Thursday, April 3, 2008
Mladin Once Again is the Man to Beat
Lynne Tibbet
Infineon Raceway just wrapped up a two day Yamaha-sponsored AMA test and would like to thank all the fans who came out to support throughout the test.
For the rest of you, who weren't able to make it, I'll give you the skinny on the test days.
In true fashion, Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin dominated both days of testing. His fastest lap time on Wednesday over the 12-turn, 2.22-mile road course was 1 minute, 34.90 seconds, but his best lap time from the test came on Tuesday (1:34.76). Both times were better than the actual track record, which was set by his teammate and rival Ben Spies (1:34.991) in 2007.
It was beautiful in Sonoma on Tuesday. In addition to the 14 AMA pro riders who were out here testing, there was also Supermoto racing and SBFreaks stunt riding. The stunt guys literally ride on the seat and handle bars of their 300 pound bikes. It's pretty incredible! You can check them out during AMA weekend in the Turn-10 island, located inside the road course. Or, if Supermoto is your fancy, head up to the Infineon Raceway Karting Center for a full weekend of racing.
On Tuesday, Mat Mladin, Honda's Neil Hodgson and Miguel Duhamel and Corona Extra Honda's Jake Holden and Matt Lynn joined us in the Wine Country Winner's Circle for a little Track Talk. As usual, Miguel was cracking jokes and Neil talked about how the Superbike Series really is some of the best motorcycle racing in the world. They are all enthusiastic about the upcoming race in Sonoma, May 16-18.
It should be a great year in the world of Superbike riding. Mat and Ben will once again battle for bragging rights, but Yamaha's Jason DiSalvo and Kawasaki's Jamie Hacking won't be far behind.
Whether you are into AMA pro racing, stunt riding, motocross or Supermoto, there is surely something for you to see at the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, May 16-18. Call 800-870-RACE for questions.
