Holden and Hayden top practice charts

From AMA Pro Racing

MONTEREY, CA - Jake Holden led an unpredictable AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike practice session while Roger Hayden topped the charts in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike practice in the opening day of Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix on-track activities at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Riding the No. 59 Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR, Holden posted a best lap time at 1:25.525 (94.204 mph) to pace a 33-rider field in Friday practice. The rider from Puyallup, WA is currently 11th in the American Superbike championship standings and owns a best result this season of fifth from the first race of a doubleheader at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA in March. Holden won his first AMA Pro race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Superstock competition in 2007.

"This is definitely surreal," Holden said. "I mean, this is my favourite racetrack, I've had my first win here, so Laguna and Jake Holden have a lot of history. I love this track. I feel really good on this bike. I'm paying for a lot of the stuff on this thing. Corona is helping me out with some stuff, but I definitely still need some help and some tire money and all that stuff to finish out the season. We're looking for a win here, now. After the first practice I feel good."

Second quickest on the day was Tommy Hayden on the No. 22 Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 at 1:25.807 (93.894 mph). Hayden, whose brothers Nicky and Roger are racing in this weekend's MotoGP and AMA Pro Daytona SportBike races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, respectively, owns four career AMA Pro Road Racing victories at the famed circuit. He is currently second to teammate Mat Mladin in the AMA Pro American Superbike championship standings and is looking for his first career American Superbike win this weekend.

Mladin was third in Friday practice on the No. 7 Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 at 1:25.946 (93.743 mph). The Aussie is 110 points clear of Hayden in the point standings, 325-215, and owns nine victories from this season's 11 races. He owns three previous American Superbike victories at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, including wins in each of the last two American Superbike races at the venue.

Larry Pegram, who earned his first American Superbike victory in 10 years last time out at Road America, was fourth quickest on the No. 72 Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R. Pegram's best time was a 1:25.960 (93.727 mph). Josh Hayes, who joins Pegram and Mladin as the only riders to win in American Superbike competition this year, completed the top five on his No. 4 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1. Hayes' best lap was at 1:26.225 (93.439 mph).

Roger Hayden got his weekend at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix off to a great start by posting the quickest time in practice for Sunday's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race.

Hayden logged a best lap at 1:28.932 (90.595 mph) on the No. 95 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R to lead a field of 44 Daytona SportBike riders to post practice times on Friday afternoon. Hayden, who missed the first three races of the 2009 season, is currently 13th in the championship standings with best results of second in the first races of doubleheaders at Road Atlanta in April and Road America last month.

"It was really good," Hayden said. "I felt comfortable and the bike seemed to be working pretty good. We've still got a long ways to go with it to get it 100 percent, but the team is working hard. It kind of felt good to be on pace from the get go. I had one minor crash about halfway through the session and it was just rider error on that. We've got a lot of ideas on how to improve the bike."

Second on the Daytona SportBike Friday speed chart was points leader Martin Cardenas on the No. 36 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600. The Colombian turned in a best time at 1:29.036 (90.489 mph) and will go in search of his seventh victory of the season on Sunday afternoon. Cardenas currently leads Jamie Hacking (No. 88 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) by 51 points, 255-204, with 11 of 20 races complete. Hacking was eighth in Friday practice.

Jake Zemke was third quickest on the No. 1x Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR at 1:29.069 (90.456 mph), Jason DiSalvo was fourth quickest in Friday practice at 1:29.191 (90.332 mph) and posting the fifth-quickest practice time and making it four different makes inside the top five was Ben Bostrom on the No. 1s Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 at 1:29.192 (90.331 mph). Bostrom opened the year with a victory in the prestigious Daytona 200 By Honda and is making his first Daytona SportBike appearance since that historic victory this weekend.

The AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei class kicked off the weekend's official on-track activities with a 50-minute practice session in preparation for Saturday's race, which counts toward the SuperSport West championship. Topping the 17-rider time chart was one of the top contenders in the SuperSport East championship, Russ Wikle on the No. 5 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R600.

