Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mat Mladin turned up the pace Sunday to win AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike race two at Auto Club Speedway. Mladin battled with teammate Tommy Hayden early in the race, but Hayden could not match Mladin and slipped backwards. When Hayden dropped back he made a mistake that resulted in contact with Aaron Yates, who was following closely in third place. Hayden held on to second to the finish, but Yates was forced to slow dramatically and struggled home to 10th. Yates’ misfortune opened the door for Team Foremost Pegram Racing Larry Pegram to fend off National Guard Suzuki’s Geoff May to capture the final spot on the podium. AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Presented by Parts Unlimited Auto Club Speedway Fontana, California March 22, 2009 Provisional Race Results (dry conditions, all on Dunlop tires): 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), 19 laps 2. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), -8.759 seconds 3. Larry Pegram (Duc 1098R), -13.371 4. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), -13.584 5. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), -19.655 6. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), -37.389 7. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000), -38.033 8. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R1000), -38.287 9. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000), -41.947 10. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), -51.611 11. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR1000RR), -54.591 12. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), -56.697 13. Hawk Mazzotta (Suz GSX-R1000), -79.085 14. Shane Narbonne (Suz GSX-R1000), -85.893 15. Shawn Higbee (Buell 1125R), -86.212 16. Eric Haugo (Suz GSX-R1000) 17. Josh Graham (Yam YZF-R1) 18. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000) 19. Davie Stone (Hon CBR1000RR) 20. Mark Simon (Suz GSX-R1000) 21. Brad Puetz (Suz GSX-R1000) 22. Jeremy Toye (Hon CBR1000RR) 23. Brad Hendry (Duc 1098R) 24. Jake Holden (Hon CBR1000RR), DNF, mechanical 25. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), DNF, mechanical 26. Reno Karimian (Suz GSX-R1000), -19 laps, DNF, crash 27. Jeff Tigert (Hon CBR1000RR), DNS More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America: LARRY PEGRAM; SHAKEN-BUT-NOT-STIRRED AND TAKES THIRD AT FONTANA The Team Foremost Pegram Racing pilot recovered from a highside to take third position in race two at Auto Club Speedway Fontana, Calif (22 March 2009) After a bittersweet weekend of accident and recovery, Ducati rider Larry Pegram and his racing team head back east seventh position overall in the AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike championship. Entering this weekend’s Fontana round of the 2009 championship; rider Larry Pegram was confident in his Ducati 1098 R Superbike, and his chances for a win in Fontana. After a strong showing in practice, Pegram’s race one was cut short on the third corner by a horrific highside accident, leaving him motionless on the track and prompting a red flag. The Team Foremost Pegram racing rider was unable to make the restart, although later in the day was cleared by medics to partake in Sunday’s race two. Despite strong chances of rain and his near concussion on Saturday, Pegram bounced back in spectacular form for race two, putting his accident behind him and charging hard from the start all the way to the checkered flag. He was rewarded with third place for his efforts- a spectacular end to an eventful weekend. Race One Recap: “I got an OK start to the race,” commented Pegram. “I entered turn three a little bit hot trying to make up ground and under braking the bike went sideways. Next thing I knew I woke up on the asphalt.” Race Two Recap: After restarting the race due to another red flag, Pegram began his charge to the podium in race two. Picking up three positions in as many laps he settled into a rhythm from seventh place. With ten laps to go, Pegram and his Ducati 1098 R found themselves closing in on fifth and sixth positions. Eight laps from the finish Larry sealed fifth position and made the charge for fourth, which he soon passed Geoff May to secure. From there Pegram ran a solid pace, albeit far behind the leading trio. Suzuki’s Aaron Yates and Hayden then collided ahead; enabling Pegram to close the gap and pass Yates for third with three laps to go. “I wasn’t expecting to get on the box today, really. I just wanted to go out there and get some points and try to salvage the weekend, so getting on the box made it nice. I just rode around at what I felt like