Mladin Completes Superbike Doubleheader Sweep at Infineon Raceway SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin completed the doubleheader sweep on Sunday at Infineon Raceway with a victory in the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Supercuts. Mladin, as was the case in Saturday’s Superbike main event, led wire-to-wire in the 28-lap feature, taking the checkered flag 13 seconds ahead of teammate Ben Spies. It was Mladin’s sixth victory in seven Superbike main events this year as he lengthened his Superbike points lead over second-place Spies (227-211). “The GSX-R1000 performed great again today,” Mladin said. “We came up with something different with the Dunlop tires last night and it worked today.” Mladin was never challenged, building a comfortable lead by the end of the first lap over teammate Aaron Yates. His lead increased to nearly eight seconds by lap nine. The Superbike victory was his sixth at Infineon Raceway, setting an all-time record. The doubleheader sweep also completed a perfect weekend for Mladin, who set the track record in provisional qualifying on Friday (1 minute, 36.019 seconds). “We just kept pushing all the way through the end,” Mladin said. “Towards the end I just put my head down and we were able to reach the same lap times we ran yesterday. It was a good race and we’re really happy with the points.” It was a banner day for Yoshimura Suzuki overall as it swept the top three spots with Spies and Yates (third). Yoshimura Suzuki has won five of the last six Superbike features at Infineon Raceway dating back to 2003. Tommy Hayden reclaimed the points lead in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport class with a victory in the 17-lap feature. It was Hayden’s second Supersport win of the year and the 13th of his career, tying him for second place for the all-time AMA record. Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) was second with Yamaha teammate Jamie Hacking third. “It was a battle the whole way,” Hayden said. “Those guys (Disalvo and Hacking) were pushing me really hard. I just did what I could do.” Hayden tops the standings after four events with 141 points. He is followed by Hacking (136) and Disalvo (115). Yates rebounded from his second-place effort in Superbike to take the victory in the 17-lap feature for Repsol Lubricants Superstock. It was his first win of the season in the series, and the second Superstock victory of his career at Infineon Raceway. Hacking (Yamaha) was second with Disalvo (Yamaha) third. Disalvo leads the standings with 126 points and is followed by Yates (121) and Hacking (120) after four events. Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown SONOMA, Calif. (May 15, 2005) Sunday results for Round Seven of the 17-race AMA Superbike Championship on the 2.22-mile Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., with rider, type of motorcycle, laps completed and winner’s average speed: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 28, (85.7 mph) 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 28. 3. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 28. 4. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR1000RR, 28. 5. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999R, 28. 6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR1000RR, 28. 7. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 999R, 28. 8. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 28. 9. Marty Craggill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 28. 10. Larry Pegram, Honda CBR1000RR, 28. 11. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 12. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 13. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 14. Scott Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 15. Cory West, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 16. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 17. Jeffrey Tigert, Honda CBR1000RR, 27. 18. Jeremy Toye, Honda CBR1000RR, 27. 19. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 20. Kevin Lacombe, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 21. David Stanton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 22. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 23. Cory Call, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 27. 24. Alan Schmidt, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 25. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 27. 26. James Kerker, Honda CBR1000RR, 27. 27. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 26. 28. James King, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 26. 29. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha YZF-R1, 22. 30. Eric Gulbransen, Ducati 999R, 10. 31. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 10. 32. David Bell, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 4. 33. Jacob Holden, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 4. 34. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 35. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 36. Kurtis Roberts, Honda CBR1000RR, DNS. 37. Brent George, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 38. Mark Miller, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 39. Reno Karimian, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 40. Michael Earnest, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 41. Matt Lynn, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 42. Harley Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 43. Tony Meiring, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 44. Brien Whitlock, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. Time of race: 45:27.3 min. Margin of victory: 13.024 secs. Cautions: None. Lap leaders: Mladin, 28. Repsol Lubricants Superstock SONOMA, Calif. (May 15, 2005) Sunday results for the Repsol Lubricants Superstock race on the 2.22-mile Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., with rider, type of motorcycle, laps completed and winner’s average speed: 1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17, (84.711 mph). 2. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 17. 3. Jason Disalvo, Yamaha YZF-R1, 17. 4. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 17. 6. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 17. 7. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 17. 8. Jacob Holden, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 9. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 10. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 17. 11. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 12. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 13. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 14. Brent George, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 15. