MLADIN SWEEPS ALTON AMA SUPERBIKES Yoshimura Suzuki’s AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin completed a clean sweep of the AMA Superbike double-header at Alton, Virginia today while team mate Aaron Yates picked up his first Superbike podium of the year with a second-place finish. Championship leader Ben Spies, racing with a fractured right hand, brought home a strong fourth place and maintained his points lead. Said Mladin: “After Mid-Ohio, I said all we could do is try to win as many races as possible and that’s what we did this weekend,” who took his fifth victory of the season and his fifth win at the circuit. Overall, this win marks Mladin’s 48th career victory. Starting from pole position, Mladin got a good start but then fell behind on the first lap. He worked his way up from ninth, and then the six-time AMA Superbike Champion moved into the lead. “My start on the GSX-R1000 was awesome,” said Mladin. “But I braked early in the first turn. I finally got a good start and look what I did with it. As for the championship, the only way we can win the title is if Ben loses it. The championship is in Ben’s hands. No matter what, it’s good to get a couple wins.” Team mate Yates also got a good start and led the first eight laps of the 28-lap race. Once Mladin got past him, however, Yates tucked in behind and the Yoshimura Suzuki duo finished together. “I don’t know why everything came together here at VIR,” said Yates of his first 2006 podium. “We found some things for the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 at the Road Atlanta test last week and I knew I had to get a good start because I’ve had a tough time passing here. I have to thank my crew for doing a great job getting the Suzuki set up for me.” Meanwhile, Spies was suffering from a hand injury that he got from crashing in qualifying. Determined to maintain his points lead in series, the young Texan rode a strong, consistent race and finished in fourth. Said Spies: “I have to admit, these are the two worst races of my life, but I knew that I had everything under control by running in fourth and I just needed to focus on the Championship. We have a week-and-half to heal and come back ready for Road Atlanta.” AMA Superbike Top 10 Finishers: 1: Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 2: Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki) 3: Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 4: Ben Spies (Yoshimura Suzuki) 5: Jake Zemke (Honda) 6: Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 7: Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 8: Jason Pridmore (Jordan Suzuki) 9: Matt Lynn (Suzuki) 10: Eric Wood (Suzuki) More, from a press release issue by Parts Unlimited Ducati: NEIL HODGSON EARNS PODIUM FINISH IN VIRGINIA FOR PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI Alton (Virginia): Parts Unlimited Ducati’s Neil Hodgson finished third in Saturday’s AMA Superbike race at Virginia International Raceway. The Ducati 999 pilot eased a hard-earned gap on his rivals and ran a strong race, finishing on the podium at the tight, technical circuit. After fighting with the group that contested fourth place, Neil’s teammate Ben Bostrom finished 11th on the day. Hodgson got an excellent start off the line and ran as high as second place in the early going. After the leaders sorted themselves out, Neil maintained his position. Hodgson ran a hot pace in third place and increased his gap over fourth throughout the event. “I feel like from Laguna onward, we’ve gotten faster. Hopefully, we can battle every weekend from here on out,” said Neil. “Today, I got a good start and Mladin came by on the first lap. It gave me a good chance to follow him for a short while. After that, it was a lonely race. After the first lap, I think I had 0.4 on the guy behind me and the lead grew from there, up to about eight seconds.” Hodgson retains his fourth place standing in the season’s points, closing slightly on third place. “I want to finish the season as hard as I can,” said Neil. Bostrom became ill in the race, which ruined his charge toward the front. “The bike felt great out there but I got sick during the race,” said Bostrom. “I’d go a few laps, and then I’d feel okay again and I’d go well. On the 28th lap, I did a 1:26.4. It’s disheartening but there is hope for tomorrow.” The Sunday Superbike race begins at 3:15 PM local time. AMA Superbike results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki 3. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 6. Jake Zemke, Honda 7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 8. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 9. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki 10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki 11. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati AMA Superbike points (after 15 races): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 533 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 494 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 414 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 387 5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 377 6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 361 7. Jake Zemke, Honda 350 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 309 9. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 304 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 279 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: AMERICAN HONDA’S DUHAMEL PODIUMS AGAIN Crowd: 50,000 (Three days) Track: 37 degrees Climate: Warm, overcast American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel scored his sixth podium of the year on the second day of racing at Virginia International Raceway, site of the 15th and 16th rounds of the AMA Superbike Championship. The podium, American Honda’s 12th of the year, solidified Duhamel’s third place championship position with three races to run. “I’m definitely in the right mindset to hopefully bring third in the championship this year, but in the bigger picture next year, using this new mentality I have, the way I look at racing, I think I’ll be a much bigger threat for the championship next year,” Duhamel said. Building on Saturday’s fourth place finish, Duhamel gated perfectly, jumping quickly into third from 10th on the grid at the start of Sunday’s 28-lap race on the twisty 17-turn, 2.25-mile road course. Duhamel pressured race leader Aaron Yates (Suzuki) for ten laps, believing he had the motorcycle to finish one step higher on the podium. “To be honest, I think I could have been a little closer to Aaron and try to keep some more pressure on him,” Duhamel said. But the pressure came from behind and Duhamel had to cede his position to eventual race winner Mat Mladin (Suzuki), who passed Duhamel on lap 11, then took the lead on the next lap. Teammate Jake Zemke finished two spots behind Duhamel and one spot better than he’d finished on Saturday. “It was a little better than yesterday,” Zemke said. “At least the tire had some grip in the beginning of the race. And you know we’re struggling and struggling in a lot of areas.” A confounding front suspension problem hampered Duhamel on Saturday. “We couldn’t find out what was wrong with the bike,” he said. “We have 130 millimeter forks and no matter how hard I brake I’m using up only about 121.” Zemke struggled with grip from the start of Saturday’s race. Rather than give up, Zemke redoubled his efforts with hard riding, eventually wearing out his front tire as well. He finished sixth. Mladin also won Saturday’s race, from teammates Ben Spies and Aaron Yates. Miguel Duhamel 4th/3rd Saturday Saturday was one of my best races ever, because I was a hair from falling everywhere. The only thing I could do is brake like a maniac straight up and down and then come to a stop and then tip it in because the front end didn’t want to go down. It just started chattering. It chattered so bad the whole race that it loosened up the steering head. It was unscrewing the front end of the bike. But I was really proud of what I was able to accomplish. Afterwards, we went through the forks and the guys couldn’t find anything wrong with them. We’ll just take that out of the equation and go with the ‘B’ bike Sunday. Sunday Aaron (Yates) was doing a great job of keeping Mat (Mladin) really honest. I got bad luck in traffic. I knew from yesterday’s Dunlop tire data that we could overheat the tire I was using. (I used the same tire). And I know the pace I ran today I was probably doing that. So, you know when you have 14 seconds on fourth and you’re from the third row- tenth place to third-you starting thinking about these things a bit. I’m not saying by any means I could have got Aaron or Mat, but I could have been a little closer. But the risk factor I thought was too high, so I backed it down a bit. Jake Zemke 6th/5th Saturday Knowing that I didn’t have much grip coming from the rear, I used up everything I had on the front. I overabused the front tire, the front brakes, everything. By the end of the race I couldn’t even tip into the corners without losing the rear. Even the rolling corners in the back section, I’d just turn the bike in and I’d just immediately lose the rear. I lost it huge down there at the bottom coming onto the front straightaway for a couple of laps. Sunday The bike at least was a little more comfortable to ride today and I was at least able to sustain the pace to the end, whereas yesterday there was no way. We used up the whole motorcycle before the race was over. Today the motorcycle, after the first few laps, after the tires dropped, at the end of the race we could still do the same times as earlier in the race. That was a little bit better. But we were also a couple of seconds off the pace. We’ll be looking to make some big improvements at the race at Road Atlanta, for sure. Sunday Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 4. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 5. Jake Zemke (Honda) 6. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 7. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 8. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 9. Matt Lynn (Suzuki) 10. Eric Wood (Suzuki) Saturday Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 3. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 5. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 6. Jake Zemke (Honda) 7. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 8. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 9. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 10. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) Championship Standings: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 560 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 531 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 443 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 393 5. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 387 6. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 384 7. Jake Zemke (Honda) 376 8. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 332 9. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 329 10. Larry Pegram (Honda) 299 More, from a press release issue by Parts Unlimited Ducati: CHALLENGING DAY FOR BOSTROM AND HODGSON IN VIRGINIA Alton (Virginia): Parts Unlimited Ducati’s Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom faced a challenging day at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday, with Hodgson crashing while charging to the front and Ben Bostrom finishing in the top six on his Ducati 999 once again after a tough race-long battle for position. Hodgson suffered a lowside crash while running in third position on lap two. The Englishman was unhurt by the fall, but the result was Neil couldn’t repeat his stellar Saturday finish on the podium. “I’m okay,” said Neil. “I don’t really know what happened. The data shows I didn’t do anything differently than the previous lap, but things can happen like that, especially on this type of surface. It’s disappointing because we were on the podium yesterday and felt like we could have done well again. We were up in third place and feeling comfortable. I was more surprised than anyone when I went sliding down the grass.” Ben Bostrom was sixth on Sunday, in contention for fifth all the way to the checkered flag. “It felt like a long race out there,” said Ben. “I thought we were a little better than our result today. The bike was great to me again. We had moved up to sixth place but I was trapped behind Jake (Zemke) for what seems like the third race in a row. We’ve had some good battles this year with Jake but I was a little frustrated by not being able to pass him. I thought my lap times could have been better had I made it around him, but that’s the way it goes. I felt better on the bike today and I’m looking forward to the next race in Atlanta.” Race results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 4. Ben Spies, Suzuki 5. Jake Zemke, Honda 6. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 7. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 9. Matt Lynn, Suzuki 10. Eric Wood, Suzuki DNF Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati AMA Superbike points (after 16 races): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 560 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 531 3. Miguel DuHamel, Honda 443 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 393 5. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 387 6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 384 7. Jake Zemke, Honda 376 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 332 9. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 329 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 299 More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: MAY AND BARNES ON THE SUPERSPORT PODIUM AGAIN AT VIR Team M4 EMGO Suzuki riders Geoff May and Michael Barnes closed out a tremendous weekend of racing by claiming two of the three podium positions in Sunday’s AMA Supersport race at Virginia International Raceway. May and Barnes were factors at the front throughout the 17-lap contest, with each man leading a lap and running in contention for the win right up to the checkered flag. A quick-starting Barnes led the race’s opening lap while May took over first place on lap 10 as they were engaged in a tight three-man dogfight for victory. An unfortunate late run of lappers may have ended Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s bid for the win, yet May and Barnes still impressed by guiding their Pirelli-shod GSX-R600s to second and third place, respectively. After taking his third Supersport podium of the year, runner-up May said, “I’m happy with the progress we’ve made this year. The guys keep digging and Pirelli keeps pushing hard and bringing us new tires. The development is moving forward and they’ve got me comfortable on the bike. We haven’t touched hardly a clicker on the bike since Miller. I really hope we can get a win before the year is out.” The third-place result was Barnes’ fourth podium finish in the class in ’06. The Floridian commented, “Geoff and I both gave our all in this race but we just came up a little bit short for the win. But we’re coming up less short every race. We’re winding down on the season but this GSX-R600 is really coming along in its development. It’s showing some good speed and it’s coming off the corner better and our Pirelli tires are developing nicely as well. I can’t thank my team enough for all the hard work they do at the track and back at the shop.” Unfortunately, the team’s developmental rider, Shea Fouchek, was unable to capitalize on his strong qualifying performance and what was a breakthrough weekend for the team’s development rider. The Texan was involved in a multi-rider first corner crash that brought out an early red flag and forced a complete restart. He managed to make the restart but was unable to complete the race. May picked up seventh in the day’s Superstock final aboard his GSX-R1000, surviving an early near-highside