Makita Global
Round 5 – AMA Superbike Series
Fontana, California
Auto Club Speedway
April 25 - 27, 2008
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing dominated the Suzuki-sponsored double-header AMA Superbike weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, by sweeping the AMA Superbike podium on Saturday’s and Sunday’s races.
Just like in Saturday’s race, defending AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies took the win on Sunday and was followed home by Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammates Mat Mladin in second and Tommy Hayden in third. Six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mladin actually led most of the laps in Sunday’s race but Spies passed him on the last lap as the two crossed the start-finish line to get the win. Hayden got a better start in Sunday’s race, and worked his way into third position to take the final spot on the podium. This is the third-consecutive AMA Superbike podium sweep for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki squad.
Ben Spies:
“This is one of the toughest races I’ve ever been in. I just couldn’t make any headway. It’s a little easier when you have someone in front of you because you can chase. But certainly the race didn’t go the way I would have planned. I was about to be content with second place when I saw Mat run wide. So I put my head down and kept pushing and pushing. I almost gave up with about 15 laps to go but I knew I needed to get as many points as possible. I think for the last 10 laps or so, I was just out of control. Mat definitely made me work for it. I can’t believe how fast we were going – we had nothing left at the end of the race, we were pushing the whole time. These two AMA Superbike podium sweeps speak for how good the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team is.”
Mat Mladin:
“We had a completely different Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 today than we did yesterday and it was a good race for us. We pretty much led all of it but at the end, we just didn’t have it. I made a few small mistakes and gave back a little time that proved costly at the end. I did what I could but just couldn’t hang on.”
Tommy Hayden:
“I got a much better start on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 today than on Saturday. And thanks to my crew for making some changes to the bike that made my race easier and helped me keep a better pace. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki crew gave ma a great motorcycle for the weekend overall and an even better bike for today. Now we have some momentum on our side, and we’ll keep plugging away and hopefully get a little closer to my teammates. I’m just happy to do my part in the Rockstar Makita Suzuki one-two-three sweep -- the way it should be.”
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