American SuperBike 2001 - Round 13 - Willow Springs

California's Willow Springs Raceway will host the penultimate round of this years AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship this coming weekend, with Australian Mat Mladin searching for a result that will further extend his championship points lead and put himself into a strong position to claim his third consecutive AMA Superbike crown.

The defending AMA Superbike Champion leads Kawasaki's Eric Bostrom by just 15 points heading into the round after a season long battle, but is firmly focused on the task ahead that will make it three consecutive titles.

"Last year I finished eighth at Willow, but it was under a lot different circumstances than this time round," said Mladin. "Last year I had a good championship points leader to cover, but this year I have to aim at being ahead of Eric (Bostrom) at least. I feel a lot more comfortable at Willow. It's got a European feel about it with some fast sweeping turns and I like that. It's definitely one of my more favoured circuits on the calendar."

In preparation for this weekend, Mladin spent three days at the Willow Springs circuit shortly after the previous round at Pikes Peak, recording the fastest time at the test aboard his Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750.

"It was a good test for us and we are now looking forward to the race. We spent the bulk of the time there working on a set up that we feel comfortable with. We tried a bunch of stuff, not only for this round, but also for next year. The championship will be over in another three weeks, so we have to start thinking about next year.

It is this dedication that has become a trademark of Mladin's, who will be looking at continued success in America in 2002.

"I'm definitely staying here next year as far as I'm aware. I haven't heard anything to the contrary from Suzuki at this stage.

Mladin has compiled a total of 359 points so far in this year's championship taking out four race victories, including the prestigious season opening Daytona 200.

His points tally has also benefited from a record breaking eight straight pole positions this season, bring a championship point with each. With two races remaining and holding a fifteen-point lead, the eight pole position points have played a significant role this year.

This weekend's Superbike national will not only feature the championship tussle between Mladin and Bostrom, but the pair will also have to contend with last years race winner Nicky Hayden (American Honda) who has won the last three championship races this season.