Chino, Calif. – July 19, 2010 – Yoshimura racer Tommy Hayden earned his third career Superbike win in Sunday's race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, putting him just four points out of the championship lead. The Kentucky native calls Mid-Ohio one of his home tracks due to its proximity to his hometown of Owensboro, and the fans came out in droves to cheer him on.
After taking the provisional pole during Friday's qualifier, Tommy qualified second on the grid for Saturday's race. Some adjustments were made to the bike between the morning qualifier and the afternoon race, and Tommy noticed a difference in the bike's handling. "Whenever the front came unloaded, I lost a lot of my ability to steer the bike," said Hayden. He also commented on the difference in the track from Friday to Saturday, "The track surface wasn't as fast today. I wasn't getting as much grip as I was on Friday." The loss of grip was likely a result of the rains that pelted through the area overnight.
When it came time for the race to begin, Tommy lined up on the grid and launched off the line. At the end of the first lap, Tommy was running fifth and struggling to find the grip to pass his opponents. A few laps in however, Tommy rallied and began his charge for the podium. He quickly made his way into the fourth position, and made the pass for the podium with a few laps to go. Tommy's podium put him just ten points behind the championship leader at the end of the day.
After making some further adjustments to improve his bike's handling, Tommy came back more determined than ever for race two. At the drop of the flag, Tommy unleashed his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R1000 and rocketed off the line. Coming into turn one, Tommy was running a strong second. It wasn’t long before he made the pass for the lead, a position he held for much of the rest of the race. About halfway through the race, Tommy dropped back into second for a lap, but he got back on the gas and made a second pass for the lead. Once he was back at the front, he stayed there for the rest of the race. Hayden crossed the finish line with a 0.194 second gap between him and the second place rider, and took his third career Superbike victory. "My hat is off to my team," said Hayden. "They made great changes to my bike after yesterday, and today it did exactly what I wanted it to do."
Tommy's victory on Sunday puts him just four points out of the championship lead, a gap that could easily be overcome at the upcoming Laguna Seca race in Monterey, California. With only four rounds left in the 2010 AMA American Superbike Championship, you won't want to miss a minute of the excitement as the series comes to a close.
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