AMA Riders Pleased With Improvements at Infineon Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. March 15, 2004; Nine riders from manufacturers
American Honda, Yoshimura Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha converged on
Infineon Raceway for a two-day test session on Monday, and all were
pleased with the improvements made to the raceway over the off-season.

 

The 12-turn, 2.22-mile road course was repaved during the off-season,
and additional runoff was created at Turns 1 and 6, increasing rider
safety.  AMA riders traversed the twisting road course under sunny skies
on Monday.

 

"The track has really come along in the last 12 months, and the new
surface is much better," said Suzuki's Mat Mladin, a four-time AMA Chevy
Trucks Superbike champion and the winner of the Daytona 200 earlier this
month. "It's also gotten faster."

 

This will be the last test prior to the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown,
presented by Cycle Gear, April 30-May 2, at Infineon Raceway and riders
were taking full advantage. In addition to the increased runoff, the
Turn 1 bridge will be moved about 100-feet closer to Turn 2, removing
the bridge abutment as a safety issue. The Turn 6 bridge at the
Carousel, meanwhile, has been permanently removed.

 

Mladin posted the fastest time of the first day at 1 minute, 37.84
seconds and was followed by teammate Aaron Yates (1:38.25) and Erion
Honda's Jake Zemke (1:38.32). Honda's Miguel Duhamel, a four-time
Superbike winner at Infineon Raceway, ran a 1:38.70. All teams were
running race-trim.

 

"This place is one of the best in the country," said Honda's Ben
Bostrom. "The people here at Infineon have worked with the riders the
last two-three years and that's a big deal."

 

Yamaha's Jason DiSalvo, who won the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race at
Daytona on March 6, also had good things to say. "The track has really
been opened up a lot more and you can carry more speed and it doesn't
feel dangerous," he said. "It's kind of like you're floating out there
because the track is so smooth. You don't even realize there's a track
underneath you."

 

Keith McCarty, division manager for Yamaha, also made the trek to
Northern California: "I think everyone is quite happy with the
resurfacing of the track," he said. "The speeds are up but they haven't
changed dramatically and that's good. We're pleased with what we've
seen."

 

In addition to the manufacturers, Arclight Suzuki, Erion Honda and Team
Attack Kawasaki are also attending the two-day test, which will conclude
on Tuesday.

  

 

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---------------------------

John Cardinale

VP of Media/Community Relations

Infineon Raceway

Highways 37 &121, Sonoma, CA 95476

wk: 707-933-3907

cell: 707-334-9805