Mladin sets the pace in Daytona Practice
Six-time Champion Mat Mladin (No. 7 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX- R1000) was the fastest rider in the AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited class in the opening day of practice for Daytona 200 Week by Honda at Daytona International Speedway.
Mladin, who is looking for his second Daytona AMA Pro American Superbike win in a row and fourth in five years, set the day’s quick lap of 1:38.540 (105.947 mph) in the last of two practices Wednesday afternoon on the 2.9 mile Daytona short course. He edged Neil Hodgson (No. 100 Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR) who set the session’s quick pace halfway through the 60-minute afternoon run and ultimately ended up with a best lap time of 1:38.607 (105.875 mph). Mladin’s teammate Tommy Hayden (No. 22 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000) was third in the afternoon run and also ranked third overall in American Superbike for the day with his session-leading morning lap of 1:38.815 (105.652 mph).
Night Moves
DiSalvo stayed quick in Wednesday’s Daytona 200 night practice with a top lap time of 1:49.508 (116.704 mph) in a scheduled one-hour session that ended 10 minutes early when local Daytona Beach rider Thomas Digiandomenico (No. 398 J&T Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) went off course in the quick left-hand turn in the infield. Digiandomenico was examined and released from the DIS medical center but his Yamaha was heavily damaged and the extensive accident clean up forced an early end to the session. Several other riders also suffered mishaps during the night run, including Graves Yamaha teammates Ben Bostrom and Josh Herrin. Both riders went off course at Daytona’s “Bus Stop” chicane but were uninjured after low-siding their bikes. Bostrom rode the No. 1 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 back to the pits, but Herrin’s similar No. 46 Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 was transported back to the team’s garage area.
