Road America: Series round five doubleheader preview

AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike Road America Preview - Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 1, 2010) - With his team leading the points and their home base of operations located just south and west of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin's Road America, you could call the June 4-6, 2010 Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike weekend a home game for owner Michael Jordan. Jordan would like nothing better than to see his team and rider Jake Zemke take another win at this classic road course just north of Milwaukee.

Zemke, majestically riding his National Guard Jordan Suzuki, won the opening two races of the 2010 season with MJ looking on and he has backed that up with a series of top four finishes only to have his worst finish of the season (sixth) the last time out. Quietly lurking just four points behind Jake is Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden. With two second places at the season opener at Daytona, Hayden took his first AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike victory earlier this year and only a pair of sixth place finishes is holding him back in the points. Hayden's riding this year has been very steady and he has been competitive virtually everywhere at some point during the doubleheader race weekends.

Another rider who is commanding attention is Team Graves Yamaha rider Josh Hayes. Coming off of his two dominant victories at the last race, you would think he would be on everyone's short list for the victory laurels at the four-mile ultra-fast Road America road course. Even Ben Bostrom and his recently on-form Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha team could be considered a favorite going into this weekend's race. Bostrom took two strong second place finishes behind Hayes at Infineon and was the only rider that looked to have anything for him at the tight, twisty California road course, except for one other particular rider.

Last year, this rider took his first AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike victory in ten years. This popular win propelled him to two more wins in 2009 and he carried the momentum into this year with strong showings at Daytona and one race win at round two of American SuperBike competition where he came close to winning both races. He actually took the fight to Hayes and Bostrom at the last race and proclaimed himself pretty happy all things considered as he heads into the track that should favor his Foremast Insurance Ducati. Larry Pegram rides, runs and works on his family-owned team and the overall presentation and preparation of the team and Ducati motorcycles is second to none. And Pegram is riding as well as anyone in the sport. So, as he revisits the sight of his popular breakthrough victory last year, the fan favorite will be a race favorite too.

Another rider who had a breakthrough weekend at the last race was Jake Holden. Now on the M4 Monster Energy Suzuki, Holden raced better than his results showed and he should be a regular at the front now that he has become better acclimated with his new team and situation.

Hayes really put on a demonstration at the last round, with two wins as a result and he was appreciative of the role his Team Graves Yamaha and team played in his success. But don't let that fool you, Hayes puts forth a massive effort in his physical conditioning and his outstanding performance at Infineon can be attributed to his own hard work as well. One rider who has soldiered on all season and continues to do a nice solid job is Taylor Knapp. He currently sits ninth in points, just behind M4 Monster Energy Suzuki rider Chris Ulrich. Knapp, who rides the RidersDiscount.com Suzuki that Mat Mladin rode last year, has been putting up a steady stream of results right around the top ten with a pair of seventh place finishes (Daytona & Road Atlanta) being his best. Knapp has ridden well and the experience he is gaining will continue to help him as he progresses to the top of the sport.

This race at Road America is one not to be missed. The unique layout of the track and the scenic views at every corner provide a perfect backdrop for the fans to enjoy the AMA Pro National Guard American SuperBike division. Practice and qualifying begin on Friday, June 4th with final qualifying and race one of two commencing on Saturdeay, June 5th. Sunday, June 6th will feature the second race of the Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader weekend in all three AMA Pro Road Racing classes and also the inaugural race in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series that features the classic Harley-Davidson XR1200 with special Vance & Hines race kits.

-source: ama pro racing