AMA: Suzuki Superbike Showdown
Tyler HopperAllAboutBikes Staff-Writer
The Suzuki Superbike Showdown at Road Atlanta this weekend was all about Suzuki; the podium was full of Suzuki riders for both races. The race weekend fulfilled the 50th and 51st consecutive wins for the Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura team, and Mat Mladin piloted his No. 7 Rockstar/Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 to his forth and fifth straight wins in the 2009 AMA American Superbike season.
Race 1
Starting in pole position aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000, Mat Mladin’s start was half-hearted compared to his teammate Blake Young (No. 79 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000), who came out in front of the pack.
Young held the lead for a good portion of the first lap, but shortly thereafter, Mladin got up front and took an immense lead. Mladin held onto the lead for the entire 20 laps, while his other teammate Tommy Hayden (No. 22 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000) accomplished a charge from seventh, finishing in second place 15.717 seconds behind Mladin. This was the fourth straight win for Mladin and the third consecutive race with Hayden in second.
Geoff May (No. 54 National Guard/Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) took the final spot on the podium, which is fitting because May is the local rider from Gainesville, Ga. It’s nice to be able to take a podium spot in front of family and friends.
Race 2
After a small incident in practice Sunday morning, Mladin rode atop a bike that may not have been set up exactly the way he would have preferred. This is because his crew had to replace parts before the race. Mladin seemed unfazed by these changes, riding an impressive race as the leader of every lap.
The more interesting aspect of the race took place between Blake Young and Geoff May as they battled for second. May started in the front row, but after the first lap was back in 10th. By the end of the race Young and May were dueling for second. Young took advantage of the draft in the last lap, passing May. The podium in race two was a carbon copy of that of race one for the Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura team, with Young taking the place of Hayden; but still a one-two finish for the team.
Race two made for Mladin’s 51st consecutive win in American Superbike. At the end of the race weekend in AMA Superbike, Mladin sits in first with 157 points, Hayden is second with 112 points and May sits in third with 92 points.
Conclusion
Before this weekend, I wasn’t under the impression that the Suzuki Superbike Showdown required that Suzuki bikes totally dominate the track. Maybe that’s because I’m not a Suzuki rider, but if I was, I might have gotten that memo. I’m sure that it is always meaningful when the sponsor’s bikes win the race, but I know that it is even more meaningful when you’re the competition and you win. We’ll have to wait until May at the Honda Superbike Classic in Birmingham, AL to see if Suzuki will let Honda dominate.
