HACKING HOPING TO GET ON A ROLL AT INFINEON RACEWAY SUPERSPORT RACE Victory in Sonoma would be three in a row for former champ PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 9, 2005) — Throughout most of his career Infineon Raceway was not kind to Jamie Hacking. Numerous crashes were about all Hacking had to show for his years of racing there. Two years ago the Yamaha road racer turned all of that around and earned his first victory at the difficult Northern California circuit. That win helped catapult Hacking to his first AMA Supersport Championship. Hacking hopes to repeat his 2003 performance on May 13-15, as the best Supersport teams and racers from across the nation will gather at Infineon Raceway for round four of the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, part of track’s Kawasaki Superbike Showdown. Hacking is riding a two race winning streak in AMA Supersport, taking victories at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., late last month and then again at California Speedway in Fontana on May 1. His triumph in Fontana moved Hacking, a 33-year-old British born, American raised rider from Denver, N.C., into the series lead and tied him with Aaron Yates and Tommy Hayden for third on the all-time AMA Supersport wins list. Hacking and Hayden have the chance to tie Mike Smith for second on the list this weekend. Yates is presently not racing in the series. “The one thing we see at Infineon (Raceway) that we don’t see anywhere else is the demanding nature of the track,” said Hacking, one of only four riders to win all four classes of AMA road racing. “It’s a good thing that it is so difficult to ride, and it’s not just physical. It’s as tough mentally as it is physically. There is nowhere to rest on the track, but it’s become so much more rider friendly the last few years that we’re not afraid to take risks.” Infineon Raceway has made yearly improvements to the historic 12-turn, 2.32-mile road course and as a result has become one the riders’ favorites. Defending series champ, Tommy Hayden, of Owensboro, Ky., is the other Supersport winner this year. Hayden took a commanding victory at Daytona in March and is hoping to find that winning combination again on his factory Kawasaki. A win at Infineon would be the oldest Hayden brother’s first Supersport victory at the circuit and give Kawasaki its first Infineon Supersport win since Thomas Stevens won at what was then called Sears Point Raceway in 1996. Hayden’s younger brother Nicky won the race in 1999. Hacking and Hayden have put a little distance in the standings on the rest of the ultra-competitive Supersport field after just three races, but third ranked Jason DiSalvo is hoping to close the gap with a good run in the upcoming race. The young New York rider’s best Supersport finish at Infineon was a fourth last year. Aaron Gobert, ranked fourth in Supersport, has fallen into a bit of a rut this year. The likable rider from the first family of road racing in Australia has finished fifth in all three rounds so far this season. Gobert has improved his finish every year at Infineon and he hopes that continues especially considering he finished you guessed it fifth in last year’s race. Defending Infineon Raceway Supersport winner Ben Spies comes into this year’s race fifth in the standings and the top Suzuki rider in Supersport. Some consider Suzuki to be a tad less competitive than Yamaha and Kawasaki in the class, but Spies has found ways to get the very best out of the GSX-R600 and he’s hoping to defend his title in Sonoma this weekend. A trio of Northern California riders will compete in front of friends and family at Infineon Raceway in the Supersport final this weekend. Nicky Moore, of Riverbank, Chris Siglin, of Dublin and Justin Filice, of Modesto, are all up-and-coming riders in Supersport. Moore, who at 18, already has international racing experience, scored a top-10 finish in the most recent round at California Speedway and looks to improve even further on his home track. Siglin was a 2003 winner of the Team Hammer Talent Search and is a leading AFM rider. Filice is the son of Motorcycle Hall of Famer and multi-time AMA racing champ Jimmy Filice. The young Filice is ranked 20th in the series riding a Hotbodies Racing Honda. SPEED Channel will provide national TV coverage of the Infineon round of the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei final on Sunday, May 15 starting at 5:00 pm Eastern. Tickets to the Kawasaki Superbike Showdown Doubleheader can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets including Tower Records, Wherrehouse Music, Ritmo Latino, select Save Mart Supermarkets and Rite Aid stores. For additional inquiries or questions please contact the Infineon Raceway Ticket Office at 1-800-870-RACE.
AMA Pro Racing Previews The Supersport Race At Infineon Raceway
AMA Pro Racing Previews The Supersport Race At Infineon Raceway
© 2005, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
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