From a revised press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist, Steve Reeves:

MLADIN CHASES THIRD DOUBLE RACE VICTORY THIS WEEKEND AT ROAD ATLANTA

The 2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship heads to Georgia this weekend for the third of this season’s double-header Superbike rounds at the Road Atlanta circuit in Braselton, with Australian Mat Mladin eyeing another pair of race wins.

Mladin, a three-times American AMA Superbike champion, has made a sensational start to his 2003 season, winning four of the five Superbike rounds and leads the championship by 24-points from Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Aaron Yates as they head into the weekend’s sixth and seventh rounds of the series.

Mladin took out the double race win at Road Atlanta in 2000 and made it three wins at the Georgian circuit with another race win in 2001. Earlier this year, Mladin, along with a number of other AMA competitors, tested at Road Atlanta and came away with the fastest time recorded at the three-day test showing his liking for the 4.087km (2.54miles), 12-turn layout.

“We’re looking forward to the race that’s for sure and hopeful we can continue on with winning some races,” said Mladin. “I like the race track. It’s got a lot of different aspects about it that makes it interesting. It’s a good event where the fans get right into it, so it’s always nice to do well there.

“As for the weekend, we have to go there and play smart, win a couple of races and extend the points gap. With thirteen races remaining, there is a huge amount of the season left to go. At the moment we have a full race worth of points break over fourth place in the championship and it would be nice to leave Atlanta with that same margin over second place.”

The Atlanta round will also mark the first of a hectic four-round schedule that will see Mladin and his fellow competitors criss-cross America before returning to California in July.

“After this round, we’ll be on the road for a couple of months living out of the motorhome, for the upcoming rounds at Pikes Peak (Colorado), Road America (Wisconsin) and Brainerd (Minnesota), before heading back to California for the combined World Superbike / AMA round at Laguna Seca on July 13. It’ll be good fun, it allows us to get out and see a bit of the country as well as giving us some different training routines as we prepare for each of those particular rounds. It’s a time of the year that I actually look forward to.”

Qualifying for this weekend’s double header round begins on Friday, with final qualifying scheduled for Saturday morning followed by the opening 28-lap Superbike national on Saturday afternoon. The second of the 28-lap Superbike races takes place on Sunday afternoon.



ROAD ATLANTA – FAST FACTS

Circuit length: 4.087km (2.54miles), 12-turn
2002 Pole position: Nicky Hayden (American Honda) 1:23.287mins

2002 Results:

Race 1:
1. Nicky Hayden (American Honda)
2. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda)
3. Aaron Yates (Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki)

5. Mat Mladin (Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki)

Race 2:
1. Nicky Hayden (American Honda)
2. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki)
3. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda)

6. Mat Mladin (Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki)

Superbike lap record: Nicky Hayden (American Honda) 1:23.287mins (2002)

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (points after 5 of 18
rounds)
1. M Mladin 174
2. A Yates 150
3. B Bostrom 142
4. E Bostrom 138
5. K Roberts 131
6. M DuHamel 121
7. L Pegram / S Higbee 99
9. V Haskovec 94
10. J Pridmore 91.