From a press release issued by Steve Reeves, Mat Mladin’s publicist:

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Rounds 8 – Pikes Peak International Raceway, Colorado, USA
Event Preview

MLADIN CHASES ELUSIVE PIKES PEAK SUPERBIKE WIN

Fountain, Colorado, USA (Tuesday, 27 May) – The 2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship heads to the high altitudes of the Colorado mountains this weekend as the short and twisty Pikes Peak International Raceway plays host to the eighth round of this years series.

After a weekend of misfortune at the previous round of the championship at Road Atlanta, Australia’s Mat Mladin finds himself second in the championship, trailing Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Aaron Yates by just two points.

A dramatic high-speed tyre failure while leading the opening race at Road Atlanta, was followed a day later by his fifth Superbike race win of the season. The loss of valuable championship points left Mladin feeling uneasy, but in the style of a true champion, he will direct his energies towards regaining the valuable points lead that he had held prior to the Georgian round.

“We arrive here this weekend with the same race plan that we’ve had all year and that’s to win races,” said Mladin. “I’m not in a position in the championship that I want to be in, so after the problems that we encountered Road Atlanta, we need to get a few more wins starting this weekend.

“We tested here in April and were happy with the results. After Daytona we knew there were areas with the new bike that needed attention, so while everyone else headed to Alabama to test, we came here. It was an important test and we gained a lot from it.

“As for the circuit itself, it’s always hard doing 48 laps around here. Dealing with the effects of the higher altitude is one thing, but you also find yourself mixing with the backmarkers more often as the track is so short. You could find yourself lapping guys up to six times during the race. It’s something that we have to deal with here, so hopefully we can negotiate them with no disruption to the race.”

The Pikes Peak circuit is one that Mladin has failed to score any of his 20 career AMA Superbike race wins at. He will be aiming to better the two second place finishes that he has recorded there in 1998 and 2000.

Qualifying for this weekend’s round commences on Friday afternoon, before the Superbike competitors endure 48-laps of the 2.12km (1.315miles) circuit on Sunday.



PIKES PEAK – FAST FACTS

Circuit length: 2.12km (1.315miles)

2002 Pole position: Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki ZX-7RR) 0:54.391 mins

2002 Results:
1. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki ZX-7RR)
2. Aaron Yates (Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750)
3. Jamie Hacking (Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750)
4. Mat Mladin (Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750)

Superbike lap record: Nicky Hayden (American Honda) 0:53.776 mins (2001)

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (points after 7 of 18 rounds)
1. A Yates 214; 2. M Mladin 212; 3. E Bostrom 202; 4. B Bostrom 194; 5. K Roberts 189; 6. M DuHamel 163; 7. L Pegram 148; 8. S Higbee 141; 9. V Haskovec 127; 10. J Pridmore 125.