was a comfortable pace and started catching the guys in front of me. I just started picking the guys off””get right on them and draft them up the front straightaway. My bike had good steam, and just one by one went by them,” commented Pegram. Races one and two will air on SPEED TV this March 28th at 10pm EST. The AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Championship now heads back east to Road Atlanta, where the third round of the series will take place this coming April 3-5th. For a race report, photos and team information please visit www.pegramracing.com; or for more information on Ducati and the revolutionary 1098 R Superbike please visit www.ducatiusa.com Race 2; classification after 19 laps: 1: Mladin (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 2: Hayden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 3: Pegram (Ducati 1098 R) 4: Geoff May (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 5: Bostrom (Yamaha YZF-R1) More, from a press release issued by Auto Club Speedway: DÉJÀ VU FOR AMA PRO AMERICAN SUPERBIKE, AMA DAYTONA SPORTBIKE AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY Mladin extends most wins record winning eighth AMA Pro American Superbike Race at Auto Club Speedway San Bernardino County, Calif. (March 22, 2009) It was déjà vu Sunday in the final day of competition at the AMA Pro Road Racing Series””the Suzuki AMA Pro Superbike Challenge at Auto Club Speedway. It was a double take with Sunday’s AMA Pro American Superbike with Mat Mladin riding his No. 7 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX- R1000 into to Gatorade Victory Lane winning Race 2, after also winning Race 1 on Saturday. Posting a winning time of 38:43.014, Mladin’s win makes this his eighth, further extending his AMA Pro American Superbike most wins record at Auto Club Speedway. Despite efforts to beat Mladin to the finish, teammate Tommy Hayden (No. 22 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX- R1000) finished second, 8.759 seconds behind. After a highside incident at Turn 3 during Saturday’s AMA Pro American Superbike race, Larry Pegram (No.72 Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R) rebounded to finish third, 13.370 seconds behind Mladin. Danny Eslick (No. 9 Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR Buell 1125R) who won Saturday’s AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, also took first in Sunday’s event ahead of Jamie Hacking on his No. 88 Monster Energy/Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. Eslick led all 21 laps, posting a winning time of 33:09:382, just 0.099 seconds in front of Hacking. Jason DiSalvo (No. 40 M4 Suzuki GSX-R600) finished third with a time of 7.999. Results of Sunday’s AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike race at Auto Club Speedway showing finishing position, number (in parentheses), name, team, motorcycle and laps completed around the 2.36-mile road course. 1. (7) Mathew Mladin; Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 19. 2. (22) Tommy Hayden; Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 19. 3. (72) Larry Pegram; Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Ducati/; Ducati 1098R; 19. 4. (54) Geoff May; National Guard Jordan Suzuki; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 19. 5. (2) Benjamin Bostrom; Yamaha Motor Corp. USA; Yamaha YZF-R1; 19. 6. (4) Joshua Hayes; Yamaha Motor Corp. USA; Yamaha YZF-R1; 19. 7. (44) Taylor Knapp; Taylor Knapp Racing; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 19. 8. (25) David Anthony; Aussie Dave Racing; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 19. 9. (79) Blake Young; Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 19. 10. (23) Aaron Yates; Jordan Suzuki; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 19. 11. (59) Aaron Gobert; Holden Racing; Honda CBR1000RR; 19. 12. (61) Scott Jensen; Moto Garage Racing; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 19. 13. (121) Hawk Mazzotta; Aussie Dave Racing; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 19. 14. (27) Shane Narbonne; Four Feathers Racing; Yamaha YZF-R1; 19. 15. (11) Shawn Higbee; Higbee-Racing.com; Buell 1125CR; 19. 16. (9) Eric Haugo; Liberty Waves Racing; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 18. 17. (58) Josh Graham; Moto Garage Racing; Yamaha YZF-R1; 18. 18. (38) Dean Mizdal; M Racing; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 18. 19. (270) Davie Stone; AllStoneArmy.com; Honda CBR1000RR; 18. 20. (102) Mark Simon; X Dot Racing; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 18. 21. (45) Brad Puetz; SRK Racing; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 18. 