AMA Pro Racing
Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden fought to the very finish for his fifth win of the 2010 AMA American Superbike series on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
Hayden, the brother of MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden, won with a margin of .052 in a heart-stopping finish as he battles for points toward the championship.
Tommy is now only 18 points back from the leader, and Hayden will be on track Sunday for the final race ready to fight for the win.
His teammate Blake Young started the day off right, getting the pole position after an impressive morning qualifying session. Young finished fourth in the race.
Tommy Hayden says: “I was able to get a good jump off the start and put myself in a good track position. I just tried to put my head down and not let the gap between me and the leader get any bigger. Then I just chipped away at it.”
Hayden drag raced to the checkered flag, where the horsepower of his Suzuki allowed him to get to the finish line in first.
Tommy Hayden says: “I’m really happy with how today went, how my bike and my team worked, and that Suzuki horsepower got me the win. I wanted to win the race. Maybe I’ll get a lucky break and end up with a championship tomorrow, but if not, I want to go out trying my hardest.”
Young put together a solid race effort, and his best lap of the race was only two tenths of a second behind Hayden’s best lap. Young earned the pole position point for the weekend and will be hunting for a podium finish on Sunday.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Quick Facts:
- Tommy Hayden rode his GSX-R1000 to his fifth win of the season on Saturday at the penultimate race of the AMA American SuperBike season.
- Blake Young earned the pole position in the early morning qualifying session aboard his Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000.
- After his victory, Hayden is now only 18 points out from the championship lead with one race left on the schedule.
