The "new" AMA’s attempt to bring better racing to the U.S. superbike ranks didn’t exactly pick up any steam at Road Atlanta near Braselton, Georgia, this past weekend.
Mat Mladin on his Yoshimura Suzuki made it five in a row for himself this season with his second double victory, miles ahead of any competition. It was also the 51st in a row for Suzuki and Mladin’s 77th AMA superbike win.
Oh yes, on Saturday his Yoshimura team-mates Tommy Hayden and Blake Young were second and third, while on Sunday Young was second and Geoff May, on one of the Jordan Suzukis, was third. On Saturday Mladin won by nearly 16 seconds, while on Sunday he also bolted away by a second a lap, then with an 11+ second lead relaxed to take the win by four seconds.
The Yamahas of Josh Hayes and Ben Bostrom are solid top 10 finishers so far, but teething issues have kept them from being a challenge, completely different from the new R-1’s incredible debut on the World Superbike scene. Larry Pegram on the Ducati entry is riding hurt, but still managed a brave seventh and 10th at Road Atlanta, while Honda is still nowhere, as star Neil Hodgson remains sidelined by a motocross training incident while replacement Jake Holden took the Corona Honda to a ninth and 10th.
In the "handicap" Daytona Sport Bike class, there has been considerably more success in promoting a varied and competitive field. At Road Atlanta, in Sunday’s race Martin Cardenas took his M4 Suzuki GSX-R600 to his first AMA Pro win, followed by Roger Hayden on an Attack Kawasaki ZX-6R in his first race of the season and Danny Eslick on a Buell 1125R. On Sunday, Eslick just edged Josh Herrin on his Graves Yamaha R-6 ahead of Calgary’s Chris Peris on an Erion Honda CBR600RR. Both races featured tight scraps and close finishes, so it seems that DMG/AMA may be on to something with this class, anyway.
Attack Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking, who led the series coming in to the weekend, was uncharacteristically subdued at his home track, taking a seventh and a fifth. Perhaps he’s still smarting from the lashing he got from series management after his post-race outburst at the last race in Fontana, California.
The next stop on the AMA schedule is May 3, at the Barber track in Birmingham, Alabama.
They still race bikes in the U.S.? I used to plan my day around the TV coverage but now I have more time for other things as it is not televised anytime close to the actual event.
RET
AMA Superbike? Gawd I haven’t watched that snoozfest in a couple years.
Maldin may be fast, but why did he not move on to something more challenging? Kind of pathetic really. I think his ego is too fragile to lose.
No competition on-track, no live (or even same day) TV coverage and a boring “hi-lites” show (AMA Pro Primetime)on Saturday nights – are they TRYING to kill motorcycle road racing in the US? It looks like it and, so far, they’re succeeding. Who wants to watch a two-week old rehash of a race when you already know who won? Unlike NASCAR fans, I want to see actual competition, not a hi-lite reel of the crashes. If they keep this up, I believe motorcycle road racing may not live to see year end. As boring as it is, though, that may be a mercy killing…..
Booorrriiinnnggg…!
The “new” Nascar style AMA coverage makes me feel nauseous
Maybe (gawd I hate to say it), Mladin is just that good ?