June 20, 2006
Tooele, UT - Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Roger Hayden, put in a gritty performance as AMA Superbike racing came to the brand-new Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, this weekend. Hayden, who remains on the injured list due to a broken right tibia and fibula which he sustained during a crash in April, contested only in Supersport on Sunday. At the start of the 13-lap feature, the Owensboro, Ky., native got a good jump on the field and rode incredibly fast throughout the duration of the event to score a runner-up finish aboard his Kawasaki ZX™-6RR. Attack Kawasaki rider, Ben Attard, finished in sixth and his teammate, Damon Buckmaster, crossed the stripe in seventh. Team Green rider, Jessica Zalusky, the sole female competitor in AMA Supersport competition, started on the back of the grid and despite some intense competition finished 32nd out of 37 entries.
Roger’s teammate and older brother, Tommy Hayden, maintained a consistent battle throughout the weekend in the Superbike category. When racing got underway on Saturday, Tommy started the first 21-lap Superbike race in seventh and advanced two positions into fifth-place before the checkered flag dropped to post his third top five finish of the season. Tommy also contended in the second Superbike race on Sunday and was running in seventh for the first eight laps before advancing into fifth place. Then suddenly, the race was halted due to an oil-down on the track. Following the re-start, Tommy was running in sixth-place and advanced into fifth-place a few laps later before initiating an intense battle with Miguel Duhamel for fourth-place. The contest ensued until both riders crossed the finish with Tommy being forced to accept yet another fifth-place finish. Tommy also made this weekend’s effort look easy despite riding with a minor fracture in his left wrist which he sustained from a crash during a test at Mid-Ohio two weeks ago.
In AMA Superstock Action, Attard and Buckmaster both put in favorable rides aboard their Kawasaki ZX-10Rs. Buckmaster advanced from a 12th place start to finish 11th while Attard endured a 17th place start and advanced two positions before he was unfortunately shuffled back into 17th with three laps remaining. Zalusky also contended in the Formula Xtreme event on Saturday and toughed it out during the 13-lap feature to finish 20th aboard her ZX-6RR.
Racing resumes when the teams head to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif., July 21–23, for a Superbike doubleheader.