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 16. Blake Young, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 17. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 18. Cory Call, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 17. 19. Mark Miller, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 20. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 21. Corey Eaton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 22. Eli Edwards, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 23. John Wilson, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 17. 24. Martin Szwarc, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 17. 25. Corey Sarros, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 16. 26. Lance Williams, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 16. 27. Montez Stewart, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 16. 28. Skye Girard, Yamaha YZF-R1, 16. 29. Christopher Ancien, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 16. 30. Steven Weir, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 16. 31. Reno Karimian, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 16. 32. Peter Doyle, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 16. 33. Sean Wray, Yamaha YZF-R1, 16. 34. Brad Puetz, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 16. 35. Thomas Montano, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 10. 36. Brien Whitlock, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 10. 37. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha YZF-R1, 9. 38. Mark Simon, Yamaha YZF-R1, 6. 39. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. 40. James King, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNS. Time of race: 27:56.09 min. Margin of victory: 0.448 secs. Cautions: None. Lap leaders: Disalvo, 12, Yates, 3, Hacking, 2. Pro Honda Oils Supersport SONOMA, Calif. (May 15, 2005) Sunday results for the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei race on the 2.22-mile Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., with rider, type of motorcycle, laps completed and winner’s average speed: 1. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 17, (84.2 mph). 2. Jason Disalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 17. 3. Jamie A Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R6, 17. 4. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 17. 5. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R600X, 17. 6. Damon S Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 17. 7. Ben Attard, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 17. 8. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R600, 17. 9. Chris Peris, Yamaha YZF-R6, 17. 10. Danny C Eslick, Suzuki GSX-R600, 17. 11. Nicky Moore, Yamaha YZF-R6, 17. 12. Robert Jensen, Yamaha YZF-R6, 17. 13. Chris Siglin, Suzuki GSX-R600, 17. 14. Blake R Young, Suzuki GSX-R600, 17. 15. Barrett Long, Yamaha YZF-R6, 17. 16. Grant Riggs, Yamaha YZF-R6, 17. 17. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 16. 18. Nathan Hester, Yamaha YZF-R6, 16. 19. Armando Ferrer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 16. 20. Tristan Schoenewald, Honda CBR600RR, 16. 21. Chad Rolland, Yamaha YZF-R6, 16. 22. Berto Wooldridge, Suzuki GSX-R600X, 16. 23. Justin L Filice, Honda CBR600RR, 16. 24. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha YZF-R6, 16. 25. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha YZF-R6, 16. 26. Eric Bateman, Yamaha YZF-R6, 16. 27. Ryan Teixeira, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 16. 28. Chris L Siebenhaar, Honda CBR600RR, 16. 29. Shaun M Summers, Yamaha YZF-R6, 16. 30. Mark Degross, Honda CBR600RR, 16. 31. Tamer Kekhia, Yamaha YZF-R6, 16. 32. Matthew B Weathers, Honda CBR600RR, 16. 33. Kenan M Rappuchi, Suzuki GSX-R600, 16. 34. Anthony T Manciu, Suzuki GSX-R600X, 16. 35. Andy Carman, Yamaha YZF-R6, 9. 36. Shea Fouchek, Suzuki GSX-R600, 6. 37. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, DNF. Time of race: 28:07.180 min. Margin of victory: 0.413 secs. Cautions: None. Lap leaders: T. Hayden, 13, Disalvo, 4. More, from a press release issued by Vreeke & Associates on behalf of Dunlop: Dunlop Race Report: Round 4 of the AMA Superbike Series Sonoma, CA – Infineon Raceway delivered a big serving of northern California at its finest as green rolling hills and sunny, breezy weather welcomed all in attendance on the first days of Round 4 of the AMA Superbike series. Yoshimura Suzuki rider Mat Mladin dominated the Superbike action all weekend with two wins to regain the series points lead over teammate Ben Spies, 227 to 211. The two Honda Racing riders, Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke, wowed the crowd with another spate of action-packed, multiple-pass racing in Formula Xtreme with Zemke eking out the victory in a red-flag-shortened race. The excitement carried over to Sunday when Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden earned a tough victory in the Supersport category, while Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates claimed the victory in an incredibly hard-fought rain-delayed Superstock race. Once again, Dunlop riders enjoyed a most rewarding weekend as they claimed 15 of the 15 podium spots up for grabs. The big yellow and black Dunlop transporter brought more than 1540 tires to equip the factory teams and support riders, and this vast assortment of rubber was put to good use over the hilly, 12-turn 2.22-mile course. Thanks to a plentitude of left and right turns, the Infineon course heats both sides of the tires evenly, and the surface is not unduly abrasive for racing tires, no matter which compound a rider may prefer. Ever since Infineon Raceway kicked off a $60 million modernization plan in 2001, track officials have maintained an aggressive schedule of track improvements. To complement prior changes, within the past year Infineon Raceway paved two more portions of the track, specifically at the exit of the Carousel (Turn 6) and the runoff area beyond Turn 9a. In addition, three light poles situated at the exit of the Carousel have been moved back 40 feet for rider safety. As a result, Infineon Raceway, which already carries a long-standing reputation for being a rider’s track, is now a markedly better stop for racers and spectators alike. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin said, “There is no better challenge for a rider than at Infineon. It’s got elevation changes, tight corners and a number of other challenges. I love it.” Team Yamaha pilot Jamie Hacking seconded that notion. “The one thing we see at Infineon that we don’t see anywhere else is the demanding nature of the track. It’s a good thing that it is so difficult to ride, and it’s not just physical; it’s as tough mentally as it is physically. There is nowhere to rest on the track, but it’s become so much more rider friendly in the last few years that we’re not afraid to take risks.” Meanwhile, Englishman Neil Hodgson, a veteran of the World Superbike and MotoGP wars but a newcomer to AMA Superbike racing courtesy of Ducati Austin said, “I’ve only been on the track once (testing in March) but it’s one of my top 10 tracks in the world. It has all the characteristics you want in a track. It’s the ultimate test for a rider. You just don’t realize how tough the track is until you ride it.” By the time the Superbikes gridded for their first race late Saturday afternoon, the gentle breezes from the west had intensified considerably, with a stout headwind shooting down the front straight, setting the track’s big American flag to popping in the wind. As the track went green, Mat Mladin jumped to the fore from his pole position aboard his GSX-R1000, and almost immediately seized a lead of about six bike lengths. The Yoshimura Suzuki rider proceeded to stretch his advantage to 2.4 seconds by the end of only the first 2.22-mile trip around the Infineon circuit, and then he grew that gap to a full 5.0 seconds on the second lap before a rider went down in the ultra-tight Turn 11, bringing a halt to the race. Because only two laps had expired, the contest got underway a second time under a full restart, with all riders facing the full 28-lap race distance. Once again Mat Mladin launched his Number 1 Suzuki to the front of the pack, with Neil Hodgson trailing close behind aboard his Ducati 999R, then a pack of four riders hot on his heels: Ducati teammate Eric Bostrom, and Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke aboard their Team Honda CBR1000RRs. Yoshimura Suzuki veteran Aaron Yates soon joined that dogfight, and an entertaining battle raged on for the first half of the race. By this point Mladin had simply disappeared from sight, building a 10-second lead. Eventually, the Honda duet faded, as did Bostrom, while Yates pressed Hodgson harder and harder. On lap 23 Yates finally made the pass to relegate Hodgson to third, and when the checkers fell, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies and Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes filled out the top five spots. In post-race interviews, the top three riders all lent insight into their performances. Mat Mladin said, “The bike felt pretty good most of the race. About eight laps to go, it started getting a little greasy out there. That was the whole reason to get in the lead at the beginning of the race. It’s good to get the points lead again, and hopefully we can improve on that tomorrow.” His Yosh teammate Aaron Yates explained, “I got a pretty lousy start. I was trying to be careful after that red flag with the clutch. I was way back and I did what I could to get by folks. I was able to pick them off one by one, and by the time I got by Eric (Bostrom), I could run my own lines.” Hodgson capped things. “There’s not a lot to say, really. Aaron got by me and it was just a matter of me trying to keep up with him. The last five laps were a good last five laps of me trying to hang on to see if there was anything I could do. But there wasn’t, and that was that.” The Superbike restart delayed the launch of the subsequent Formula Xtreme race by 45 minutes, but there was still plenty of daylight remaining for the last event of the day. Team Honda’s Miguel Duhamel took the holeshot aboard his factory Honda CBR600RR, followed by M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Vince Haskovec and Honda teammate Jake Zemke. These three riders soon gapped the rest of the field, and then the three became two as the Honda duo pulled away. The crowd then enjoyed a fantastic display of precision racing as the two Honda riders passed, re-passed, then passed one another time and time again, lap after lap. The two Honda teammates rode side-by-side or crisscrossed racing lines repeatedly as each man struggled to find the tiniest advantage. Their epic battle gave them a cushion of about 7 seconds over the trailing riders, but behind them, Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard had caught and passed Haskovec. That battle, however, was far from over as Haskovec continued to stalk Attard and his Kawasaki ZX-6RR. Unfortunately, on lap 10 Haskovec crashed heavily in Turn 5, and the helicopter on site was summoned to airlift him out. With the track shut down and light fading, the race was called, as the 9 of 17 laps completed just exceeded the 50 percent mark. As of press time, Haskovec was reported to be in stable condition, awake and alert in ICU with a punctured lung, broken ribs, broken clavicle and a back injury. After the race, when questioned about the incredibly tight racing, Jake Zemke said, “Miguel and I have gotten to race quite a bit the last couple years now, and I have a ton of respect for Miguel. It’s always a good race with him and it’s always clean. We have these great battles and it’s always safe. It’s fun racing with Miguel, it really is. I really trust him, and hopefully he feels the same way about me.” To which Duhamel replied, “When Jake passed me in the esses, he actually touched me and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s really tight!’ You need to have a lot of trust to be able to run that close together.” The series points standings now see Zemke in the lead with 142, while Duhamel trails close behind with 135. Overcast skies brought cooler temperatures and uncertain racing conditions on Sunday, but the Supersport race got away on schedule and oh, what a race it was. The top three qualifiers, Tommy Hayden aboard a factory Kawasaki ZX-6RR, and two Graves Motorsports Yamaha riders, Jason DiSalvo and Jamie Hacking on YZF-R6s, engaged in a race-long dual that didn’t play out until the last corner of the last lap. DiSalvo stole the start from pole sitter Hayden, who was closely followed by Hacking. On lap 5, Hayden took over the lead, but the top three riders stayed tied together in one swarming knot. DiSalvo made a pass on Hayden the next lap, but Tommy promptly made the re-pass. For the next 11 laps, the same three riders maintained the freight train, with about a half-second spread between the trio virtually the entire time. DiSalvo kept pressuring the Number 1 Kawasaki rider to the point that Tommy made an error, slicing through the dirt and across the apex of one corner to bring echoes of motocross racing back to the hallowed hills of Sears Point. However, the Team Kawasaki rider maintained his poise and kept the lead. At the close of the last lap, it appeared backmarkers might affect the course of the race. But Hayden never missed a beat as he led DiSalvo and Hacking to the finish line in that order, followed by Roger Hayden on a factory Kawasaki and Team Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert. Following the frantic action, Tommy Hayden said, “I was trying not to make any