Saturday Jun 3 2006
Road America - Race 1

Elkhart Lake (Wisconsin) June 3 2006: Parts Unlimited Ducati's Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom finished fifth and eighth in Saturday's AMA Superbike race from Road America, a contest won by Mat Mladin.

Neil Hodgson improved to fifth place, pulling clear of three other factory riders. The 2003 World Superbike Champion said his race was a battle with himself and the machine versus the track, moreso than a competition with other racers. "It was a little uneventful for me. I knew there were some guys behind me, but I never saw them," said Hodgson. "I just tried to keep the gap the same throughout the race."

Hodgson maintained his fourth place in the points standings with his consistent run on his Ducati 999. "I improved a few positions from the start but the racers that finished in front of me were gone," said the Englishman who won in the rain at Road America last season. "I was happy with our pace in the race, which was near our qualifying times. We have a direction for Sunday we want to try with the setup. Last year was mixed weather, so really I didn't have much experience around here. If we make some changes and I can ride a little better, hopefully we can fight for a higher position."



Ben Bostrom was able to get a good start but was unable to hold the slot. "I got a good start and we were up to fourth early in the race," said Bostrom, a former series champion. "We should have chosen a different front tire, I feel, because after the first couple of laps it wasn't ideal. We might have had a chance at running down the riders in front of us if we had made a different choice. There were some positives today in the race and I think we are getting closer to the pace we want to run. Tomorrow, we'll make some changes and try to improve."

Tomorrow's 16-lap Superbike race begins at 3:15 local time.

Race one results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki 3. Jake Zemke, Honda 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 5. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 7. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 8. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki

Points Standings (after eight rounds): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 289, 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 265 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 225 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 209 5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 204 6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 197 7. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 191 8. Jake Zemke, Honda 185 9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 151 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 151