Six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin won his sixth straight AMA Superbike race, his 12th race of the season and the 63rd race (the most all-time) of his career Sunday at Road Atlanta. More importantly, however, Mladin’s convincing victory over his Yoshimura Suzuki teammate and rival Ben Spies allowed the Australian to retake the AMA Superbike Championship point lead heading into the final round of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Spies’ lonely second-place finish Sunday dropped him to second in the point standings, only three points behind Mladin, turning the season finale into essentially a winner-take-all affair between Mladin and Spies for the 2007 Championship. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking repeated his third-place finish from Saturday and took his fourth podium finish in his last five races Sunday at Road Atlanta. Sunday’s AMA Superbike race at Road Atlanta was shortened from 25 to 20 laps at the request of Dunlop (the tire supplier for the majority of riders in the class) over concerns with the safety of their tires. 2007 AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Road Atlanta Braselton, Georgia September 2, 2007 Provisional Race Results: 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 20 laps 2. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -6.794 seconds 3. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -20.134 seconds 4. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -30.119 seconds 5. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -31.690 seconds 6. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -31.807 seconds 7. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -38.730 seconds 8. James Ellison (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -42.819 seconds 9. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -53.084 seconds* 10. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -58.975 seconds 11. Matt Lynn (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, -63.186 seconds 12. Luca Scassa (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, -73.275 seconds 13. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -1 lap* 14. Ben Thompson (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -1 lap, 0.337 second 15. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -1 lap, 20.524 seconds* 16. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -1 lap, 28.356 seconds 17. Keith Marshall (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -1 lap, 28.485 seconds 18. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -1 lap, 52.682 seconds 19. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 55.056 seconds 20. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -7 laps, DNF 21. Ivan Garza (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -11 laps, DNF 22. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -17 laps, DNF* * known to be on a Superstock-spec motorcycle Provisional 2007 AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 17 of 19 races): 1. Mladin, 618 points 2. Spies, 615 3. Zemke, 441 4. Yates, 436 5. Tommy Hayden, 429 6. Hacking, 403 7. Miguel Duhamel, 360 8. Roger Hayden, 344 9. Bostrom, 336 10. DiSalvo, 335 11. Ellison, 300 12. Jensen, 274 13. Scassa, 262 14. Holden, 245 15. Lynn, 241 16. Weber, 233 17. Jones, 219 18. Mizdal, 216 19. John Haner, 166 20. Doug Chandler, 93 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin broke his own record for the most AMA Superbike wins in a single season by picking up his 12th victory at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia on Sunday. It was Mladin’s sixth AMA Superbike race win in a row as well as his 63rd career victory in the class which gave the six-time AMA Superbike Champion command of the AMA Superbike points chase going into the series’ final round at Laguna Seca later this month. Team mate and defending AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies followed Mladin home in second place while Tommy Hayden finished in seventh place. Sunday’s 20-lap race was the second of two AMA Superbike races in this weekend’s double-header event. Mat Mladin: “Our goal this year was to try and win as many races on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 as possible. With some bad starts and a couple of crashes we’ve given away a few. But we’re in a good position and it’s nice to win and it’s nice to get the Suzuki working so well that we can pull away a little bit when we need to. Laguna Seca is going to be a good race and we’re looking forward to it.” Ben Spies: “We had a pretty good race; I rode as hard as I could the whole time. We ran into a few tyre problems and I figured that I would just ride as hard as I could and, with the pace Mat was going, maybe he’d run into a problem. I couldn’t see him going that fast and not having a problem, but he didn’t. We didn’t make any big mistakes – we just didn’t have the speed today – but I rode as hard as I could and that’s all I could do. The Suzuki worked pretty good and we’re just going to go to Laguna now and go for