Mat Mladin has so far left his competitiors out of sight, but it's too early in the season to start resting on one's laurels.
The AMA Pro Racing American Superbike Championship heads to Barber Motorsports Park for Round 4 of the series, with the paddock having had a month to prepare for a renewed assault on the dominating lead of Rockstar Makita Suzuki's
Mat Mladin. The six-time AMA Superbike champ took the checkered flag in Race 1 with his fellow GSX-R1000 teammate Tommy Hayden and National Guard Jordan’s Geoff May. Mladin then proceeded to lead every lap of Race 2 in another Gixxer sweep, accompanied this time by teammate Blake Young and May.
Tommy Hayden, the runner-up in the points standings, followed his fellow teammates in sixth position. Whether the GSX-R1000 sweeps are the result of solid riders, or a superior bike, no one can question why the premier talent of Mladin leads the championship uncontested.
The Yamaha YZF-R1 riders sent out a clear Gixxer rebuttal during the Infineon Raceway Test Session.
Ben Bostrom posted the quickest overall lap time during the two-day test session at 1’36.6, edging-out his best lap from Monday (1:37.19). Yamaha factory teammate
Josh Hayes followed-up his respectable fifth and fourth-place finishes at Road Atlanta, with the second-fastest time at the Infineon test, leaving the omnipotent Mladin trailing in third.
Following a disappointing weekend at Road Atlanta, rider
Larry Pegram has worked on regaining his strength after injuries hampered his performance in Georgia. The Ducati 1098R rider was pleased with the progress made at the official test at Infineon.
“We tested well at Infineon Raceway, which will no doubt benefit us when we race there next month, and we learned a lot that we can apply to this weekend’s race as well. My body is almost 100% again, so I can ride aggressively, as opposed to nursing myself through the races like I had to in Atlanta,” commented Pegram.
It was a heated race between Geoff May, Joshua Hayes, Blake Young, Aaron Yates, and Larry Pegram in Race 1 of Road Atlanta. Expect more close racing in Alabama.
and
Geoff May will be riding on the new 2009 version of the Suzuki GSX-R1000 when Round 4 kicks-off this weekend. While testing at Carolina Motorsports Park both riders posted times significantly lower than the existing track record while making improvements on the chassis and suspension, as well as the electronics and fuel management areas of the bikes. Geoff May believes the many benefits of the new Gixxer will give him the edge at Barber.
“The 2009 is better out the box than the 2008. It handles better, steers better and has more grip,” said May. “It's a really impressive package and I was surprised how good it was straight away. I can't wait to get to Barber and continue riding it."
Neil Hodgson is still recovering from injuries suffered from an accident on a motocross bike over a month ago, which resulted in broken ribs, a punctured lung and a separated shoulder. The Brit will not be riding the Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR at Barber, which was piloted by replacement rider Jake Holden to ninth at Road Atlanta.
Daytona SportBike
Danny Eslick was able to pass Josh Herrin in the 12th lap and hold the lead for the Race 2 victory at Road Atlanta.
is the new Daytona SportBike Championship leader after powering his RMR Buell 1125 to his fourth win of the season in Race 2 of Road Atlanta. Will the Oklahoman continue to extend his lead aboard the controversial Buell in a field of lightweight competitors?
Former Supersport champ
Jamie Hacking (Monster Attack Kawasaki) is winless this year, but consistent and ripe for a victory. The veteran rider finished seventh in a shortened Race 1 at Road Atlanta, but bounced back to place just outside the podium in Race 2. Having since posted the top time among the Daytona SportBike riders (1:39.4) at the official Infineon Raceway Test, Hacking will arrive at Barber Motorsports Park ready to reclaim the lead.
Following Hacking at the Infineon test were the Graves Yamaha teammates
Josh Herrin (1:40.1) and Tommy Aquino (1:41.07). Josh Herrin is also looking for his first win of the year. The young gun for Yamaha is currently third in the standings after adding another second-place finish to his season at Road Atlanta.
The round in Atlanta also saw M4 Suzuki’s
Martin Cardenas scoring his first career Daytona SportBike victory, bumping him to fourth in the overall standings. The Colombian assumes the title of being the only Daytona SportBike season contender to have beat Eslick this year, albeit in a flag-shortened, 16-lap race (Superbike rider Ben Bostrom won the Daytona 200 opener in a one-off ride).
Team Graves Yamaha's Josh Herrin was 0.483 of a second shy of Eslick for the Race 2 win at Road Atlanta. He also had consistent speed on his R6 at the Infineon Raceway Test.
Fellow M4 Suzuki teammate
Jason DiSalvo won the Road Atlanta Superpole and held down the lead for the opening two laps of Race 1, but crashed out of first while working Lap 3. The New Yorker once again came back to take the lead during the first half of Race 2, until his GSX-R600 began to fade due to rear tire wear, dropping him back to seventh. Cardenas also had a tough end to the weekend as he veered off-line in the start and experience mechanical issues later in the race.
Chaz Davies had a good showing at Road Atlanta on the Aprilia RSV1000R, taking fifth in Race 1 and sixth in Race 2 to wind-up sixth overall for the championship. The British rider looks to once again break into the top five as he continues to develop the Italian Twin.
Jake Zemke and Chris Peris (Erion Honda) offer the best chances for the Honda CBR600RR in Daytona SportBike. Zemke has yet to crack the podium in a frustrating start to the season. The former Formula Xtreme Champ placed just outside the rostrum after being passed by Roger Hayden and Danny Eslick in Race 1 in Atlanta. In Race 2, he ran toe-to-toe with Disalvo for the lead until crashing out of contention on Lap 8. His younger teammate Chris Peris had better luck and his third-place finish in Race 2 was his first podium of the season.