22. (571) Jeremy Toye; Lee’s Cycle Racing; Honda CBR1000RR; 17. 23. (616) Brad Hendry; Nor CO Racing; Ducati 1098R; 12. 24. (100) Jake Holden; Corona Extra Honda; Honda CBR1000RR; 10. 25. (18) Chris Ulrich; Roadracingworld.com/Suzuki; Suzuki GSX-R1000; 5. Race Time: 38:43.014 Margin of Victory: 8.759 seconds Winners Average Speed: 67.7 mph Lap Leaders Mladin: 1 6; Hayden: 7 9; Mladin: 10 19; Results of Sunday’s AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race at Auto Club Speedway showing finishing position, number (in parentheses), name, team, motorcycle and laps completed around the 2.36-mile road course. 1. (9) Danny Eslick; Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR Buell; Buell 1125R; 21. 2. (88) Jamie Hacking; Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki; Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R; 21. 3. (40) Jason DiSalvo; M4 Suzuki; Suzuki GSX-R600; 21. 4. (36) Martin Cardenas; M4 Suzuki; Suzuki GSX-R600; 21. 5. (8) Josh Herrin; Team Graves Yamaha; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 6. (1x) Jake Zemke; Erion Racing; Honda CBR600RR; 21. 7. (57) Chaz Davies; Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team; Aprilia RSV1000R; 21. 8. (6) Tommy Aquino; Team Graves Yamaha; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 9. (27) Steve Rapp; Four Feathers Racing; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 10. (10) Chris Peris; Erion Racing; Honda CBR600RR; 21. 11. (95) Leandro Mercado; Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki; Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R; 21. 12. (311) Robertino Pietri; Team E.S.P. Yamaha; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 13. (55) Christopher Fillmore; CF Racing; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 14. (213) Dane Westby; Westby Racing/Kneedraggers.com; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 15. (34) Michael Barnes; GEICO Powersports/RMR Buell Racing; Buell 1125R; 21. 16. (51) Damian Cudlin; Team E.S.P. Yamaha; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 17. (97) Ben Thompson; Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team; Aprilia RSV1000R; 21. 18. (29) Barrett Long; Paradigm Racing; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 19. (60) Michael Beck; Team Beck Racing; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 20. (54) Alan Schmidt; Latus Motors Racing; Buell 1125R; 21. 21. (32) Santiago Villa; Roadracingworld.com/Suzuki; Suzuki GSX-R600; 21. 22. (96) Ricky Parker; RPR Racing; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 23. (19) Eric Haugo; Liberty Waves Racing; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 24. (161) Sahar Zvik; SRK Racing; Suzuki GSX-R600; 21. 25. (7) Fernando Amantini; Amantini Racing; Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R; 21. 26. (199) Larry Myers; AAA Lift Truck; Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R; 21. 27. (48) Christopher Clark; Bazzaz; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 28. (45) Josh Bryan; Latus Motors Racing; Buell 1125R; 21. 29. (221) Walt Sipp; Walt Sipp Racing; Yamaha YZF-R6; 21. 30. (73) Dylon Husband; Team Pur Sang Racing; Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R; 20. 31. (89) Chip Yates; Swigz.com Pro Racing; Suzuki GSX-R600; 20. 32. (126) Jamie Hall; TWC/RoadRacePrep.com; Yamaha YZF-R6; 20. 33. (68) Kevin Boisvert; Bayside Performance; Suzuki GSX-R600; 20. 34. (46) Tyler Odom; Don Odom Racing; Honda CBR600RR; 17. 35. (11) Shawn Higbee; Higbee-Racing.com; Buell 1125R; 5. 36. (31) Garrett Carter; Garrett Carter Racing; Yamaha YZF-R6; 1. Race Time: 33:09.382 Margin of Victory: 0.099 seconds Winners Average Speed: 87.4 mph Lap Leader Danny Eslick: 1 21 About Auto Club Speedway: With the conclusion of the Suzuki AMA Pro Superbike Challenge at Auto Club Speedway, mark your calendar for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as it races to Auto Club Speedway for its inaugural debut in California on October 11, 2009 for the Pepsi 500. To purchase tickets for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series — Pepsi 500 weekend call 800-944-RACE (7223), or visit the new www.autoclubspeedway.com for more information. More, from a press release issued by American Suzuki: Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mladin Adds to his Impressive Victory Tally at Fontana Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Hayden Finishes Second Again Round 2 AMA Superbike Series Fontana, California Auto Club Speedway March 22, 2009 As in Saturday’s race of this doubleheader weekend, Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammates Mat Mladin and Tommy