AMA's Sunday PPIR Notes

NOTES FROM SUNDAY'S MBNA SUPERBIKE TOUR RACES AT THE CRUISE AMERICA SUPERBIKE NATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUZUKI AT PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Course length & characteristics:1.315 mile, 10 turn, oval/infield road course
Conditions: sunny again, with temperatures in the low nineties. Track surface temperatures reached a high of 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

MBNA SUPERBIKE
Today's MBNA Superbike race was red-flagged on lap 41 of 48, due to an oiled track and an incident involving riders Steve Teschke, Dale Kieffer, Chris Rankin and Tom Kipp. All the riders walked away from the incident.

Eric Bostrom took his second MBNA Superbike win in a row today at Pikes Peak International Raceway. The American Honda rider took the lead from his brother Ben on lap 4, and led the remaining 37 laps of the race. The victory is all the more remarkable considering that Bostrom has only entered three MBNA Superbike races this year. Eric is riding in place of Miguel Duhamel, who is recuperating from leg injuries.

Mat Mladin took second-place for Yoshimura Suzuki. Mladin also took second-place at the last race at Brainerd International Raceway. Mladin has six podium finishes to date, and is ranked third in season points.

Jason Pridmore put his Vance & Hines Ducati on the podium today. The MBNA Superbike podium finish is Pridmore's first.

Reigning MBNA Superbike Champion and Muzzy Kawasaki rider and Doug Chandler, who finished in sixth-place, and American Honda's Ben Bostrom, who finished fifth, are tied for the series lead with 323 points.

PRO HONDA OILS 600 SUPERSPORT
Yohismura Suzuki's Larry Pegram took his first career win in the Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport series today at Pikes Peak. Pegram -- who led 24 of 29 laps -- continuously battled for the lead with Muzzy Kawasaki's Tommy Hayden and Erion Honda's Eric Bostrom. Pegram is ranked ninth in the series.

Eric Bostrom took second-place in today's race. The podium finish is Bostrom's sixth in the series to this year. The finish earned Bostrom -- who led laps 15-16 and18-20 -- enough points to move into series third-place, displacing his brother Ben.

Ben Bostrom finished in 15th-place, partially due to a stop-and-go penalty he received for overshooting turn two and re-entering the track in an unauthorized area. In the post-race press conference, Eric was asked what Ben would have to say about being bumped back to series fourth-place. "We do have boxing gloves back in the truck," replied a laughing Eric.

Tommy Hayden took third-place today, his second Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport podium finish this season. Hayden led lap 17, and he and Pegram diced for the lead repeatedly throughout the race. On lap 14 the two riders made contact in turn four, allowing Bostrom to slip by and take the lead. Hayden is ranked sixth in the series.

ELF RACE FUELS & LUBRICANTS GRAND PRIX
A third-place finish was all that was needed for Roland Sands to win the Elf Race Fuels & Lubricants Grand Prix championship title - and that's what he got. The Performance Machine Yamaha rider ended today's race leading the series with a 40-point margin, locking up the title with one round still left on the series schedule. Sands has five wins and four podium finishes to date.

Erion Honda's Kurtis Roberts took his second win of the season. In addition to the wins Roberts has five podium finishes to his credit. The win secured his series second-place ranking with 318 points.

Chuck Sorensen took second-place aboard the World Sports Yamaha. Sorensen has three wins and five podium finishes to date, and with 318 points will dice it out with Roberts for the series runner-up position at the season finale on Oct. 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE PRO THUNDER
Today's Progressive Insurance Pro Thunder race was red-flagged on lap 24 of 29 due to an incident involving rider Michael Gage. Gage sustained a sprained ankle in the incident.

Series leader Paul Harrell won today's Progressive Insurance Pro Thunder race aboard his Orange County Triumph. The win was Harrell's second this year, and he has finished on the podium at all but two other races. Harrell now has 340 points entering the Oct. 4 season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Tilley's Buell rider Shawn Higbee took second-place in today's race. Higbee led the first half of the race, but his bike was overheating, and he relinquished the lead to Harrell. Higbee has three wins and six podium finishes to his credit this year, and is ranked in series second-place with 326 points.

Series third-place rider Curtis Adams took third-place in today's race aboard his Orange County Triumph. Adams' bike developed a suspected electrical problem which caused it to overheat, putting him out of contention for the win. But he nursed it home for a podium finish. Adams has 317 points going into the Las Vegas round.