HASKOVEC LEADS SUZUKI ONE-TWO-THREE
11 March 2005 - Suzuki Racing

EMGO Suzuki rider Vincent Haskovec started the team''s 25th anniversary season by leading a Suzuki GSX-R1000 one-two-three in the opening AMA Superstock round at Daytona, Florida on Thursday.

The Czech-born racer tracked down and overhauled the top factory riders after hauling his way up from sixth on the opening lap to lead by lap 10. He built up just enough of a gap over the final laps to prevent any of his rivals from counter-attacking with a last-gasp drafting manoeuvre.

Using a clever race strategy, he settled in during the first five laps so that he could readjust to his fire-breathing GSX-R1000 after immediately coming from his Formula Xtreme qualifying session and, after doing so, his Pirelli tyres offered him more grip than his opponents could muster in the race''s late stages.

Haskovec raved about the all-new bike that took a clean sweep of the podium: ''As soon as I got up to the leaders, I sat behind them for five or six laps,'' he explained. ''I told myself, ''everything feels good, and I should start to roll forward.'' The Suzuki is unbelievable. It''s like they made it for me. I didn''t have the best time in practice as I struggled a lot, but everything came together for the race.

''I knew three or four laps from the end that I was going to have some rubber on them. I could drive off the corners much better. The motorcycle was amazing and the tyres worked real well with the set-up we found. The team gave me the perfect motorcycle today.''

Haskovec''s team mate Geoff May diced with the leaders in the early stages of the Superstock race as well before claiming a clear sixth place in his AMA racing debut as a member of the squad. The Georgian then went straight back out onto the 2.95-mile circuit and picked up his second top-ten finish of the day, taking eighth in the 22-lap Supersport final.

But perhaps his most impressive accomplishment of the day was his showing during qualifying for Saturday''s Superbike final. May ripped off a 1:40.608 aboard his GSX-R1000 to set the fifth best time, outpacing several full-factory and factory-supported Superbike stars.

Haskovec will be back in action on Saturday, racing in the prestigious Daytona 200. He put his Formula Xtreme-spec GSX-R600 on the second row of the grid for the 64th running of the gruelling 68-lap contest, qualifying in sixth at 1:44.191 just before taking his Superstock

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