the win. Laguna’s been a good track to us in the past so hopefully we’ll get it done there. It should be a good last race.” Tommy Hayden: “I felt all right today but not as good as yesterday. We made some changes to the Suzuki from yesterday and we went the wrong way. We had a good bike yesterday but just a small problem. We tried to fix that – and we did – but we also created some other issues in doing that. It wasn’t what I’d hoped for. Now I’m just working with my crew to get ready for Laguna Seca and finish the season on a positive note.” All of Suzuki’s road race teams will return for the final round of the AMA Superbike Series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, the weekend of Sept. 15 – 16, 2007. AMA Superbike Top 10 Finishers: 1. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Yoshimura Suzuki) 3. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) 4. Aaron Yates (Jordan Suzuki) 5. Roger Hayden (Kawasaki) 6. Jake Zemke (Honda) 7. Tommy Hayden (Yoshimura Suzuki) 8. James Ellison (Honda) 9. Jake Holden (Jordan Suzuki) 10. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) AMA Superbike Points Standings: 1. Mladin 618, 2. Spies 615, 3. Zemke 441, 4. Yates 436, 5. Hayden 429, 6. Hacking 403, 7. Duhamel 360, 8. R. Hayden, 344, 9. Bostrom 336, 10. Disalvo 335. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS SUZUKI FOURTH IN CHAMPIONSHIP Yates Earns Two Fourth Place Finishes at Road Atlanta Braselton, GA (September 2, 2007) Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Aaron Yates earns a pair of fourth place finishes in the Suzuki Superbike Showdown doubleheader at Road Atlanta. In the weekend’s abbreviated qualifying session, Yates qualified his Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a time of 1:22.520 earning a second row start from seventh place. In Saturday’s Superbike race, Yates ran solidly in third place for 12 of the 22 laps before being passed on lap 21. In Sunday’s 20 lap Superbike event, Yates made a strong charge to the front decreasing his times for six consecutive laps earning a fast time of 1:22.001. Yates who earned valuable points this weekend moves into fourth in the overall AMA Superbike championship points and is only five points from third place. Friday’s qualifying session, yielded Jake Holden an eleventh place start from the third row for both Superbike races. The ‘young gun,’ who competes in the Superbike class on a Superstock spec motorcycle, made a powerful showing this weekend earning two-ninth place finishes. Holden is 14th in the championship. Teammates Yates and Holden who also competed in Sunday’s Superstock event started side-by-side from the second row in sixth and seventh places respectively. Holden earned a fourth place finish in the 15 lap event solidifying ninth place in the Superstock championship points. Yates who got an excellent start quickly moved into third place on lap two, took second position on lap nine. And on lap 11 it appeared that Yates was gaining ground on the leader and fellow Suzuki rider Ben Spies, but Yates encountered lap traffic which he was unable to get around. Yates quickly gathered up his motorcycle and finished the event in 14th place. “He [Spies] was right there, right in front of me and I didn’t want him to get away…I guess I should have waited, but we’re racing out here not waiting,” said Yates. Yates remains third in the overall championship points. Jordan Suzuki riders and crew will visit Monterey, California’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca September 14-16 for the 2007 AMA Championship season finale. For more information on the Jordan Suzuki team, visit the race team website at www.23race.com More, from a press release issued on the behalf of Dunlop: Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Race Report: 2007 AMA Superbike Series, Round 10, Road Atlanta Braselton, Ga.–Road Atlanta was the setting for the penultimate round of the 2007 AMA Superbike Series, August 31-September 2, and high drama played out in each of the weekend’s five races. Yoshimura Suzuki’s six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin swept both Superbike competitions to notch his 62nd and 63rd career victories and, most importantly, take over the series lead from teammate and defending champion Ben Spies. Spies, meanwhile, earned his third AMA championship with his Superstock class win. Not to be outdone, Erion Racing Honda’s Josh Hayes won the Formula Xtreme race and in so doing took his second consecutive class title and third AMA ring. Then Hayes went out and won the Supersport race, giving him his second double-race win performance in as many weeks. Road Atlanta’s famed 12-turn, 2.54-mile racing surface was completely repaved early in the year. After a number of two- and four-wheeled racing events, the well-seasoned surface supplied substantial grip for the AMA’s racers and their Superbike, Superstock, Supersport and Formula Xtreme machines. Already known as a “right-hand” circuit that generates significant heat in the right side of the rear tire, the new surface