{"id":59402,"date":"2024-05-22T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.motoamerica.com\/?p=59402"},"modified":"2024-06-12T06:47:52","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T13:47:52","slug":"mid-ohio-memories-2003-mladin-gets-a-new-challenger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.motoamerica.com\/mid-ohio-memories-2003-mladin-gets-a-new-challenger\/","title":{"rendered":"Mid-Ohio Memories, 2003: Mladin Gets A New Challenger"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Although he didn’t leave Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with much to show for it, Kurtis Roberts gave Mat Mladin fits in the two races in Ohio in 2003. Photo by Henny Ray Abrams<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

With MotoAmerica set to bring AMA Superbike racing back to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, August 16-18, we\u2019re taking a closer look at past Superbike races at the iconic racetrack in Lexington, Ohio.<\/em><\/p>

Mat Mladin had a new challenger to his reign at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2003, and his name was Kurtis Roberts. But when all was said and done, it was still Mladin taking two victories on his Yoshimura Suzuki.<\/p>

One race was close, very close. The other not so much.<\/p>

In Saturday\u2019s first race of the doubleheader, Mladin had his hands full with Erion Honda\u2019s Kurtis Roberts, the youngest of King Kenny\u2019s two sons. The pair were never separated by more than a second and the battle went to the final lap with the two exchanging the lead five times on the final go-around. It ended with Mladin winning his eighth race of the season and with Roberts in the gravel trap. Roberts remounted and finished seventh, but he was never in a better position to win the first Superbike National of his career.<\/p>

\"\"