mistakes. I definitely knew he (DiSalvo) was there and I knew Jamie was right there too. I was just trying to stay focused. It was a battle the whole way. Those guys were pushing me really hard; I just did what I could.” DiSalvo said, “I was back there just watching Tommy and he was running a really strong pace. There was just nothing I could do.” In a similar vein, Hacking said, “I just sat behind those guys and was just cruising. I was just hoping for a mistake out of both of them, and they did””but I wasn’t able to capitalize on it.” The top three Supersport points winners now read: Tommy Hayden 141; Jamie Hacking 136; Jason DiSalvo 115. Rain sprinkles postponed the Superstock race until the end of the day, but the weather didn’t delay the 3:00 pm launch of the Superbike race. Once again, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin rocketed into the lead from his pole position, and once again, he put his head down and simply disappeared from the rest of the field by running lap times in the 1:36 range, a pace no one else could match. After gaining about a full second per lap, Mladin eased his pace a touch, topping out with a 13.5-second lead at one point. His two Yoshimura Suzuki teammates, Aaron Yates and Ben Spies, had a wrestling match going for much of the race as Yates initially claimed second place, then gave way to Spies in the middle of the race only to reclaim the runner-up spot for good. As the checkered flag fell, Team Honda’s Jake Zemke trailed Spies to the finish, followed by Neil Hodgson, Miguel Duhamel, Eric Bostrom, and Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes. Mladin’s masterful performance marked his 38th career Superbike victory, a continuing AMA record. It was also his sixth victory in seven Superbike races this year, and his weekend’s work puts him firmly in grasp of the points lead with 227 points. Mladin summed up his Infineon experience by saying, “It was a good day for us. The GSX-R1000 performed great again today. We came up with something different with the Dunlop tires last night, and it worked today. It was a bit fun there at the end, for sure.” Although the rain relegated the Superstock race to the end of the day, a whole contingent of riders made sure it would be the best race of the entire weekend. In fact, it was the best race of the still-young 2005 season, and many veteran onlookers could not recall the last time a race gave more surprises and thrills. Much of the drama came from Graves Motorsports Yamaha rider Jason DiSalvo, who snared the holeshot on his YZF-R1, and Yoshimura Suzuki teamster Aaron Yates, who trailed close behind on a GSX-R1000. Yates kept pressing and began to challenge for the lead, but by lap 5 he was joined by Graves Yamaha-mounted Jamie Hacking, who promptly commandeered second place. While those three riders battled for the lead, Jordan Suzuki rider Steve Rapp held a comfortable forth-place position, but a full-on war raged on behind him as Team Kawasaki riders Roger Hayden and Tommy Hayden, plus Jacob Holden and Graves Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert battled for fifth place. Back at the front, in the closing laps the racing rose to new levels of intensity. On lap 14, in Turn 9 Yates pinched down on DiSalvo and tried to occupy the same space, and the two came together””hard. Both riders stood their bikes upright, which sent them into the dirt right before the apex of the turn, and they both re-entered the track without going down, which handed the lead over to Hacking. Yates immediately gave heated chase, but DiSalvo slowly fell behind. With seeming superhuman concentration, Yates never missed a beat and pressured Hacking mercilessly until the Yamaha rider bobbled in a turn and let Yates slip by. That one slip was all the edge Yates needed to win the race, as Hacking, DiSalvo, Rapp, Tommy Hayden, Aaron Gobert and Roger Hayden rounded out the top finishers. The day’s events left Jason DiSalvo in the Superstock points lead with 126, followed by Yates with 121 and Hacking with 120. After the race, Aaron Yates said, “I’d say it was an exciting race! It was an exciting race and lots of fun. These guys had me working all weekend to figure out what I’m going to do to get up to speed. There’s only a couple of places to pass here. I was just feeing real comfortable at the end there.” Jamie Hacking said, “My race was a pretty ugly race, actually. We were swapping back and forth all weekend with setup. All weekend long we’ve been chasing things around. I ran them down and I was feeling good; it was a very interesting race, for sure.” When asked about the contact he had with Yates, Jason DiSalvo said, “It’s a tough race track to ride around. We were moving pretty good and I got up next to Aaron, and I think he looked over at me and I looked over at him. Around this track at that pace, it was bound to happen.” Next stop for Dunlop and the AMA Superbike road racing tour will be at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado, May 21-22. Round 5 features a solo race for the Superbike series. More, from a press release issued on behalf of Hotbodies Racing Honda: Race Report: Superbike Double-Header at Infineon Raceway, California Pegram Moves Into Top Ten in Points Larry Pegram #72 Larry Pegram qualified his HRC-kitted Honda CBR1000RR on the third row in 12th place for the Superbike races at Infineon Raceway, and finished each race in the top ten. Pegram said, “We’re continuing to improve and now we’re just on the wrong side of half a second. Having more time on the bike has helped us a lot. The first few races have been the testing for us so we’ve been playing catch up with the factory teams. We’ve shown now that we’re getting closer so I’m happy with our progress. I’m happy with how it’s going. In qualifying I just made some mistakes on my fastest lap.” In Race One, Pegram finished eighth on his Hotbodies Racing Honda. “We were just kind of plugging away. The bike worked good everything went well.” Race Two saw Pegram finish tenth. “I was in a fight for position the whole race, running ninth. I was passed at the finish line.” Pegram is now tenth in Superbike points.” Not Crashing is Good! Jeremy Toye #57 Jeremy Toye qualified in 22nd place on his HRC-kitted Honda CBR1000RR for the Superbike double-header. Toye said, “Qualifying was pretty uneventful, for all things considered. I usually ride badly at this track, so I’m happy I made it onto the grid.” In Race One Toye moved up to finish 16th. “It was a full on battle for the whole race. I had some fun, I think. I legitimately crash 17 times in that race, but I never hit the ground. I lost the front, I was tossed off the bike and broke off the brake lever, I missed a shift and smashed my unit, causing me to see stars and hyperventilate. I considered coming in but since I hadn’t actually crashed I kept at it. The