Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128370
AMA Superbike Series
getting to a racetrack where we have
some grip so we can really show what the
motorcycle is made of. It's going to be an
interesting month off, and we're looking
forward to Barber."
Behind him, things heated up quickly as
Hodgson pounced on Yates, the Brit
proud of finally getting into turn one with
enough steam to make a move. That
came on lap three.
"I passed Aaron [Yates] into the first
corner, which was really exciting because
I'd been like a girl all weekend into there,
so I knew I needed to dangle a carrot in
front of me," Hodgson said. "He was
there, and I went around the outside of
him, so that felt pretty good and put a
smile on my face."
Then it was Hodgson's turn to put a
gap on his pursuers. His lead grew,
though not as quickly as Mladin's, but it
was enough, and he eventually finished
almost a second ahead of the battle
behind him. Try as he might, Hodgson
couldn't quite get there.
"Every time I tried to push harder, I
was tucking the front," Hodgson said.
"Everybody is sliding the rear, but I tucked
the front a few times. I just thought the
team would kick me up the backside if I
lost the front - especially since I had
roughly two seconds on Ben [Spies]."
It was Spies, but only at the very end.
After a near miss with two backmarkers
in the chicane, the Yosh bikes of Yates and
Spies were locked together, the pair having ditched the Hondas in the mess of the
chicane. At the finish, it was Spies - by just
. 12 of a second.
Hodgson ended up content with his
finish but was also left with a bit of "what
could have been."
"It's good to get it out of the way really now," Hodgson said. "Everybody's got
a little bit of testing planned, and we'll go
to the next round. I'm really pleased. Last
night when I was in bed, if someone
would have said, "You'll get second," I'd
have sort of took it. I've got mixed feelings inside now. You feel happy to get it
out of the way and get some good points,
but you feel sick because you didn't win.
It's an up-and-down feeling."
eN
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA
RESULTS: MARCH
(ROUND
1
OF
12, 2005
17)
SUPERBIKE QUALIFYING: I. Mal Mladin
(1:38.232); 2. Ben Spies (1:38.96J): 3. Neil Hodgson
(1:39.884); 4. Aaron Yates (1:39.894): 5. Geoff May
(lo'!().508): 6. Miguel Duhamel (1040.875): 7. Jake Zemke
(1:40.891); 8. Josh Hayes (1:4L429); 9. Eric Bostrom
(1:41.651): 10. Jason Pridmore (1:41.691); II. Kurtis
Robe'" (1042.110): 12. S'eve Rapp (1042.216); I]. John
McGuinness (1:42.530); 14. lArry Pegram (1:42.713); 15.
Jacob Holden (1042.999): 16. Many Cnggill (104].060): 17.
B"'nt Geo'!:e (1:4].552): lB. Eric Wood (104].671): 19.
Cory West (1:44.121); 20. Lee Acree (1:44.366): 21. John
Haner (1:44.392): 22. Steve Crevier (1:44.510); 23. ScOtt
Jensen (1:+4.921); 2". Brian Stokes (1:4S.026): 25. Tony
Meiring (1:45.032); 26. Roger Bell (1:45:422); 17. Mike
Smith (1:"5.739): 28. Ft