Chris Ulrich Fights Uphill Battle at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 13, 2009) - Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki kicked off the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing season at Daytona international Speedway with a strong opening round, claiming a podium result in AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei competition and putting in several gritty rides during a sometimes-trying week.

Chris Ulrich found himself fighting an uphill battle early in the opening round of the new AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited era, battling limited track time and struggling to find grip as he set up his No. 18 Suzuki GSX-R1000.

The Californian qualified on the fourth row, posting the 14th fastest time at 1:41.147. He got a terrific launch off the line from there, quickly working his way past a number of premier-class competitors. However, his race got a whole lot tougher when he ran wide while still working the opening lap, dropping all the way to the back of the field.

Ulrich spent the remainder of the 15-lap race dicing up through the pack, ultimately reclaiming his starting position, finishing 14th at the checkered flag.

"I'd say the whole weekend was hectic," Ulrich said. "Not too much track time and this is the big class now so it's a big adjustment. We searched for grip all week. The first practice started perfect -- we were in the top ten but in the second practice we tried some stuff to find some more grip and it didn't work and we got caught out. In qualifying we had issues with the radiator when we came in for the tire, so that was bad luck. I wasn't that confident going into the race.

"I got a good start and went by (Ben) Bostrom and the other guys right off the bat. I went into Turn 3 looking for my hole and I was maybe just a little bit wide and the back came around and it swapped a couple times. Once I got it collected back together, there was no way I was going to make the turn without crashing. I went straight and came back on and was dead last. I worked up from 33rd to 14th, which isn't a bad day, but going from 14th to tenth would have been better. We stayed the same from qualifying to race, but we're a little bit disappointed."

Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki will next head to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA for the second round of the AMA Pro Road Racing Championships on March 20-22.