Superbikes: Chevy Trucks US Superbike Race Report
5 June 2000
Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin took the win again at Big Kahuna round two. Along with his Daytona win, today's victory makes it three in a row for Mladin. "Nicky drafted by me but I didn't want anybody in front of me, I was worried about lappers," said Mladin. I just tried to keep it out best I could. We had the same bike and tires as yesterday, and it ran well. It was a great race, I had someone to race against today." Honda's Nicky Hayden took second-place again today. The Superbike podium finish is the fourth in a row for Hayden, who took third-place at the 1999 season-finale at Pikes Peak, second at Daytona this year and second in yesterday's race. "I got a lot better start and got aggressive today," said Hayden. "I got up there and caught Mat, got by him briefly, but we ran into lappers and he got away a little." Aaron Yates took third-place today. Yates just missed the podium here last year, with a fourth-place finish in Superbike race two, and he was happy to be on the box in front of the home town crowd. "I got a good start, got in the lead and led a lap," Yates said. "I'm having some trouble with the front end. Then Nicky and Mat went by. I started running back up on them, but ran into some lap traffic." Yates won today's Motorcycleusa.com Holeshot Award, and Mat Mladin took Saturday's Motorcycleusa.com Holeshot Award. PRO HONDA OILS 600 SUPERSPORT - RACE Today's race was red-flagged on lap nine, with seven laps remaining. The red flag was issued when rider Kris Clubb crashed in kink known as turn nine. Club as awake and alert and was transported for treatment of minor injuries. Eric Bostrom won the first Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport race of his career today at Road Atlanta. Bostrom diced for the lead throughout the first portion of the race with Miguel Duhamel and Kurtis Roberts. "The first start was good, I got a good jump," said Bostrom. "The Kawasaki has a really good package and I'm happy about that. I didn't get the start I wanted on the restart. These guys were really riding hard. I like the chicane, the bike is good on the brakes, and it's a left hander and feels like a dirt track, so I just send it in there." Aaron Yates took second-place for the Yoshimura Suzuki team. Yates was in third on the last lap, but passed Miguel Duhamel on the turn 12 downhill to the finish. "I got a good start and tried to latch on to these guys and run a smart race," said Yates. I pulled that pass off at the end, I'd seen Miguel do that here a couple of years ago." Miguel Duhamel took third-place for American Honda. "I knew it would be a competitive race," said Duhamel. "The team did a great job. I was where I wanted to be at the start, then I showed everybody what I could do so they were ready for me. It just feels so good to be racing and be competitive again after my accident last year." BUELL PRO THUNDER - RACE Veteran Mike Smith won today's Buell Pro Thunder race on the Duc Shop Ducati. Shawn Higbee took second-place on the Tilley's Buell, and Jeff Nash took third place on the Advanced Motorsports Ducati. MBNA 250 GRAND PRIX - RACE Today's race was red flagged on the first lap, when riders Jimmy Filice, Bruce Lind, Adam Schmitt, Jason Candelaria, Thomas Dinardo and Larry Roberts crashed in turns six and seven. Candelaria, Filice, Lind, Schmitt and Roberts were transported for treatment. The race was restarted and run to its 15-lap completion. Four-time AMA MBNA 250 GP Champ Rich Oliver won today's race on his Yamaha, spanking the field with a 26-second margin of victory. 1998 MBNA 250 Grand Prix Champ Roland Sands took second place for the Performance Machine Yamaha team, and 1999 series Champ Chuck Sorensen took third-place for the World Sports Yamaha team.