Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Doyrono lntcrnoriono Dcyrond Beoch. FL AMA SUPCRBIKE Round I Mo.ch I I. 2006 AMA Supenbike Championship Jordan l'4otorsports Suzukis of Jason Pridmore and lake Holden, the former having to ride with a backup motor after his 'A' motor blew up in practice. As is the case at most of the AMA Superbike races, this was Mladrn s to win from the ger-go. Despite not testing here in December with everyone else as he was recuperatinS at home in Australia from off-season ankle surgery he didn't miss a beat. Mladrn qualified on pole posi- tion with a new lap record, earning a championship point in the process, Then he went out and won the battle with Spies, leading the most laps along the way to earn yet another championship point. When all was sard and done. the six-time AMA Superbike Champion had the per- fect Daytona as he opened his title defense with a full load of 38 points. The two Suzukis didn't waste much time in pulling away from the pack of pursuers, though the gap was slight and the others did keep them in sight for the duration, The Mladin/Spies battle was led mostly by Mladin, though Spies did lead for two laps (laps seven and eight) while l4ladin had a look from behind to see where his younger teammate was stronger. The pair were ripping off l:39s, occasionally dipping into the 38s, some five seconds ahead of the pack behind them. It all came down to the Daytona draft, and this was a block Mladin had been around before. He did a stellar job of sell- ing his move, making it look like he was 8oin8 to take his chances from the front, hammer through the chicane, and see if he could hold his teammate off despite rhe fact that the Texan would bene- fit from the draft. But that was an illusion. lnstead, Mladin did the ultimate fake iob, checking up on the exit of the chicane and looking over his right shoulder as the sur- prised Spies flew by. Then he got back on the gas, pulled into the draft, waited patiently until iust the right time, then shot by at the fin- ish line - winning by just 0.032 of a second. So what did Spies think as he saw the Aussie fly by or the inside on the tri-oval? "l was iust flgurinS I was going to be that guy that got drafted around at the line," Spies said. ''But it's good. The whole race started off good. We both got good starts. He got a holeshot- I don't know how that happened, but he got a real good stan, and we went into turn one together. He put his head down and we split right off the bat. Then we checked up the middle of the race and looked around and saw that it was pretty much going to be us. I was happy, My bike worked really good in the infield and I fek like I conserved the tire pretty good. I know it's Daytona, it's an 22 MARCH 22,2006 . cYcLE NEWS I easier track, but to stay with him on the same motorcycle makes me feel good. But we've got to make it work at the other tracks and keep going from here. But we got out of here l-2 Suzukis - it's too bad Aaron's ffatesl hurt, or it would've been l-2-3. And we got points so we lust move on from here." With his 44th career victor/ in the bag, l'lladin was typically nonchalant about the ''l'm up here on the podium, but today it could have gone either way," Mladin said. "lt's easy to be the winner today and beat your chest and tell everybody that you won the race, but these races can go either way, and I say that every time. ln the 200, lthink lwon the 200 a couple of times, and one time was reasonably easy, but one time was close. I drafted Miguel fDuhamel], maybe, or Nicky [Hayden], maybe. This race could go either way \! I rl a 'tt' ':=-l' U Ii. ! rt I l , ,rr' I 7/ L a - Jr- T -l- L -1. r -! 1\ Micruel Duh6mel I I7l hefd off rhe odtd#6l- Hodgron (tOO, ro liniih third. (Below) One picture tells lhe story: Mlodin calebrotes his lost-lop move on Spies while the Texon ponders whot

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