Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

RACE ONE "I was a bit disappointed when the much race was stopped, because I hate because of the red flag that was having to go back out just to do a Although it didn't mean thrown on the 18th lap, the first por- sprint to the line," Mladin said. "I tion of race one was engrossing. think that's a little bit crazy, to do an Mladin pulled the holeshot with eight- or nine-lap National. I don't Roberts tucked in close behind. They think that's right when two guys have would stay that way until the fifth lap when Roberts dove under Mladin on worked so hard to get a lead already. Also, I think Kurtis [Roberts] was the brakes at the end of the high- starting to struggle a little bit, in the speed back straight, flicking it first one, with 10 [laps] to go, so I through the right with the lead for the thought that I might be able to maybe first time. The pair was using diver- make a little bit of a break on him." gent lines all around the racetrack, Mladin going into the corners tighter Mladin and Roberts - didn't waste any and exiting wider, Roberts doing the time in going at it again. Mladin went On the restart, those top two - complete opposite. with the same tire compound that On the eighth lap, Mladin decided he'd seen enough of the view from he'd used in the first part, but Roberts behind, and he made his move on race battle was tense, but it was just opted for a softer version. Their early Roberts on the exit of turn one, pow- a dress rehearsal for a last lap that ering past on the run to turn two to take the lead back. will go down as the best of the season But Roberts wasn't going any- mate lap with Roberts taking the lead where, and the two stuck together for for the first time with a pass on the thus far. It all began on the penulti- the duration as this one looked set for brakes at the end of the back straight. a classic finish. The red flag, howev- Mladin slotted in behind him, and it er, prevented that, the two instead stayed that way as they began the lining up on fresh rubber for a sprint final go-around, the two protagonists race to decide the winner. ready to punch and counterpunch. If those two were upset to see the It started in earnest when a good red flag, the others probably weren't, drive out of the Keyhole combined as they were given a second chance to run at the front. Pridmore was one the crest allowed Mladin to drive past with a bit of a wobble by Roberts over of those who was ready to fight, making up for an early mistake in the on the final run down the back Keyhole that saw him drift way wide in the early laps when his bike braked deep, Roberts deeper, the latter going up the inside of the former jumped out of gear. He had fought back, turning lap times as quick as Mladin countered, running up the the top two to move back around Thirty is a nice round number. But the number that is really important to Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin is the number one. Getting number 30 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course also got him a step doser to the number one that he desperately seeks. On a sunny Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio, Mladin earned the 30th pole position of his AMA Superbike career. More important to the Australian, however, was the single point that he earned for that pole position because it turned a six-point championship lead into a seven-point lead. But when qualifying was said and done, the lead was realistically much bigger than that. How so? Mladin's main championship rival Eric Bostrom didn't partake in qualifying on Saturday, the pain from his injured shoulder simply too much for him to continue in a competitive manner. Bostrom thus opted to withdraw from the two Mid-Ohio races, instead heading back to California where he was scheduled to undergo surgery on the Monday following the race. Mladin earned pole position with his Saturday lap of 1:26.654, fast enough to knock Friday's provisional pole sitter, Kurtis Roberts, from the top spot. Roberts also improved on Saturday, lapping at 1:26.852 to earn the second spot on the front row. Neither of the two fast guys was able to match Mladin's lap record, a mark set back in 2001, because of deteriorating track conditions (see Briefly... ). "It was good to get the pole and that extra point:.Mladin said. "I guess the first thing to say is that it's a shame that Eric [Bostrom] isn't out there. H.e was putting in a good season, and you don't want to fight for a championship without everybody out there, so bad luck to Eric. I look forward to racing him again next year. 0)1 anotber note, it was a reasonably good lap. My first flying lap was actually a little bit better, but Kurtis [Roberts) came out of the pits, and I caught him halfway around the track. He didn't see me, or whatever, so I had to back off and go again when he was actually doing his flying lap. So it sort of helped me a little bit by getting a tow. Again, the point is there, and the race is looking good so we'll see what happens. I don't know bow much quicker I could have gone. There were a couple of tenths in that lap because I ran a little wide in the last corner, but it was good enough to go quick and be the quickest, and that's all that matters." Roberts held on for second, complaining that the Suzuki guys were able to get more track time because of running in Formula Xtreme practice. He was also facing the same dilemma as the other top guys - too many slower riders. "It was dose today: Roberts said. "It was kind of hard today with all the guys that are out there. We're just trying to get a dear lap. The setup is reasonably good, but you're just biding your time, and when you only have an hour practice session and some of the Suzuki guys are running every dass except 250, it'd be nice to have more than an hour. I guess they feel they need