Bostrom
new FX leader
(AMA Pro Racing Release)
Eric Bostrom comes into Road Atlanta’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula
Xtreme race the new series leader. The championship is far from over
however, as Bostrom’s teammate, and former series leader, Jason DiSalvo
and Erion Racing Honda’s Josh Hayes are just a few points back. Whoever
wins at Road Atlanta this Saturday, Sept. 2, will likely have the series
lead as the championship heads to the final round at Mid-Ohio on Sept.
30.
Bostrom, the 29-year-old Graves Motorsports Yamaha rider, got off to a
bad start in Formula Xtreme this year. He suffered problems in the second
round in Birmingham, Ala., in April, leaving him with a 22nd-place finish
and little hope of contending for the title. Then at California Speedway
on April 29, Bostrom found the setup he was looking for on his Yamaha R6
and he won the race convincingly. That opened the floodgates and Bostrom
went on to make the most spectacular come-from-behind charge in Formula
Xtreme history. He’s won six of the last seven rounds, including a
victory in the last round in Alton, Va., to move into the championship
lead.
With just three points separating the top three riders, this year’s
Formula Xtreme Series promises to provide one of the most exciting
finishes in all of AMA racing.
“My crew has done such a great job for me this year,” Bostrom said of his
amazing ascendancy to the top of the standings. “None of these races have
been easy. Some of them have come down to the final lap. It’s hard to
believe after the start I had this year that I’d find myself on top of
the standings. The series is so close between Jason, Josh and me that the
one thing I know is that Road Atlanta is going to be very interesting.”
For DiSalvo speed is not the issue. He’s scored the pole in all but one
of the races, but has found it difficult to duplicate that speed on race
day.
“It seems like we have the momentum early in the weekend,” DiSalvo said.
“We’ve got to figure something out to give me the speed throughout an
entire race. We had a good test at Road Atlanta so I’m looking forward to
the race.”
Hayes has quietly stayed in title contention all season with one win and
a slew of podium finishes. Hayes raced Road Atlanta frequently as he came
up in the club ranks so he’ll feel right at home on the twisty, hilly
circuit.
“I really want to win this championship,” Hayes said. “The guys I’m
racing against are great racers so whoever comes out on top of this
battle should be really proud of what they’ve accomplished.”
Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking controls the Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series
with two rounds to go. Hacking is hoping to become the first rider since
1988 to win both the AMA Superstock and Supersport titles in the same
year. He already secured the Supersport title so now he turns his
attention to Superstock.
“I go into Atlanta being able to concentrate on Superstock,” said
Hacking, who is hoping to give Yamaha its third AMA Superstock title.
“Sometimes it’s tougher to have a big lead because you don’t know for
sure how you should approach the races. I’m not going to go out of my way
and do anything crazy to win at Road Atlanta, but at the same time I’ve
got to ride my race and if the opportunity to win is there it’s going to
be hard not to take it.”
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates is the only other rider with a realistic
shot at catching Hacking. Yates is always a favorite at Road Atlanta
since this is his home track and he’s proven to be very quick there in
the past.
“I’ve been doing everything I can to win,” said Yates, the defending
series champ from Milledgeville, Ga. “It’s out of my hands now, but I’ll
go to Road Atlanta and give it my best shot. If I can’t win the
championship at least I can go out winning races.”
Eric Bostrom is suddenly a contender in Superstock with his first-career
victory in the class at VIR earlier this month. Yamaha is rumored to be
returning to Superbike in 2007 and Bostrom may be sending a message that
he’s ready to win on a big bike.
The Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme and Repsol Lubricants Superstock
races from Road Atlanta will air on SPEED on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 5:00
p.m. Eastern.
For additional information on this weekend’s Suzuki Superbike Showdown
presented by Makita call 800-849-RACE or visit the website
www.roadatlanta.com.
