Yoshimura Suzuki’s Yates on the Podium for Miller Superstock Race –Next round, Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, CA, July 21 – 23, 2006– Round 6 AMA Repsol Superstock Series Tooele, Utah Miller Motorsports Park June 16 – 18, 2006 Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates finished an impressive second place in the first-ever AMA Repsol Superstock race at the brand-new Miller Motorsports Park in Toole, Utah, on Sunday. This podium finish is the defending AMA Superstock Champion’s sixth out of a potential six podium finishes so far this year. “Looking back on the race, I was trying hard from the beginning,” said Yates. “Toward the end of the race, I was really concentrating and trying to stay right with the leaders. I came around and saw the white flag and kept my head down in case Jamie (Hacking) made a mistake, but he didn’t. I’m just happy to bring home second on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000.” Superstock qualifying was held on Saturday afternoon, during which Yates posted a fastest lap of 1:52.392. That hot lap was good for sixth position on the second row of the starting grid. “I switched out my bikes and I did that lap on the GSX-R1000 that I haven’t been riding as much,” said Yates of his qualifying time. “The other bike felt better, more comfortable so that’s going to be my bike for the race.” In the 13-lap Superstock race, Yates got a good start and settled into third place. For most of the event, he stayed put but was right with the leaders as they began gapping the rest of the field. Then, on the last lap, he made a bold pass for second and captured the runner-up spot. “I was just riding really tight,” said Yates about why he waited until the end of the race to make a pass. “I was thinking too much and I never let the Suzuki go like it could. But it was a good race and it’s always fun to race with these guys.” Aaron Yates, Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, #1 2nd Place AMA Repsol Lubricants SuperStock 2nd Place Overall Superstock Top 10 Finishers: Aaron Yates, Team Yoshimura Suzuki Jamie Hacking, Yamaha Geoff May, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki Jason Disalvo, Yamaha Matt Lynn, Suzuki Steve Rapp, Jordan Suzuki Josh Hayes, Honda Eric Bostrom, Yamaha Aaron Gobert, Honda Marty Craggill, Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki More, from a press release issued on behalf of Pirelli: Pirelli: From Top-Five to Podium: AMA Superbike, Miller Motorsports Park On the final day of action at the AMA Superbike event at Miller Motorsports Park, Geoff May set the fastest lap in Sunday morning Superstock practice. Following that, May rode his Suzuki GSX-R1000, shod with Pirelli Diablo Superbike Slicks, to a third place in the Superstock race, after controlling most of the event. May took over the point on lap two, with his Team M4 EMGO Suzuki, holding it through lap ten, when he was passed by race winner Jamie Hacking. Following five fourth-place finishes, this was May’s first podium in Superstock this season, helping secure fourth-place in the points. Finishing an incredible fifth in Superstock was Team Millennium KWS racer Matt Lynn, on his GSX-R1000 with Pirelli Diablo Superbike Slicks. Lynn had put down the 15th fastest time in the Superstock morning practice, but in the race, ripped off the fourth fastest lap overall, on his way to the checkered flag. Yet again, Lynn’s high finish shows that he’s dragging hard parts through the road-racer learning curve, headed towards battling for the podium. In Sundays’ Supersport practice Geoff May and Michael Barnes were fourth and fifth fastest on their Suzuki GSX-R600s, mounted on Pirelli SuperCorsa Pro tires. In the race the Team M4 EMGO Suzuki teammates experienced minor issues, finishing lower than their normal top-five positions. This left Pirelli rider, young-gun, Michael Beck to step up his game on his Graves Motorsports sponsored Yamaha YZF-R6, moving up from his 12th-place qualifying spot to a fifth-place finish, holding off sixth by .007 of a second. Early in the race, Beck had been running sixth, but ran down the group fighting for second, turning in his fastest time on lap seven of 13. In Superbike, Matt Lynn took his Millennium KWS Suzuki-prepared GSX-R1000 to the tenth fastest time in Sunday’s Superbike practice on his Supersport-spec bike. In Race Two of the double-header weekend, Lynn was running tenth when the race was red flagged after nine laps. After the restart, Lynn was back running tenth and finished there, over ten seconds in front of 11th. As usual, Lynn was one of the fastest privateers, finishing behind only two non-factory riders, on his Pirelli Diablo Superbike Slicks. More, from a press release issued on behalf of American Suzuki: Yoshimura Suzuki Doubles Up on Sunday’s Miller Superbike Podium –Next round, Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, CA, July 21 – 23, 2006– Round 6 AMA Superbike Series Tooele, Utah Miller Motorsports Park June 16 – 18, 2006 Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin and Ben Spies rode their Suzuki GSX-R1000s to second and third place at the second AMA Superbike race of the double-header weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on Sunday. Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Aaron Yates followed them home in seventh place. “It was a good weekend,” said defending AMA Superbike Champion Mladin after taking the second-place finish. “I think we’ll leave with about the same points spread as we came in with. Today, we took what we could get. Suzuki has had their fair share of wins this year. Now it’s 21 points, eight races left I’m looking forward to the challenge.” The afternoon’s 21-lap race started with current AMA Superbike points leader Spies in front and Mladin in third position. A red flag was thrown due to oil on the track, however, and after the re-start Mladin got out front quickly. Although he eventually was passed, the six-time AMA Superbike Champion came home in second. “We had a rough time in the first part of the race and we’d pretty much settled on taking third place” said Mladin. “But we went back and made a few changes to the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 that worked out for us.” Sunday’s race saw Spies starting from pole position his fourth pole of the season, thanks to a track record-setting lap of 1:49.167. With good starts before and after the red flag, Spies rode a consistent and smooth race while trying to protect his points lead. He finished in third place. “It was one of those rough days,” he said afterward. “We just couldn’t get it done today. Jake (race winner, Zemke) rode a great race and we just didn’t have anything for him today. It was a little frustrating but that’s how it happens sometimes.” Yates, meanwhile, was struggling but still brought home a top-10 finish. “The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was good,” he said. “I feel like I’m putting in the same effort, but the lap times just aren’t there. We’ll use the four weeks off to go home and ride like crazy and come back”¦ and ride like crazy!” Mat Mladin, Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, #1 2nd Place AMA Superbike 2nd Place — Overall Aaron Yates, Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, #20 7th Place AMA Superbike 5th Place — Overall Ben Spies, Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, #11 3rd Place AMA Superbike 1st Place — Overall AMA Superbike Top 10 Finishers: Jake Zemke, Honda Mat Mladin, Team Yoshimura Suzuki Ben Spies, Team Yoshimura Suzuki Miguel Duhamel, Honda Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki Neil Hodgson, Ducati Aaron Yates, Team Yoshimura Suzuki Jason Pridmore, Jordan Suzuki Steve Rapp, Jordan Suzuki Matt Lynn, Suzuki More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: American Honda’s Jake Zemke celebrated the Honda Summit of Speed by putting the Honda CBR1000RR atop the Superbike podium with a convincing victory on the inaugural weekend of racing at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. “It’s been a year and a half of hard work and the guys never stopped working and that’s what paid off today,” Zemke said after his third career AMA Superbike win. “Nobody’s lost their drive or their motivation during the whole process. There were some long weekends last year and this year’s been really good. Up until Saturday’s race, there’d been a Honda on the box every race this season.” Zemke set the tone for the weekend by challenging for the win on Saturday. The Californian was bumped out of the lead on the 15th of 21 laps, dropping from first to fourth. While fighting his way back to the front, Zemke crashed heavily into the dusty run-off on the 18th lap. Undeterred, he picked up his motorcycle and finished eighth, one spot behind teammate Miguel Duhamel. Duhamel struggled with a cold all weekend and also fought a front tire push that developed early in Saturday’s race. Sunday’s race was stopped on the ninth of 21 laps when corner workers suspected oil on the track. Zemke was second at the time after his team had worked hard to replicate the Honda CBR1000RR he’d ridden to such good effect for most of Saturday’s race. On the re-start Zemke slotted into third, moving to second lap 15, then into the lead two laps later with a draft-pass into turn one. The advantage over second-placed Mat Mladin (Suz) grew quickly and topped out at 4.134 seconds after 21 laps of racing. Behind second-placed Mladin came Saturday’s winner, Ben Spies, in third. Fourth went to a determined Duhamel. Still not 100% physically, Duhamel fought back after being passed by Tommy Hayden (Kaw) on the final lap and came within just over a second of joining teammate Zemke on the podium. Jake Zemke 8th Saturday, 1st Sunday Saturday: Mat got inside me going up into the little ‘S’ section up there-his entrance line was really tight-and I had already turned in from the outside and I was online to make the corner and we hit pretty good and it pretty much knocked me right off the track and he went all the way to the edge of the track and that let (Ben) Spies go by us both and from then on I was just trying to play catch up and we kept getting these lappers. I finally had one lap of clear track and I closed quite a bit on those guys and then I just lost the front right on the seam going in there, right where the pavement seam is there is a little bit of a dip right there and I was pushing too hard on the front. It’s funny, because at the start of that lap I told myself, ‘OK, don’t push too hard on the front, because I knew the thing was already just a little bit greasy.’ And I pushed too hard on the front. I wasn’t going to settle for anything but being on the podium, I mean, realistically, we had a great shot at winning that race. Sunday: I just tried to do what I was wanting to do yesterday which was just wait until the last five laps and really put my head down and try to make a break and today it worked. Luckily, I was able to run a couple of quick laps there and get away from Mat (Mladin) just a bit and that’s all she wrote. Then I could back it down a little bit and just bring it on home. We’ve come a long way in a short amount of time. It’s definitely worth all the hard effort that we put in to have a package like we had this whole weekend, that we can go out there and race heads-up with these guys and ride the wheels off the thing and that’s what we were able to do today and that was a great race. Miguel Duhamel 7th Saturday, 4th Sunday Saturday: I think I’ve seen the worst of it today. I think I’l be better tomorrow. But yeah, just coughing and sneezing, you know the usual coughs. I haven’t had a cold in years so, you know, I guess I was due. Well, we got a really good start. And the bike’s working decent and we had a little bit of uh, I suspect it is a front-brake dragging problem, and in turn three I lost the front when I was turning with those guys in the beginning there. I was hanging in there with Ben (Bostrom) and I was like, ‘Okay, not too bad.’ And then coming down the chicane, I lost the front there again. I mean you tuck the front just so many times and you go, ‘Hey, that was a warning and you just gotta back off.’ Sunday: For the longest time I could see Mat (Mladin) and Jake (Zemke) and Ben (Spies); they were not that far off. Just that little mistake going down the chicane in the back and I lost a bit of confidence and got a little cautious and they put the gap on me and I was trying to stay there. And in the middle of the race I almost forgot what I was doing out there. My head, seriously I was going through corners, going, ‘You’ve got to concentrate.’ But anyway, I was keeping Ben (Spies) in sight and finally I said, ‘Let’s just go for it,’ and I tried to catch Ben. In the last lap I wanted to lead deep into turn one-I didn’t think anybody could pass me there-but I went extra-deep because I knew I could make some cheap time on probably Spies, and I was kind of hoping to get him towards the end, but I went wide, hit the cracks, lost the front, saved it with the knee. Sunday Superbike: 1. Jake Zemke (Honda) 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 3. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 5. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 6. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 7. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 8. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 9. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 10. Matt Lynn (Suzuki) Saturday Superbike: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 3. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 4. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 5. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 6. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 7. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 8. Jake Zemke (Honda) 9. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 10. Jake Holden (Suzuki) Championship Standings: 1. Ben Spies (388) 2. Mat Mladin (367) 3. Miguel Duhamel (302) 4. Neil Hodgson (288) 5. Aaron Yates (278) 6. Jake Zemke (273) 7. Tommy Hayden (272) 8. Ben Bostrom (244) 9. Jason Pridmore (237) 10. Steve Rapp (205) More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati: BOSTROM CRASHES OUT OF UTAH RACE WHILE FIGHTING FOR LEAD Tooele (Utah) 18 June 2006: Parts Unlimited Ducati pilot Ben Bostrom continued his quest for victory in the early portions of Sunday’s AMA Superbike race at Miller Motorsports Park. Despite a strong challenge that saw him qualify on the front row and fight for the lead in both races, Bostrom had an unfortunate crash while battling for the win. His teammate Neil Hodgson worked his way from outside the top ten to sixth place in the 21-lap race. Bostrom charged off the line and took the lead on lap one. The Californian led the event for the first three laps, riding the Ducati 999 aggressively in the Utah heat. On lap four, Ben Spies passed Bostrom, but the former series champion stuck to the younger rider’s tail. Bostrom closed the gap even tighter over the next few laps and was fighting for the lead on lap seven when he highsided and lost out on his chance for victory. “The Ducati was capable of running 1:50 flat lap times and I was impressed,” said Bostrom. “I had a couple of moments out there while I was in the lead and so I just decided to chill and see how the race developed. Spies passed me, but I was sticking with him. I caught right back up to him so I decided to hammer it again. We were running very close for a while, but then I crashed in a weird spot. I’m okay.” Bostrom suffered a hip contusion after the crash, but felt very positive about his weekend. “Now that we have a half year on the bike, I’m understanding the Ducati 999 much better,” said Ben. “From here on out, we’ll do our best to challenge for wins starting with the next race at one of my favorite tracks, Laguna Seca.” Hodgson fought through a difficult race. Despite two separate trips through the gravel traps (one in each leg of the red-flagged race), Neil claimed sixth place and kept his fourth pace standing in the series points. “I made a mistake in both legs that cost me everything, really,” said Hodgson after the race. “It’s frustrating. I guess I was fortunate to climb back up to sixth but I wanted more from the weekend.” The next race for the Parts Unlimited Ducati Team is July 21-23 at Laguna Seca. Results: 1.Jake Zemke, Honda 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 3. Ben Spies, Suzuki 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 6. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 7. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 9. Steve Rapp, Suzuki 10. Matt Lynn, Suzuki DNF Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati. AMA Superbike Points (after 11 races): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 388 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 367 3. Miguel Duhamel, 302 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 288 5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 278 6. Jake Zemke, Honda 273 7. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 272 8. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 244 More, from a press release issued by Miller Motorsports Park: AMA Superbike Championship Race 2 Presented by Parts Unlimited 1st Place Jake Zemke The following quote is from Jake Zemke regarding Miller Motorsports Park. “This facility is setting the benchmark for race tracks in America right now. From a safety aspect, it’s by far the safest track we go to. The run off areas are proper . I don’t think I saw an ambulance once this weekend . That makes me feel really good. There were a lot of skid marks out there, a lot of crashes, but as far as I know, nobody got hurt. Not only that, but the facilities themselves, the garages, are awesome. It really is a world class facility. I could really see in the future (Miller Motorsports Park) holding world class events. It’s an awesome design. There is a lot of good, tight racing. It’s good to see something that was built for motorcycles instead of something that was built inside a NASCAR Speedway.” More, from a press release issued by Miller Motorsports Park: A Banner Day For Honda At Miller Motorsports Park Honda Rider Jake Zemke Sails To Superbike Win Toole County, Utah (June 18, 2006) The drought for Honda and American Honda rider Jake Zemke officially ended at Miller Motorsports Park today. Zemke put in a strong showing to take The Honda Summit of Speed AMA Superbike Championship presented Parts Unlimited. For Zemke it was his first Superbike win since July of 2004. For Honda it has been since October of 2004. “Well I was doing what I was trying to do yesterday and that was race hard the final five laps, said Zemke. Today I just put my head down again and it worked. I couldn’t be happier for Honda as the title sponsor and myself.” Rounding out the top three were Suzuki riders Mat Mladin and current points leader Ben Spies. In other action, Yamaha rider Jamie Hacking made a clean sweep in the Repsol Lubricants Superstock and the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Series. “This is the first time that I’ve ever swept both series at the same venue,” said Hacking. “I’m really riding very well.” Hacking currently leads the points chase in each series. Next up at Millermotorsports Park, July 13-15, is the Larry H. Miller Dealerships’ Utah Grand Prix featuring the American LeMans Series and the SCCA Speed World Challenge. Tickets can be purchased on line at www.MillerMotorPark.com or at the Miller Motorsports Park ticket office. More, from a press release issued by Dunlop: DUNLOP MOTORCYCLE TIRES RACE REPORT: 2006 AMA SUPERBIKE SERIES, ROUND SIX, MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK Tooele, Utah The inaugural AMA Superbike national at Utah’s Miller Motorsports Park, the Honda Summit of Speed, leveled the playing field in the 2006 championship, June 16-18, 2006. A fantastic facility with a track hailed by the riders as fun, fast and with smooth, flowing corners that offered plenty of places to pass, the Miller national shuffled the deck that has been dealt so far this season. Dunlop came to Miller armed with 1932 tires and a full crew to service all the Dunlop teams. Due to the fast entry speeds of Miller’s flowing 15-corner course and the abrasive nature of the new surface, the track was particularly hard on front tires, noted Jim Allen, Dunlop’s manager of U.S. road racing. Consequently, most of the top Superbike teams selected NT-type medium/hard compound front tires and hard compound rears for both rounds of the double-header. Superbike Race 11 of 19 In the first of the two-race Superbike weekend on Saturday, Yoshimura Suzuki riders Ben Spies and Mat Mladin once again took an early lead, but this time Honda Racing’s Jake Zemke took up the battle, dicing early with Mladin. Parts Unlimited Ducati was also in the thick of the fray this weekend, with Ben Bostrom joining a lead group on a break-away that carried them clear of fifth place Neil Hodgson. With Spies in front, the fight for second between Zemke and Mladin saw the riders pushing each other hard for advantage until Mladin pushed a little too hard, losing the front and forcing Zemke off the track. Zemke regrouped and hopped back onto the track, pushing hard to gain positions and valuable points, but then lost the front on a slippery section of the track on the next lap and tumbled into the sand trap, his CBR1000RR flipping several times. Despite the hard landing, Zemke was able to restart and finish a credible eighth. Meanwhile up front Spies did what he has done six other times this season, inch away from Mladin for a comfortable 1.7 second margin of victory on his GSX-R1000 at the checkered flag. Bostrom, meanwhile, put a huge 21-second gap on his teammate Hodgson to take third, his first podium of the season and proof that the Ducati 999 favored the fast entry speeds and flowing lines of the Miller track. Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden had a lonely race in fifth, followed by Suzuki’s Aaron Yates and Honda’s Miguel Duhamel, who was suffering the debilitating effects of the flu. Jordon Motorsports Suzuki Jason Pridmore and teammate Jake Holden rounded out the top ten, making it another Dunlop top-ten sweep. Superbike Race One Results, Saturday: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 3. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 4. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 5. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 6. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 7. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 8. Jake Zemke (Honda) 9. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 10. Jake Holden (Suzuki) Formula Xtreme, Race 6 of 10 Next on the Saturday schedule was the Formula Xtreme race, and here again the Miller track shuffled the order of dominance fans have witnessed all season. When the green light flashed, Erion Racing Honda rider Josh Hayes jumped to the lead, a lead he would not relinquish all the way to the checkered flag. It was a flawless ride by Hayes in his very first career Formula Xtreme victory on the CBR600RR, and the first of 2006 for the Erion team. The battle for second, however, was not so clear cut, with Hayes’ teammate Aaron Gobert holding the position until the closing laps when Factory Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom dove under the Honda rider with enough momentum to put him a few bikes lengths ahead. Gobert, however, wasn’t about to give up the runner-up spot up so easily. Gobert and Bostrom swapped positions several times on the final lap, with Gobert crossing the line a bike length ahead of Bostrom. Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo followed in fourth, with Matsushima Performance’s Danny Eslick rounding out the top five. In all, Dunlop riders collected eight of the top ten positions. Disalvo leads Hayes the championship, 191-189, with Bostrom third at 176 points. Formula Xtreme Results: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Josh Hayes (Honda) 2. Aaron Gobert (Honda) 3. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) 4. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 5. Danny Eslick (Suzuki) 6. Ryan Andrews (Honda) 8. Blake Young (Suzuki) 9. Tony Meiring (Suzuki) Superstock, Race 6 of 10 Sunday opened with a full schedule of road races, kicking off with the 1000cc machines of the Superstock class. Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking led the first lap on his YZF-R1LE, but was passed by M4 Emgo Suzuki’s Geoff May on lap two. May rode the race of his life leading nine laps before Hacking passed for the lead on lap 11 with two laps to go. Next past Mays was defending champ, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates, who followed Hacking across the finish line less than a second behind the leader. Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo was fourth followed by Matt Lynn in fifth as Dunlop riders took eight of the top 10 positions. Hacking’s win gives him a 13-point lead over Yates, 207-194, with Disalvo holding down third with 170. Superstock Results: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Jamie Hacking (Yamaha) 2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 4. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 6. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 7. Josh Hayes (Honda) 8. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) 9. Marty Craggill (Suzuki) 10. Aaron Gobert (Honda) Supersport, Race 6 of 11 The Supersport competition was up next and it proved to be the proverbial barnburner””but not for the win. Yamaha’s Hacking once again crossed the line to lead the first lap on his YZF-R6 and was never challenged, leading all 13 laps to take his third class victory this year. But behind Hacking, the youngsters of the class were fighting for position and the eye of the factory teams. Privateers Josh Herrin, Danny Eslick and Michael Beck all diced for second with Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden in a battle that lasted up to the last lap, with Hayden managing to fend off Herrin for second, with Eslick in fourth and Beck in fifth. Dunlop riders collected seven of the top ten positions. Hacking’s win stretched his point lead to 181, well clear of Hayden’s 133 tally. Eslick sits within striking distance of second with 130 points. Supersport Results: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Jamie Hacking (Yamaha) 2. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 3. Josh Herrin (Yamaha) 4. Danny Eslick (Suzuki) 6. Ben Attard (Kawasaki) 7. Damon Buckmaster (Kawasaki) 8. Blake Young (Suzuki) Superbike Race 11 of 19 Anticipation was high as the Superbike riders lined up for the second round at Miller. Would this be the race that finally stopped the Suzuki win streak at 14 races? Ducati’s Bostrom looked more serious than anyone on the line and when the field rocketed off to the first turn it was indeed the other Ben””Bostrom””in the lead, followed by Suzuki’s Ben Spies, teammate Mladin, Honda’s Zemke and his ailing teammate Duhamel. Bostrom led the first lap””the first time in nearly two seasons a Ducati has headed the field””before Spies slipped past. On the second lap, Bostrom lost the front end in a big way and was nearly pulled off the bike as his leg was yanked off the footpeg, but he somehow managed a miracle save without losing second position. It took Bostrom only a few turns to regain his composure and drop the hammer, closing on Spies for the lead. On the fifth lap, Bostrom clicked off the fastest lap of the race to come up right behind Spies and challenge for the lead. The two riders pulled nearly half a second on Zemke in third, who led Mladin and Duhamel. By lap seven, Zemke had begun to close the gap on the leaders, and Bostrom was pressuring Spies, but it didn’t last long. Bostrom lost the back end and suffered a huge high-side. Though he limped back to his bike and managed to ride back to the pits, his day was done. In a separate incident on the same lap, a rider spilled oil on the track and triggered a red flag. At the restart, it was Spies, Mladin, Zemke, Duhamel and Hodgson who led the pack through turn one, but Hodgson soon took an off-track excursion and dropped him from the lead