to collect a solid points haul and maintain fourth the in championship race. With just two races remaining on the schedule this year, May and Barnes each have a strong chance of being named the Supersport championship runner-up. May is currently third, just three points out of second, while Barnes is sixth, a further ten points back. The next AMA racing weekend will take place at Road Atlanta on September 1-3. More, from a press release issued by Team Matsushima Performance Suzuki Racing: ESLICK AND YOUNG MOVE UP POSITIONS IN RACES AND POINTS AT VIR Alton, Va. – Team Matsushima Performance Suzuki Racing riders Danny Eslick and Blake Young are very pleased with their results in the AMA’s Supersport and Formula Xtreme races at Virginia International Raceway. “Danny struggled a bit because of a cold but he continued to build points” said team owner and crew chief Grant Matsushima. “Blake made a lot of headway with great finishes in both classes.” Matsushima reported the team was able to further the development of their Suzuki GSX-R 600 racebikes and motors: “We learned a lot from this weekend that will be beneficial to the remainder of this season and will definitely help with our 2007 program.” Eslick battled a head cold and congestion during practice, qualifying and the Formula Xtreme race but was able to shake it off and earn important points in the Supersport race. His 8th place finish at VIR moved him to 2nd in the overall class points. “At first I was just trying to survive the weekend,” Eslick said. “My mechanic, Justin Cyr, always had the bikes ready for me and I rode as hard as I could, even with cold-chills. Unfortunately my motor blew in the FX race but that did allow me to save some energy for Supersport the next day. I lost a (knee) puck half way through that race and was still able to finish high enough to move me up to second in the points.” Young earned his highest finish this year in Supersport with a 6th, after an amazing start and consistently low lap times in the race. “Huey worked hard to learn my style and get the bike set-up for me in practice,” said Young, referring to his new lead mechanic Craig “Huey” Stewart who joined the team at this round. “I was getting in deep into turn 1 every time with my Vesrah brakes but the rest of the first split time would be bit high. As soon as we got the suspension dialed in for 2 and 3, the Dunlops hooked up every where and I was able to start lowering my lap times and do what I needed to do.” Young would like to thank his personal sponsors Dainese Leathers and Rockstar Energy Drinks and especially mechanic Jimmy Le. Matsushima Performance and Tuning is based in Southern California but has and will be spending the time between these last few “East Coast” AMA rounds at Huey Stewart’s motorcycle performance shop: Marietta Motorsports. “He and Opie Caylor invited us down to Georgia after Mid-Ohio to use their shop between rounds and I gladly accepted,” said Matsushima. “They’ve given us shop space to swap and build motors and prep bikes. Huey, his wife Rikki and Opie are doing a great job with the shop and even took me into their homes instead of just staying at a hotel.” Danny Eslick, Blake Young and Team Matsushima Performance Suzuki Racing will continue to strive for great finishes at the next round of AMA Superbike Series races at Road Atlanta. More, from a press release issued by Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki: PIETRI TOP SOUTH AMERICAN IN VIRGINIA SUPERSTOCK; ULRICH 12TH FOR ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki worked through difficult conditions, battling the heat and the track at Virginia International Raceway to claim a pair of solid results in the ninth round of the AMA Superstock championship. Team riders Chris Ulrich and Robertino Pietri both improved from qualifying to the race. Ulrich started the 17-lap contest from the fourth row after qualifying 15th best at 1:27.569 aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000. While he got a strong start off the line, he came into contact with a rival early on the opening lap, pushing him down to 16th following the first circulation of the 2.25-mile course. The Californian fought his way up through the field, ultimately arriving at 12th by the time he took the checkered flag. Ulrich said, “For sure it was a tough weekend physically and mentally at this track with the heat like it was. We knew we had a tire that could run 1:27s in certain conditions; unfortunately these weren’t the conditions we were hoping for. “I’m glad to get out of here with some points and get out of here with a top-twelve. I didn’t feel so good this morning but I found my rhythm in the race. We were twelfth — it’s not really where I wanted to be, especially after finishing in the top ten at the last race, but we’re going to try harder next time. I’m looking to close out the year with two top tens. That’s the only thing that’s going to be acceptable.” Pietri was forced to ride in pain at the physical circuit having injured his hand in a crash earlier in the week. The promising Venezuelan rider put in a gritty performance during the weekend, qualifying 18th at 1:28.865 and then racing to 16th in the final. Pietri actually held down 12th early on but was unable to maintain the hot pace while dealing with his injury. “The weekend started for me last Monday during a track day,” Pietri explained. “I had a little crash here in Turn 3 and I kind of injured my hand. I haven’t had x-rays yet but it didn’t feel that good during the race. I thought it was going to be better but it was pretty painful. But I don’t want to use that as an excuse. We didn’t find the best tire until Sunday. Maybe if we would have had that tire earlier in the weekend we could have set-up the bike for the pace. Anyway, I’m relatively happy. 