Hayden pulled to the front of the field for the afternoon competition. A Red Flag stopped the race early on, and in the restart Tommy Hayden was able to take the holeshot ahead of Mladin. The teammates exchanged the lead once more during the race, before Mladin capitalized on a nearly flawless race to the checkered flag. Hayden was not able to keep pace with Mladin in the final laps, but he succeeded in holding off the rest of the field and earning another second-place finish for the Suzuki Superbike Challenge weekend. Newly signed Blake Young had a rough day, jumping the start and then working his way up from last place. The young rider made the best of a bad situation, however, and brought home a top-10 finish. Mat Mladin: “I had a good race today. We learned a little bit from Tommy (Hayden) yesterday, and we changed a couple things today. We made some improvements, and it allowed me to stay close to him and make the move when I needed to. We ran a little bit hotter pace today and it was a very good race overall for Rockstar Makita Suzuki. It’s great to have Suzuki up here on top again with first- and second-place finishes. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki crew can take most of the credit for that. I show up for the weekend and have a great motorbike to race in the Suzuki GSX-R1000. “ Tommy Hayden: “It was shaping up to be a pretty good race, battling with Mat. I got on the front straightaway and missed a couple gears. Overall, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 was very good. I had some issues with grip today, so it was a little harder for me to run with Mat. He had his head down today. It was a good weekend with two second place finishes. I got a little momentum going into Road Atlanta, and we’ll try to keep up what we’ve been doing.” Blake Young: “My race started out good. I got a good start and then we had the red flag and had to re-grid. I just jumped the start, so I had to come into the pits and do a ride-through and that’s basically where my race ended. But I did my best and worked my way through to ninth place. I think as far as looking at the positives from today, we learned a lot from race one on Saturday and applied it to race two on Sunday. And because of that, I think we have a better bike going into Road Atlanta because of it.” Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, on the weekend of April 4-5, 2009. AMA Superbike Top 10 Finishers: 1. Mat Mladin, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing 2. Tommy Hayden, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing 3. Larry Pegram, Ducati 4. Geoff May, National Guard Jordan Suzuki 5. Ben Bostrom, Yamaha 6. Josh Hayes, Yamaha 7. Taylor Knapp, Suzuki 8. David Anthony, Suzuki 9. Blake Young, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing 10. Aaron Yates, Jordan Suzuki Racing AMA Superbike Points Standings: 1. Mat Mladin, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing 2. Tommy Hayden, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing 3. Geoff May, National Guard Jordan Suzuki 4. Blake Young, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing 5. Ben Bostrom, Yamaha 6. Josh Hayes, Yamaha 7. Larry Pegram, Ducati 8. Aaron Yates, Jordan Suzuki 9. Aaron Gobert, Honda 10. Taylor Knapp, Suzuki More, from a press release issued by Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki: ULRICH FIGHTS TO 11TH PLACE AT FONTANA FOR TEAM ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich picked up a hard-earned 11th-place finish during this weekend’s AMA Pro Road Racing round at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. Ulrich overcame a lingering illness to fight his way up from 14th to ninth in Saturday’s AMA Pro American Superbike race, but a spectacular save of a violent tank-slapper and resultant loss of brakes cost him several positions late in the race. The Californian carried on aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000 to cross the line in 11th at the checkered flag. On Sunday, his race came to an early end after he was forced out with a mechanical issue while working lap six. Ulrich talked about the weekend, saying, “Flat out, coming into this weekend I knew I wasn’t very prepared physically. Right after Daytona I went to Portugal and I think I caught bronchitis at Daytona and carried that until the day I got home. I thought I just had a little chest congestion, but I woke up in the middle of the night seven days ago and I was coughing up blood. My wife made me go to the hospital and the doctors put me on steroids to calm the inflammation in my lungs and some antibiotics. I talked to my trainer and he told me I couldn’t do anything