AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Presented by AMSOIL Auto Club Speedway Fontana, California March 20, 2009 Provisional SuperPole Results (all on Dunlop tires): 1. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:28.201 2. Danny Eslick (Buell 1125R), 1:28.372 3. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR), 1:28.648 4. Tommy Aquino (Yam YZF-R6), 1:28.769 5. Jason DiSalvo (Suz GSX-R600), 1:28.844 6. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.054 7. Chris Peris (Hon CBR600RR), 1:29.055 8. Steve Rapp (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.998 9. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6), 1:32.157 10. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R600), 3:23.112 More, from a press release issued by M4 Suzuki: TOUGH BREAKS FOR CARDENAS AND DISALVO DURING FONTANA SUPERPOLE Team M4 Suzuki showed their strength in race trim on Friday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA, posting the fastest and fifth fastest laps during AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Basic Qualifying. Team riders Jason DiSalvo and Martin Cardenas weren’t as fortunate in the unpredictable Superpole session, but expect to be in contention for the win in Saturday’s 21-lap race. DiSalvo was the last man to go out for Superpole after clocking the best time in Basic Qualifying, registering a 1:28.373 aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600, over three tenths of a second quicker than the next fastest rider. A mistake during his Superpole lap prevented him from equaling the feat, but he still managed to post the fifth overall time at 1:28.843. As a result, he’ll start from the third row of the two-rider-per-row allotment that will follow the Safety Car for the rolling start. “The lap just didn’t go our way,” the New Yorker explained following Superpole. “We had an unfortunate mistake in turn two and it cost us big time. That’s the nature of this qualifying format. “We’re just looking forward to tomorrow’s race. We’re going to have to do a little bit of work on the start coming from the third row, but I don’t think it will be too much of a problem. We just have to work fast and make sure nobody gets away. We’re looking really good with our race set-up. We’re going to try a couple little things in the morning and hopefully improve the rideability, but other than that, it’s looking good.” Colombian ace Cardenas was fifth fastest in Basic Qualifying at 1:29.145. Unfortunately, he missed the chicane during his flying lap and was forced to abort his attempt, dropping him to tenth on the grid. Despite the disappointment, Cardenas remains upbeat about his race prospects. He said, “The day went okay. I was feeling okay in practice and qualifying, but in Superpole I missed the first chicane so that was it. I feel we’re looking good for the race. We’ll use final qualifying as a practice and I think we have to decide on tires yet and adjust a few things with the bike, but so far it’s good.” On Saturday morning, with their grid positions already set, Team M4 Suzuki will use AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Final Qualifying as a practice session in order to prepare for the day’s 50-mile final, which is scheduled to get underway at 4:00pm local time. More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: Hacking and Mladin Win AMA Pro Superpoles for Suzuki AMA Pro Challenge at Auto Club Hacking Takes First Daytona SportBike Pole; Mladin Two-For-Two In 2009 American Superbike FONTANA, California (March 20, 2009) – Jamie Hacking and Mat Mladin scored AMA Pro Road Racing Superpoles Friday at Auto Club Speedway in the opening day of competition for the Suzuki AMA Pro Superbike Challenge weekend on the Fontana speedway road course. Hacking, who finished fourth on his No. 88 Monster Energy/Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R in the season-opening Daytona 200 by Honda AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL race two weeks ago, stayed on the pace at Fontana in Superpole qualifying. He lapped the 2.36-mile course with a session-best lap time of 1:28.201 (93.876 mph). “I was sliding so bad coming off the last corner I went across the curbing out there sideways,” Hacking said. “I had such a big tank slapper up the front straightaway, but I managed to gather it back together and came out and put a good lap in. My ZX-6 is definitely coming around a lot better from Daytona. We are working on it and making things better so that is all that I can ask for from Kawasaki, to provide me with a competitive bike. We are getting there and we are making things better.” Buell’s Danny Eslick (No. 9 Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR Buell 1125R) qualified second for the second consecutive race with a lap time of 1:28.371 (93.695 mph). Jake Zemke (No. 1x Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR) was third fastest at 1:28.649 (93.402 mph), Tommy Aquino (No. 6 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) was fourth with a lap of 1:28.769 (93.276 mph) and Jason DiSalvo (No. 40 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600) rounded out the top five at 1:28.843 (93.198 mph). The top-five included five different makes of motorcycles from Kawasaki, Buell, Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki. “I think we have got some more speed,” Eslick said. “We stayed on the same tires from this morning in the regular qualifying and just tried to get a full race distance and get the bike set up. We threw a new tire at it for Superpole and ended up second again. It’s a pretty good deal for the Bruce Rossmeyer/RMR Buell.” Zemke’s third-place effort was the best Daytona SportBike qualifying run for Honda this season. “We definitely left a few tenths out there on the track,” Zemke said. “To start basically second row behind these two (Hacking and Eslick) will be fine and we are looking forward to the race. It is back to normal (sprint) racing away from Daytona and it should be good.” Aquino believes his Yamaha is as competitive as the other front running bikes. “The Yamaha, definitely, it’s right up there if not at the top,” the 16-year-old Aquino said. “It is working great. It should be a good race. We are all so close so it should be good.” American Superbike Superpole Despite a resurgent effort from Jordan Suzuki, Mladin still topped the field by more than 1.3 seconds on his No. 7 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX- R1000. He won his second AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited pole in as many races after also taking the top qualifying spot at the Daytona opener earlier this month. Jordan’s Aaron Yates (No. 23 Brand Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) was a solid second with a lap time of 1:24.759 (97.689 mph) and Mladin’s Yoshimura teammate Tommy Hayden (No. 22 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX- R1000) was third fastest at 1:24.810 (97.630 mph). “We have definitely made some big steps forward from Daytona,” Yates said. “We had some issues there, some stuff we started with this season and were just trying out. We had a suspension that didn’t really allow us to go like we needed to go at Daytona so we were stuck back there riding around. But here I am actually getting a good feel out of the bike and able to push it and ride it like you’re supposed to and turn in some decent lap times.” Hayden joins only teammate Mladin in making a Superpole front row in each of the year’s opening races. “The lap went pretty smooth, really, actually too smooth,” Hayden said. “I was a little too conservative on that lap and the time wasn’t anything special, but the front row is important for here and at least I am on there.” Jordan’s other rider Geoff May (No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) was the fourth and final American Superbike front-row starter with a lap time 1:24.810 (97.630 mph). “Our guys have been working really hard back in the shop,” May said. “I know they have been working like 20-hour days, doing a lot of homework, figuring out what went wrong at Daytona. We figured out some stuff we missed. The team has come a long way with the bike and it has given me the confidence to push the thing.” SuperSport Top Speeds In AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei action, Daytona winner Tyler Odom (No. 46 Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR) turned Friday’s top lap in the second of three practice sessions. His time of 1:31.640 (90.353 mph) was the only SuperSport lap of the day that cracked the 90 mph barrier. Bryce Prince (No. 74 Bryce Prince Kawasaki 600) paced the morning and afternoon sessions and set the day’s second fastest overall lap time of 1:32.620 (89.398 mph) in the afternoon. Garrett Willis (No. 80 Mach 1 Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6) was third fastest overall Friday with an afternoon lap of 1:33.017 (89.016 mph). AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT. AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.