OVERCOMES BACK ROW START TO CLAIM VICTORY; LEADS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

In a pre-race interview, Mike Ciccotto told his competitors exactly what he planned to do in the Buell Pro Thunder final at Sears Point: pass every one of them and win the race. Some may not have believed he could win from his last row start, but Ciccotto knew he could, said he would, and did.

"My Hal's H-D Buell handled like it was on rails," said Ciccotto from the top of the podium on Sunday. "I want to thank everyone at Buell and Hal's Performance Advantage for their support."

Ciccotto won the faster of the two qualifying heat races to claim the provisional pole position, but was later moved to the back of the grid when his fuel didn't pass a post- race tech inspection. That put Dave Estok, winner of the second qualifying heat race, and his Tilley's H-D Buell on pole. Estok's teammate, Tripp Nobles, soldiered through the same heat race with a battery problem, and like Ciccotto, would also be looking to make up for a poor starting position in the final.

Estok experienced a similar battery problem on the warm-up lap for the final and left the starting line in last place. A crash involving three riders on the first lap brought out the red flag and sent the field back to the pits, which allowed the Tilley's crew to fix Estok's bike. On the restart, Estok took the immediate lead, but he knew Nobles and Ciccotto were coming. In fact, Nobles took the lead from Estok on the second lap, and Ciccotto had slashed his way through the field to fifth by the third lap. Nobles' lead would be short lived as he missed a gear and over-revved the engine, ending his race on the fifth lap. Then Ciccotto charged into the lead on lap seven and never looked back. Ducati rider Tom Montano finished second, and Estok hung on to the final podium position.

Following his second place finish at Daytona, the Sears Point win puts Ciccotto and his Hal's Buell on top of the Buell Pro Thunder points standings.

"My hat's off to Mike, I never thought he could come up and win from the back," said Estok, who is tied for third in the Buell Pro Thunder points championship.

The Buell Pro Thunder series returns to action June 15-17 at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon.

To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. Call (800) 490-9635 for the Buell dealer nearest you. Or pull into www.buell.com.