MIDOHIO09

MID OHIO

PAIR OF NINES FOR HOLDEN AND HODGSON AT MID OHIO SUPERBIKE RACE
Mid Ohio Sports Car Course
Lexington, OH July 19, 2009

Corona Extra Honda Riders Neil Hodgson and Jake Holden each took home a ninth place finish at the Mid Ohio Superbike race this weekend. Both riders had their share of struggles and challenges getting up to speed in the races but worked hard and came home with top-ten placings.

The weekend started off well for Jake Holden with a set of blistering laps in opening practice that saw him second on the leader board. Jake’s speed through qualifying put him in seventh and into Superpole. Neil Hodgson struggled at the track, citing his recovering shoulder as holding him back on the many side-to-side transitions the technical Mid Ohio circuit provided. Neil qualified in twelfth position.

In Superpole Jake was not able to hold his speed and had to settle for tenth. Jake said, “We tried a tire that I just couldn’t get confidence in so had to take it easy!” In the first race, both riders got good starts and were well in with the front group, Jake in tenth and Neil a position up in eleventh. The two stayed in this position for much of the race when a late charge by Jake netted him another position on the penultimate lap so at the finish it was Jake in ninth and Neil in eleventh.

Holden commented that it was his front tire that held him back at the start. “The front didn’t feel planted for the first few laps and I just didn’t push it. I sort of lost touch with the leaders!” Thereafter Jake’s lap times were equal to most of the front group.

In race two both riders got away with an extra spot at the start,Jake in ninth and Neil eleventh. Holden lost a position to Mladin on lap two but both moved up a spot with Yates crashing out on lap three. On lap five Jake’s bike started to misfire, forcing him to retire. Neil held his position to the finish, duplicating the ninth place of Jake the day before.

Neil said, “I just tried to ride as smoothly as possible. This track is really physical and so I was having a hard time getting a a rhythm going!”

In its “Race to the Lime” Corona Extra Honda Racing is proud to be partnering with: Parts Unlimited, Cycle Gear, Pro Honda Oils, AGV, FMF, Autolite, Hotbodies Racing, K&N, Motion Pro, Vortex, Dainese, GPR, Ogio, CR&A, RK, Dunlop, Powerstands, Bellco, Adran, K&L, HRC, Acme Garage, Vicci, Fluid Designs, EBSCO Media, MTS.

Images by Nelson & Riles