Monster Energy Kawasaki's Jamie Hacking earned a third-place finish after making a last-lap pass on teammate Roger Hayden in the AMA Supersport race at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.

In the midst of hot and humid weather, Hacking proved that he can come from behind and be a contender for the coveted AMA Supersport Championship.

After a fourth-place start, the defending champion was closing in on the rider in front of him, but a red-flag stopped the race with eight laps to go. At the restart, Hacking and Hayden stayed close together and on the last lap, Hacking made the pass that earned him his second podium of the weekend. Hayden finished less than a tenth of a second behind him in fourth.

"My race was pretty good," said Hayden. "I struggled with my starts all day, and was always working my way up. I need to work on my starts and get that sorted out. I was kind of pushing the front end a little bit and wasn't feeling really comfortable. I didn't want to take any chances with crashing. I think that if I get my starts where they need to be, I can get a few more wins."

Hayden maintains his lead in the race for the championship, while Hacking sits in second and trails by just 11 points.

Attack Kawasaki's Steve Rapp was running in fifth when the race was red flagged. He had a good jump on the restart and came across the finish line with a respectable seventh place.

"I don't think we benefited from the red flag," said Rapp. "I had a pretty good pace but I think that other people put on softer tires and we used the same choice that we started with."

Teammate Ben Attard got caught up in a first-turn incident which caused him to fall to the back of the pack. When the race was restarted, Attard was forced to pull off with a bike problem, ending his day.

Coming off a third-place finish during Saturday's AMA Superbike race, Hacking continued to impress in Sunday's finale aboard his Kawasaki ZX™-10R. He got a great start and settled into the fourth position where he would eventually finish the day.

"We got a really good start in both superbike races," said Hacking. "The team changed the tire combos for the second race, which helped a lot. I was holding onto third when I got a bad cramp in my leg, but was able to keep a pace to finish fourth."

Hayden has shown vast improvements in the AMA Superbike class. However, after a fifth-place start he was forced to pull in to check a problem with his bike. Despite the problem, Hayden made an incredible effort to finish the race to round out the top-10.

The next round of the AMA Superbike Championship is set for August 31-September 2 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA.

AMA Superbike Championship
Virginia International Raceway ­ Alton, Va.
August 19, 2007

AMA Supersport Results
1. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda
2. Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki
3. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
4. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
5. Geoff May, Gainsville, Ga., Suzuki
6. Chaz Davies, Nyack, N.Y., Yamaha
7. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI
8. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Yamaha
9. Jeff Wood, Winchendon, Mass., Yamaha
10. NICKY MOORE, RIVERBANK, CALIF., KAWASAKI

AMA Supersport Standings
1. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 241
2. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 230
3. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 223
4. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 202
5. Geoff May, Gainsville, Ga., Suzuki, 176
6. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 175
7. Blake Young, Madison, Wis., Suzuki, 162
8. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 150
9. Chaz Davies, Nyack, N.Y., Yamaha, 145
10. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Ga., Yamaha, 145
12. BEN ATTARD, MURIETTA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 131

AMA Superbike Results, Race Two
1. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki
2. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki
3. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki
4. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki
6. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda
7. Luca Scassa, Willow Grove, Pa., MV Agusta
8. Matt Lynn, Ball Ground, Ga., MV Agusta
9. Jake Holden, Eatonville, Wash., Suzuki
10. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI

AMA Superbike Standings
1. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki, 550
2. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki, 544
3. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 390
4. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 384
5. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 382
6. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda, 360
7. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 345
8. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha, 324
9. Eric Bostrom, Las Vegas, Nev., Yamaha, 315
10. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 293