Newly signed Yoshimura Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden brought home an impressive podium finish in his first AMA Supersport race aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600 at Daytona International Speedway. "I was really glad to get on the podium," said Hayden. "Hats off to my Yoshimura Suzuki crew for giving me such a great bike in the GSX-R600. They did a great job and welcomed me and helped make the transition to a new team as easy as possible."
Hayden, who carded a front-row starting position after posting a 1:42.610 lap time, said: "It was good to get on the front row. We definitely made a jump toward the end. Being on the front row is important at Daytona because it makes the first few laps easier. I hope I can get away with the front group."
Because Hayden was injured during testing at the end of 2006, he hadn't put that many laps on the GSX-R600, which makes his third-place grid position even more impressive.
"I felt more comfortable on the GSX-R600 towards the end," said Hayden. "I missed the Daytona test so I'm a little behind. Overall, we did pretty good, especially considering how few laps I have on it. We're making it a little better every time I ride it."
In the 22-lap race, Hayden got a great start and took the lead immediately. As the lengthy race played out, however, Hayden moved back into fifth position but took advantage of lappers to eventually get into third place, which he held onto until the chequered flag.
"It felt like I was surrounded by five or six people for almost the whole race," said Hayden. "I got a good run with a lapper and put my head down because I knew it was my best chance. I was going a lot faster on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600 than I had been all weekend."
AMA Supersport Top 10 Finishers:1 Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki)
2 Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki)
3 Tommy Hayden (Team Yoshimura Suzuki)
4 Michael Barnes (M4 EMGO Suzuki)
5 Josh Hayes (Honda)
6 Ben Attard (Kawasaki)
7 Steve Rapp (Kawasaki)
8 Chaz Davies (Yamaha)
9 Geoff May (M4 EMGO Suzuki)
10 Cory West (Yamaha)
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