places tremendous demands on tires. To offer the factory teams and support riders as many options as possible, Dunlop brought approximately 2100 tires for the weekend, including the latest generation of N-Tec multi-compound rear tires and a next-generation multi-compound front tire design with improved feel. When the last bike of the last race had crossed the finish line, Dunlop riders had collected 13 of the 15 available podium positions and 76 percent (38 of 50) of the top-10 finishing positions. All weekend long lap records fell. Spies’ Superbike qualifying time of 1: 20.454 was more than 1.2 seconds quicker than the previous record set by Mladin in 2005. Hayes qualifying time of 1:24.278 in Formula Xtreme bettered his own record set last year and Roger Hayden knocked more than a half-second off his 2005 Supersport qualifying record, 1:25.248 versus 1:25.775–then turned an even faster race lap of 1:24.976. Though Jason Disalvo’s 2005 Superstock qualifying record of 1:22.923 was safe for another year, Spies unofficially topped it in Sunday’s morning’s 70-degree practice session when he clocked a 1:22.482. Superbike Race One A rainy Friday night left the track damp on Saturday morning with water pumping up through cracks in the surface of infamous turn 12. The revised AMA schedule combined practice and qualifying for Superstock and Supersport and eliminated the second Superbike qualifying round, cementing Spies provisional pole position set on Friday. When the race flagged off, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Spies took the lead going into turn one and held it for two laps before teammate Mladin slipped by on lap three. The duo were already well ahead of the rest of the pack when Spies, hot on Mladin’s heals, clipped the turn-four curb on lap six and tumbled. With the rider and bike down on the edge of the track, a red flag stopped the race. Spies recovered but AMA rules required that he restart from the back row. The second start saw Mladin rocket away on his GSX-R1000. Spies marched through the field and moved into second place after just four laps but the outcome was sealed as Mladin pulled away en route to his 11th win of the season, tying his own record set in 2005. “I told Ben we’re not good for each other’s health,” joked Mladin from the podium. “Both of us have had our fair share of falling down. With a couple more races to go, hopefully we can keep it together.” In the press conference he added, “It was a good race for us today, it was good to get the win and have 11 wins for the year. It’s been a pretty good season so far.” The victory allowed Mladin to close to within two points of Spies in the championship hunt. Following Spies across the line was Kawasaki Road Racing’s Jamie Hacking, his fourth podium in Kawasaki’s first season back in Superbike competition. Dunlop notched every one of the top 10 finishing positions. AMA Superbike 22 Laps (shortened from 28 by a red flag) Superbike Race One results, Saturday, September 1: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Mat Mladin – Suzuki 2. Ben Spies – Suzuki 3. Jamie Hacking – Kawasaki 4. Aaron Yates – Suzuki 5. Jake Zemke – Honda 6. Roger Hayden – Kawasaki 7. Matt Lynn – MV 9. Luca Scassa – MV 8. Jake Holden – Suzuki 10. Tommy Hayden – Suzuki Formula Xtreme Race After dominating the Formula Xtreme Series all year, Erion Racing Honda’s Hayes came to the starting line of the ninth round needing only to finish 20thth or better (after taking the point for pole) to seal his second consecutive class title. But in typical fashion, he charged to the front of the pack on his CBR600RR and led from flag-to-flag (including a second-lap red flag and restart), collecting his seventh victory of the season and the AMA’s first series title in 2007. “I figure I want to keep it as long as I can,” said Hayes. “Dunlop’s does an awesome job for us”¦ I am excited for the crew, who worked hard all year.” In the post-race press conference he added, “It’s a testament to the motorcycle. My team made my job extremely hard because they gave me such a good motorcycle that if we don’t win, it’s 100 percent my fault”¦ I rode with all my heart in every race.” Finishing second was Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard, followed by Boulder Motorsports Ducati’s Marty Craggill with his second consecutive podium. Hayes third AMA championship follows his Formula Xtreme title last year and a Superstock championship in 2003. In all, Dunlop placed six riders in the top 10. AMA Formula Xtreme 13 Laps (shortened from 15 by a red flag) Formula Xtreme results, Saturday, September 1: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Josh Hayes – Honda 3. Marty Craggill – Ducati 6. Chaz Davies – Yamaha 7. Larry Pegram – Ducati 8. Ryan Andrews – Honda 9. Ryan Elleby – Honda Formula Xtreme Championship Points after 9 of 10 races: Top three riders 1. Hayes 324 (Champion) 2. Rapp – 250 3. Pegram 212 Superstock Race Yoshimura Suzuki’s Spies ran a masterful race on Sunday aboard his GSX-R1000 to wrap up the Superstock championship with one race to