Ben Bostrom and Neil Hodgson fought through a difficult day at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday. Both Parts Unlimited Ducati riders had to pit, which ruined their chances at another podium for the Ducati 999 Superbike. Although both riders mounted a challenge on Saturday, their final results didn't reflect their competitiveness.
Ben Bostrom vaulted to a strong second place in the 26-lap race before a minor technical issue slowed him and caused him to pit. Ben was able to return to the track and perform at a very competitive level, turning in strong lap times despite heavy traffic. "I felt it was a bit dangerous for me to continue on, so I pulled in," said Bostrom, who finished in 20th place officially as he took the checkered flag. "Hopefully, our run of bad luck is over now. We were up to second in the race before our problem and things were going well. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be today and we had to pit. After the red flag, it was quite scary charging through the field on the restart. I'm looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow to show what we can do."
Hodgson was classified 16th despite pulling into the pits after the red flag for a repair to his machine. The brief stop happened on the warm-up lap for the restart. After a technical issue with the bike was repaired, he rejoined the field. "It didn't go very well for us, really. It was a bad day for us," said Hodgson. "We had a technical problem, and I had to pull in. We're hoping for a better day on Sunday. Today was very frustrating for the whole team."
"Despite the gremlins we had today, we're looking forward to competing again in tomorrow's race," said team manager Tom Bodenbach. "Ben's lap times in the beginning of the race and after the restart showed he can be competitive. Neil and his crew are working on some changes they think will help get him up to the front, too."
Results: 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki
5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki
6. Steve Rapp, Suzuki
7. Jake Holden, Suzuki
8. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki
9. Larry Pegram, Honda
10 Matt Lynn, Suzuki
16. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati
20. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati
AMA Superbike points (after 13 rounds): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 464
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 424
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 358
4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 332
5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 331
6. Tommy Hayden, Suzuki 330
7. Jake Zemke, Honda 298
8. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 279
9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 260
10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki 251
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