FACT SHEET: Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, May 19-21
Contact: John Cardinale (707) 933-3907 Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, May 19-21 FACT SHEET WHAT: Infineon Raceway will host the top pavement motorcycle road-racers in the country at the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Supercuts. WHEN: May 19-21. This is the fourth stop on the 19-race series for 2006. It will be a doubleheader weekend, featuring 28-lap main events in the Superbike division on Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21. The weekend will also feature racing in Pro Honda Oils Supersport, Repsol Lubricants Superstock and Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme. CIRCUIT 12-turn, 2.22-mile road course. RACE LENGTH: Superbike main events will span 28 laps. All other main events are 17 laps. ON-TRACK SAFETY: Infineon Raceway will have an additional 102 pieces of airfence strategically placed around the road course that will enhance rider safety. The raceway gave the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) a $70,000 no-interest loan to purchase 92 pieces, and the AFM received an additional 10 pieces that were donated by the Roadracing World Action Fund. The raceway houses the airfence and it is available for rental and is used at AMA-sanctioned events, as well as by the AFM. SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS (all times Pacific): Friday: Superbike practice, 9:40-10:40 a.m.; Superbike qualifying 2-3:30 p.m.; Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme qualifying, 3:40-5:10 p.m. Saturday: Superbike qualifying, 9:50-11 a.m.; Repsol Lubricants Superstock qualifying, 12:40-2 p.m.; Pro Honda Oils Supersport qualifying, 2:10-3:30 p.m. Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown main event #1, 3:50 p.m. (28 laps); Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme main event, 5 p.m. (17 laps). Sunday: Superbike practice, 10:20-10:50 a.m.; Repsol Lubricants Superstock main event, 11:30 a.m. (17 laps); Pro Honda Oils Supersport main event, 1:45 p.m. (17 laps); Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown main event #2, 3 p.m. (28 laps). For complete schedule, visit www.infineonraceway.com <http://www.infineonraceway.com/> . TELEVISION: Sunday: Superbike Main Event #1, 10 a.m..; Superbike Main Event #2, 8 p.m. All on SPEED. Tuesday, May 23: Supersport Main Event, 10 a.m.; Formula Xtreme, 2 p.m. All on SPEED. All times Pacific. 2005 CHAMPIONS: Superbike: Mat Mladin (Suzuki). Mladin won both Superbike main events; Supersport: Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki); Superstock: Aaron Yates (Suzuki); Formula Xtreme: Jake Zemke (Honda). QUALIFYING RECORDS: Superbike: Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 83.233 mph, 2005; Supersport: Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 81.654 mph, 2005; Superstock: Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) 82.467 mph, 2005; Formula Xtreme: Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 81.441, 2004. WHAT TO EXPECT: Ben Spies (Suzuki) enters the Sonoma Valley weekend on a roll, having won the last four Superbike main events with doubleheader sweeps in Alabama and Fontana. He leads teammate Mat Mladin, 182-163. ... Mladin (Suzuki) won an AMA-record sixth Superbike championship in 2005, with 11 victories in 17 starts. Mladin has won three consecutive AMA Superbike titles (2003-2005). ... Mladin holds the record for career Superbike victories in the Sonoma Valley with six. He has won five of the last six Superbike features at Infineon Raceway, including both ends of the doubleheader in 2005. ... Suzuki dominated at both Infineon Raceway and in the AMA Superbike points standings in 2005. Suzuki finished one-two in the first feature in Sonoma (Mladin, Aaron Yates) and one-two-three in the second (Mladin, Yates, Spies). Mladin and Spies also finished one-two in the final AMA Superbike points standings. ... Ben Bostrom (Ducati), who raced in the World Superbike championship in 2005, returns to AMA Superbike in 2006 with Ducati. Bostrom is a Petaluma High School graduate. He will join teammate Neil Hodgson, who completed his first year in AMA in 2005. Hodgson, a former World Superbike champion, placed sixth in Superbike in his "rookie" year with one victory (Road America) and six podium finishes overall. ... Eric Bostrom, a Petaluma High graduate and brother of Ben Bostrom, switches from Ducati to Yamaha for 2006. ... Tommy Hayden should be a factor for Kawasaki, which returns to Superbike racing with its ZX(tm)-10R. Hayden has won the last two Pro Honda Oils Supersport titles and sits sixth in Superbike points. ... Jake Zemke (Honda) posted his first-career win at Infineon Raceway in 2005 in the Formula Xtreme feature. He also won the 2006 Daytona 200. ... Miguel Duhamel (Honda) holds the record at Infineon Raceway for overall AMA victories (nine). Duhamel and retired rider Rich Oliver will be inducted into Infineon Raceway's Wall of Fame during the lunch break on Saturday of race weekend. ... Honda and Suzuki have combined to win 13 of the last 14 Superbike main events at Infineon Raceway. ... Former NBA superstar Michael Jordan fields a three-rider team in the AMA, including Lafayette native (East Bay) and Acalanes High School graduate Steve Rapp. ... Yamaha may not feature a Superbike factory effort this year, but it is dominating in all other categories entering Sonoma: Jamie Hacking leads Pro Honda Oils Supersport, Jason Disalvo leads Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme and Hacking and Disalvo are tied for the lead in Repsol Lubricants Superstock. Hacking and Disalvo have combined for four victories overall this year. SUPERBIKE POINTS ENTERING SONOMA (after five races): Ben Spies (Suzuki) 182, Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 163, Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 140, Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 130, Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 126, Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 124, Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 119, Jake Zemke (Honda) 110, Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 108, Larry Pegram (Honda) 93. PR CONTACTS: Infineon Raceway: John Cardinale, jcardinale@infineonraceway.com (707-933-3907), Diana Rose, drose@infineonraceway.com (707-933-3918). AMA: Larry Lawrence, llawrence@amaproracing.com, (317-332-3899). Web-sites: www.infineonraceway.com <http://www.infineonraceway.com/> ; www.amasuperbike.com <http://www.amasuperbike.com/> ; www.amaproracing.com <http://www.amaproracing.com/> . TICKETS: Call 800-870-RACE, visit www.infineonraceway.com <http://www.infineonraceway.com/> or www.ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com/> . ### --------------------------- John Cardinale VP of Media/Community Relations Infineon Raceway Highways 37 &121, Sonoma, CA 95476 wk: 707-933-3907 cell: 707-334-9805