Mladin Continues Streak with Superbike Pole at Infineon Raceway
Press release Infineon Raceway
SONOMA, Calif. (May 15, 2009) – AMA series leader Mat Mladin rode to his fifth American Superbike Superpole of the season on Friday, setting up what promises to be a dramatic weekend as he pursues an unprecedented eighth straight AMA victory at the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Supercuts.
Photo: Nate Jacobson
Despite difficult wind conditions, a new bike and a crash in the second practice, Mladin shaved more than half a second from his Basic Qualifying time to record a 1:36.231 (86.791 mph) on his Suzuki.
"Getting on the front row is good for us," Mladin said. "Right now we're trying to improve the motorcycle and get it to a point where we feel comfortable. We've struggled with that so we went out with something very different for the one lap to give us some direction for (Saturday).
"It worked pretty well so maybe we have found a bit of direction. But, then again, who knows? It's a very different motor bike and we've got a lot to do to figure it out compared to the old one."
Mladin is the first rider in AMA history to start a season 7-0, and the seven straight wins matches a series record. Mladin holds a commanding 77-point lead in the season standings.
Yamaha’s Josh Hayes, who sits sixth in the standings, put himself in contention for his first podium of the year with a strong, second-place qualifying performance (1:36.861).
"Superpole has gone pretty decent for me so far this year," Hayes said. "The formula has worked: put in a clean lap, make few mistakes and get on the front row. But we're getting our butt kicked on Saturdays and Sundays.
"There's still work to do. We'll see what we can come up with -- we have a couple of ideas. ... We'll see if we have a magic bullet so that we can get closer to the times we want."
Tommy Hayden, Mladin's Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate, delivered his best Superpole performance of the season. He will start third after posting a 1:36.941.
"It was the first time we went faster than (basic) qualifying so we feel good about that," Hayden said. "The last two races we missed the front row so this is important. I'm happy with this."
Fans could hardly ask for a better front row for this weekend's two races, with the lineup set at Mladin, Hayes, Hayden, and Petaluma native Ben Bostrom, who pushed his Yamaha to fourth on the grid with a time of 1:37.005.
"I didn't think (qualifying) was so good but I'm up here so that's good." Bostrom said. "I thought we'd be better. I didn't put it together like these other guys, but we're on the front row and we hope we can get up front. It will be a good race."
Mladin is the Infineon Raceway career record-holder with eight Superbike victories.
Jason DiSalvo (Suzuki) claimed the Daytona SportBike Superpole. He was clocked at 1:39.517, followed by Josh Herrin (Yamaha) at 1:39.990, Chaz Davies (Aprilia) at 1:40.081, Yamaha's Tommy Aquino at 1:40.338 and Jamie Hacking, who turned in a 1:40.522 on his Kawasaki.
Action returns on Saturday with a full slate of racing, including 20-lap main events for Superbike and SportBike. Tickets are available at the gate; visit www.infineonraceway.com for details.
American Superbike Superpole
1. Mat Mladin/Suzuki -- 1:36.231 (86.791 mph)
2. Josh Hayes/Yamaha -- 1:36.861 (86.227)
3. Tommy Hayden/Suzuki -- 1:36.941 (86.156)
4. Ben Bostrom/Yamaha -- 1:37.005 (86.089)
5. Geoff May/ Suzuki -- 1:37.226 (85.903)
6. Aaron Yates/Suzuki -- 1:37.554 (85.614)
7. Larry Pegram/Ducati -- 1:38.023 (85.205)
8. Jake Holden/Honda -- 1:38.198 (85.053)
9. Neil Hodgson/Honda -- 1:38.698 (84.622)
10. David Anthony/Suzuki -- 1:38.858 (84.485)
