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US Superbike: Kawasaki's Hayden
Earns His First AMA Championship
Monster Energy Kawasaki's Roger Hayden captured the first championship
of his career in the AMA Supersport class at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca in Monterey, Calif.
 Coming into the
race with a nine-point lead over teammate Jamie Hacking, Hayden
moved quickly off the line to get a fourth-place start. On lap
seven, the red flag came out, and that put Hayden on the front-row
during the restart.
With a great jump at the restart, Hayden settled into the second
position until a rider almost collided with him in the Corkscrew
section of the track, causing him to fall back to fifth. After
regaining his composure, Hayden rode with determination to a
steady fifth place, which secured enough points to claim the
AMA Supersport championship.
"I was really nervous going into the race," said Hayden.
"After the restart, I made some clean passes to move up
to second. I had a rider come in and make contact with me, knocking
me off the track. I had to regroup and do the best I could to
be in a good position. It seems like the laps got a lot longer
than they should have been. I'm just glad it's over."
With the championship still settling in, Hayden added, "Ever
since I was younger, I dreamed of winning a championship. I'm
very happy it finally came true."
Able to avoid the incident in the Corkscrew, teammate Hacking
was able to use it to his advantage and move up to third. He
would later move into second to capture the runner-up position.
"After the red flag, I just bombed the start," said
Hacking. "I was stuck behind a lot of guys and it was hard
to get by. Coming into the Corkscrew, I was able to avoid the
mayhem and move up. After having such a bad start, I was glad
to finish on the podium."
Hacking finished second in the final season point standings for
the AMA Supersport class.
Attack Kawasaki's Ben Attard made the most of the situation in
the Corkscrew, moving from fifth to second. Keeping a steady
pace with the leaders, he would eventually come across the line
with an impressive fourth-place finish.
"We improved a lot over the weekend," said Attard.
"We were running really well after the restart and had a
bit of luck coming out of the incident in second. Overall the
race was good and possibly our best finish of the year in this
class."
Teammate Steve Rapp got a great start after the red flag, but
was caught up in the incident and was pushed off the track. Unharmed
but pushed to the back of the pack, Rapp finished 10th in the
final race of the season.
With Hayden and Hacking taking first and second in the championship
and Rapp finishing fourth, Kawasaki took three of the top-five
positions in the competitive AMA Supersport class.
AMA Superbike Championship
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, Calif. - September
16, 2007
AMA Supersport Results
1. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha
2. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
3. Martin Cardenas, Medellin, Columbia, Suzuki
4. BEN ATTARD, MURRIETA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI
5. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
6. Blake Young, Madison, Wis., Suzuki
7. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
8. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
9. Garrett Carter, Royal Oak, Mich., Yamaha
10. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI
AMA Supersport Standings
1. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI,
297
2. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 294
3. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 260
4. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 247
5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 216
6. Blake Young, Madison, Wis., Suzuki, 212
7. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha, 209
8. Geoff May, Gainsville, Ga., Suzuki, 181
9. BEN ATTARD, MURIETTA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 178
10. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 174
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