HODGSON EARNS TOP FIVE FINISH WITH FONTANA CHARGE
Fontana (California) 29 April 2006: Parts Unlimited Ducati
pilot Neil Hodgson finished fifth in Saturday's AMA Superbike
race at California Speedway. Hodgson had difficulties on the
start and dropped back to 12th place, but made a spectacular
charge through the field on his Ducati 999, climbing to fifth
place and turning some impressive lap times in the process.
Hodgson caught and passed several factory bikes that were
locked in a battle for the last spot in the top five for the
entire race. "It was quite a good race, really, coming
through the field," said Neil. "On the start, everything
went wrong for the first three or four corners. I got wide
and three or four privateers came past me. When you're well
back, you take a deep breath and get some laps in. You put
your head down. It was a quick race for me, really."
Hodgson took fifth place and made a bid to get fourth position,
closing in before the checkered flag ended the race and his
spirited charge. "It was difficult to get past Ben and
Miguel Duhamel. They were both riding well and braking very
deep in the corners. Late in the race when I was able to get
past them was the only time I really had some clear track
all day. Tomorrow, we'll fine tune the settings and hope for
a better start."
Ben Bostrom finished seventh after running fifth much of
the day. Late in the race, he had a grip issue which hindered
his result. "The bike is a lot of fun to ride. There
aren't many motorcycles you can back into a corner at 180
miles an hour and be really comfortable. This is one of them.
The bike's amazing. We just lacked some grip. We've got some
changes for tomorrow that should be able to make a difference."
Tomorrow's 28-lap race begins at 3 PM local time.
Results: 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 2. Mat Mladin,
Suzuki 3. Jake Zemke, Honda 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 5. Neil
Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 7.
Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 8. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki
9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 10. Larry Pegram, Honda
Points (after four races): 1. Ben Spies,
Suzuki 145 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 131 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda
113 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 104 5. Aaron Yates,
Suzuki 103 6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 99 7. Ben Bostrom, Parts
Unlimited Ducati 95 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 86 9. Jake Zemke,
Honda 81 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 72
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