group. Up front, Mladin passed Spies on the tenth lap, with Zemke and Duhamel closing on the lead Suzuki riders. For the next six laps, the order up front remained the same, but Zemke broke clear of Duhamel and set his sights on the lead riders. On lap 15, Zemke passed Spies in turn two and quickly put distance between himself and the Suzuki rider, setting the fastest race lap in the process. Pushing hard, Zemke then picked off Mladin in turn one on the following lap, and despite a few daring moves by Mladin to regain the lead, Zemke slowly edged away, posting the fastest lap of the race on lap 18, a testament to both Zemke’s tire management skills and also the integrity of Dunlop’s NT tire. Zemke crossed the finish line well clear of Mladin and Spies to take his first win of the season””his third career Superbike win””and snap Suzuki’s 14-race win streak. Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden mounted an attack on Duhamel on the last lap that saw both riders swap positions several times, but it was the seasoned Superbike ace Duhamel that took fourth at the flag with Hayden rounding out the top five. Dunlop captured the first nine finishing positions. In the championship hunt, Spies maintains his lead over Mladin 388-367, with Duhamel third at 302 points. Superbike Race Two Results, Sunday: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Jake Zemke (Honda) 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 3. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 5. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 6. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 7. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 8. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 9. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) Next stop for Dunlop and the 2006 AMA Superbike road racing tour is Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, Calif., July 21-23. Round seven is run concurrently with the US-based MotoGP round. More, from a press release issued by M4 EMGO Suzuki: MAY THIRD IN UTAH FOR TEAM M4 EMGO SUZUKI Team M4 EMGO Suzuki rounded out the first-ever AMA roadracing weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT with a trophy-winning effort on Sunday. Entering the weekend with a season-long run of fourth-place results in the Superstock class, Geoff May picked up his game even further in Utah, claiming his first podium finish of the year with a third-place ride aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000. May actually set the pace for much of the contest, charging into the lead on the second lap and pulling out an early advantage. The Georgian was awarded the point for leading the most laps, holding down first place until lap 11 of 13. After finishing a close third and looking like a potential winner throughout the 60k race, May said, “Once again, we showed that we can run up front with the best of the best. I can’t be upset about that. I didn’t do anything wrong — I went out there and was very consistent. I was fast in the beginning and then only dropped off maybe five tenths a lap late in the race. It was all I could do on this day. While I wanted to win, podiums are always good. I was happy to lead much of the race and show the type of potential we’ve got.” May’s strong finish moves him to within four points of third place in the Superstock championship race. Unfortunately the team was hit by a bout of bad luck in the Supersport final. With both May and Michael Barnes starting on the front row, the team had high expectations for the contest. Barnes got off to a fantastic start, running in second place for the opening three laps. However, an electrical problem spoiled his chances for a podium result and the Floridian showed good sportsmanship by allowing the riders chasing him to move past without incident while he adjusted his machine. Barnes would go on to finish in 10th after dropping to 14th during the middle stages of the race. “We had a problem and it got to the point where I just wanted the guys behind me to get by me safely,” he explained. “While we were hoping for a better result, the opening laps showed the kind of pace we were capable of today.” May’s double podium hopes were dashed by a technical problem, which forced him to enter the pits late in the race. The team’s developmental rider, Shea Fouchek, had a positive outing at Miller Motorsports Park, taking his GSX-R600 to his best result of the season. After qualifying in 20th position for the Supersport race, the Texan worked his way up from 19th early on to finish in 16th. The next round of the 2006 AMA calendar takes place at Laguna Seca on July 21-23 where they’ll share the spotlight with the MotoGP World Championship. More, from a press release issued by Roadracingworld.com Suzuki: ULRICH AND PIETRI FIND SUCCESS IN UTAH Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki displayed both speed and grit during the first-ever AMA roadracing round held at the brand-new Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT. Chris Ulrich and Robertino Pietri stepped up to the challenge and came away with one of their most successful racing weekends of the season. Ulrich was quick right out of the gates around the fast 3.048-mile raceway and went onto secure a season-best Superstock qualifying performance by setting the tenth best time of the session at 1:53.595 using Pirelli race rubber. The Californian expected to run in the top ten in the 60k race as well, but some first corner jostling amongst his rivals pushed him down to 15th following the opening lap. Ulrich managed to charge back up to 12th aboard his GSX-R1000 by the conclusion of the race but was left wondering what