16th is around where I’ve been finishing all year long so it means it was an okay weekend.” Looking ahead to the next round at Road Atlanta on September 1-3, Pietri said, “I did a track day at Road Atlanta a couple weeks ago. It’s a really fun track. We’ll see how I can adapt to the track on the GSX-R1000 in two weeks.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: KAWASAKI RACING TEAM ENDURES AT VIR Alton, Va. Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Tommy Hayden, endured a frustrating turn of events as AMA Superbike racing came to Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., this weekend. Tommy and his younger brother, Roger, qualified eighth and ninth respectively, which ironically enough, is where each Hayden finished the first 28-lap feature on Saturday. The second race of the Superbike doubleheader on Sunday saw both Haydens starting just off the second row again with Roger running in seventh and Tommy holding strong in eighth after seven laps. As the race passed the halfway point, Tommy moved-up into sixth and Roger faded back into seventh then Tommy began to charge towards the top five. The final portion of the 28-lap feature saw Tommy engaged in an intense battle for fifth until his shifter broke and he was forced to pit his ZX-10R. Roger eventually faded back one more position before the checkered flag dropped while Tommy was forced to accept a disappointing 24th place finish. Roger also contested in Supersport on Sunday and found himself in seventh just after the start but the race was red flagged on the first lap due to a crash. At the re-start, Roger’s luck did not improve as he was pushed back into tenth shortly after leaving the grid. Despite the setback, Roger advanced into fourth after nine laps but unfortunately crashed a short time later and was done for the day. Attack Kawasaki rider, Ben Attard, finished in fifth and his teammate, Damon Buckmaster, crossed the stripe in seventh. In AMA Superstock Action, Buckmaster put in a respectable ride aboard his Kawasaki ZX-10R by starting in ninth place and holding his position throughout the duration of the 17-lap race. Attard started in 23rd and made a considerable charge toward the front to finish 15th. Racing resumes when the teams head to Road Atlanta Raceway in Braselton, Ga., September 13, for a Superbike doubleheader. More, from a press release issued by Buell Motorcycle Company: BUELL XBRR MODELS COMPETE IN FORMULA XTREME RACE AT VIR Steve Crevier and Mike Hale Learn Best Set-up for Fast, Technical Virginia Track ALTON, Va. Buell racers Steve Crevier and Mike Hale competed aboard Buell XBRR models on Saturday in the AMA Formula Extreme race during the ninth round of the 2006 Formula Xtreme championship August 18-20 at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va. The weekend provided many learning opportunities, as it was the first time the XBRR has been to the fast, yet technical track, and Crevier’s first time ever on VIR’s asphalt. With a long, high-speed front straightaway and tight twisties in the back, the unique, 2.2-mile track configuration makes it necessary for competitive teams to excel at both horsepower and handling. Crevier, riding for Deeley Harley-Davidson/Buell Canada, qualified 13th and crossed the finish line in the final race in 11th place on Saturday. Hale, riding for the Classic H-D/BuellMillville H-D/BuellInnovative Motorcycle Research team, qualified 18th and also finished the final in 18th. Their times over the weekend improved as they learned the track and adjusted the gearing and suspension settings. Crevier raced the XBRR in the season-opening Formula Xtreme race at Daytona 200, as well as those at Road America and Mid-Ohio, while Hale competed aboard an XBRR at the Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio races. “With the solid reliability of the XBRR, the teams are able to get some real learning under their belts, and experiment with settings,” said Chairman and Chief Technical Officer Erik Buell. “Since the bike had never been to VIR before, some basic set-up work was needed. They learned a lot toward what is needed to become truly competitive.” The next Formula Xtreme race for the Buell teams will be Sept. 1-3 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. It will be the penultimate round of the 11-race series. Both teams racing XBRR models are supported by Pirelli Tires, Sentry Insurance, Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Screamin’ Eagle SYN3 Synthetic Motorcycle Lubricant, and Harley-Davidson Visa. The Buell XBRR is a limited-edition production racing motorcycle based on the Firebolt XB12R, which is reworked at the factory into the XBRR for use in closed-course competition. It offers private racers a professional-level, race-ready, production-based platform. Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. Pull into www.buell.com for the Buell dealer nearest you.