From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Duhamel on the verge of clinching his seventh AMA road racing title

A second-place finish or better in Formula Xtreme at Road Atlanta would do it

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Aug. 31, 2004) — A second-place finish is all Miguel Duhamel needs at the upcoming round of the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series at Road Atlanta to clinch his seventh AMA road racing championship. The race is part of the AMA Suzuki Superbike Showdown by Makita on Sept. 3-5 in Braselton, Ga.

Duhamel, who won his first title in AMA Supersport in 1991, has put himself in this enviable position by winning six of the nine Formula Xtreme races coming into Road Atlanta. A crash by second ranked and fellow Honda rider Jake Zemke at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last month nearly doomed any opportunity Zemke had at catching the red-hot Duhamel.

“It’s been a great season in Formula Xtreme,” Duhamel said. “Honda gave me a fantastic bike in the CBR600RR and it’s made it almost too easy for me. I’m not taking anything for granted. I need to go out and turn in a good race at Road Atlanta. Clinching the championship with a win would be perfect.”

If Duhamel earns the title it will mark his first championship since 1997. During his 16-year AMA racing career he’s won a record five AMA Supersport Championships and was the number one rider in AMA Superbike in 1995.

HACKING TRYING TO HOLD ON TO REPSOL SUPERSTOCK LEAD

Graves Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking had everything going his way mid-season in the Repsol Superstock Series. The South Carolinian blitzed to four wins in five races and built a solid lead. But July was not kind to Hacking. First he broke his collarbone in testing and rode to sixth at Laguna Seca with the injury. Then a tire on his Yamaha failed at Mid-Ohio and he was credited with an 11th-place result in the red-flagged event. As a result Hacking has watched his lead over teammate Aaron Gobert dwindle from 14 to just 3 with two rounds remaining.

Hacking will try to regain his grip on the championship at Road Atlanta, a track where he’s had good success in the past, including winning his one and only AMA Superbike in 2001. He’s trying to earn his second straight title, following up on his AMA Supersport championship last year.

Gobert won the season opener at Daytona and stuck around the top of the standings by way of consistent top-five finishes. A third at Mid-Ohio moved the Aussie to second in the series. Gobert sees his opportunity to take the series lead and will be giving it his all at Road Atlanta to earn his second win of the year.

Tommy Hayden’s sub-par 10th-place result at Mid-Ohio last month dropped him to third in the standings. In spite of his off race, Kawasaki’s top rider is just four points out of the series lead. He’s also contending for the AMA Supersport title and would dearly love to earn championships in two classes this season. It could mark the first time a rider earned two titles since Kurtis Roberts in both AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme in 2000.

Graves Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo put himself back in contention by winning at Mid-Ohio last month. He became the fifth winner in the series this year. The New Yorker hopes to get on a roll and become only the second rider in Superstock this season to win back-to-back races.

Roger Lee Hayden is ranked fifth in the series coming into Road Atlanta. He leads Ben Spies, Steve Rapp and Josh Hayes as the remaining riders to still have at least an outside shot at winning the title.

The Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme and Repsol Superstock races will be nationally televised on SPEED Channel’s Two Wheel Tuesday on Sept. 14 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. For additional information on the AMA Suzuki Superbike Showdown by Makita, call (800) 849-RACE or visit www.roadatlanta.com .