Lexington, Ohio – Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking returned to the podium at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a hard-fought race that saw him move back and forth amongst the podium positions, eventually finishing as the runner-up. Hayden brushed off the bad luck he’s recently had, putting in a great race to finish fifth.

Hacking was hoping to put Saturday’s result behind him and he did just that with his sixth podium finish of the season. He shared the lead position for the last half of the race, but had to settle for second at the finish line.

“It was a good race for me,” said Hacking. “I really thought I had the win. If we are trying to go for that championship, we need consistent finishes. At least we were able to bring home second today, but I really wanted that win.”

Leaving Saturday’s race behind him, Hayden worked his way up from his sixth-place starting position to eventually finish in the top-five. He led the mid-pack of riders just about the entire race and was happy to finish with a good result.

“I knew from my lap timer that I was going pretty quick,” said Hayden. “I was really trying to reel in the front guys, but about halfway through they started pulling away. Fifth isn’t bad. The bike felt a lot better and we are moving in the right direction. We have another test this week so we have a chance to improve even more. The team’s working really hard and overall I’m happy with today’s results.”

After not finishing the last two races because of bike issues, Hayden decided to try another tactic to improve his results. He shaved off his attention-getting mustache and went after some great results. It must have worked because he finished in the top five.

Hacking’s first win of the season nearly came at Mid-Ohio and although he took second, the race performance was a step in the right direction for the team.

“I feel like I’m going after the first win of my career,” said Hacking. “It seems like whenever we got our set-up working great, Danny (Eslick) is right there to challenge me. We’ll get it. We have a good set-up right now and hopefully we will be able to continue in this direction.”

For most of the riders, the next race will be at a brand new track. In two weeks, the AMA Pro Road Racing Series will move in at Heartland Park in Topeka, KS. With no previous testing at the track, the riders must take advantage of every practice session.

“I’m usually pretty good at learning new tracks and I hope that will give me a good advantage,” said Hacking. “The settings on the bike are definitely better. We’ll see how it runs when we pull it off the truck in Kansas. Maybe we’ll get a little luck from Dorothy.”

AMA Pro Road Racing Series
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, Ohio
July 19, 2009

AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Results
1.    Daniel Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Buell
2.    JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI
3.    Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki
4.    Taylor Knapp, Lapeer, Michigan, Buell
5.    ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI
6.    Steve Rapp, Hawthorne, Calif., Yamaha
7.    Chaz Davies, Carlsbad, Calif., Aprilla
8.    Josh Herrin, Clovis, Calif., Yamaha
9.    Tommy Aquino, Saugus, Calif., Yamaha
10.    Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda

AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Point Standings
1.    Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki, 285
2.    Daniel Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Buell, 275
3.    JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI, 241
4.    Josh Herrin, Clovis Calif., Yamaha, 211
5.    Jason DiSalvo, Las Vegas, Nev., Suzuki, 201
6.    Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Honda, 177
7.    Chaz Davies, Carlsbad, Calif., Aprilla, 176
8.    Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 157
9.    Steve Rapp, Hawthorne, Calif., Yamaha, 157
10.    Tommy Aquino, Saugus, Calif., Yamaha, 155
13.    ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI, 95