end turned out good because I was catching a bunch guys.” In Race Two Toye ran faster laps on his Hotbodies Racing Honda, had less of an adventure, yet finished 18th. “We made some changes to the bike before Race Two and overall we were faster. Any change to the front would have been good. We set faster laps times too but didn’t do as well. We finished the race, which is better than we’ve done many times this year, so we improved. The only problem is, I don’t have a rental car here to take it out on.” Metaphorically speaking, of course. Justin Filice # Hotbodies Racing Honda rider Justin Filice qualified 24th in Formula Xtreme, and pushed forward during the red flag-shortened race to finish 18th, moving into 13th place in the points. Filice said, “Qualifying was an experience. I didn’t have the transponder on the bike for first four laps so I had to come in. Then I was fined for speeding on pit lane; I went 54 mph instead of 50 mph. Then I fell in turn three when the forks bottomed out. The race went well. I went faster in the race than I’d gone all weekend so I was happy with it. But I was kind of disappointed that the race ended so soon because I was catching guys.” In Supersport Filice qualified 23rd and fought a valiant battle to finish 23rd. “The race went okay, I guess. I had a good start and was up to 18th. But the set-up was a little off and I was making mistakes and getting frustrated. It’s a really difficult racetrack and it was my first time here so I learned a lot.” More, from a press release issued on behalf of Team Hotbodies Racing: Cory West #187 Cory West put his 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000 in 21st place on the grid for the Superbike races at Infineon, finishing both races at the much improved positions of 14th and 15th. West said, “In qualifying I was just trying to get an all-out fast lap but there was a lot of traffic. This might have slowed my times but it showed me I was good in traffic, so I was looking forward to the races. I had a really good start on the first start of Saturday’s race so I was pretty upset at the red flag. But then I got another good start and got into a good race with another rider for the last half of the race and got him on the second to last lap. I was running “41s” throughout the whole race Saturday, so that was good. Before Sunday’s race we made a little change to the bike in the morning practice and I went a second faster. My next goal is to get myself a top-ten finish. I like Infineon because it’s a technical track. Last year I didn’t like it but the new bike works so well it’s changed that.” Nicky Moore #28 Again showing his speed, Nicky Moore qualified his Yamaha YZF-R6 in 12th for the Infineon Raceway Formula Xtreme race, in which he finished 11th. Moore said, “This was my first time at this track and I had a couple issues with the bike but we got through it. On the start I was pushed wide, not realizing where I needed to be. So in the race I had to pick off some guys. By the time I was up to speed the race was stopped. I was disappointed because of the red flag. I was looking for at least a top ten, since I’ve done it before. This is a real demanding track and I’m still beat up from my crash at Fontana. At first I tried riding the 1000 also but I decided to stop and that let me drop my times on the 600s a full second.” Moore now has sole possession of fifth-place in the points and is only five points out of fourth. In Supersport Moore qualified 14th and finished 11th. “I was struggling in qualifying because I didn’t have the suspension right and so before the race we changed the forks out. I’d done a “42” in practice, which was the best I’d yet done all weekend. In the race I battled it out with a couple guys the whole way. My doctor didn’t want me to race. He had wanted to do surgery on my arm this weekend to ease the swelling. So I did better than I thought I would, but of course I wanted to do better. Those Racetech guys are at every race with me and one of them is always on hand to help. This is ther second year with me and they’ve come a long way with the streetbike stuff. I only had to do one change this weekend but at most tracks the bike is ready to go.” Taylor Knapp #38 At Infineon Raceway, Taylor Knapp concentrated on just the Formula Xtreme race, qualifying his Yamaha YZF-R6 in 17th. But because of a rider error and an unforgiving red flag, he finished 24th and is now eighth in the points chase. Knapp said, “In practice I wanted to go as well as possible to be in the fast group for qualifying, so I could then hook up with some faster guys. I ended up being the fastest rider slotted into the second group. So Nicky Moore and I followed each other in qualifying and we were one and two at the beginning. My tire faded and then I fell to fourth fastest in that group. In the race we went with a harder tire but I crashed in the chicane on the back straight. I blew the chicane’s entry and was hit when I pulled back onto the track. The fairing was busted but the bike looked okay so I rode around. I thought I’d have a chance to fix the bike during the red flag but there was no restart so I was stuck with where I’d dropped back to. I’m looking forward to the rest of the tracks because I’ve ridden them all before.” More, from a press release issued by Proforma on behalf of John Haner: HANER FINISHES NINTH IN SUPERSTOCK AT INFINEON RACEWAY John Haner of the Lion Racing Suzuki team finished ninth in Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock final at round four of the AMA Superbike Championship at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. John and his mechanic Brett Champagne worked hard on the suspension and tire set-up throughout the weekend, arriving at a final product that allowed John to run comfortably with the top factory riders in the class. John is currently eighth in the Superstock point standings. Saturday’s Superbike Final – DNF John’s clutch failed at the start of the event, forcing him into the pits. Sunday’s Superbike Final – 13th Place John ran as high as 10th place on his Superstock-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the Superbike race before pulling in to save his strength and focus on the Superstock race, which was re-scheduled to the last event of the day after rain showers and a live television window for the Superbike race delayed the original start. Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – th Place “I got a pretty good start, but I wanted to be careful with the clutch,” said John, referring to his clutch that failed on the first lap of Saturday’s Superbike race. “I got up there and ran with the guys, seeing what kind of pace they were gonna do. The rear tire went off pretty quick, but it was consistent. I made a couple of mistakes out there, and both Tommy (Hayden) and Aaron (Gobert) got by. I was able to stay with them, probably half a second to a second back for about 14 laps. Then in the last three laps I caught some traffic that they got around clean and they were able to get a little bit of a gap, the group with Roger (Hayden), Tommy, Aaron and Jake (Holden). It was a tough weekend, I had Vincent (Haskovec, injured in Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race) on my mind a bit too much this morning. We got through it and I’m looking forward to next week.” More, from a press release issued by by Proforma on behalf of Millennium KWS Suzuki: HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR MILLENNIUM KWS SUZUKI RIDERS ACREE AND YOUNG AT INFINEON RACEWAY Lee Acree and Blake Young of the Millennium KWS Suzuki team continued to work on their bike set-ups throughout the weekend to end up with good results at Round 4 of the AMA Superbike Championship at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, May 14-15. It was Blake’s first time at the tricky Northern California track, and he was a quick learner. Lee was still feeling the effects of his crash at California Speedway two weeks prior, riding at the physically demanding Infineon track with a sore wrist and shoulder. Blake Young Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final – 14th Place “I got off to a pretty good start, made a couple of passes on the second lap,” said Blake. “I got into a good groove, a pace I could run for the whole race. Danny (Eslick), Nicky (Moore) and Chris Siglin were part of a group ahead of me, they were kinda like a carrot for me to chase, but they checked out and I ended up by myself. It was my first time here, so every time we went on track we just plugged away at the times, going faster and faster.” Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 16th Place “I planned on following my teammate Lee through the pack, but he didn’t get a very good start,” said Blake. “So I ended up chopping the gas and a few guys got around. I got into a comfortable pace with J.J. (Roetlin), I tried to make a move on him more than one time, but it seemed every time I tried making a move, what I thought he was gonna do, he’d pretty much do the opposite (laughs). But hey, we made a lot of progress with our lap times.” Lee Acree Saturday’s Superbike Final – 13th Place “I got through some of the turn one/two chaos better on the second start,” said Lee, referring to a restart caused by a red flag on lap two. “Cory (West) had gone through everybody in the pack we were in, and then I went through everybody. Clint (McBain) came by, and I decided I was gonna go on by Cory too. Clint went by Kurtis (Roberts) and then I went by him. We came up on traffic and Kurtis went by and put a lapper in between us and that was the gap I wasn’t gonna make up on that last lap.” Sunday’s Superbike Final – 13th Place “We came up on a lapper out of turn two, and Cory (West) went on one side and I ran my normal line right before the crest,” said Acree in reference to how he got around Cory West, the last of three riders that he picked off over the last two laps. “When he went around the other side, it sent him off-line and he got a big spin and bump. He had hit Jimmy (Moore) the lap before, and (Scott) Jensen a couple of times before that, so I just wanted to get enough of a gap that he couldn’t try to come back and punt me too.” Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 20th Place “I got a little anxious on the light,” confessed Acree about jumping the start and being assessed a stop-and-go penalty. “I tried to stop before I rolled out of the box. Apparently I didn’t pull that part off. From there, the first lap was good just in case, if they didn’t catch me. As soon as I got the meatball flag, I just went ahead and came in and took my medicine. Of course, I happen to do it at the place with the longest pit road known to man (laughs), and as I was coming in, I noticed the official sprinting down to make sure he could watch the radar and make sure I wasn’t speeding. I figured I didn’t want a speeding ticket on top of the rest of the damage. From there, I just tried to ride hard and get through traffic as fast as I could. The bike actually felt pretty good, I think we made some progress with it.” More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin: HODGSON AND BOSTROM FIGHT TO THE FINISH IN SONOMA Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom took on the AMA Superbike stars at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California on Sunday, concluding the race weekend with the typically competitive 28-lap AMA Superbike race. Ducati 999-mounted Hodgson was fifth on Sunday and his teammate Bostrom was seventh at the 12-turn, 2.22 mile track. While Neil couldn’t repeat his podium finish from Saturday, he had a race-long battle with Jake Zemke for fourth spot, even though he was disappointed not to contend for the victory. In the end, Neil finished fifth to continue his string of top five finishes on his 999 Superbike. “It was just tough. I rode as hard as I could the whole race,” said Hodgson. “Throughout all of it, I was staying optimistic. I was thinking, ‘Where am I going to pass (Zemke)?’ My corner speed was strong and I was good on the brakes. I was staying close until he made a mistake. Those last two laps, I took my brain out, as racers sometimes say. I thought to myself, ‘I’ve got to do something.’ I did equal to my fastest lap on the second to the last lap, but I was on the limit. I was losing the front in every corner.” Eric Bostrom improved to seventh on Sunday but the 12-time AMA Superbike race winner still fell short of his goals to run at the front in Sonoma. “It’s disappointing. In morning practice we were fast on the tire we raced on. I thought we would do 1:37s in the race but a telling sign on the warm-up lap was I didn’t have as much grip as I thought. I went backwards when the green flag dropped and I don’t really understand why things happened as they did. We have some work to do before Colorado, a track where we won last season and I’ve always done well at in the past.” “Neil’s lap times improved today as we used a different tire,” said team engineer Luca Ferracciloi. “But our rivals also improved. Neil and Eric put in the effort but we’re disappointed with the results today.” Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin will next race their Italian L-twin Superbikes next weekend at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Race results 1. Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Yates (Suzuki) 3. Spies (Suzuki) 4. Zemke (Honda) 5. NEIL HODGSON (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 6. Duhamel (Honda) 7. ERIC BOSTROM (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) Points (after 7 of 17 rounds) 1. Mladin (Suzuki) 227, 2. Spies (Suzuki) 211, 3. Yates (Suzuki) 207, 4. NEIL HODGSON (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 207, 5. ERIC BOSTROM (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 167, 6. Duhamel (Honda) 149, 6. Craggill (Suzuki) 149 More, from a press release issued on behalf of Kawasaki Racing Team: KAWASAKI WINS SUPERSPORT AT INFINEON RACEWAY Tommy Hayden wins second Supersport race of the season; takes points lead SONOMA, Calif. Reigning AMA Supersport champion Tommy Hayden and series runner-up Roger Hayden gave an outstanding performance aboard their Kawasaki NINJA® ZX-6RR motorcycles as AMA motorcycle road racing returned to Infineon Raceway last weekend for the Kawasaki Superbike Showdown. In AMA Supersport action, Tommy captured his third pole of the season while Roger qualified fifth. When the race began Sunday afternoon, both Haydens were at the front of the pack and charging for the lead. Tommy passed Jason Disalvo for the lead on lap five and kept his Kawasaki ZX6-RR sport bike out front for the duration of the race. Roger moved into fourth on lap nine and held his position until the checkered flag dropped. Attack Kawasaki rider Ben Attard finished seventh. The win was Tommy’s second Supersport victory of the season and the 13th of his career. The win, which ties him for second place for the all-time AMA win record with Mike Smith, moves him into the Supersport points lead with 141 points. “I was trying not to make any mistakes,” said Tommy. “I was just trying to stay focused, keep my head down and keep quick enough lap times on my Kawasaki so it wasn’t easy for them to set me up.” In the AMA Superstock race, Tommy and Roger battled with several riders after the start with Roger in seventh and Tommy in ninth by the end of the first lap. As the pair battled for the front, Tommy reached fifth by lap nine and Roger was close behind his brother in sixth. Tommy made a formidable charge on the lead group for the remainder of the race ultimately finishing fifth while Roger crossed the line in seventh place. During Saturday’s AMA Superbike race, Attack Kawasaki rider Josh Hayes kept a consistent pace with the rest of the lead group to claim fifth place, his highest finish of the season. Hayes’ teammate Ben Attard qualified third for Saturday’s AMA Formula Xtreme event and captured his first podium finish of the season, taking third after the 17-lap event was red flagged during lap ten. Hayes also competed in the second Superbike race on Sunday and finished eighth. Racing resumes when the teams head to Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo., May 21 22. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: Zemke Challenges for Podium American Honda’s Jake Zemke came within a spot of the podium in Sunday’s Superbike race, a day after winning the red flag-shortened Formula Xtreme final at Infineon Raceway in northern California’s wine country. Teammate Miguel Duhamel chased Zemke home in the Formula Xtreme main and came two spots behind in Sunday’s Superbike race after developing a fuel injection problem. In Saturday’s Superbike race, the pair both suffered tire problems. The Honda CBR1000RR-mounted duo were in podium contention early in the race before the traction problems struck. First Duhamel, then Zemke, pitted to change rear tires. Zemke rejoined the race to finish 20th, five spots better than Duhamel. Both Superbike races were won by Suzuki’s Mat Mladin. On Saturday he was followed home by teammate Aaron Yates and former World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson (Ducati). Sunday the podium was filled by Mladin and teammates Yates and Ben Spies, with Zemke one spot back. “Definitely, that’s the hardest fourth place I’ve ever ridden in my life,” Zemke, who grew up in nearby San Francisco, said of Sunday’s effort. “That was a long race, but we’re definitely making some progress and I haven’t looked yet, but I think if we looked at the times from last year we definitely paced quite a bit quicker than we did last year here. For the first time we’re actually starting to see some results from the progress here and going quicker than we did on last year’s stuff, so that’s a good sign.” Zemke moved into fifth place on the fifth of 28 laps, chasing down and passing Hodgson at the midpoint of the race. For the second half, he went after the podium while fending off the persistent Hodgson. Duhamel settled into sixth place on the sixth lap before being slowed by the mechanical glitch. In Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race, Zemke and Duhamel were a close one-two when a catastrophic single bike accident brought an end to the race after only nine of 17 laps. With the race more than 50% complete, it was declared official. Zemke scored the extra point for leading the most laps, a point that could be crucial in the tight Honda-dominated championship. Jake Zemke, 4th , Sunday Superbike I could see we were catching Aaron and Ben up there. And I was like, alright, this is cool. It started looking like we were pushing pretty hard and we had a pretty good pace going and I could see he was starting to get a little out of shape in a couple of places and it looked like his tire was going off a little bit. So I went ahead, and man I had to try for like three laps to actually get by him because he was riding really well. Just a little bit after that we started running up in some lappers. It looked like we started making a little more inroads. At one point we were down to within a second of those guys, or somewhere, one-point-something, one and a half or something, but then when we got into the lappers it was all over and lost touch with those guys for second and third. Miguel Duhamel, 6th, Sunday Superbike We went faster, but so did everybody else. We made some progress on the set-up. We were a lot faster there. Unfortunately, we had a little bit of a hiccup with the fuel injection there and it was causing quite a bit of chatter. I didn’t have any idle when I turned the throttle off, which is what it felt like, and the wheel was hopping off the ground; that’s why I went wide in the carousel there. For the rest of the race I was trying to deal with giving it throttle and braking and all that stuff. Considering all that, we were in the 37’s pretty solid and we’re only a click away from having a shot at the podium again. Jake Zemke, 20th, Saturday Superbike For some reason we were pretty hard on the tire. From about the fifth lap on I could feel the thing going. I’m going, well, hopefully it won’t get any worse. I went from doing 38’s to I think I was doing 44’s when I finally pulled in. and just losing the rear everywhere. Just corner entry, mid-corner, everywhere. The thing was just coming around. It was like riding on ice. They put another tire on and that seemed OK. Miguel Duhamel, 25th, Saturday Superbike When it went away, it went away big. It was like a rain tire when the track