BURNLEY racer Neil Hodgson rallied to finish fourth on his Ducati 999 at Road America.

The Parts Unlimited Ducati rider started from sixth place at the beginning of lap 14 after the race had been red-flagged on lap six and re-started, setting the stage for a late race showdown.

The former World Superbikes champion put his head down and made a pass of Aaron Yates.

Hodgson made his move for position into the daunting turn one at Road America, a high-speed right hander.

The 32-year-old held off his rival's furious attempts to pass, then moved past Miguel Duhamel as he came up the hill to take the checkered flag. The three riders crossed the line within 0.4 seconds.

"I was riding very hard out there, trying to use up every inch of the road," said Hodgson. "It's always good battling with Aaron because he's a hard charger. If you can pass him, you know you've done well. I got out in front of him, so I knew it would be difficult for him to pass me on this track.

"Despite it being a power circuit, a good rider can hold off a pass attempt at Road America."

Team-mate Ben Bostrom completed yesterday's 16-lap race in seventh place.

Hodgson remains fourth in AMA Superbike points.

The next race for the Parts Unlimited Ducati Team is June 16-18 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.

Race Results: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki), 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki), 3. Jake Zemke (Honda), 4. Neil Hodgson (Parts Unlimited Ducati), 5. Miguel Duhamel (Honda), 6. Aaron Yates (Suzuki), 7. Ben Bostrom (Parts Unlimited Ducati), 8. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki), 9. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki), 10. Jake Holden (Suzuki) Overall Standings: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 322, 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 301, 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 251, 4. Neil Hodgson (Parts Unlimited Ducati) 236, 5. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 229, 6. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 220, 7. Ben Bostrom (Parts Unlimited Ducati) 215, 8. Jake Zemke (Honda) 214, 9. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 192, 10. Larry Pegram (Honda) 170