New Suzuki GSX-R1000 Dominates AMA Tests!

Suzuki’s 2005 GSX-R1000 dominated three days of Superbike tests at Daytona, Florida this week in the hands of Yoshimura Suzuki Superbike rider Ben Spies and five-time AMA Champion Mat Mladin.

Australian Mladin (32) led the first two days with a time of 1: 40.309 on the revised 2.95-mile circuit, but his pace-setting times were overshadowed by a late afternoon crash on the second day which knocked him unconscious and chipped a bone in his left ankle.

Mladin was taken to nearby Halifax Medical Centre but checked himself out in the evening. He will return to Australia for a month to recuperate in time for the Yoshimura Suzuki team’s next tests at California Speedway on February 9-10th.

Said Mladin: “Essentially I got the thing sideways exiting one of the new turns, changing up from first to second for a short amount of time and it was at that point when I clicked second that it went sideways and spat me over the top.”

“I actually got it back under control, but as soon as I looked up, I realised that there was a wall approaching and I was forced to jump off it. From what I’ve been told, they said I impacted the wall pretty hard, somewhere in the region of 80mph. It was a wall that was on the outside of one of the existing turns that used to be part of the race track.”

“I was unconscious for quite a while and didn’t start to become coherent until I arrived at the hospital. As a result I’ve got a bit of concussion and the headaches that go with that, along with a swollen left ankle as a result of a small fracture.”

Mladin added: “Aside from this incident, the opening two days of the test were very promising for us. The new 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000 was very good and was quick through the speed trap there, so it’s all shaping up very nicely. We were quickest at the end of each day which is always good. As with any of these tests, where you are preparing a new bike, there are lots of things to work through and so far so good.”

He returned to the circuit briefly on Wednesday morning to see 20-year-old Texan Spies (pictured) clock the fastest ever lap of 1:39.701 on the new circuit.

“It wasn’t anything special,” said Spies. “I probably backed that up with about six different lap times that are all within two-tenths. It wasn’t like one wicked crazy lap. We can do that pretty easily and that was on race tyres. A soft tyre will take a second off that pretty easily at this place.”

Day 1 RESULTS:

Superbike:
1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 1:42.107, 2. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 1:42.278, 3. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 1:42.854, 4. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 1:43.166, 5. Jake Zemke (Honda) 1:43.585, 6. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 1:44.332, 7. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 1:45.009.

Superstock:
1. Damon Buckmaster (Yamaha) 1:42.679, 2. Vincent Haskovec (Suzuki) 1:43.401, 3. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 1:43.639, 4. Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) 1:43.767, 5. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 1:43.799, 6. Aaron Gobert (Yamaha) 1:44.345, 7. Matt Lynn (Suzuki) 1:49.535.

Supersport:
1. Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) 1:44.320, 2. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 1:44.654, 3. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 1:45.996, 4. Damon Buckmaster (Yamaha) 1:46.254, 5. Michael Barnes (Yamaha) 1:46.342, 6. Aaron Gobert (Yamaha) 1:47.558, 7. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 1:49.501.

Formula Xtreme
Jake Zemke (Honda) 1:44.875, 2. Geoff May (Suzuki) 1:46.578, 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 1:46.697, 4. Alex Gobert (Honda) 1:47.259, 5. Ben Attard (Kawasaki) 1:48.766, 6. Mike Ciccotto (Buell) 1:49.236, 7. Dan Bilansky (Buell) 1:54.107.

Day 2 RESULTS:

Superbike:
1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 1:40.309, 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 1:40.411, 3. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 1:41.151, 4. Jake Zemke (Honda) 1:41.386, 5. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 1:41.671, 6. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 1:42.026, 7. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 1:42.134.

Superstock:
1. Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) 1:41.498, 2. Damon Buckmaster (Yamaha) 1:42.117, 3. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 1:41.175, 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 1:42.479, 5. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 1:42.540, 6. Vincent Haskovec (Suzuki) 1:42.589, 7. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki).

Supersport:
Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) 1:43.510, 2. Aaron Gobert (Yamaha) 1:44.156, 3. Michael Barnes (Yamaha) 1:44.325, 4. Taylor Knapp (Yamaha) 1:46.176, 5. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 1:46.423.

Formula Xtreme:
1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 1:44.053, 2. Geoff May (Suzuki) 1:45.169, 3. Mike Ciccotto (Buell) 1:46.027, 4. Jake Zemke (Honda) 1:46.497, 5. Alex Gobert (Honda) 1:46.847, 6. Ben Attard (Kawasaki) 1:47.302, 7. Dan Bilansky (Buell) 1:54.548.

Day 3 RESULTS:

Superbike:
1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 1:39.701, 2. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 1:40.711, 3. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 1:40.820, 4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 1:40.987, 5. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 1:41.078, 6. Jake Zemke (Honda) 1:41.295, 7. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 1:42.317.

Superstock:
1. Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) 1:40.816, 2. Damon Buckmaster (Yamaha) 1:41.363, 3. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 1:41.820, 4. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 1:42.109, 5. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 1:42.150, 6. Geoff May (Suzuki) 1:42.334, 7. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 1:43.055, 8. Aaron Gobert (Yamaha) 1:43.158, 9. Matt Lynn (Suzuki) 1:45.470, 10. Montez Stewart (Suzuki) 1:47.719.

Supersport:
1. Michael Barnes (Yamaha) 1:43.548, 2. Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) 1:43.576, 3. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 1:43.685, 4. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 1:44.129, 5. Aaron Gobert (Yamaha) 1:44.368, 6. Damon Buckmaster (Yamaha) 1:44.394, 7. Taylor Knapp (Yamaha) 1:44.792, 8. Matt Lynn (Yamaha) 1:44.898, 9. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 1:45.466.

Formula Xtreme:
1. Vincent Haskovec (Suzuki) 1:44.494, 2. Geoff May (Suzuki) 1:45.234, 3. Alex Gobert (Honda) 1:46.181, 4. Ben Attard (Kawasaki) 1:47.500, 5. Jeff Ward (Honda) 1:51.547, 6. Dan Bilansky (Buell) 1:53.872.

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