gets dry. I couldn’t make up my mind if I had to stay out there and get more points like that or come in and change tires. So it was really unfortunate, but it turns out it was the right race tire. It was just for whatever reason, it was completely shagged. It’s too bad, because we were having a good race there. The bike was working pretty good. Jake Zemke, 1st, Formula Xtreme We both know that the point for most laps led is really important at this point in the championship. We were both going for it, and luckily I ended up getting it. I knew that Miguel was going to try getting back by to lead some more laps and try to get that point, and I knew that it was going to be a scrap all the way to the end. We were both running really competitive times. This morning [in practice] Miguel was topping the charts and then I was able to have a good race. We always seem to have these great battles and nothing bad ever happens. It’s always fun to race with Miguel and he is someone that I trust a lot and hopefully he trusts me too.” Miguel Duhamel, 2nd, Formula Xtreme When they canceled the race, it’s not like Jake (Zemke) was gone or I was gone. I wasn’t implying in any way shape or form that I was going to for sure win it, but my bike was definitely good enough to stick it underneath him like I did a few times. We were side by side when the red flag came out. And it was 50% of the race. That’s just a little bit of a tough one to swallow. But in the bigger picture of things, the season’s pretty young yet and hopefully we’ll be able to go out there and win it. Sunday Superbike Final 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 3. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 4. Jake Zemke (Honda) 5. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 6. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 7. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 8. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 9. Marty Craggill (Suzuki) 10. Larry Pegram (Honda) Saturday Superbike Final 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 3. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 4. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 5. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 6. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 7. Jake Holden (Suzuki) 8. Larry Pegram (Honda) 9. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 10. Marty Craggill (Suzuki) Superbike Championship Standings 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 227 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 211 3. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 207 4. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 201 5. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 167 6. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 149 7. Martin Craggill (Suzuki) 149 8. Lee Acree (Suzuki) 125 9. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 117 10. Larry Pegram (Suzuki) 116 Formula Xtreme Final 1. Jake Zemke (Honda) 2. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 3. Ben Attard (Kawasaki) 4. Robert Jensen (Yamaha) 5. Chris Peris (Yamaha) 6. Danny Eslick (Suzuki) 7. Alex Gobert (Honda) 8. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 9. Opie Caylor (Suzuki) 10. Kevin Lacombe (Suzuki) More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: MAY EIGHTH IN INFINEON SUPERSPORT Team M4 EMGO Suzuki soldiered on at Infineon Raceway on Sunday, one day removed from Vincent Haskovec’s serious crash in the Formula Xtreme race. There was no disguising the fact that the everyone in the team had their thoughts centered solely on Haskovec and his well-being; however, they also gave it their all at the 2.22-mile Northern Californian racetrack. In the day’s first race, Geoff May took his Pirelli-shod GSX-R600 to an eighth-place finish in the 60k Supersport feature. While a solid effort against a deep field of talented riders, the Georgian had set his sights on an even better result after showing so strongly in the weekend’s earlier practice sessions. May then rode his GSX-R1000 to eleventh in the 17-lap Superstock final. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry said, “Geoff was going pretty good on the 600. The results probably didn’t please him, but he was in the top five or six nearly every practice. He didn’t qualifying as well as we were practicing, but we felt like we would be able to race where we were practicing. It just didn’t work out that great. I don’t know that any of us have really felt fired up and ready to race today after what happened yesterday, but Geoff had overall a good weekend on the 600.” Perry continued, commenting on the difficulty dealing with the injury of the vastly popular Haskovec. “He’s got a magnetic personality and he’s a likable person. There’s just nobody like Vincent, that’s for sure. He’s a great racer and a great guy and he’s in all of our thoughts right now.” More, from a press release issued by Tim Knutson Racing: SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RLEASE) – The weekend began with a green flag for Tim Knutson and his National City Bridgestone Yamaha, but ended in a red flag in the 4th round of the Lockhart Phillips Formula Extreme Championship. Coming into the weekend everything looked promising sitting 11th in the points and poised to jump in to the top 10. The first practice session went smooth and Tim was 12th fastest. He was able to improve a couple of tenths in the Friday afternoon qualifying but slid back two rows to qualify 19th. Saturday warm-up came with some improvements in the rear shock. “I didn’t go any faster but I was able to just about run my Q time without any stress so the rears working better, I think were ready to go racing.” The green flag dropped for the final and 28 riders went flying into turn one/two. “I was just trying to stay out of trouble at the start and settle into a rhythm, because that’s what Infineon is all about, I got a horrible start, probably moved backwards 3-4 spots. As we came into turn 9 it got ugly, three wide with everybody trying make the hero pass, I saw it all unfold, people started to bail towards the exit road while others tried to make the corner.” Tim came around in 15th after the first lap. By the fourth lap Tim had moved up a spot and was knocking on the door for 13th when entering tight turn 11 he tucked the front of his Yamaha and lowsided. “I entered the corner a little inside of my normal line and the front just went away, I quickly got up picked up the bike but the brake lever had broken off, I was pretty bummed, I managed to miss the first lap hi-jinx, and was just settling into my rhythm, I had already gone a tenth faster that qualifying, and the tires were just getting warm. Oh well, sometimes you push just a little too hard, that’s just racing, we’ll get ’em next week at Pikes Peak”.