AMA SBK: One for Mladin - One for Pegram
6-8-2009
by
moto123.com
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In a cool and rainy Saturday at Road America, Mat Mladin (Suzuki) continued to roll in AMA Superbike with his ninth victory in the first day of the Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader.
Having won the pole on Friday, Mladin had to overcome a few challenges to as he encountered a clutch problem that prevented him from participating in the 10-minute warm up just prior to the race making him dropped back a few positions at the start.
He quickly worked his way back toward the front of the field and took the lead from Larry Pegram (Ducati) on the second lap. Mladin would not be challenged from that point on and he went on to score his ninth win in 10 tries this season and the 81st of his career.
Finishing an impressive second was Michael Laverty (Suzuki). Completing the podium was Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) with a third-place, making it Bostrom's fourth podium result in his past five American Superbike starts.
Then on Sunday, in what was a nearly perfect day for racing at Road America, Larry Pegram captured his first AMA Pro Racing National Guard American Superbike victory in 10 years.
Pegram got an outstanding start from the second row and claimed the lead and led the first six laps of the 13 lap race before Mladin first took the lead.
The second half of the race featured a seesaw battle between Pegram and Mladin as the two combatants thrilled the Road America fans with their determination to wrestle the lead from one another at every opportunity.
The battle came to a head on the penultimate lap of the race. Pegram took the lead on the front straight heading into Turn 1, but Mladin reclaimed the position in Turn 3. Pegram finally sealed the deal on the run from Turn 3 to Turn 5 and managed to pull away for a 0.342-second victory.
The next round for American Superbike is scheduled for Sunday, July 5 as part of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
AMA Superbike-Road America Race No.1
Pos. Rider Team
1. Mathew Mladin Rockstar Makita Suzuki
2. Michael Laverty Celtic Racing Suzuki 2:30.803
3. Benjamin Bostrom Yamaha USA 2:31.966
4. Larry Pegram Pegram Racing Ducati 2:33.064
5. Blake Young Rockstar · Makita · Suzuki 2:32.161
6. Aaron Yates Jordan Suzuki 2:34.226
7. …………
AMA Superbike-Road America Race No.2
Pos. Rider Team
1. Larry Pegram Pegram Racing Ducati Ducati 2:13.922
2. Mathew Mladin Rockstar · Makita · Suzuki 2:13.450
3. Aaron Yates Jordan Suzuki 2:13.608
4. Geoff May Jordan Suzuki 2:14.093
5. Benjamin Bostrom Yamaha USA 2:14.707
6. Neil Hodgson Corona Extra Honda 2:14.518
7. ……….
AMA Superbike Championship – After Road America
Pos. Rider Points
1. Mathew Mladin 325
2. Tommy Hayden 215
3. Benjamin Bostrom 187
4. Larry Pegram 180
5. Joshua Hayes 164
6. Geoff May 161
Photo Credit : AMA Pro Racing
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