes, 112
10. West, 109
11. Ben Bostrom, 105
12. Wood, 102
13. TIE, Yates/Caylor, 85
15. Toye, 82
16. Bell, 81
17. Pfeifer, 78
18. Clint McBain, 76
19. Steve Crevier, 75
20. Roetlin, 70


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

MLADIN STILL ON TOP AFTER A VICTORY AND THIRD AT ALABAMA

Birmingham, Alabama, USA (Sunday, May 17) – Defending American Superbike champion Mat Mladin has maintained his position at the top of the 2004 American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship after his opening race victory yesterday was followed by a third place finish today at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

The weekend’s result leaves the four times American Superbike champion with a 25-point advantage over Miguel DuHamel (243 – 218) who took the win in today’s second Superbike national from fellow Honda rider Jake Zemke who lies third on the points table, two points further adrift.

After yesterday’s opening race win, Mladin and his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 were again the combination to beat in today’s 28-lap race, which was red flagged on the fourth lap and a complete restart ordered by officials. Starting from pole position, Mladin made a steady start, but was caught in the frantic action of the opening laps and was made to work hard in his efforts to rejoin the lead group of riders. Along with DuHamel, the pair worked their way forward, with Mladin moving into second place for the first time on lap 16. The pair continued their tussle right through to the flag, before DuHamel made his way past Zemke to take the race lead and eventual win with two laps to run, with Mladin maintaining third and the final place on the podium.

“It was a tough race out there for us today and I think it was one that got away from us,” said Mladin. “From the restart we had a problem with the bike and that made it difficult to maintain the speed I wanted to out there. I had a good battle with Miguel (DuHamel), but when it came time to move forward in the closing laps, the problem with the bike began to get worse and I had to ensure that I brought it home and score as many points as possible. We’ve extended our points lead very slightly here and not by as much as I would have liked. It’s still close and we still have a lot of work to do.”

Yesterday’s opening race win was Mladin’s 29th career AMA Superbike victory and fifth for the season, while the pole position he earned during qualifying was the 36th in his AMA career and third for the season.

Colorado’s Pikes Peak Raceway is the destination for the eighth round of the 2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship with the two-day event scheduled for this coming weekend, May 22 & 23.


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