It was a great way to finish a race. The Young Gun rockets to what looks like his first Superbike victory; no small feat considering it's his first full year in the class, it's a brand-new bike and it's pretty early in the season. But in race two at Infineon, the Wily Veteran chased down the novice on the last lap, deftly slid by him, and charged to the flag in a solid victory. Then we saw a very similar situation at Spider Central (AKA Barber Motorsports Park) as another Wily Veteran squeaked by Jake Zemke once again in race one. This time the honors went to Mat Mladin, who showed his typical mastery of staying out of the gravel and on top of the podium. He wears the #1 plate more comfortably than many racers wear their leathers.

In contrast, we had his teammate Aaron Yates in this same race crashing twice and still finishing, which reminded me of when he was racing Sportsters in places like Loudon, New Hampshire. Never say die. Never Give Up. Never Surrender.

THEN, it happened again in race two. Miggy "The Ultra Wily Veteran" Duhamel took the lead right before the last lap, and that was that. Jake, no worries. You are doing brilliant work and your victories will come in short order. Don't feel bad. I recall the likes of Aaron Slight and Ben Bostrom having their share of second place finishes, and it can suck to be so close so many times. But they were later seen regularly on the top of the box, and so will it be with you, Man of Erion.

So now we have Miguel and Mat nearly tied in all-time AMA Superbike victories. They are also separated by 25 points in the current championship. How cool is that? Tres cool, obviously. I'm stoked for what will likely continue to be a very competitive season.

Yet I had a strange feeling while watching this spectacle that was sort of like deja vu. I say sort of, because it really wasn't deja vu at all. The sensation of watching Miguel score these victories had a strange, pleasant, familiar fog around it, like when you get some seriously good French wine and drink it quickly, chased by some great Camembert and reagent-grade ethanol. What separates this from true deja vu is a lack of real mystery in what I saw. I knew exactly why I thought I'd been here before and herein lies the tale I will now spin that you will cause you either to understand and nod in sympathetic comprehension, or brand me an aging nay sayer who longs for the days of carbon-carbon brakes, Two Brothers in harmony and, dare I say it, masterful carburetor jetting. Carburetors. Remember those? Scary. What were we thinking?

First, when I speak of Duhamel I think of him not as just a Wily Veteran who while getting elder statesman status ain't done by any stretch. He's also a bridge to another era. O.K., make that era-ette. Yates is in here too, as is Mat Mladin, although they were both up and comers at the time as we'll see in a moment. But there have been so many changes in the last couple of years in AMA Superbike series (even certain web sites you've come to know and love have seen their names altered) that I can't help but wax poetic for, in many ways, the Way We Were.

Now, before I get rambling in earnest it's important to say (like I even have to point this out) that we have seen some pretty outstanding races this year. Also, as always, the depth of rider talent is deep. The new classes are, well, interesting. But there is a problem that I really can't get around. I really think we're missing something equally deep in the Premier Class of American motorcycle roadracing, which should be, after all, the Premier Class of American motorcycle roadracing. What do I mean by this? Let us take a look at where we are, compared to where we were not so long ago.

I first started following roadracing closely about 1992. I think I picked good time to get into the sport because there was a lot of really cool stuff going on all over the world. Here in AMA-ville, I can still remember the epic Daytona Battle between the Muzzy-tuned Kawasaki of Scott Russell against the Ferracci-built Ducati of Doug Polen. It was a last-minute drafting pass, Russell-takes-it affair and the two battled back and forth all year for the Championship. Other race winners in the 1992 Superbike battle included Polen of course, Jamie James and Freddie Spencer. From here on out I was hooked and the next few years saw some pretty outstanding competition. But what I want to focus on in this then-versus-now context is the atmosphere in the paddock back in the day when we not only had full factory involvement by all the manufacturers, there was a cult of personality in the way the teams were run, too.

My favorite of the era was the camp of Eraldo Ferracci and his Fast by Ferracci Team. It started with Doug Polen as their main pilot, but later included the likes of Troy Corser and even a young gun with GP experience named Mat Mladin. The family atmosphere under the big red tent (complete with superb pasta lunches) was a staple for the team and visitors, and Eraldo's familiar voice was part of a wonderful racing environment.