it to be competitive. It's one thing if you're racing the dass, but its kind of chicken... I won't finish that sentence off, to be out there racing Superbike and to be doing Formuli!l Xtreme practice and stuff. It just puts us behind the eight ball all the time, and the AMA needs to step up and doing something about it because ifs getting kind of old. For having the time we had, we're dose. I think we're okay for the race. We made a little bit of change today, but nothing too drastic because the bike has been pretty good since we got here." Third place went to American Honda's Miguel DuHamel in one of his best qualifying efforts of the season. DuHamel wisely saved his qualifying tires for today, figuring that the weather would be cooler in the morning than it was during Friday afternoon's session. Turns out he was right. That and some suspension changes to make the bike tum better and DuHamel was suddenly in the hunt. "It's just the team working really hard and getting a better setup every time we go out: DuHamel said. "And, of course, we used a softer race tire that everybody used for a qualifying tire. I just went out there, and luckily enough Kurtis [Robertsl came by r.ne, and I kind of got a two off him as far as chasing him down a bit. Then he pulled off, and I thought I could better that lap because it felt pretty easy, pretty comfortable, but I made a little mistake here and there. I got it sideways a little bit, got a little trigger happy. It was still a good lap, but my first one was my best. I'm really'happy, happy with my setup. I've been working all day on it, and it's coming along good. There is really only one tire that works well, and everything else doesn't work that good. There is no hesitation as far as tire section. I'm set for a race tire," Attack Suzuki's Jason Pridmore continued to turn his season around, the Californian putting his GSX·Rl000 on the front row for the first timl' all seas·on. Naturally, he was happy. And, as always, he was gracious. "It just shows that the team has done a great job since basically Laguna Seca, which started my season as far as I'm concerned," Pridmore said. "We had a lot of problems in the beginning, and now we have the bike working really well, and I'm where I should be. I thought we could be competitive on the GSX-RIOOO this year, and now we're finally showing some signs of improvement. What's important to me is that I finally started going faster on race tires today, and that's going to be the key." Row two would be led by Yoshimura Suzuki's Ben Spies, though the Formula Xtreme Championship leader was just using the Superbike session for practice. His spot would be empty, the bare spot next to teammate Aaron Yates, American Honda's Ben Bostrom and Ducati Austin's Giovanni Bussei. inside of Roberts heading into turn straight (pass number one). Mladin in turn six (pass number two). Then seven, the uphill left-hander (pass the little hill there where we all wheel- hill, and Kurtis just made a little mis- Yates, like Roberts, wasn't about number three). Mladin couldn't safely ie, and as soon as he put it down take. That's it. That's how easy it to toss in the towel, and those two hold his line, however, so he let the bike drift wide, allowing Roberts to there, he got a wobble. As soon as that happened, I was able to pull right happens. But that's one thing I wasn't also stayed close together until the race was stopped. dart back underneath (pass number up beside him. But I didn't get past Yates to take over third place. going to do. When I went back under Kurtis into six, I could've held the line Behind them came the two factory four). Unfortunately for Roberts, he him that quick, so I knew he was if I wanted to give everything away, Honda ReS1 s, DuHamel and Bostrom in close quarters - much like the one carried too much speed into turn going to be there again on the brakes. And he was. And I went deep, but I wasn't prepared to give everything away when I knew [Aaron] they share in the front of the semi in Mladin to take the lead again (pass number five). and he went real deep, and he nearly Yates was back in fourth or fifth. So I crashed in that corner - both wheels let it run wide, and Kurtis got me "Kurtis [Roberts] was pushing went from under him, and he picked back - and then he made a little mis- the paddock. When the red flag was thrown, Bostrom was ahead. Barely. eight and lost the front end, allowing Bussei held sixth place at the time, hard," Mladin explained of the last it back up, and that's how I was able take. But I was going to try again the Italian running alone after Szoke lap. "I was pushing hard. Kurtis made to get up the inside again. I got up somewhere." crashed out of the race on the 14th a little mistake. He just got in a bit the inside, and I went a little bit too lap when he tangled with a lapped deep down the bottom of the hill and wide, because I just got in way too rider. Higbee and May rounded out lost the front. That's what I saw. He deep. I thought I was overtaking four wasted little time getting around the the top 10. passed me, I think, down the back people instead of just one. I just for- fast-starting Ben Bostrom. Once he Later, both Mladin and Roberts said they were hampered by the red straight with a lap and a half to go. I followed him all the way around and got to back off for the corner. And I got to third, he stayed there, keeping decided, instead of crashing, I would the leaders in sight while Bostrom flag, with both thinking they had the other covered. got a really good drive off the Key- run wide and give the place away came hole behind him. He came up over again, which I did. We went down the DuHamel and later Yates, the Geor- cue I e Behind those two, Pridmore had grabbed fourth on the restart and· n e _ under S attack • from first AUGUST 6,2003 21

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