News - June 6 Elkhart Lake Race #1
AMA Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader
Road America, Elkhart Lake, WIRockstar Makita Suzuki’s Young fifth, Hayden ninth
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Mat Mladin overcame cold, damp conditions to take his ninth (out of a possible 10) AMA Superbike win of the season in the first race of the double-header weekend on Saturday afternoon at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
The six-time AMA Superbike Champion started from pole position and got off to a conservative start in the wet. Even so, he took the lead within several laps and led all the way to the race’s end. This season, Mladin has captured all six pole positions in AMA Superbike, which means he has a career total of 61. Additionally, this victory is Mladin’s 81st career AMA Superbike victory.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Blake Young returned to racing after injuring his hand two rounds previous. Despite the nasty conditions, the rookie AMA Superbike rider brought home an impressive fifth-place finish.
Rounding out the threeman Rockstar Makita Suzuki team was Tommy Hayden, who struggled a bit before picking up a ninth-place result.
Tommy Hayden
“I got a terrible start. I think on the first lap, I was about 18th. From there, I kind of worked my way through the field. I managed to put in a few good laps but I realized I need to get a better start tomorrow if I want to run up front.”
