From a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:

BOSTROM LOOKING FORWARD TO “HOME” ROUND AT INFINEON RACEWAY
Having scored Ducati’s first podiums of the season with two strong second-place finishes at California Speedway, Eric Bostrom is set to do battle in round 3 of the AMA Superbike Championship at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, just 40 miles north of Eric’s birthplace of San Francisco.

Although the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team has never tested the Ducati 999 at Infineon Raceway, they remain positive that the extensive work they’ve done to date with Michelin will bring them positive results. Eric’s experience on his “home” track should also help facilitate getting the 999 set up during its maiden practice and qualifying sessions at Infineon on Friday.

“I’m looking forward to riding the Ducati at Infineon,” said an enthusiastic Bostrom. “Not only is the track a lot of fun to ride, but the folks at the track have shown a level of commitment to the riders that’s really quite impressive. Plus, my brother and I grew up nearby so we normally have a large contingent of friends, family, and supporters there that we always look forward to seeing. I know that there are also a large number of Ducati owners and fans in the area as well, so I’m looking forward to giving them something to cheer about.”

“It’s always good to go into a circuit where the rider really likes the track since it’s such a positive starting point,” explained Racing Manager Tom Bodenbach. “We’re hoping to build on our good results from Fontana at Infineon. We’ll really benefit from having Ernesto Marinelli come over from Ducati Corse in Italy to help out. He’s the Team Ducati Fila Technical Director – Eric works great with him. Our goal this weekend is to cut into the points lead in the series.”

The first of the two 28-lap (100k) races takes place on Saturday, with the second race of the double-header to be featured on Sunday.

The Circuit
Originally named Sears Point Raceway when constructed in 1968 and renamed in 2002 as part of a 10-year strategic partnership with Infineon Technologies, the 12-turn, 2.22 mile (3.57km) circuit sits on 1,600 acres in Sonoma, California. A recent $65 million upgrade to the raceway included significant safety improvements for motorcycle racers. Several top AMA racers, including Eric Bostrom, were consulted for their input before the changes were implemented.

The tight and twisty circuit features mostly right hand corners, with exciting elevation changes and varying degrees of negative and positive camber. Nearly the entire track was repaved in August 2003, including turns 1-3, 6-8 and 11. The track’s layout favors an overall balanced bike set-up over top speed capabilities.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HIGBEE AND ESLICK READY FOR INFINEON

Millennium Technologies Suzuki riders Shawn Higbee and Danny Eslick return to sunny California for round three of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma this weekend, April 30-May 2.

Higbee is healed from his crashes at California Speedway four weeks ago, and is looking forward to Infineon. “I like the track, and I understand that they’ve made quite a few changes since last year,” said Higbee. “We made a lot of progress on my bikes at Fontana, so I think they’ll be good at Infineon. The crashes at Fontana were unfortunate, but we’ll bounce back this weekend.” Shawn is currently tied for 10th place with Jason Pridmore in Repsol Superstock points.

Eslick has spent the last month riding his Suzuki DR-Z400 as much as possible, while also bicycling and going to the gym. “Me and A.J. have been riding at a go-kart track a lot on our DR-Zs, it’s a blast,” said Danny. “We just put street tires on the stock ,wheels and go have at it. I can’t wait for Sears Point, I had a pretty good race there last year, it was my first time there.” Eslick is currently 12th in Pro Honda Oils Supersport points after two events, and 15th in Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme after his first event in the class at California Speedway.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HEATH SMALL BACK TO 100 PERCENT FOR INFINEON

After re-injuring his shoulder at California Speedway a month ago, HAS/Shogun Racing rider Heath Small deems himself 100% fit for round three of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA this weekend, April 30-May 2. Heath again plans to compete in both the Pro Honda Oils Supersport and Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme classes on his Yamaha R6s.

“My shoulder is totally healed,” said Heath, who originally dislocated the shoulder at Daytona in March. “We’ve had a little bad luck at the first two events, but we’re expecting a good result at Infineon. I enjoyed the track last year, my first time there, and I guess they’ve made some good changes to it since then.”

Team owner Lance Small says the team has made changes to the power output on the team’s Formula Xtreme machine. “We’ve tamed the motor down a bit,” said Lance. “It still makes really good horsepower, but we’ve smoothed the powerband out. It should be easier for Heath to ride.”