Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom will race
their Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin 999s at Infineon Raceway this weekend at
another doubleheader event, the fourth stop on the 2005 AMA Superbike tour.
Neil and Eric will contest two 28-lap battles with the other competitors in
one of the top national-level motorcycle racing series in the world at the
scenic 12-turn, 2.22-mile course north of San Francisco.
Hodgson is currently third in AMA Superbike points, but the Isle of
Man resident actually gained ground to the Superbike points lead at the last
round held at California Speedway two weekends ago. Despite a virus that
dehydrated him over the weekend and required him to seek medical attention,
Hodgson put in a courageous performance that impressed his team, rivals, and
fans. "It's all about the championship," said Hodgson, who closed from 22 to
nine championship points at California Speedway. "The bottom line is I was
sick and we got through a race at a track I didn't particularly care for in
testing. Now we'll continue to fight on."
Hodgson has been the only man this year to consistently challenge the
Suzukis in America and has three podium finishes this season, his first in
America.
Eric Bostrom has finished every race in 2005 on his factory Ducati 999
Superbike, but the man who won the 2004 Pikes Peak Superbike race for the
Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team is still looking to contend for wins more
than anything else. The 28-year old California native has dramatically
improved his feel for the machine since a break in the schedule allowed the
Ducati Austin team to test. "Right now, we're not really thinking about our
place in the championship," said Eric Bostrom. "I want to be up front. We're
still trying to find a little more pace. We found some more speed in
practice at Fontana and we really need to keep up the momentum. Infineon's
going to be a challenging race for me."
Now a resident of Las Vegas, Bostrom was born in San Francisco and
grew up north of the city.
"We're hoping for big things this weekend at Infineon," said team
manager Tom Bodenbach. "Neil is back to full health and he's ready to go.
He's been very consistent this year and has ridden at a high level. Eric has continued to improve this season and we saw he really bettered his lap times at Fontana."
