Henny Ray Abrams | July 19, 2009
Yamaha won back to back Superbike races for the first time in 15 years with Josh Hayes beating teammate Ben Bostrom to sweep both legs of the American Superbike double-header at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. And it was the first Yamaha Superbike one-two in almost 15 years to the day: On July 17, 1994, Vance & Hines Yamaha’s Colin Edwards led home teammate Jamie James at the same Mid-Ohio track.For the second day in a row, Hayes was the man to beat. Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden got the jump, but Hayes quickly took over. And once out front he was nearly untouchable.Hayden held second until the seventh lap when he was passed by Bostrom. It was that trio that would battle to the end.Bostrom passed Hayes on two different occasions into the hard right-hand turn seven at the end of the back straight, but both times Hayes took it right back in the next uphill left.After Bostrom’s second move there was never a serious charge and Hayes had his second win in a row and third of the season.The margin of victory was .986 secs., with Tommy Hayden a similar gap back to third.The last time Yamaha won back to back races began when Edwards won that Mid-Ohio race in 1994. He followed it up with wins at Brainerd and Sears Point.Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Blake Young was in the mix early, but found himself alone in fourth at the end. And what of the third member of the team? Mat Mladin started badly and ended up seventh, just in front of National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Geoff May and 14 secs. behind Hayes.Mladin has a 126 point lead on Hayden, 390 to 264, with three rounds to go. Bostrom is third with 246, one up on Hayes.Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing’s Larry Pegram re-passed Celtic Racing’s Michael Laverty on the final lap to take fifth.Then Mladin and May, followed by the solitary Neil Hodgson on the Corona Extra Honda.Taylor Knapp rounded out the top ten on the Latus Racing Buell 1125RR.
American Superbike:
1. Josh Hayes (Yamaha)
2. Ben Bostrom (Yamaha)
3. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki)
4. Blake Young (Suzuki)
5. Larry Pegram (Ducati)
6. Michael Laverty (Suzuki)
7. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
8. Geoff May (Suzuki)
9. Neil Hodgson (Honda)
10. Taylor Knapp (Buell)
Henny Ray Abrams | Contributing Editor
Abrams is the longest-serving contributor at Cycle News. Over the course of his 35-some years of writing and shooting photos, he’s covered events from MotoGP to the Motocross World Championship - and everything in between.