physical, so I haven’t been able to train since Daytona. “Physically, I was a little questionable but in Saturday’s race I actually felt pretty good. But as the laps came on I started to feel it a little bit. I was thinking too much about the lap count and coming into the chicane I got a pretty big tank-slapper with three to go. When it did, that it knocked the pads back in the calipers. The tank-slapper was big enough that I thought I was going to bin it right then. I went in off the back straightaway and had no brakes and lost three positions. Despite that, I felt I rode very well. I think in the race we showed we’re at the front of the pack of the non-factory guys. We’ve just got to refine a few things. On Sunday, I had good pace but we had some bad luck mechanically. “100% the goal for me is top eighths and that’s an achievable goal considering the amount of factory equipment on the grid. We’re aiming to be the top non-factory guy out there.” Santiago Villa backed up his 19th-place run in the Daytona 200 by scoring 25th and 21st-place results in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike contests aboard his Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R600 at Auto Club Speedway. Ulrich said, “Santiago made some good improvements throughout the weekend. He’s still getting used to the 600 but it’s coming around. Look for more good things from him as he gets more seat time.” Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki will be back in action in two weeks as the AMA Pro Road Racing series heads to Road Atlanta on April 3-5. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Following their victory in Saturday’s AMA Superbike Championship race at Fontana in California, Rockstar Makita Suzuki team mates Mat Mladin and Tommy Hayden dominated Sunday’s race with another one-two victory. A Red Flag stopped the race early on and in the restart Hayden was able to take the holeshot ahead of Mladin. They exchanged the lead once more during the race before Mladin capitalised on a nearly-flawless race to the chequered flag. Hayden was not able to keep pace with Mladin in the final laps but he succeeded in holding off the rest of the field and earning another second-place finish for the Suzuki Superbike Challenge weekend. Newly signed Blake Young had a rough day, jumping the start and then working his way up from last place. The young rider made the best of a bad situation, however, and brought home a top-10 finish. Mat Mladin: “I had a good race today. We learned a little bit from Tommy Hayden yesterday and we changed a couple things today. We made some improvements and it allowed me to stay close to him and make the move when I needed to. We ran a little bit hotter pace today and it was a very good race overall for Rockstar Makita Suzuki. It’s great to have Suzuki up here on top again with first and second-placed finishes. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki crew can take most of the credit for that. I show up for the weekend and have a great motorbike to race in the Suzuki GSX-R1000. ” Tommy Hayden: “It was shaping up to be a pretty good race battling with Mat. I got on the front straightaway and missed a couple gears. Overall, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 was very good. I had some issues with grip today so it was a little harder for me to run with Mat. He had his head down today. It was a good weekend with two second-placed finishes. I’ve got a little momentum going into Road Atlanta and we’ll try to keep up what we’ve been doing. ” Blake Young: “My race started out good. I got a good start and then we had the red flag and had to re-grid. I just jumped the start so I had to come into the pits and do a ride-through and that’s basically where my race ended. But I did my best and worked my way through to ninth place. I think as far as looking at the positives from today, we learned a lot from race one on Saturday and applied it to race two on Sunday. And because of that, I think we have a better bike going into Road Atlanta because of it.” 1. Mat Mladin (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) 2. Tommy Hayden (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) 3. Larry Pegram (Ducati) 4. Geoff May (National Guard Jordan Suzuki) 5. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) 6. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 7. Taylor Knapp (Suzuki) 8. David Anthony (Suzuki) 9. Blake Young (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) 10. Aaron Yates (Jordan Suzuki) Championship points (after 3 races): 1 Mladin 94, 2 Hayden 72, 3 May 50, 4 Young 46, 5 Bostrom 45, 6 Hayes 43, 7 Pegram 39, 8 Yates 31, 9 Gobert 30, 10 Knapp 26.