might have been. Ulrich said, “Going into this weekend I was a little nervous because the test here didn’t go so well for me. But as usual, when it came down to practice and qualifying we were on the pace. In the race we got beat up in Turn 1 a little bit. I got a good launch but I was forced to check up and I checked up a little bit too much. I lost a few positions and spent the rest of the race making them up.” “My expectations for the race were top ten 100%,” he continued. “But for sure I’m going to build on this for the rest of the season. I now know I can run the times with the top guys in the class and all of the rest of the tracks on the schedule I know very well. We have a good handle on what’s going on and my physical preparation is good. “We’re still in the top ten in points and I’m really pleased with that. That’s a big goal for me. I also want to finish some races in the top ten and we’ve been really close. I should be satisfied with our result but I’m a little frustrated because I felt we could have raced for a spot in the top six today. The lap times were there, we just made a little mistake at the start and it cost us. We’re going to come back even stronger at Laguna.” Roberto Pietri put in another courageous performance in Utah, fighting through the pain of his recently broken right leg to register three impressive performances in the weekend’s races. Like his teammate, Pietri was strong from the start and qualified his GSX-R1000 in the fourteenth spot on the Superstock grid at 1:53.832. After getting a slow start in the race, the Venezuelan worked his way up several positions to finish in 15th in the very competitive class. Despite his injury, Pietri also competed in the premier AMA Superbike class in order to qualify for the Laguna Seca round, which requires that the participants rank in the top 40 in points going in. Robertino accomplished his mission with a 15th place run on Saturday and then by climbing his way out of last (33rd position) after being forced to pit early to fight all the way up to 16th in Sunday’s contest. Thanks to his determined rides he now sits 33rd in the points race. Once again, Pietri was easily the fastest and most successful South American over the weekend in both of his classes. While it would have been easy to stay at home this weekend after breaking his leg just two weeks ago, for Pietri that was never a consideration. “I’m racing with a broken leg which is very difficult, but this is my job and this is what I have to do. And it was difficult — riding with just one leg and your arms is very tough on the body. “But the weekend actually went pretty well. The bike was great and Pirelli supplied us with some good tires. I was happy with how we qualified and raced in Superstock and I beat some guys who were beating me in the previous races. “In the first Superbike race I did my fastest laps towards the end of the race which was encouraging. And in the second race I had to pull in and I came back in last place. I was lucky a red flag was shown but I still had to start from the very back of the grid at the restart. In the end I finished 16th which was good. I got the points needed for Laguna so we’ll see how it goes there.” Robertino has a month to heal before the Laguna Seca round. Following a visit to his homeland of Venezuela and a test session at Mid-Ohio, he’ll meet with his doctor in California early in July to have his leg examined. If necessary, Robertino will have surgery in order to speed up the healing process so that he can be back to 100% as soon as possible. The next round on the AMA schedule takes place on July 21-23 at Laguna Seca in conjunction with the USGP round of the MotoGP World Championship. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: ROGER HAYDEN SCORES A RUNNER-UP FINISH IN SUPERSPORT AT INAUGURAL EVENT Tooele, Utah. Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Roger Hayden, put in a gritty performance as AMA Superbike racing came to the brand-new Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, this weekend. Hayden, who remains on the injured list due to a broken right tibia and fibula which he sustained during a crash in April, contested only in Supersport on Sunday. At the start of the 13-lap feature, the Owensboro, Ky., native got a good jump on the field and rode incredibly fast throughout the duration of the event to score a runner-up finish aboard his Kawasaki ZX™-6RR. Attack Kawasaki rider, Ben Attard, finished in sixth and his teammate, Damon Buckmaster, crossed the stripe in seventh. Team Green rider, Jessica Zalusky, the sole female competitor in AMA Supersport competition, started on the back of the grid and despite some intense competition finished 32nd out of 37 entries. Roger’s teammate and older brother, Tommy Hayden, maintained a consistent battle throughout the weekend in the Superbike category. When racing got underway on Saturday, Tommy started the first 21-lap Superbike race in seventh and advanced two positions into fifth-place before the checkered flag dropped to post his third top five finish of the season. Tommy also contended in the second Superbike race on Sunday and was running in seventh for the first eight laps before advancing into fifth place. Then suddenly, the race was halted due to an oil-down on the track. Following the re-start, Tommy was running in sixth-place and advanced into fifth-place a few laps later before initiating an intense battle with Miguel Duhamel for fourth-place. The contest ensued until both riders crossed the finish with Tommy being forced to accept yet another fifth-place finish. Tommy also made this weekend’s effort look easy despite riding with a minor fracture in his