Martin Cardenas took his first AMA Superbike win today at Barber Motorsports Park. Cardenas beat out Ben Bostrom and Blake Young to take his first-ever Superbike victory.
The Superbike race in Alabama today started in dry conditions, but was red flagged on lap five due to rain. Tommy Hayden was leading the way during the opening laps, but couldn’t keep the pace on the re-start.
Josh Hayes also had a hard time on the wet track. Hayes was running up front with Cardenas, Bostrom, and Young, but couldn’t find the speed to take the podium at the end. It was the first time Hayes missed the podium this season.
Young was able to grab the last spot on the podium, but he finished more than two seconds behind the race winner.
“We put wet tires on after the red flag,” Young said. “The bike was running pretty good, but it’s hard running on wet tires on a drying track. We started seeing dry spots, and these tires are meant to ride in the rain. Never-the-less, I’m happy to get on the podium.”
Ben Bostrom was the only rider who could challenge Cardenas at the front. Bostrom made a late race charge, but fell .13 seconds short of the race win.
“This weather is a great equalizer,” Bostrom said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It should be a dry race. Hopefully we can get back up here again.”
Cardenas clinched the Daytona Sportbike championship at Barber Motorsports Park in 2010, and now adds another career milestone at the Alabama circuit.
“I’m very happy,” Cardenas said. “It’s different to win in the dry than the wet, so I still want a dry win. But this is very good.”
AMA Superbike - Race Results - Barber Motorsports Park
- Cardenas
- Bostrom
- Young
- Hayes
- Pegram
- R. Hayden
- T. Hayden
- Beach
- Gibson
- Toye
Here are some photos from the Superbike race.
