Well, it was a long time coming thanks to a hurricane, but it was worth the wait. It was a strange weekend at VIR because we had a large points lead and I didn't get at all nervous leading up to the first race. I really wanted to go out there and race for the win.

At the start of the first race I went for it and had a small gap when the red flag came out. The second start wasn't as good, but I made my way to the front. After a few laps there I decided I didn't need two guys going for a race win sticking up the inside of me so I pulled over and let them go for it. About half race distance I was watching Aaron try and stick it up the inside of Miguel at the end of the back straight and I got in a little hot. I had the best seat in the house for all the action and got caught up in watching them. If I was racing for the win with no championship on the line I would have made the corner, but there was a bit to much to lose to be leaving black lines with the front tire. I ran straight up the escape road and lost a few positions.

I knew Jake was in trouble at that point and never thought twice about trying to make the corner. Speaking of Jake, he put in a great effort this year and only came up a little short. Congrats to him for a great rookie season and I look forward to lining up against him next year.

We finished the race casually, and wrapped up championship number five. Race two was, well ... um, well... ah, well, yeah. If I remember rightly, I slightly jumped the start by about twenty feet (only slightly) and then sat there in no mans land expecting there to be a red flag and get sent to the back of the grid. Well that's not what happened. The AMA decided to let everybody go about five seconds later and I'm surprised I'm here to write about it. The next thing I knew I was being buzzed by twenty bikes.

Anyway, I survived to get the meatball flag and had to come in for a stop and go. I was twenty five seconds back after leaving the pits and crossing the line the next time. All I thought about doing was riding as hard as I could for the next twenty odd laps and see how far I could get up towards the front. With ten to go I thought a podium was possible as I was closing in quickly. I got by Laconi with three or four to go, but Ben was to far away to get that podium. In the end I was fifteen seconds behind the winner and missed the podium by four or five seconds. It would have been nice to get away with everybody and have a shot at winning it but it was a fun race anyway.

I always enjoy going to VIR, the fans are always great and it was good to see so many show for the weekend even though the event was postponed for a few weeks.

This year was tough. In the middle of the year we were struggling to keep pace at the faster tracks and the points gap really shrank. Suzuki really stepped up and came up with some stuff for us that really paid off. Yoshimura came up with a new exhaust that made a real difference and we tried to get a bit better in the aero department. All of this came together before Atlanta and it was there that we sealed the championship. Obviously it wasn't totally sealed there, but it done the damage to our competitors.

Speaking of our competitors, those words come to mind. "WE'LL PUT THE FORTH PLUG LEAD ON AFTER LUNCH". Those words were my biggest motivating factor for wanting to beat Honda for the championship this year. Ironically, they came from the mouth of their star crew chief, Al Ludington. That's right, at the tire tests last December at Daytona, when Honda rolled out there new 1000 and all three of their riders were quick at the test, Al couldn't help but open his big mouth and spurt out "We'll put the forth plug lead on after lunch". You see it just so happens that I hate smart-asses, and it was all I needed to go home and start getting it together for 2004. So a big thanks to Al, from me, for the motivation to kick your butts.

A few things have been said since Sunday from the same camp, so I'm wishing it was March already.

I get a lot of questions from fans and the press regarding what keeps me motivated. I hope I've cleared it up for you. Funny thing is my crew are more motivated than me to get 2005 rolling. They are eager to get testing our new Superbike. Pete and Reg are touching down in OZ on Thursday and are departing for the Suzuki factory in Japan on Saturday to start building our new bikes. They will be joined by Henry next week. Johnny and Manny are cleaning things up at the workshop before we all meet in Malaysia for testing in a couple of weeks.

It was good to see Regis Laconi and 'Fonzi' over here for the AMA weekend. Hopefully we will see them back next year as they would add a lot to our championship. To have some Europeans, Australians and Americans all racing in the AMA would be put a real international flavor into the series.

The 2004 season is over now and as of last Monday morning we were thinking about 2005. I'm keen to get rollin.

Rossi cleaned up in Malaysia when he had to, to regain control of the Moto GP championship. With two races to go and more than one race worth of points up his sleeve, he is looking good to capture another championship.

I'm heading down to the OZ GP this weekend, it will be good to catch up with some people and watch the race.

It was certainly a busy year all around. With the new addition to the family, trying to win a championship and deciding half way through the year that I should become a pilot, there wasn't much time for anything else. I'm looking forward to the break over Christmas to re-charge the batteries and generally have a bit of time away from it.

Before I go I also want to congratulate Jason Crump for becoming the first Australian to win a World Speedway Championship in over fifty years. When I was a kid, my dad took me to watch the speedway on what seemed to be a weekly basis and I still keep a keen eye on what the Aussies are doing, some of whom I used to race against when I was a kid dirt tracking. Congrats also to Aaron Gobert on his Superstock championship. After the injuries he sustained a few years ago at Daytona, he has done a good job of getting his racing career back on track.

A huge thanks to all my guys, Reg, Pete, Johnny, Henry, Manny and Herschel, also Suzuki and Yoshimura for their hard work and for giving me the best motorcycle on the race track. Joe Rocket for keeping me safe along with KBC helmets. TREK bicycles for helping to keep me in shape and Utopia optics. Cytomax sports drinks for keeping me hydrated and in the best shape possible. All these people do there part in preparing me for the championship season, thank you.

Thank you to all my fans, I look forward to getting into the 2005 season to give you more to cheer about.

Ride smart and stay safe
Mat Mladin