The AMA double-header at the magnificent and fast Road America track in Wisconsin ran in heavy rain on Saturday, then nearly perfect conditions on Sunday. The Saturday races went to Mat Mladin in the American Superbike class — his 81st AMA Superbike victory — while Larry Pegram and his Ducati shocked everyone by taking the Sunday race.
In the "Daytona Sportbike" class (a combination of the old Supersport and Formula Extreme classses) Calgarian Chris Peris got his first AMA victory for Erion Honda with a crushing performance in the wet, lapping as much as three seconds faster than anyone else in the field and winning by a big margin despite two appearances by the so-called "safety" car. On Sunday Peris got a more than acceptable fourth, while his team-mate Jake Zemke was a mere 1/10th of a second behind series leader Martin Cardenas’ Suzuki.
Pegram’s unexpected win was a popular one; the former dirt track star is a popular rider and his limited-fund Ducati program is definitely the underdog in the series. It’s his first Superbike victory since April 1999 at Willow Springs in California, also on a Ducati. He earned this one, with Mladin snapping at his heels the whole way, getting by on several occasions. The Ducati had the legs of the Yoshimura Suzuki on Road America’s long straights, with Mladin scrambling to get by through the fast corners.
Mladin and Cardenas both maintain healthy leads at the half-way point in the AMA series. They’ve now got a break until July 5, when they’ll run with the Moto GP teams at Laguna Seca, in California.
American Superbike Standings
1. Mat Mladin, Australia, Yoshimura Suzuki, 325 points; 2. Tommy Hayden, USA, Yoshimura Suzuki, 215; 3. Ben Bostrom, USA, Yamaha, 187; 4. Larry Pegram, USA, Foremost Insurance Ducati, 180; 5. Josh Hayes, USA, Yamaha, 164.
Daytona Superbike Standings
1. Martin Cardenas, Venezuela, M4 Suzuki, 255 points; 2. Jamie Hacking, USA, Kawasaki, 204; 3. Danny Eslick, USA, Buell, 199; 4. Jason DiSalvo, USA, M4 Suzuki, 179; 5. Josh Herrin, USA, Graves Yamaha, 152; 6. Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Erion Honda, 141.
two thumbs up for chris