Suzuki rider Mat Mladin won his seventh career Superbike race at Daytona International Speedway where he led 10 of 15 laps after starting from the pole. Mladin's win was his second Superbike victory in a row at Daytona and his fifth there in the last six years.

Starting from pole, Mladin was immediately passed by Larry Pegram aboard a very quick Ducati 1098R, but managed to stay in the lead pack along with Honda's Neil Hodgson and team mate Tommy Hayden. Mladin took over the lead on lap 8 of 15 and led from then to the checkered flag. In fact, he dominated the rest of the race, pulling away from the pack behind him repeatedly over the last four laps, well ahead of any drafting game that usually takes place at the end of every race at Daytona.

The Suzuki GSX-R1000 with Mat Mladin on board looks like it will spend it's time at the front of ther AMA Superbike pack this, well clear of it's Japanese competion that may lack the funds and knowledge to keep up with Mat over a full race distance.

Hodgson took second in a true photo finish, 0.001 sec in front of Mladin's Suzuki teammate Tommy Hayden. The two riders crossed the finish line in a near dead heat that had to be decided by AMA Pro Racing's at-the-finish-line photography.

Pegram had a shot at a win until his engine weakened over the last laps and he ended up in fourth, ahead of Suzuki rookie Blake Young, who made it three Yoshimura Suzuki machines in the top five.

Young Brett McCormick, in his first AMA Superbike race, was 16th and clawing his way up the field and the learning curve when he overshot Turn 1 and lost time and positions. Look for a report on the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Performance adventure at Daytona on this site on March 18.

Next up for the AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited is the first dual race weekend of the year at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA, March 20 - 22. Look for Larry Pegram and his Ducati to do well on this very twisty track

Daytona 200 - AMA Superbike

1- Mat Mladin - Suzuki
2- Neil Hodgson - Honda
3- Tommy Hayden - Suzuki
4- Larry Pegram - Ducati
5- Blake Young - Suzuki
6- Benjamin Bostrom - Yamaha
7- Aaron Yates - Suzuki
8- Joshua Hayes - Yamaha
9- Michael Laverty -  Suzuki
10- Geoff May - Suzuki
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21- Brett McCormick - Suzuki


Photo Credit : Philippe Champoux