In those days Honda and Suzuki weren't doing too well in the Superbike wars; a full 180-degree shift from the present situation. In '93 and '94 neither won a single Superbike race. But 1994 was still a memorable year for teams that didn't win because under the Honda canvas the RC45 appeared, while Harley-Davidson was welcomed back to the paddock with the VR 1000. I loved the Honda because it was a V-Four, and this meant we had three in-line Fours (Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) two V-Twins (Harley and Ducati) and one V-Four (Honda) on the grid. Celebrate Diversity! Even though things didn't go too well for him, Miguel Duhamel rode the Harley that year with amazing determination and our bridge to the present started tinkering itself together. He moved over to Honda in '95 and has been winning races and Championships for them ever since. Mat Mladin didn't arrive until '96 but it was clear he was going to be a major player.

In '97 he was a Ferracci Ducati attack unit and he settled in with Suzuki in '98. Now Mat is as synonymous with Suzuki as Duhamel is with Honda. And, they are tied in Superbike victories. Imagine that. Oh, and during the late nineties we watched as Double-A-Ron Aaron Yates rode through the support classes, bashing his way to victory with incredible grit and determination. He finally landed the Superbike ride many feel he was born to occupy. That grit and determination is still there of course, maybe in excess on occasion.

But Aaron's Daytona Difficulty is yesterday's news. So let's look at the big picture as it stands today. We have nothing out on the grid but nn-line Fours, with a lone Ducati 999 (unlike World Superbike, which has sucked in the Desmos like a freakin' black hole). The once mighty presence of all-powerful teams from Kawasaki, Yamaha and Ducati in the Premier Class of American roadracing is not in evidence. There is no Rob Muzzy, no Terry Vance, no Eraldo Ferracci. This really bums me out.

Now, there have been many superb essays written about how the new rules and classes have confused and mixed up the pot, and also how the mess over in World Superbike with spec tires and a lack of factory participation has taken its toll over here. I'm hip. And I'm sure Kawasaki and Yamaha would point to the competition in Superstock and Supersport and even Formula Extreme as signs that things are great in terms of the racing itself on the AMA tour. Sport bike sales have been brisk, and race attendance has been good. But I have to say I really don't get it when we've lost so much factory participation in what is after all (yes, I'll say it again, dammit) the Premier Class of American roadracing. This is the main event, and should be the place where corporate pride and technological bragging rights should be showcased.

Honda and Suzuki still seem to get it, and I thank them for it. Both concerns have amazing machines, all-star riders and an obvious financial and spiritual commitment to the top-of-the-range racing class. Honda even has an excellent satellite team with a guy who has his name on the sucker: Kevin Erion. The results the last few years speak for themselves, and looky at Jake these days. Very impressive stuff.

The other guys? It is a mystery. Hey, I'm not a complete idiot (although I'm doing my best) and I do realize to run a full factory racing effort is incredibly expensive (although look what Ferracci did with a lot less money that the other guys). But I also think it's worth the investment to get your machines and riders to the top of the podium. Machinery certainly isn't a factor; Ducati, Kawasaki and Yamaha have awesome Superbike platforms to work with. Shoot, Harley has the resources and a very serious V-Twin engine if they wanted to get back in the game as well. I really wish they thought it would be worth their while to do so. Maybe if enough of the Faithful marched (sorry, rode) to Milwaukee and chanted, "Orange and Black, back on the track" something would happen. Maybe not.

Look, I'm not saying that things aren't great in the series right now, racing-wise. But I think a real opportunity to bring in more fans, more sponsors, more coverage and more excitement is being squandered because we don't have the complete factory presence we had not so long ago. There are more than enough truly talented riders to fill the factory saddles, too; a situation that can only increase the size of the fan base. Brand loyalty is something that every company that sells anything longs to have, and when you have your marque showcasing their best technology at the highest levels you breed loyalty and devotion. Then, they buy lots and lots of your stuff.

But what do I know? Well, only this: I enjoy the series more when there are more riders, more engine types, more "flamboyant" personalities running teams, more umbrella girls, more trick swingarms, oh, and more giant spiders and other enormous, menacing sculptures stalking the track like at the Barber Motorsports facility. That last bit is of course newish, so see? I'm not longing for things just from the past.

So, you factories who aren't playing in the Superbike class right now? Please consider 2005 as a great time to jump back in. And Laguna Seca? How about a giant cicada sculpture in the Corkscrew? For Daytona, I recommend a horsefly for the Horseshoe. Mid-Ohio could definitely use a centipede in the Carousel, too. I'll work on the other tracks when time permits and alliteration permits.

I don't know, man. I know the racing is good. I just know it can be better, and I think we've lost something that we can get back if a few major concerns would show the enthusiasm for the sport that so many of the riders, crew members fans and even journalists demonstrate every race weekend.

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, and long for some pasta at lunchtime. You?