AMA SuperStock: Road America

Young scores first AMA career win

(AMA Pro Racing Release) Team M4 EMGO Suzuki's Blake Young made up for last week's double disappointment in Utah with a thrilling Superstock victory this afternoon at Road America.

The fast-rising star scored the first victory of his AMA career at his home track in most dramatic fashion, tracking down race-long leader Aaron Yates from more than five seconds back on a wet track to close right in on the Jordan Suzuki ace in the race's final corners.

The Madison, WI native tucked into Yates' draft as they charged up the hill to the checkered flag and he somehow found a path between Yates and the wall in time to score his maiden win by 0.219 seconds.

Making the feat all the more improbable was the fact that Young skipped this morning's wet Superstock session and qualified 22nd in the rain for this afternoon's Supersport contest.

Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki's Robertino Pietri overtook British Superstock regular Alastair Seeley on the penultimate lap and held on to claim the first AMA podium of his career.

Michael Barnes finished behind the Celtic Racing machine of Seeley to hand Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki a double top-five even in the injured Chris Ulrich's absence.

Corona Honda's Jake Holden took sixth while ESP's Chris Peris and Pirelli-backed Scott Jensen finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

Meanwhile, the race took a handful of nightmarish turns for Geoff May, who, coming off his first career AMA race win last weekend in Utah, appeared to be a heavy race favorite again today after leading every session, wet or dry, heading into today's race.

First, his pole starting position was squandered when he crashed on the warm-up lap and was forced to start from pitlane, dead last, on this backup machine. The Georgian managed to charge up to just outside the top five but later ran off course twice trying to make up further ground still. Somehow, May still managed to salvage a ninth-place result on the day.

Suzuki-backed David Anthony completed the top ten.