SUPERBIKE OPENER
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Mat Mladin led a one-two-three at yesterday's first leg of the AMA double-header at the Suzuki Superbike Showdown at Road Atlanta in Braselton in America.
It was the Australian's seventh win but following his controversial disqualification from last weekend's Virginia round - a decision Suzuki is contesting - where he won both races, the series is still open as it is not known whether team mate Ben Spies has captured his third title with two races to go.
Spies finished second after recovering from a stop-go penalty and third team rider Tommy Hayden finished third.
Mat Mladin:
"I'd like to thank my Rockstar Makita Suzuki crew for working so hard and giving me a good bike in the GSXR1000. Today, it was a good race for us, though it was fairly uneventful. Ben got the meatball flag - because of the AMA penalty - and I just put it on cruise control and brought it home. Hopefully, we'll have a better race for the fans tomorrow."
Ben Spies:
"That's the hardest I've ever had to ride to get second place. I did everything I could do. We just had a little problem at the start, and I couldn't get it together. Then, I knew I had to come through the field because I knew I needed to get on the podium. I'd like to thank my Rockstar Makita Suzuki crew for putting a great bike together for me."
Tommy Hayden:
"It definitely was a good race, I tried to put my head down and stay focused. I'm really happy to be on the podium with my Rockstar Makita Suzuki team mates for another one-two-three finish. I had another good start; my starts have been pretty good lately. Then Mat came by and I tried to latch onto him, and then hang on for a bit. I just tried to keep my head down and keep the pressure on and bring home a podium finish."
Superbike results:
1. Mat Mladin (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) 3. Tommy Hayden (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) 4. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) 5. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 6. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 7. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 8. Matt Lynn (Honda) 9. Geoff May (Suzuki) 10. Ben Thompson (Suzuki)
