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AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin |
Mat Mladin (Suzuki) finished fourth in Sunday’s Pikes Peak MBNA Superbike Championship race, one position ahead of his rival Ben Bostrom (Ducati), and enough to take his first AMA Superbike Championship with a ten point cushion over Bostrom.
Mladin started fast, and led more laps than any other rider in the race before fading to fourth place. What ensued was a heated battle between Doug Chandler (Kawasaki), Pascal Picotte (Harley Davidson) and Nicky Hayden (Honda) for the victory. Ultimately, Chandler got around both Picotte and Hayden, and pulled away to a comfortable cushion and the victory, with Picotte taking second and Hayden third (for his first Superbike podium).
The day started with more controversy when the AMA took away Mladin’s single point for winning pole position during qualifying. The AMA apparently concluded that Mladin had blocked Ben Bostrom unfairly during the final stages of qualifying. As it turns out, of course, Mladin didn’t need that point, as he comfortably beat Bostrom in the race to win the championship.
Final Race Results (Top 10)
1. Doug Chandler (Kawasaki)
2. Pascal Picotte (Harley Davidson)
3. Nicky Hayden (Honda)
4. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
5. Ben Bostrom (Ducati)
6. Steve Crevier (Suzuki)
7. Larry Pegram (Ducati)
8. Michael Smith (Ducati)
9. Matt Wait (Ducati)
10. Scott Russell (Harley Davidson)
Final Championship Points Standing (Top 10)
1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki); 361 pts.
2. Ben Bostrom (Ducati); 351 pts.
3. Anthony Gobert (Ducati); 315 pts.
4. Doug Chandler (Kawasaki); 307 pts.
5. Larry Pegram (Ducati); 283 pts.
6. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki); 243 pts.
7. Eric Bostrom (Honda); 237 pts.
8. Aaron Yates (Kawasaki); 234 pts.
9. Jamie Hacking (Yamaha); 230 pts.
10. Steve Crevier (Suzuki); 220 pts.
