Updated Post: Duhamel Grabs Provisional AMA Superbike Pole With New Lap Record At Road America

Updated Post: Duhamel Grabs Provisional AMA Superbike Pole With New Lap Record At Road America

© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel took the provisional pole position during qualifying Friday for the AMA Superbike double-header at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding a Dunlop-qualifier-fitted CBR1000RR Superbike, Duhamel turned a 2:13.976 to eclipse the one-year-old lap record of Mat Mladin (2:15.159) by some margin.

“The bike’s working really good, and obviously, I’m going to try and make it better tomorrow,” Duhamel told reporters. “I’m hoping it’ll (lap time) stand. I’m hoping I don’t have to go out there and go harder. I know I can go faster. The CBR1000RR is working great, and I’m feeling terrific. I know I can go a little bit faster, but it doesn’t always go your way sometimes. So that would be great if that lap time could stand. I only used one qualifier, so we have two left for tomorrow.

“I’m really stoked. The bike’s working great with race tires and, obviously, with qualifiers. All year, all of the hard work the Honda guys have been doing, we’ve been able to narrow the window and come out of the truck ready to go quicker.”

Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke started the qualifying session late, spent most of the period riding his CBR1000RR into and out of the pit lane to make changes and didn’t turn his first flying lap until approximately 28 minutes into the 40-minute session. Zemke was fast, however, eventually turning the second-fastest time, a 2:14.320, after only a handful of laps on a bike he wasn’t completely happy with.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin turned the third-fastest lap time (2:15.364) in spite of having the 13th-fastest bike through the AMA’s speed trap at the start/finish line – his 174.615 mph reading nearly seven mph down to Zemke’s 181.448 mph. In fact, Suzuki privateers Andy Deatherage (176.610 mph), Lee Acree (175.349 mph) and Chris “Opie” Caylor (174.615 mph) recorded faster trap speeds Friday afternoon than Mladin, according to AMA Pro Racing.

Eric Bostrom claimed the final spot on the provisional Superbike front row with a time of 2:15.990 on his Michelin-shod Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin 999.

Friday’s Provisional AMA Superbike Qualifying Results:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:13.976
2. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:14.320
3. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:15.364
4. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 999F04, 2:15.990
5. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2:16.079
6. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:16.273
7. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:16.726
8. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:17.710
9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:18.560
10. Steve Crevier, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:18.688
11. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:18.949
12. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:18.949
13. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:19.018
14. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:19.530
15. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:19.725
16. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:20.200
17. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:20.758
18. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:20.812
19. John Jacobi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:22.246
20. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:22.431
21. Dave Ebben, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:22.579
22. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:22.910
23. David Weber, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:23.011
24. Roger Bell, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:23.043
25. David Bell, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:23.503
26. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:23.828
27. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:24.289
28. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:24.461
29. Reuben Frankenfield, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:24.606
30. Scott Jensen, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:24.617
31. Chris Voelker, Ducati 999R, 2:24.697
32. Jack Pfeifer, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:24.853
33. Brian Boyd, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:25.920
34. Kevin Hanson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:26.139
35. Lenny Beckman, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:26.387
36. Jason Curtis, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:26.591
37. Jeremiah Johnson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:26.879
38. Paul Ducato, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:26.992
39. A.J. Ammann, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:27.136
40. James Kerker, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:27.388
41. Corey Sarros, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:27.409
42. Matt Drucker, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:27.619
43. Kevin Lehman, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:28.431
44. Greg Fryer, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:28.822
45. Darby Brauning, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:32.721

AMA Superbike Trap Speeds (measured at start/finish, as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing and scoring):

1. Jake Zemke, Honda, 181.45 mph
2. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 180.39 mph
3. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, 180.18 mph
4. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, 178.47 mph
5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 178.00 mph
6. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki, 176.61 mph
7.
Jeremiah Johnson, Suzuki, 175.83 mph
8.
Steve Crevier, Suzuki, 175.75 mph
9. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 175.35 mph
10. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, 174.94 mph
11. Chris Caylor, Suzuki, 174.871 mph
12. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, 174.83 mph
13. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 174.615 mph
14. Ben Bostrom, Honda, 174.58 mph
15. TIE, Larry Pegram, Yamaha/Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 174.00 mph
17. Geoff May, Suzuki, 173.31 mph
18. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha, 172.84 mph
19. Roger Bell, Suzuki, 172.41 mph
20. TIE, David Bell, Suzuki/Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 172.09 mph


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin:

MLADIN THIRD FASTEST AT ROAD AMERICA

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA (Friday, 4 June) – A top speed deficit may prove to be the telling factor at this weekend’s double header round of the 2004 American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, as defending series champion and current points leader Mat Mladin found himself 1.388-seconds off the fastest time recorded during today’s opening qualifying session at Road America, Wisconsin.

