Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Race Report: 2006 AMA Superbike Series, round nine, Virginia International Raceway
August 20, 2006 Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Race Report: 2006 AMA Superbike Series, round nine, Virginia International Raceway Alton, Va. - The 2006 AMA Superbike Series crowned its first champion at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Va., August 18-20, as Factory Yamaha's Jamie Hacking won his second career Pro Honda Oils Supersport title. In the premier class, Yoshimura Suzuki's six-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin racked up career wins 47 and 48. It was a very good weekend for Graves Motorsports Yamaha's Eric Bostrom, who took the wins in the Formula Xtreme and the Superstock support classes. For Dunlop Tires, the results were impressive: of the top ten finishers in each of the five races, 44 rode on Dunlop tires, a remarkable winning percentage of 88. The track at VIR is enigmatic. The well-paved surface provides substantial grip, so much so that significant heat is generated in the right side of the rear tire along the front straightaway as the riders curve to the right approaching turn one at speeds exceeding 160 mph. The heat builds through turns one and two, both right-handers, and remains a constant as the racers circulate the predominantly right-hand circuit. On top of that, the track surface absorbs abundant heat in the afternoon sun, a condition which is not present in the morning test sessions. Too much heat can reduce traction and these factors conspire to make optimum tire selection difficult at race time. To provide the teams with a number of choices, Dunlop brought more than 1800 tires to support the factory and support-team riders in the Superbike, Superstock, Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes. The Superbike teams had four front and three rear tire options, the Formula Xtreme teams selected from three front and four rear compounds, and the Superstock riders had six front and five rear tire compound choices. Superbike Race One The weekend's inaugural race was the first of two Superbike competitions. Yoshimura Suzuki's Ben Spies, who came to the race with a 45-point lead over teammate Mladin, suffered a right-hand fracture during Friday's qualifying session, throwing into doubt his ability to defend his margin in the championship run over the remaining five races. Spies rode through the pain, however, qualifying second behind Mladin on Saturday and leading the race from the green flag for the first three laps. But Mladin was on a mission this day, overtaking his teammate on lap four and simply disappearing from the rest of the field over the remaining 24 laps on his GSX-R1000. His margin of victory at the checkered flag was 19.530 seconds, the largest so far this season. Spies soldiered on to take second and Parts Unlimited Ducati's Neal Hodgson was third. "The bike felt really good. We found a couple of things last week at the test (In Atlanta - ed.) that made me feel a bit more comfortable on the bike," said Mladin, who maxed out the available points with the pole (the 50th of his career), the most laps led and the win. Shaving six points off of Spies' lead, he commented, "Now we just need to keep the momentum for tomorrow's race." For Dunlop, the results were as dominant as Mladin's: the first 11 riders across the finish line were on Dunlop tires. Superbike Race Results, Saturday: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Mat Mladin - Suzuki 2. Ben Spies - Suzuki 3. Neil Hodgson - Ducati 4. Miguel Duhamel - Honda 5. Aaron Yates - Suzuki 6. Jake Zemke - Honda 7. Jason Pridmore - Suzuki 8. Tommy Hayden - Kawasaki 9. Roger Lee Hayden - Kawasaki 10. Steve Rapp - Suzuki Formula Xtreme Race The second race of the day was the proverbial barn-burner. Title contenders Jason DiSalvo (Graves Motorsports Yamaha), teammate Eric Bostrom and Erion Racing Honda's Josh Hayes came to VIR with just four points separating the trio. DiSalvo collected the pole and all three qualified on the front row. Bostrom, with five wins under his belt, rocketed into the lead at the start but he could not shake a determined Hayes, who took the lead on lap four. Though Bostrom was never more than a half-second back, it appeared Hayes would notch his second win of the season. But Bostrom slid underneath Hayes at the start of the 17th and final lap on his YZF-R6 and held off a determined Hayes for the win by just .121 seconds. DiSalvo took third. "Amazing job for Josh, amazing job for my Yamaha team," said an enthused Bostrom. "Obviously these guys beat us in qualifying yesterday by almost a whole second, and we were able to gather it up and go race with them. It was a lot of fun. Atlanta and Mid-Ohio are going to be interesting." With two races to go, Bostrom takes over the points lead with 286 while DiSalvo is just two back with 284 and Hayes at 283. Dunlop riders delivered a near-perfect finish, collecting all but one of the top 10 finishing positions. Formula Xtreme Results: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Eric Bostrom - Yamaha 2. Josh Hayes - Honda 3. Jason DiSalvo - Yamaha 4. Aaron Gobert - Honda 6. Ryan Andrews - Yamaha 7. Eric Wood - Honda 8. Chris