Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional AMA Superbike Race One Results:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 28 laps
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -0.126 second
3. Ben Bostrom, Honda, -15.333 seconds
4. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, -19.679 seconds
5. Regis Laconi, Ducati, -30.885 seconds
6. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -40.983 seconds
7. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -49.063 seconds
8. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -59.019 seconds
9. Geoff May, Suzuki, -71.338 seconds
10. Mike Smith, Suzuki, -76.813 seconds
11. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, -78.203 seconds
12. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha, -1 lap
13. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -1 lap
14. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -1 lap
15. Cory West, Suzuki, -1 lap
16. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, -1 lap
17. Roger Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap
18. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap
19. Heath Small, Yamaha, -1 lap
20. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -1 lap
21. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki, -1 lap
22. Jesse Janisch, Suzuki, -1 lap
23. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, -1 lap
24. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -1 lap
25. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap
26. Marco Martinez, Suzuki, -1 lap
27. David Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap
28. James Kerker, Honda, -1 lap
29. Anthony Fania, Suzuki, -1 lap
30. Chuck Sorensen, Yamaha, -2 laps
31. Roland Williams, Suzuki, -2 laps
32. Greg Fryer, Yamaha, -2 laps
33. Steve Scott, Yamaha, -2 laps

34. Jake Zemke, Honda, -8 laps, DNF, retired
35. David Weber, Suzuki, -12 laps, DNF
36. Larry Pegram, Yamaha, -28 laps, DNF, crash


Provisional AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings:

1. Mladin, 557 points
2. Duhamel, 514 points
3. Zemke, 490 points
4. Ben Bostrom, 393 points
5. May, 366 points
6. Eric Bostrom, 336 points
7. Aaron Yates, 331 points
8. John Haner, 312 points
9. Eric Wood, 295 points
10. Josh Hayes, 291 points


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

MLADIN WINS 5TH SUPERBIKE TITLE!
Team Suzuki Press Office – October 10, 2004.

Mat Mladin has taken a record fifth AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship with a sixth place finish in the first race of the Superbike double-header at Virginia International Raceway today as five Suzukis filled the top-ten places.

The Yoshimura Suzuki rider needed to finish second if Honda’s Jake Zemke took maximum points, but he raced for the win while Zemke fell back, pitting at one point and eventually pulling out with about five laps remaining.

The race ended with Mladin holding an insurmountable 557 points. Race winner Miguel Duhamel took over second with 510 and Zemke dropped to third on 490.

The race was a thriller to the flag with Duhamel passing Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates on the final lap to take the win by 0.126 seconds. Ben Bostrom was 15 seconds back in third ahead of Lorenzo Lanzi and Regis Laconi.

Josh Hayes was seventh well in front of Lion Racing’s Jacob Holden on a Suzuki. Then came Prieto Racing’s Geoff May (Suzuki) and Mike Smith on a Junkyard Special Suzuki.

Yates took the lead on lap two with young Italian Lanzi going with him. Mladin and Zemke were close behind but ahead of Duhamel and Laconi with Ben Bostrom further back in front of Hayes, May and Holden.

Mladin closed on Lanzi on the third lap and was up to second by the time they hit the stripe. And on the fifth lap, he forced ahead of team-mate Yates just past the start-finish line to take the lead as Duhamel closed on Lanzi. Zemke was now 3.614 seconds behind the leader with Ben Bostrom in his shadow and his hopes were fading fast.

Mladin’s lead was 0.735 ending the sixth lap, Yates holding a similar gap to Duhamel – who was now up to third. Lanzi was about the same distance back in fourth. Then there was a gap of over two seconds to Ben Bostrom who’d just made his way past Zemke, but only for a lap.

Duhamel was past Yates and up to second and on Mladin early on lap eight, taking the lead later in the lap. Yates also made his way past, so when they crossed the stripe, it was Duhamel, Yates, Mladin and then a gap to Lanzi.

Bostrom took fourth from Lanzi on the 10th lap and was now 2.54 seconds behind Mladin who, in turn, was nearly two from the leader Duhamel.

Halfway into the race and the top three – Duhamel, Yates and Mladin – were together covered by 0.673 seconds, then four more to Bostrom, with Lanzi alone in front of team-mate Laconi. Hayes was having a lonely ride in seventh, as was May and Holden.

Zemke pitted ending his 14th lap and when he came around ending the 16th lap, he was a lap down.

Mladin had his bad luck on the 18th lap when he dropped from third to a distant sixth, nearly 20 seconds back. The championship was still his but the race win was out of reach: Yates had taken the lead from Duhamel on the same lap and with Mladin’s drop, Bostrom was now up to third. Lanzi and Laconi were next, then Mladin followed at some distance by Hayes, then Holden and May.

Mladin raced past Laconi on the 21st lap but at a distance of nine seconds to Lanzi. Not that it mattered… The AMA’s live points update showed Mladin with 556 to Duhamel’s 510 and Zemke’s 490.

The leaders were on the 23rd lap when Zemke pulled out of the race.

The drama would be whether Yates could take his first win of the year and first in over a year.

Taking the white flag, Duhamel drafted by Yates and took the lead holding it to the line to win by 0.126 seconds.

Superbike Race 1 Results:

1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki)
3. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
4. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati)
5. Regis Laconi (Ducati)
6. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
7. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki)
8. Jacob Holden (Suzuki)
9. Geoff May (Suzuki)
10. Mike Smith (Suzuki)