Cardenas Returns to Top Podium Spot in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL Race Two at Road America

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 6, 2010) - M4 Monster Energy Suzuki rider Martin Cardenas took his fifth AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL victory today at the Suzuki SuperBike Doubleheader Weekend at the 4.05-mile scenic Road America natural road course.

Cardenas won with a 0.276 second victory over Josh Herrin on his Team Graves Yamaha with an average speed of 102.8 MPH over the 13-lap race. Herrin was pleased with his weekend with first and second place finishes over the course of the double race weekend. Herrin extends his Daytona SportBike points lead to 18 over 2009 Daytona SportBike Champion Danny Eslick, who took seventh today on his GEICO Powersports Suzuki.

After yesterday's wet and wild Daytona SportBike race where Herrin beat Steve Rapp by 0.008 of a second, today's race was only somewhat calmer, as has been the case all season long in this AMA Pro Road Racing class.

Rapp, riding his Team Latus Motors Ducati, took the early lead and was quickly joined by a fast starting Bobby Fong on his DNA Energy Drink Ducati. These two Ducati riders looked to draft together to separate themselves from the 12 motorcycle lead pack.

Herrin, P.J. Jacobson with his Celtic Racing Suzuki, Cory West on the Vesrah Suzuki, Clinton Seller on his Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha, Danny Eslick and Seller's Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha teammate Dane Westby all battled as one big lead group in the early going. Also part of this mix was Cardenas, who in his stealthy style quietly began moving to the front.

Fong was sidelined by a stop-and-go penalty due to a pre-race procedural mishap and another front runner, Herrin's Team Graves Yamaha teammate Tommy Aquino, suffered a late race mechanical problem which dropped him out of the lead group. Little by little, the lead group got smaller and smaller.

By lap four, Cardenas was in the lead and the die was cast as he and Herrin battled in an eight bike train, then six bikes and then, in a concerted effort on their part, it came down to just Herrin and Cardenas. Herrin commented after the race how he and Cardenas just put their heads down and worked to ride away form the rest. And it worked with the race coming down to the wire between the two of them. Herrin would lead at the finish line but Cardenas would draft past into turn one. As they exited turn three and headed down the straight to turn five, Herrin would take the position back. Onto the back straight to Canada Corner, Herrin would get back by and then as the two would blast through the last turn and up the hill to the start finish line, the cycle would begin again.

On the last lap, the two came across the line side by side, setting up for another photo finish. Cardenas held the lead as they went through turn one, then turn five, through the Hurry Downs, out of turn eight out of the Carousal down to Canada Corner. It was here the Cardenas had what looked like quite a moment as the back of his Suzuki slid out, but he gathered it all up and rode through turn 14 and up the hill to the finish line. Herrin rode as hard as he could but he just wasn't close enough to draft by Cardenas and he took a solid second, extending his points lead.

After falling back due to the battling in the pack, Rapp fought back to get by West and completed another successful weekend for Team Latus Motors by taking third. Westby finished fifth with Jacobson in sixth, Eslick in seventh and Chris Fillmore had a good day to take ninth on his Vesrah Suzuki. Fong fought back from his early stop with a strong tenth place finish at the completion of the 13 lap race. The weather wasn't an issue today as the race took place under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low seventies.

As Cardenas rode to his fifth win, only Herrin (3) and Eslick (1) have posted wins this season and Cardenas and his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki team are starting to get very used to making a post-race stop at victory lane.

SPEED will be broadcasting same-weekend coverage of all of the season's Daytona SportBike races, with tonight's race two action airing tonight, Sunday, June 6 at 11:00 p.m. ET (8:00 p.m. PT).

The AMA Pro Road Racing series now move to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 16-18.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.