AMA VIR Weekend

[ÜberDoober]

AMA Superbike Championship
Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/EKron/BigKahuna.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/EKron/STVlogo.jpg (http://www.speedtv.com/)

Sunday, August 17

SUPERBIKE RACE 1
4:00pm Eastern
1:00pm Pacific

SUPERSPORT RACE
5:00pm Eastern
2:00pm Pacific

SUPERBIKE RACE 2
6:00pm Eastern
3:00pm Pacific

[ÜberDoober]

Spies on pole for Superbike. Hacking way down in 7th. :(

Pos. Rider Team Bike Time
1 Ben Spies American Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:23.403
2 Mathew Mladin American Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:23.472
3 Aaron Yates Jordan Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:24.545
4 Tommy Hayden American Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:24.654
5 Jason DiSalvo Yamaha Motor Corp Yamaha YZF-R1 1:24.707
6 Eric Bostrom Yamaha Motor Corp Yamaha YZF-R1 1:25.061
7 Jamie Hacking Monster Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:25.072
8 Neil Hodgson American Honda Honda CBR1000RR 1:25.311
9 Roger Hayden Monster Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:25.369
10 Geoff May Jordan Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:25.681
11 Matt Lynn Corona Honda Honda CBR1000RR 1:25.955
12 Chris Peris Team ESP Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:25.989
13 Miguel DuHamel American Honda Honda CBR1000RR 1:26.014

[ÜberDoober]

Mat spanks Ben in race 1. Mr. Shoe-in for the championship better watch it or it will come down to a winner takes all at the last round. If Spies does manage to get a ride somewhere next year, he certainly will want to have the title in his back pocket. Let's see what happens tomorrow?

Jamie Hacking crashed as out. There goes his string of 3rds. Hodgson tossed it too.

1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 28 laps
2. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -8.382 seconds
3. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -29.859
4. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -35.491
5. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -54.252
6. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -54.826
7. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -69.808
8. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -77.685
9. Chris Peris (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -94.210
10. Kenny Noyes (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -1 lap
11. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -1 lap, 41.852 seconds
12. Hawk Mazzotta (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -1 lap, 58.602
13. Josh Day (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -1 lap, 60.166
14. Scotty Van Hawk (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -2 laps
15. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -2 laps, 12.435 seconds
16. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -2 laps, 13.057
17. Reno Karimian (Suz GSX-R1000), -2 laps, 56.155
18. Matt Lynn (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -5 laps
19. Ben Thompson (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -11 laps
20. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -17 laps, DNF, crash
21. Neil Hodgson (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, -20 laps, DNF, crash
22. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -26 laps, DNF, retired/mechanical

[xtxn]

Maybe Spies can take Hayden's place in MotoGP... hehe

[ÜberDoober]

Although I was pretty busy with accounting stuff, I watched enough of the AMA show to see the good points.

Once again, Mladin showed the kid Spies he's still got the juice. Official results are being listed as provisional as they've taken Mat's crankshaft back to the underground labs in Pickerington for scientific analysis. (Bubba holds a stock crank to the light and squints at it with a critical eye then bounces it in his hand to measure specific gravity. If Mat's crank doesn't match up, there's gonna be big trouble)

Pos. Rider Team Bike
1 Mathew Mladin American Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000
2 Ben Spies American Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000
3 Tommy Hayden American Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000
4 Eric Bostrom Yamaha Motor Corp Yamaha YZF-R1
5 Miguel DuHamel American Honda Honda CBR1000RR
6 Jamie Hacking Monster Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX-10R
7 Neil Hodgson American Honda Honda CBR1000RR
8 Geoff May Jordan Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000
9 Jason DiSalvo Yamaha Motor Corp Yamaha YZF-R1
10 Matt Lynn Corona Honda Honda CBR1000RR
11 Chris Peris Team ESP Suzuki GSX-R1000
12 Kenny Noyes Celtic Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000
13 Scott Jensen Suzuki GSX-R1000
14 Hawk Mazzotta Suzuki GSX-R1000
15 Joshua Day Yamaha YZF-R1
16 Scotty Van Hawk Suzuki GSX-R1000
17 Reno Karimian Team Reno Suzuki GSX-R1000
18 Johnny Rock Page Yamaha YZF-R1
19 Scott Carpenter Suzuki GSX-R1000
20 Ben Thompson Millennium/KWS Suzuki GSX-R1000

[ÜberDoober]

We won't stoop so low as some "other" boards and say something like "I hope she's cute" in reference Mladin having his crank inspected.