Mladin’s best time of 2:15.364 was the third fastest time recorded in the first of the weekend’s two scheduled Superbike qualifying sessions and leaves the four-times American Superbike champion chasing a sizable gap to his main championship rivals Miguel DuHamel and Jake Zemke, who posted the top two times of the session with a 2:13.976 and 2:14.320 respectively.

The noticeable factor during the session was that Mladin was only able to post the tenth fastest speed trap time aboard his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 as measured by AMA race officials. Taken at the start/finish line, Mladin’s fastest speed was measured at 174.6 mph, leaving him 6.8 mph down on Zemke’s fastest of 181.4 mph.

Mladin attributes to the difference in top speed to the rule changes that were imposed for the 2004 season, that left his Yoshimura Suzuki approximately 10 – 12hp down on last years championship winning machine.

“We knew before we arrived here that we were going to struggle with speed, said Mladin. “I suppose the other thing that you have to take into account with the trap times is that a lot of those were set when someone had drafted by another rider, the reality for us is that on average when we were out there on our own with no draft, we were almost 10 mph down on the fast guys.”

“You can’t beat speed or horsepower, especially around a track like this as far as lap times go, but the races could turn out to be a totally different story. The problem that we have with this track is that we can’t make that time up in the corners because there are three fast straights where you hold top gear for a long time, so all we can do with that is see if we can hang in the draft.”

“Other than having that worry about top speed, our team just went through our normal routine, chasing the best set up we can achieve on race tyres and that’s our goal here. We’ve still got a lot to do tomorrow as we are still about half a second down on the best race time we did here last year, which was set on the last lap of that race where we won.”

With five wins from eight starts this season, Mladin heads into the first of the weekend’s two 16-lap Superbike nationals tomorrow holding a 19-point lead over Zemke, with DuHamel a further four points back in third. Qualifying concludes tomorrow morning, determining the grid positions for both races.

QUALIFYING, Rounds 9 & 10, 2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, Top 10 / Friday
1. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda) 2:13.976 mins
2. Jake Zemke (Erion Honda) 2:14.320
3. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 2:15.364
4. Eric Bostrom (Ducati Austin) 2:15.990
5. Josh Hayes (Attack Kawasaki) 2:16.079
6. Ben Bostrom (American Honda) 2:16.273
7. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki) 2:16.726
8. Jake Holden (Suzuki) 2:17.710
9. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 2:18.560
10. Steve Crevier (Suzuki) 2:18.688


2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship (Points after 8 of 18 rounds)
1. Mat Mladin (268, 5 wins); 2. Jake Zemke (249), 3. Miguel DuHamel (245, 2 wins), 4. Eric Bostrom (184, 1 win), 5. Geoff May (175); 6. Lee Acree (156), 7. John Haner (148), 8. Josh Hayes (136), 9. Ben Bostrom (131), 10. Cory West (122).


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

BOSTROM ON PROVISIONAL FRONT ROW AT ROAD AMERICA

Elkhart Lake (Wisconsin) – Friday June 4, 2004: Eric Bostrom qualified on the provisional front row for this weekend’s AMA Superbike races at Road America, setting a best lap time of 2:15.990 on the Ducati 999R. The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin rider finished fourth overall in the afternoon qualifying session, which took place in ideal weather conditions at the fabled 4.048-mile (6.51km) Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin track.

“The bike’s really fast. It’s so aerodynamic that it’s different than anything I’ve ridden,” said Bostrom, one of the quickest riders through the trap speed section. “Our time was set with a race tire since we weren’t able to take full advantage of our qualifier, but it looks like we’re going to be right there in the race. Looking at everyone else, our race tire times are close and I know we can get even faster.”

A former pole position and race winner at Elkhart Lake, Eric says Road America is one of the tracks he enjoys most on the AMA circuit. “This is one of my favorite tracks because it’s so fun to ride. The key to racing well here is staying with the lead pack, and then having enough to make your move at the end,” explained last year’s race two winner.

“It’s good to be provisionally on the front row,” commented Racing Manager Tom Bodenbach. “We’re right in there on the race tires and that’s good to see. Coming off our win at Pikes Peak, we’re hoping to do well again and I know the guys on the team will come up with something more to try tomorrow to make the bike even better for Eric.”

Final qualifying concludes Saturday morning with race 1 (100km – 16 laps) of the weekend doubleheader scheduled for the afternoon.

TIMES: 1. Duhamel (Honda) 2:13.976; 2. Zemke (Honda) 2:14.320; 3. Mladin (Suzuki) 2:15.364; 4. E. Bostrom (Ducati) 2:15.990; 5. Hayes (Kawasaki) 2:16.080; 6. B. Bostrom (Honda) 2:16.273; etc.

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