Wikle posted a best lap at 1:32.621 (86.986 mph) to lead the session by nearly two tenths of a second over Ricky Parker on the No. 96 Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6. Wikle is currently second in the 2009 SuperSport East championship standings, trailing Leandro Mercado -- who is not competing in this weekend's round -- by 18 points, 81-63.

Tomas Puerta was third on the No. 12 LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 at 1:32.978 (86.653 mph), followed by Garrett Willis on the No. 80 Mach 1 Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 at 1:33.382 (86.278 mph). Joey Pascarella rounded out the top five at 1:33.619 (86.059 mph) on the No. 25 LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.

American Superbike Practice Times (Top 20)
1. Jake Holden, Holden Racing (Honda CBR1000RR) 1:25.524
2. Tommy Hayden, Rockstar · Makita · Suzuki (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +0.282
3. Mat Mladin, Rockstar · Makita · Suzuki (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +0.420
4. Larry Pegram, Foremost Insurance · Pegram Racing Ducati (Ducati 1098R) +0.435
5. Josh Hayes, Yamaha Motor Corp. USA (Yamaha YZF-R1) +0.700
6. Geoff May, National Guard Jordan Suzuki (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +0.739
7. Aaron Yates, Jordan Suzuki (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +0.886
8. Ben Bostrom, Yamaha Motor Corp. USA (Yamaha YZF-R1) +0.982
9. Blake Young, Rockstar · Makita · Suzuki (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +1.166
10. Neil Hodgson, Corona Extra Honda (Honda CBR1000RR) +1.440
11. Taylor Knapp, Taylor Knapp Racing (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +1.452
12. David Anthony, Aussie Dave Racing (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +1.628
13. Chris Ulrich, Roadracingworld.com · Suzuki (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +2.811
14. Aaron Gobert, AGR Inc. (Honda CBR1000RR) +2.983
15. Cory Call, MDK Motorsports (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +3.253
16. Jeremy Toye, Lee`s Cycle Racing (Honda CBR1000RR) +3.380
17. Shawn Higbee, Higbee-Racing.com (Buell 1125R) +4.567
18. Hawk Mazzotta, Aussie Dave Racing (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +4.952
19. Johnny Rock Page, Johnny Rock Page · 944 Magazine (Yamaha YZF-R1) +5.744
20. David Kunzelman, Esurance Racing Team (Suzuki GSX-R1000) +5.943

Daytona SportBike Practice Times (Top 20)
1. Roger Hayden, Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki (Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) 1:28.931
2. Martin Cardenas, M4 Suzuki (Suzuki GSX-R600) +0.104
3. Jake Zemke, Erion Racing (Honda CBR600RR) +0.136
4. Jason DiSalvo, M4 Suzuki (Suzuki GSX-R600) +0.259
5. Ben Bostrom, Team Graves Yamaha (Yamaha YZF-R6) +0.260
6. Bobby Fong, Four Feathers Racing (Yamaha YZF-R6) +0.357
7. Josh Herrin, Team Graves Yamaha (Yamaha YZF-R6) +0.382
8. Jamie Hacking, Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki (Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) +0.455
9. Josh Hayes, Team Graves Yamaha (Yamaha YZF-R6) +0.595
10. Steve Rapp, Bazzaz · Pat Clark Motorsports (Yamaha YZF-R6) +0.610
11. Daniel Eslick, Rossmeyer Geico Powersports RMR Buell (Buell 1125R) +0.639
12. Chris Peris, Erion Honda (Honda CBR600RR) +0.855
13. Tommy Aquino, Team Graves Yamaha (Yamaha YZF-R6) +0.930
14. Robertino Pietri, Team E.S.P. Yamaha (Yamaha YZF-R6) +1.021
15. Chris Fillmore, Chris Fillmore Racing (Yamaha YZF-R6) +1.160
16. Chaz Davies, Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team (Aprilia RSV1000R) +1.421
17. Michael Beck, Team Beck Racing (Yamaha YZF-R6) +1.617
18. Michael Barnes, GEICO Powersports · RMR · Buell Racing (Buell 1125R) +1.678
19. Ricky Parker, RPR Racing (Yamaha YZF-R6) +2.137
20. Fernando Amantini, Amantini Racing (Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) +2.798