Mat Mladin Motorsports Optimistic after Superbike Test at California Speedway FONTANA, Calif. (April 7, 2005) – Following a two-day test at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on April 5-6, five-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin and his newly formed Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki team are enthusiastic about the 2005 AMA Superbike season. Mladin went into the test after winning the series-opening round of AMA Superbike at Daytona International Speedway last month, and he finished the Fontana test with the fastest lap time of 1:24.4. Meanwhile, Mat Mladin Motorsports’ Superbike rider Marty Craggill posted an impressive 1:26.94 lap time. Mat Mladin, Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Even though Mladin was attending the Fontana test in the capacity of a racer and team owner, his priority is winning the AMA Superbike Championship with his Yoshimura Suzuki crew. “The test went well,” said Mladin afterward. “We had a bunch of stuff to get through and we got through a lot on the first day. On Wednesday, we messed around and tried some different set-ups and suspension settings. It definitely went well.” Throughout the two-day test, Mladin dipped into the 1:24 range numerous times on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. More importantly, his fastest lap – 1.24.4 – was better than his qualifying time of 1.24.7 from last year’s AMA Superbike race at Fontana. “I’ve have loved the new GSX-R1000 ever since I first through a leg over it,” Mladin said. “Now we’ve been working on getting the bike set up to an area where I feel comfortable. We found some settings we liked when we tested at Barber a few weeks ago that made it feel good. Now, we’ve found some settings that make it feel even better than when we tested here at Fontana two months ago. That’s why we’re here — to make the motorcycle feel better.” Marty Craggill, Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000 Although Craggill raced the AMA Superbike race at the series-opening round at Daytona last month, this test at Fontana was his first opportunity to spend some quality time with his new Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000. “We started to really figure out what’s going on with the bike,” said Craggill after the test. “I haven’t spent a lot of time on the GSX-R1000, so I wanted to work on improving my riding. We also did a fair bit of work on the suspension. My lap times were pretty good – I did a 1.26.94 — and I really think the bike is coming along well. I’m happy we did the test because we learned a lot.” Not only was Craggill able to work on bike set-up, he also was able to better familiarize himself with the Fontana track and increase his confidence about the upcoming Southern California race. “We did 140 laps over the two days,” he explained. “I don’t want to make a prediction about where I’m going to finish, but I think I’ll be competitive and try to be top privateer.” Craggill gave a lot of credit to his success at the test to his friend and team owner, Mladin. “Mat worked with me quite a bit,” he said. “We talked about riding the track, set-up and just riding the bike — what he’s thinking while he’s riding the bike and explaining to me what he’s actually doing out there, which helps a lot.” Added Mladin about his new team and rider: “I was over there working with Marty a fair bit. Besides Daytona and a little bit at Infineon Raceway, he hasn’t had much time on the bike. It was important for him to put in the laps, which he did. It was important for him to find a base set-up to feel comfortable on the Suzuki, which he did. Marty and his mechanics are getting to know each other now, which is very important. There are only two of them and they busted butt for the two days to get through as much stuff as possible. Marty and his guys did a great job.” The next event for Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mladin and Mat Mladin Motorsports’ Craggill is the AMA Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., April 22-24, 2005.