From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

BUCKMASTER HOPING THIRD TIME IS A CHARM

AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 7, 2003) – Graves Yamaha rider Damon Buckmaster has been a leading contender for the Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series each of the last two seasons. The 30-year-old veteran racer from Australia has led the series each year only to lose grip of the title late in the season. This year Buckmaster hopes to hold on to the Formula Xtreme lead all the way to the end. “Bucky” comes into Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s round seven of the 10-race series on Saturday, July 12, holding on to an eight-point lead over Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies. The series is clustered with prospective champions near the top of the standings. The five leading riders in the class, Buckmaster, Spies, Josh Hayes, Jake Zemke and Adam Fergusson, are all conceivably within reach of the series lead.

Buckmaster comes to Laguna Seca the hottest rider in Formula Xtreme. He’s won two of the last three rounds and is a former winner at Laguna. Spies looked as if he might run away with the championship after dominating the first two rounds, but his competition seems to have gotten quicker and Spies has only earned one podium result in the last four rounds. Spies will try to become the first Suzuki rider to win the Formula Xtreme race at Laguna. Attack Suzuki’s Josh Hayes has been consistently in the top-10 all season long. He hopes to break through to win his first race this year at Laguna Seca. Adam Fergusson, like Hayes, has not finished outside the top-10 in the six Formula Xtreme rounds so far this year. Fergusson, one of many Australians racing in America, hopes to put his Corona Extra Suzuki on top this Saturday.

Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke is the defending winner of the Laguna Seca Formula Xtreme race. The Paso Robles, Calif., native is coming off a win a few weeks ago in Brainerd, Minn., and is looking to make up ground after crashing out of the series lead at Road America last month. Zemke is fourth in the standings, just two points out of third.


Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Series

Three riders have separated themselves from the rest of the field in the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Series. Czech rider Vincent Haskovec, of Hooters Suzuki, narrowly leads Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden and Attack Suzuki’s Josh Hayes. Hayden won last year’s race and is looking to get back atop the series standings behind the nimble handling of his Kawasaki ZX636, which gives up top speed to the Suzuki GSXR750s that have ruled the class. Chris Ulrich, who won the Laguna Superstock race two years ago, will look to this race to provide a boost to his 2003 campaign. He’s yet to finish in the top-10 this season. Ulrich’s Valvoline EMGO Suzuki teammate Steve Rapp comes into Laguna Seca running a two-race winning streak. At Laguna Rapp will try to match the longest winning streak of the season of three straight victories set by Hayden in the first three rounds this year.


MBNA 250 Grand Prix Series

Rich Oliver is looking to earn his seventh MBNA 250 Grand Prix win at Laguna Seca, the track he considers his home circuit. Oliver, who went to high school in nearby Pacific Grove, Calif., is undefeated in seven races this season. The Yamaha rider is over halfway home to going unbeaten in the 250GP series for the third time in his career. Former Oliver teammate Perry Melneciuc runs a distant second in the series standings on his Dela Cruz Yamaha. Melneciuc has earned four top-five finishes in the class this season. Defending series champ Chuck Sorensen, like Oliver a Northern Californian, is having a rough season and even though he’s finished runner-up to Oliver five times, he’s failed to score points in two rounds.

The Formula Xtreme race and highlights of the Superstock and 250GP races will be taped and shown on Speed Channel in primetime on Tuesday, July 22 at 10 p.m. EST. For additional information contact (800) 327-SECA or visit www.laguna-seca.com.