[Ducati] AMA Ducati Team Preview from Ducati Corse

[Veloce916 at aol.com]

Thursday Jul 20 2006
Preview - Laguna Seca

BOSTROM AND HODGSON READY FOR US GRAND PRIX  WEEKEND 

Monterey (California) 20 July  2006: The Parts Unlimited Ducati Team returns 
to AMA Superbike  racing this weekend at Laguna Seca. Fresh off his Utah 
podium performance,  Ben Bostrom and teammate Neil Hodgson, plus the rest of the 
AMA stars,  will race as a support class at the US Grand Prix. The Ducati 999 
pilots  will contest the 28-lap AMA Superbike battle on Saturday afternoon in 
what  is becoming one of the most significant races in the USA.  
For Bostrom, the race at one of his favorite tracks can't come soon  enough. 
Bostrom has found his form of late. Ben has been quick in testing,  practice, 
and the races. Bostrom and the Ducati 999 finished a close third  in the first 
race in Utah and on Sunday led the race before spectacularly  crashing out of 
the contest.  
Laguna Seca has seen some of Bostrom's proudest moments in racing. Ben  won a 
World Superbike race in Monterey as a "wild card" entry in 1999, a  victory 
that helped spring the Californian into a works Ducati World  Superbike ride 
the next season. Bostrom also won the last Superbike race  he entered at Laguna 
Seca, taking the 2004 AMA win before returning to  World Superbike last year.  
"I'm ready," said Bostrom. "We've made a lot of progress lately and  learned 
a lot in our time with the Ducati 999. At Utah, we were able to  run up front 
and it felt great to be back. Of course, we want to do it  again and we have a 
pretty good record at Laguna. I consider it my home  track. There won't be 
much time for getting up to speed with the limited  practice this weekend, and 
that will make it even more of a challenge."  There is a sole practice session 
Friday morning. Saturday will see  qualifying at 11:15 AM and the 28-lap race 
at 4:00 PM local time.  
Neil Hodgson has finished on the podium at Laguna Seca before,  including 
twice in his World Superbike championship season. "Laguna Seca  was a track I 
learned in my World Superbike days, so in a way it is the  track I am most 
familiar with in the States. I've had some good races  here. They have made some 
changes to the circuit again this year, so we'll  have to see how it goes because 
we haven't tested the new configuration  yet. I'm excited to get back racing 
again after some time off."  
In addition to the on-track racing action, Laguna Seca also plays host  to 
one of the largest gatherings of Ducati fans in North America.  Ducati-related 
activities at the track are centered on Ducati Island. The  Island, started in 
1998, is located on the circuit infield and will see  the launch of a special 
new 2007 Superbike model this weekend. With over  150,000 fans in attendance 
for the three days of last year's race, the  2006 event promises to be one of 
the largest of the season.  
The Circuit: The 11 turn, 2.2  mile (3.6 kilometer) Laguna Seca circuit is 
known for challenging, flowing  turns. The landmark corner at the track is the 
Corkscrew, a left/right  chicane that features a dramatic elevation drop of 
more than 50 feet. The  Corkscrew has been modified for this race. The final 
corner, Turn 11, is  the slowest on the circuit and has featured many passing 
maneuvers in the  previous races held in Monterey.  
AMA Superbike Points (after 11  races): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 388 2. Mat 
Mladin, Suzuki 367 3.  Miguel Duhamel, 302 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 
288 5. Aaron  Yates, Suzuki 278 6. Jake Zemke, Honda 273 7. Tommy Hayden, 
Kawasaki 272  8. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 244