Peris - Yamaha 9. Ty Howard - Honda 10. Blake Young - Suzuki Superbike Race Two A change in the schedule by AMA officials to avoid inclement weather put the second Superbike race at the top of Sunday's schedule. Unlike race one on Saturday, the outcome of race two was anything but certain for the most of the 28-lap affair. Yoshimura Suzuki's Aaron Yates got an excellent start and took command early on, leading the first 11 laps. A determined Miguel Duhamel (Honda Racing) followed just tenths of a second behind. Meanwhile Mladin, who finished the first lap in seventh position, gunned his GSX-R1000 through the pack, overtaking Duhamel on lap 11 and then teammate Yates one lap later. Mladin would eventually ease away to take the win by 5.279 seconds-the 48th of his career-while Yates secured second and Duhamel nailed down third. "It was hard work, especially after I got past Miguel and Aaron," said Mladin. "Everyone can talk about the young guys as much as you like, but you've got three of the most experienced guys up here and experience counts for something." Collecting the maximum amount of Superbike points for the weekend allowed Mladin to pull within 29 points of Spies (560 vs. 531), who finished fourth-another remarkable finish given his right-hand fracture. Duhamel maintains his third-place standing with 443 points. Dunlop riders took nine of the top ten spots, giving them all but one of the top 10 Superbike finishing positions for the weekend. Superbike Race Results, Sunday: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Mat Mladin - Suzuki 2. Aaron Yates - Suzuki 3. Miguel Duhamel - Honda 4. Ben Spies - Suzuki 5. Jake Zemke - Honda 6. Ben Bostrom - Ducati 7. Roger Lee Hayden - Kawasaki 8. Jason Pridmore - Suzuki 10. Eric Wood - Suzuki Superstock Race The 1000cc Superstock machines went off the line next and the closely contested series featured some incredibly close action between the Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R1s piloted by series leader Jamie Hacking, teammates Jason DiSalvo and Eric Bostrom and the defending champion, Yoshimura Suzuki's Aaron Yates. Bostrom led from the start but was held in check throughout the race, first by Yates and then by a charging Hacking. Hacking nearly overtook Bostrom on the final lap but Bostrom held on for the win by .506 seconds. DiSalvo was third, giving Yamaha a podium sweep. "It was a fantastic race, the Graves Yamaha R1 was unbelievable," said Bostrom of his second win of the weekend and his first Superstock victory. "I was trying really hard to hang on this time. Thanks to my team and Dunlop tires, they were incredible." With two races remaining in the series, Hacking's lead over Yates increases to 32 points (314 vs. 282) while DiSalvo is third with 252. Dunlop-shod riders dominated the finishing order with eight of the top 10. Superstock Results: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Eric Bostrom - Yamaha 2. Jamie Hacking - Yamaha 3. Jason DiSalvo - Yamaha 4. Aaron Yates - Suzuki 5. Josh Hayes - Honda 6. Steve Rapp - Suzuki 9. Damon Buckmaster - Kawasaki 10. Marty Craggill - Suzuki Supersport Race The best was saved for last this weekend with the crowning of the season's first champion. Factory Yamaha's Jamie Hacking went back out on the track immediately after his gutty performance in the Superstock race and took command of the Supersport competition aboard his YZF-R6. Hacking's nearest competitor in the trophy hunt, Kawasaki Road Racing's Roger Lee Hayden, crashed out midway through the competition, giving Hacking an opportunity to back off and play it safe to clinch the title. But Hacking would have nothing of it. He led 15 of the 17 laps and fended off serious challenges from M4 Emgo Suzuki teammates Geoff May and Michael Barnes. Hacking was not to be denied, taking the win by 1.752 seconds over May and Barnes, respectively. "Hats off to every single one of these guys in the blue shirts, the Yamaha guys," said Hacking of his second Supersport title. "They're the one that gave me this bike, that I could go out there and ride like this every single weekend at 100 percent." Hacking's win also cemented Yamaha's fifth Supersport championship. The points tally at the end of the race gives Hacking an insurmountable lead of 90 points over MPT Performance's Danny Eslick (294 vs 204), with Hayden just one point back with 203. The tally for Dunlop among the top finishers was eight of 10. Supersport Results: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10 1. Jamie Hacking - Yamaha 4. Chris Peris - Yamaha 5. Ben Attard - Kawasaki 6. Blake Young - Suzuki 7. Damon Buckmaster - Kawasaki 8. Danny Eslick - Suzuki 9. Jeff Wood - Suzuki 10. Tony Meiring - Suzuki Next stop for Dunlop and the 2006 AMA Superbike road racing tour is Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia, September 1-3. Round 10 includes two Superbike races. About Dunlop Tires Dunlop Tires is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S. and the only manufacturer of motorcycle tires in North America. With North American operations headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Dunlop has been making and selling high quality tires in the U.S. since 1923. For more information, please visit www.dunlopmotorcycle.com.