Spies wins first round of Fontana qualifying

The ongoing battle between Suzuki teammates Ben Spies and Mat Mladin in the AMA Superbike series resumed Friday in Fontana, with Spies winning the first round of qualifying at Auto Club Speedway.

Spies ran the fastest lap at 99.321 mph in the 40-minute session to win the provisional pole position for the AMA Suzuki Superbike Challenge.

Mladin was close behind at 98.642 mph, with Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo third at 98.158 mph.

A second round of qualifying this morning will set the field for the event’s two races -- one this afternoon and the second Sunday -- that determine the overall winner.

Spies (pronounced speez) said his fast lap “wasn’t anything special” but that he benefited from hot temperatures that gave his bike more grip on the track, especially after his team put a softer rear tire on the bike.

“That session was just testing for the race and it was hot out,” said Spies, of Longview, Texas. “It felt really good and, with the bike sliding around, it was fun.”

Mladin is a six-time champion, and last year the 36-year-old Australian won 12 of the series’ 19 races. But Spies, 23, won the other seven and nipped Mladin by one point to win his second consecutive title.

They carried their duel into this season, with Mladin winning the first two events.

Also scheduled today is qualifying for two of the American Motorcyclist Assn.’s support classes, called supersport and superstock, along with a race in a third class called Formula Xtreme.

Superbike racing is fast and dangerous. Speeds reach 165 mph on the Fontana straightaway, and the riders’ protective gear includes inch-thick pads to cover their knees when they lean nearly 90 degrees to the side in corners.

The padding helped Tim Knutson of Santee in practice Friday. After brushing against Spies at high speed, Knutson fell from his Suzuki and skidded across 50 yards of pavement on his legs and rear end as though he was on a swimming-pool slide. He was unhurt.

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james.peltz@latimes.com