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AMA Superbike
AMA SBK: Mladin Wins Incident-Strewn Final
Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin scored his third straight AMA Superbike victory of the season on Saturday at Mid-Ohio.
Chris Martin  |  Posted August 02, 2008   Lexington, OH
Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin (Photo: Brian J Nelson)
Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin (Photo: Brian J Nelson)

Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin scored his third straight AMA Superbike victory of the season on Saturday at Mid-Ohio, handing his team an amazing 40th consecutive premier class win while upping his all-time wins mark to 69.

However, Saturday's final was anything but business as usual, as the chaotic affair included three red flags, numerous crashes (including one by Mladin), and took well over two hours to finally complete.

The opening seven laps featured a tight three-way scrap for the lead with Monster Energy Kawasaki's Jamie Hacking grabbing the initial holeshot before giving way to Mladin at the conclusion of the opening lap.

Hacking didn't fade, however, as he pressed the Australian at the front, occasionally showing him a wheel entering Turn 6. All the while, polesitter Ben Spies was lurking behind, sitting a close third.

However, just as the lead group was completing lap 8 (and Mladin looked like he might start to squeak open a gap), the race came to a dramatic halt.

American Honda's Neil Hodgson suffered a nightmarish start from the front row, dropping back several positions. The former World Superbike champ rebounded to dice his way up to fourth before his CBR1000RR's motor gave way, laying oil on the circuit in the Turn 12/13 area. Several riders behind him were caught out, with a few crashing heavily into the hay bales, bringing out the red flag.

The restarted race lasted less than a lap before a second red flag flew as leader Mladin and second-placed Hacking crashed separately just feet apart as they crested the hill in Turn 9. Incredibly, the cause was fluid on the circuit that had leaked from an over-passing bridge, presumably after a fan dumped a cooler over the track.


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