left wrist which he sustained from a crash during a test at Mid-Ohio two weeks ago. In AMA Superstock Action, Attard and Buckmaster both put in favorable rides aboard their Kawasaki ZX-10Rs. Buckmaster advanced from a 12th place start to finish 11th while Attard endured a 17th place start and advanced two positions before he was unfortunately shuffled back into 17th with three laps remaining. Zalusky also contended in the Formula Xtreme event on Saturday and toughed it out during the 13-lap feature to finish 20th aboard her ZX-6RR. Racing resumes when the teams head to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif., July 2123, for a Superbike doubleheader. More, from a press release issued by Millennium/KWS Suzuki: MILLENNIUM/KWS SUZUKI AND MATT LYNN GET FIRST TOP 5 AT MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports had an amazing weekend at Miller Motorsports Park. The team had tested their Pirelli tires at Miller Motorsports Park in May with Matt Lynn and came to Utah confident in the tires and their set up. John Haner unfortunately was not able to test with the team due to an injury sustained in April. This weekend would be John’s first race back after having surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and two ruptured ligaments in his right shoulder. Despite the knowledge gained from the test at Miller Motorsports Park, the team struggled during the first part of the weekend. Changing conditions and an extremely dusty track had the team searching for grip on their Pirelli sponsored Suzuki GSX-R1000’s. By Saturday morning’s Superbike qualifying, the team had worked out a good set up for the difficult conditions and both riders qualified on the forth row. Haner qualified in thirteenth with a time of 1:54.120 and Lynn qualified in fourteenth with a time of 1:54.170. In Superbike race one both riders got good starts but Haner was pushed wide in turn one and finished the first lap in nineteenth place. Lynn was more fortunate on the start finishing the first lap in twelfth place. Lynn settled into a rhythm behind LeoVince’s Larry Pegram to finish the race in thirteenth place. Despite his injury, John Haner battled with Ben Thompson the entire race to finish in the seventeenth position. In Superstock qualifying Matt Lynn used the amazing grip of the Pirelli tires to qualify in the twelfth position with a time of 1:53.595. When the Superstock riders took the green flag Matt Lynn got an incredible start moving up to sixth place in the first corner ahead of Jordan Suzuki’s Steve Rapp. With the factory Yamaha’s of Jason Disalvo and Eric Bostrom directly in front of him Lynn turned his fastest laps of the weekend. After Bostrom ran off the track on lap twelve, Lynn inherited the fifth position which is where he finished the race. This was Matt Lynn and Millennium/KWS Suzuki’s best AMA finish to date. After the elation of the teams first top five in AMA competition Millennium/KWS Suzuki was extremely confident for the second Superbike race Sunday afternoon. When the green flag dropped, both riders got excellent starts with Matt Lynn in the tenth position and John Haner in fifteenth on lap one. When the red flag came out on lap seven both riders came in and got new Pirelli tires for the re-start. After the re-start, Lynn ended up back in the tenth position ahead of Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Holden. Lynn was able to hold off the Jordan bike to finish in the tenth position, his best Superbike finish to date. Haner battled with Ben Thompson and Scott Jenson for the remainder of the race to finish in the eighteenth position. Matt Lynn “I am really happy with this weekend. We struggled some in the beginning, but to come away with a top 5 in Superstock and a top 10 in Superbike is amazing. I really want to thank Pirelli, we had the tire to beat here at Miller. Also I would like to thank my mechanics Rick Matheny and Brian Stricker. It was hot and dusty all weekend and those guys worked their butts off.” John Haner – “It was a good weekend. I was able to get back on the bike for the first time in eight weeks and test out the shoulder. I have a full range of motion but the strength and endurance is not there right now. Fortunately, I have a month to heal before Laguna. I really want to thank the entire team and all the sponsors for their support.” Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “I can’t tell you how impressed I am with Matt Lynn, John Haner, and the entire team. Matt continues to get faster and faster every time he’s on the track and John really deserves some respect for riding that well, that soon after surgery. Excellent performance by everybody involved.” More, from a press release issued by JasonDisalvo.com: DISALVO LEADS FORMULA XTREME CHAMPIONSHIP BY TWO June 16,17 & 18 Jason DiSalvo participated in the American Motorcycle Association’s Superbike series held at Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. The new facility is one of the finest and safest in the United States. The weekend started with Friday practice and qualifying for the 600cc Formula Xtreme class. In the closing minutes Jason again continued his pole setting trend by capturing the pole position. With a good start Jason was running third when tire problems kept him from running with the lead group ultimately finishing fourth. In the 1000cc Superstock class during qualifying Jason experienced tire and set up changes which left him fifth starting him from row 2. With a decent start Jason ran 4th and 5th ultimately finishing fourth. He commented, “I could have used a better tire selection.” Jason leaves for Japan to test for the upcoming Suzuka 8-hour endurance race in July.