| Hodgson signs with Ducati for AMA 2006
Originally posted on Ducati.com
AMA - VIRGINIA - PREVIEW
With back-to-back doubleheaders at Virginia International Raceway and Road Atlanta closing out the 2005 AMA Superbike season, Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom of the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team will race this weekend in Alton, Virginia. The duo mounted on factory Ducati 999 Superbikes will try to add to their 2005 accomplishments at the scenic 2.25-mile (3.22-kilometer) VIR road course in races on Saturday and Sunday.
Eric Bostrom, winner of three races this year including the last event at Mid-Ohio, has gotten hot over the summer as he and the team have honed his settings on the 999 Superbike. Bostrom has jumped to third in points by virtue of his strong run that began with his Pikes Peak victory. Eric, the winner of the closest Superbike race ever held at VIR in 2002, says he thinks everything coming together is the key to his 2005 success.
"We've put in a lot of hard work and thought into getting the most out of the bike and it has paid off lately," said Bostrom. "As a rider, I've been able to find something extra now that I have more confidence on the bike, too. The entire team has put in a great effort and the payoff has been being able to celebrate on the podium. That said, we still have a lot of hard work to do with four races to go and I'm looking forward to racing."
This summer has been a trying one for Neil Hodgson, since the 2003 World Superbike Champion was forced to race at some of the more difficult American circuits where he had little or no testing time. Neil is looking to return to the podium and add to his Elkhart Lake victory from earlier this season. "Definitely, we want to end on a high note this year," said Hodgson, who re-signed with Ducati to race in America again in 2006. "I really liked Virginia at the test we had earlier and it's a great circuit."
"The team has done well with four total wins so far this season, but we're really going to push hard these last two events of 2005," said Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team owner Terry Gregoricka. "We're looking forward to showing what we can do at the last few chances we have to race this year."
The Circuit
After the scenic Virginia International Raceway fell into a decades-long racing hiatus, the facility was revamped and AMA racing returned for the 2001 season. Available for use in numerous configurations, AMA Superbike races take place on the North Course, officially rated at 17 turns and 2.25 miles (3.22 kilometers). Racers regard VIR as a tight and technical circuit that requires a good front-end suspension setting from the machine. Signature turns are the "Roller Coaster" and the "Hog Pen" turn that leads onto the front straight and the finish li  | 
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