Mladin takes Superbike pole

Having missed a week of testing tires at the famed Daytona International Speedway after last season, Mladin came into the Superbike opening round at what would seem like a disadvantage, especially since a new, grippier track surface has been added since last year.

But that didn't even make him flinch. After leading the morning's practice session, Mladin backed those times up with another pole position—his third AMA Superbike pole at Daytona. His time of 1 minute, 37.075 seconds was nearly a full-half-second faster than the second-fastest rider, his Suzuki teammate Ben Spies, who turned a 1:37.558.

"We haven't been here for 12 months, and the bike is different than what it was 12 months ago, so it's sort of a disadvantage," Mladin said. "But the race track still goes the same way."

Mladin noted that the clutch on his Suzuki had been significantly reworked for this year. That will be good news for the chances of Mladin's season as he goes for an unprecedented seventh Superbike title.

Last year, clutch issues dogged the six-time champion, but they weren't enough to keep him from taking home the trophy at the end. This year, with a better clutch, the rest of the field may well be racing for second place.

Rounding out the front row for Saturday's Superbike opener are Ben Bostrom, who notched his fastest time of 1:38.012 in high style, on his absolute last run of qualifying, and Miguel Duhamel, with a 1:38.338 on his second-to-last lap.

Given that Saturday's race will be a 15-lap sprint race—70 kilometers instead of the usual 100 (nearly 44 miles vs. 62 miles), a good start will be more important than usual. And being on the front row makes you that much closer to the first turn.

© 2006, American Motorcyclist Association