Mladin doubles up at VIR

This marks the fifth such sweep for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team of Mat Mladin, Ben Spies and Tommy Hayden.

The second Superbike race of the double-header weekend again started with an all-Suzuki front row of the grid and ended with six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mladin notching his ninth VIR win, his ninth win of the season and his 72nd career Superbike win overall.

Two-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion Spies started from pole position and brought home second place, successfully taking his 15th podium finish of the year. Rounding out the Rockstar Makita Suzuki podium in third place was again Hayden, who led the first lap of this 28-lap race. This finish is Hayden’s second podium in a row after being injured and his sixth podium of the year. Currently, Spies leads the AMA Superbike title chase, Mladin is in second place and Hayden is in 10th.

Mat Mladin:
“It was a good race for us. It was a little bit cooler today and my Rockstar Makita Suzuki crew made a few changes to the GSX-R1000 that let me know that I could run a consistent pace. I tried to set a fast pace and pull away, and I was able to do that. VIR is a place that I’ve been able to win reasonably comfortably. It’s a traditional road course and it’s got a little bit of everything. I enjoy riding here. Right now, winning races is my priority and my goal, and if I can win a couple more races in Atlanta that would be fantastic.”

Ben Spies:
“We’re doing everything we can out there, we’re riding as hard as possible on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000. Thanks to my team for giving me a completely different motorcycle to race today though we just didn’t quite have enough for Mat today. But we’ll keep on riding as hard as we can every weekend. Even though we didn’t get the win, hats off to my teammates for a great race and going one-two-three for
Rockstar Makita Suzuki.”

Tommy Hayden:
“I’ve really gotten my starts figured out in the last few weeks and that’s made a big difference for me. It was a less exciting race for the fans but I enjoyed being up there with my Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammates in first, second and third. My teammates are the best riders by far out here in my opinion and we are on the best bikes as well. It’s nice to have some momentum to finish off the season with and my goal is to be back up on the podium and keep the momentum going.”

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Michael Jordan Motor Sports Suzuki’s Aaron Yates won his fourth AMA Superstock race of the season on Sunday afternoon at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Virginia. The two-time AMA Superstock Champion started from pole position on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 and got the holeshot. Within a few laps, he was busy defending his lead when a red flag was thrown. In the restart,

Yates got a good start and continued to battle for the lead, eventually making an impressive pass and taking the win with a few laps to go. Suzuki’s Chris Peris rounded out the podium, thanks to a strong third-place result. This is not only Peris’ first AMA Superstock podium finish but also his first ever AMA podium. Currently, Yates leads the overall championship points chase, while Peris is in fifth
place.

Aaron Yates:
“The race was good. In the beginning, I got the holeshot and then my teammate got by me and we were doing some pretty good laps and then we had the red flag. In the re-start, I kind of let out the clutch too fast… I didn’t really get the start that I wanted. But I went after my teammate and just tried to put in some good laps. I noticed some places where he was slowing down a bit and I was able to get a good drive on him at one point. I got past him and just tried to put in some good laps. It’s good to get the win and I’m trying to get the championship for the Jordan Suzuki team.”

Chris Peris:
“I couldn’t be happier about getting my first AMA podium. My uncle and my dad work really hard for me and support me out of their own pocket, and it’s great to kind of pay them back by getting a podium finish.”

1. Yates (Suzuki)
2. Holden (Honda) 9.8
3. Peris (Suzuki) 13.9
4. Young (Suzuki) 16.5
5. May (Suzuki) 26.0
6. Toye (Kawasaki) 29.3
7. Starnes (Suzuki) 35.0
8. Jensen (Suzuki) 35.0
9. Ulrich (Suzuki) 35.0
10. Anthony (Suzuki) 39.9

1. Yates 278
2. Holden 242
3. May 218
4. Young 203
5. Peris 184
6. Anthony 169
7. Pietri 164
8. Jensen 164
9. Ulrich 159
10. Elleby 145

1. Hayes (Honda)
2. B Bostrom (Yamaha) 5.7
3. Herrin (Yamaha) 7.4
4. Young (Suzuki) 14.5
5. Zemke (Honda) 14.9
6. Fouchek (Honda) 20.8
7. Aquino (Yamaha) 20.9
8. Eslick (Suzuki) 25.0
9. West (Suzuki) 25.2
10. Wood (Yamaha) 27.0

1. B Bostrom 299
2. Zemke 271
3. Hayes 245
4. Young 230
5. Herrin 209
6. Davies 197
7. West 185
8. Gobert 178
9. Eslick 171
10. Beck 145

1. Hayes (Honda)
2. Zemke (Honda) 7.7
3. Cardenas (Suzuki) 17.1
4. Gobert (Honda) 17.2
5. Rapp (Kawasaki) 17.7

1. Zemke 267
2. Rapp 222
3. Hayes 216
4. Pegram 215