go. From the pole position he led every lap, though he was kept honest by Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Ben Bostrom and then by Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates. Yates’ crash on the last lap handed second place back to Bostrom, who trailed Spies over the line by just over three seconds. M4 Emgo Suzuki’s Geoff May was third. “I wanted the title but I wanted the win pretty bad too,” said Spies, who only needed to finish sixth to take the championship. “We just tried to make no mistakes and get it done today and it was good enough to get it today.” Spies’ latest title gives him three career AMA rings, the first coming in the 2003 Formula Xtreme Series and the second being his 2006 Superbike crown. Six of the top 10 finishers were on Dunlop tires. AMA Superstock 15 Laps Superstock results, Sunday, September 2: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Ben Spies – Suzuki 2. Ben Bostrom – Yamaha 4. Jake Holden – Suzuki 5. Jamie Stauffer – Yamaha 6. Blake Young – Suzuki 9. David Weber – Suzuki Superstock Championship Points after 8 of 9 races: Top three riders 1. Spies 292 (Champion) 2. Bostrom -235 3. Yates – 219 Supersport Race The most exciting action of the weekend took place in the 600-class Supersport race as Erion Racing Honda’s Josh Hayes, winner of three races this season, swapped places lap-after-lap with Kawasaki Road Racing’s Jamie Hacking, the series’ defending champ. Never more than a second back was M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas, who was closely trailed by the current series leader, Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden. Though the lap chart showed Hayes leading all but four of the 15 laps on his CBR600RR, Hacking challenged Hayes all the way to the next-to-last lap. Then Hayes built a small gap in lapped traffic and was able to take the win by just over a second. Hacking was next and then teammate Roger Hayden snuck ahead of Cardenas to nab the final podium slot. “There were some pretty dodgy passes in there from time to time but my Honda was so good,” said Hayes on the podium. “I was really having a good time racing Jamie,” he added in the press conference. “The tires were fantastic, we did a good race prep this morning and we knew what we could do”¦ This was so much fun, another double.” Dunlop riders were six out of 10 in the finishing order. As the series heads to Laguna Seca for the final race, only 11 points separate Hayden, Hacking and Hayes. AMA Supersport 15 Laps Supersport results, Sunday, September 2: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Josh Hayes – Honda 2. Jamie Hacking – Kawasaki 3. Roger Hayden – Kawasaki 5. Josh Herrin – Yamaha 6. Blake Young – Suzuki 8. Chris Peris – Yamaha Supersport Championship Points after 9 of 10 races: Top three riders 1. R. Hayden – 271 2. J. Hacking – 262 3. Hayes – 260 Superbike Race Two Following the first Superbike race on Saturday, concern for tire wear and rider safety led Dunlop to request the AMA to shorten the race distance of Superbike race two from 25 to 20 laps. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin rode an exemplary race, leading from the beginning and building a substantial lead over teammate Spies. By the time Mladin had crossed the finish line on his GSX-R1000 with a 6.794 second winning margin, he had established more records: the most Superbike wins in a season (12) and the most Superbike wins ever (63). His sixth win in a row also tied Spies and Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel for most consecutive Superbike wins. Most significantly it gave him a three point lead over Spies in the series and set up a showdown at the final round at Laguna Seca. “It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure,” said Mladin from the podium. “I decided if we were going to have some issues in the race, I wanted at least to have some type of lead and I could maybe manage it. So we pushed as hard as we could and brought it all the way home.” In the press conference he told the media, “It’s nice to get the bike working so well that we can pull away a little bit when we need to. Laguna Seca is going to be a good race and I’m looking forward to it.” As on Saturday, Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking was third, his fifth podium off the season and fourth in the last five races. The first 12 riders across the finish line rode on Dunlops. AMA Superbike 20 Laps (shortened from 25) Superbike Race Two results, Sunday, September 2: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Mat Mladin – Suzuki 2. Ben Spies – Suzuki 3. Jamie Hacking – Kawasaki 4. Aaron Yates – Suzuki 5. Roger Hayden – Kawasaki 6. Jake Zemke – Honda 7. Tommy Hayden – Suzuki 8. James Ellison – Honda 9. Jake Holden – Suzuki 10. Eric Bostrom – Yamaha Superbike Championship Points after 18 of 19 races: Top three riders 1. Mladin – 618 2. Spies – 615 3. Zemke – 441 The next stop for Dunlop and the final round of the 2007 AMA Superbike Series is Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Ca., September 15-16.