Team Race Report
Rockstar Makita Suzuki owned the American SuperBike championship last year, and the team has carried that momentum into the start of the 2010 season. Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden finished 2-2 in the season opener, a two-day event held at the Daytona International Speedway. His double podium finishes puts Hayden in second place in overall points. The racing on both days saw only a few hundredths of a second separating the top riders, many of whom were aboard the GSX-R1000.
On Thursday’s race both Hayden and his teammate Blake Young led for a few laps of the race. Young grabbed the holeshot and Hayden followed behind for a few laps. Hayden stayed near the front of the pack for the entire race, trading the lead with a few racers and ended up second when the checkered flag flew. Young did his best to fend of the encroaching competitors and finished a respectable fifth, not a bad way to start his sophomore year in the highly competitive AMA American SuperBike class.
On Friday, Hayden jumped out to the lead immediately and led a total of six laps. On the final lap, Hayden was leading the pack, but ended up in a photo finish where he crossed the finish line .009 seconds behind (Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Zemke).
Tommy Hayden Speaks…
"I can’t really complain about getting second place," Hayden said before the podium honors. "I thought leading would be my best bet today, but the race was a few feet too long for me. But, my bike and team are working great, and I think it’s going to be a good year."
Young followed Hayden in second place at the start of the race, but after a miscalculation on part of the track, Young was forced back into 7th place where he finished the race.
Look for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Superbike team to be at the front of the grid for the rest of the 2010 season with their GSX-R1000.
Daytona SuperBike Race 1 Results
1. Jake Zemke (Suzuki)
2. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) +0.238
3. Larry Pegram (Ducati) +0.259
4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) +0.291
5. Blake Young (Suzuki) +0.307
6. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki) +27.398
7. Taylor Knapp (Suzuki) +27.43
8. Shawn Higbee (Ducati) +1 lap
9. Shane Narbonne (Suzuki) +9.078
10. Barrett Long (Ducati) +16.377
11. Chris Clark (Yamaha) +16.427
12. Eric Haugo (Suzuki) +16.989
13. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) +01:14.2
14. Johnny Rock Page (Suzuki) +01:23.2
15. Eric Pinson (BMW) +01:43.2
16. Trent Gibson (Suzuki) +01:43.3
17. Skip Salenius (Suzuki) +1 lap
18. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha)
19. Jeffrey Tigert (Honda) +6 laps
20. Brett McCormick (Suzuki) +10 laps
Daytona SuperBike Race 2 Results
1. Jake Zemke (Suzuki)
2. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) +0.009
3. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha) +0.081
4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) +0.212
5. Larry Pegram (Ducati) +0.858
6. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) +1.838
7. Blake Young (Suzuki) +22.383
8. Brett McCormick (Suzuki) +29.235
9. David Anothony (Suzuki) +34.124
10. Taylor Knapp (Suzuki) +34.404
11. Jeffrey Tigert (Honda) +46.244
12. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki) +46.486
13. Shane Narbonne (Suzuki) +48.176
14. Eric Haugo (Suzuki) +1:18.778
15. Scott Jensen (Suzuki) +1:18.890
16. Chris Clark (Yamaha) +1:19.303
17. Johnny Rock Page (Suzuki) +1:20.553
18. Trent Gibson (Suzuki) +1:26.921
19. Eric Pinson (BMW) +1:28.530
20. Skip Salenius (Suzuki) +1:50.336
Top 10 Points Standings
1. Jake Zemke 62
2. Tommy Hayden 50
3. Larry Pegram 37
4. Aaron Yates 37
5. Blake Young 30
6. Taylor Knapp 25
7. Ben Bostrom 24
8. Chris Ulrich 24
9. Josh Hayes 23
10. Shane Narbonne 20