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PICKERINGTON, Ohio (September 12, 2007) – Josh Hayes, having already clinched
the 2007 Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series presented by HMR, comes to
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this Sunday, Sept. 16, for an encore ride on his
championship winning Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR.
While Hayes has already done the hard work of winning this year’s
championship, the Mississippi native does have something to shoot for at Laguna.
If he wins, Hayes will tie the single-season win record in Formula Xtreme
established by Eric Bostrom in 1998. That year Bostrom, who now rides in the
Superbike class for Yamaha, won an impressive eight Formula Xtreme races en
route to the ’98 championship.
Hayes has won seven of the nine rounds coming into this weekend’s season
finale. He has no plans on slowing down in the final race.
“I’ve said all along, I want to win races,” said Hayes. “It’ll be the same
approach I’ve had all year. We want to dominate this thing. I’m really excited
about going out there and putting a stamp on this for the end of the
season.”
Other riders hoping to join Hayes include Steve Rapp and Aaron Gobert, both
on the list of 2007 Formula Xtreme race winners. Aussies Ben Attard and Marty
Craggill have stepped up big in the class late in the season. Attard kept Hayes
honest at Road Atlanta in perhaps his best performance of the season, on the
Attack Kawasaki. Craggill is proving that he still has plenty of speed left in
his 38-year-old body. He’s pushed the Boulder Motorsports Ducati to newfound
heights scoring podium finishes in the last two rounds.
A number of other riders could put a final stamp on the season with a victory
at Laguna. Attack Kawasaki’s Rapp would love to bookend his season with a
victory Sunday. He won the season opener, the Daytona 200, in March. Veteran
Larry Pegram, like Craggill, is proving the Ducati a worthy competitor in the
class. He’s flirted with a victory a couple of times this year. And then there’s
young up-and-comers like Chaz Davies, of Celtic Racing Yamaha, and Martin
Cardenas, of the powerful M4 EMGO Suzuki squad, who could raise their already
strong stock with a memorable season-ending performance at Laguna.
While champ Hayes is flying the championship badge this weekend, newly
crowned AMA Superstock presented by Dynojet champ Ben Spies will sit out the
season finale in order to focus on trying to defend his AMA Superbike title.
With Spies watching from the pits, the rest of the Superstock competitors see
a golden opportunity to add a national victory to their resume.
With or without Spies in the race, Jordan Suzuki’s Aaron Yates promised to be
a leading contender for the Laguna Superstock win. Now he’ll be the odds-on
favorite to win the event. He’s a former Laguna Superstock winner and the only
rider other than Spies to win a series race this year.
Graves Yamaha’s Ben Bostrom is ranked second in the standings and has
finished on the podium five times this year. The one thing Bostrom hasn’t done
is scored a victory. This weekend presents him with a perfect opportunity to
notch his first AMA road racing win in over three years.
Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich joins Yates as the only other
former Laguna Superstock winner in the field. Ulrich won the race in 2001. Known
as a top-notch rain rider, Ulrich, with the right conditions, could be a factor
in Sunday’s race. He scored the Superstock pole at Road America earlier this
year in a wet qualifying session.
The Laguna Formula Xtreme and Superstock races will air on SPEED on Tuesday,
Sept. 18 at 2:00 pm eastern.
The Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series presented by HMR and AMA
Superstock presented by Dynojet races are part of the Corona AMA Superbike
Championship Finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., on Sept.
15-16. For additional event information visit the website www.laguna-seca.com.
From AMA Pro Info
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