That would be just wrong. :)

[gonickygo]

Mat spanks Ben in race 1. Mr. Shoe-in for the championship better watch it or it will come down to a winner takes all at the last round.

Spies has an 18 point lead?... Even if Mladin wins the last 3 races, all bonus points for pole and laps led, the most he can score is 113 points. Ben will have to finish worse than 2nd in one race in order for Mat to win the championship. I don't think that will happen.

Just as an aside... they both have 12 total bonus points apiece thru VIR. Mladin w/ 2 pole & 10 race lap led. Spies w/ 7 pole & 5 race lap led.

Spies has such consistency that Mladin's championship effectively ended @ Miller in June, crashing race 1 & only scoring 4th race 2. O'course we all know Mladin isn't concerned with the championship, only race wins... :rolleyes:

[xtxn]

Next year Matt will be the champion again, as Ben tries his luck at MotoGP. Matt gets it done every race as he pushes himself to win every time the race and not the pole position. That is where it really counts (the number 1 spot) at the checkered flag and not on the starting grid.

It would be nice if Ben could finish in 3rd in one of the next races, but I don't see a Yoshi Suzuki being slow enough to have another brand squeeze into the 2nd spot. I don't think that Tommy can finish better than 3rd this year, either.

The 600cc races are very exciting this year. I think Ben B. has finally found a class for him to be competitive in.

[ÜberDoober]

Word being spread elsewhere by one of our very own is that Mladin's crank will be deemed illegal and he'll be DQ'd from both his wins at VIR. (Yo Ned!)

This is chickenshit. From the first race of the stupid season, tech inspections and penalties have been made this year as if to be some sort of a power play and seem to me to be something more than a random enforcement of the rules?

If this does happen, it will hand the championship to Spies unless he should suffer (and fail) the same scrutiny. Damn the time and expense. Tear down the top three each weekend. :ack2:

I am just about to give up on all of it.

[Ned Kelly]

Sorry, I was just on my way over here to post that news. It's BS of the highest order.

I have another little bit on news... Rumor is the final round at Laguna Seca will be canceled. I'm not super sure about this one, but I did hear from a good source. I was at that race last year and it was a ghost town.

[Ned Kelly]

Boom shakalaka:



http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Aug/080821atf.htm

[ÜberDoober]

Well, that's the final nail in the coffin as far as I'm concerned. What are the chances that Spies is running the exact same, supposedly illegal crankshaft that Mat is? Pretty good, I'd venture. This whole thing reeks of politics and retribution for Mladin speaking his mind.

Go ahead and cancel the final round at Laguna Seca. It's all just become a lame duck farce anyway. :mad: Hell, cancel Road Atlanta too.

Thanks for your great reporting, Ned. You da man! :cheers2:

[xtxn]

Well shouldn't Spies and Hayden be using the same crank as Mladin, since they are on the same team?

[Ned Kelly]

Apparently the fat lady hasn't sung yet:

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=34041

[Ned Kelly]

Oh well...


http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=34042

[Gary]

Ned, you should have prefaced that with, 'In a move surprising no one...'. :ack2:

[Ned Kelly]

Took AMA/DMG all of 15 minutes to make their decision...


http://www.cyclenews.com/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=12916

[ÜberDoober]

Laguna will certainly be anti-climactic. Wonder if anybody will even show up.

This whole thing stinks but I'd not be surprised if this wasn't the plan the whole time?