My crew, Yoshimura and Suzuki deserve the most credit for the awesome weekend we just had. My crew are so solid it is ridiculous; Yosh' were hard at work in there department and Suzuki delivered some ponies at a much needed time. After Road America this year—where we got spanked—we re-grouped and figured what was needed to stay in this championship.

Actually to tell the truth, I was on my knees longer begging for a better motorcycle than I was popping the question to my wife all those years ago. I should clarify the meaning of a better motorcycle: You only have to make tiny improvements to make up a lot of ground on your rivals. When I say a better motorcycle I mean just a few more horsepower, a few pounds less in total weight (if possible). I lost about six pounds since Mid-Ohio myself. All these little things can add up. If we came here with the same bike that we had at Barber earlier in the year, I doubt we could have won. Everybody has done there little bit to make this weekend possible.

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Earlier in the week I said this will be the most important weekend of the year for the championship. It will be big for Jake or it will be big for me. I read a lot of stuff about twenty-one points being a large deficit to overcome. If a guy has a great weekend and another has an average one, twenty one points is nothing. I gained twenty-one points on Jake this weekend. If it went the other way, the difference would be zero, not 42.

This weekend's races were tougher than what they looked on TV. Miguel and Ben were pushing hard and I couldn't back down for one second. I felt like every tenth of a second counted in those races.

It was pretty obvious that I was trying hard at the start of the second race. I ran off a few times and got sideways a few times. I wanted to get to the front and try and put some distance between Jake and I. I really wasn't to bothered about Miguel in Sundays race. We had a handy points lead over him and just had to deal with Jake for that day. Getting the win was a bit of a bonus on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, I was pushing hard for it but I wasn't going to crash for it.

Everybody has read a lot about Miguel and myself having a few goes at each other. It's a big deal out of nothing. Miguel is a fiery, tough competitor who has more heart than most. After Saturday's race he was obviously disappointed about coming so close to the win and wouldn't offer a hand shake in congrats to me. I took exception to that and gave him a bit of what for. There is a lot of pressure at this time of the year to get the job done. From my side, not to make any mistakes, from Miguel's side to win the last four races and hope I slip up and from Jake's side to catch up those few points. Emotions run high after a forty five minute race and things will happen. When it is all said and done we are racers and we give it everything to win on the weekends.

The other thing the fans don't read about is the respect I have for Miguel the racer. I don't know anybody who can bring it on Sunday like he does. If the races on the weekend panned out according to practice times, he had no chance. But I've learned over the years that he has this extra gear on race day. We are never going to be each others mates, but I respect him.

Championship number five is looking much closer after the weekend, but close is not enough. There are still two weeks and two races between now and then; and stranger things have happened.

There seems to be still no word on the state of the series for next year. No commitment from Kawasaki or Yamaha for Superbike, that's the big one that gets up my nose. I read somewhere that one of them sell all the bikes they can bring into the country now so what's the point in racing Superbike. To me that's a sad excuse for not being in the series premier class and promoting our sport. I'm sure they all have there reasons for not doing it, but until the manufacturers get together and sort out the future of the series we will never have the best riders all racing in the premier class, and that is robbing the fans, the people who buy the bikes.

I thank Suzuki, Honda and Ducati for participating in Superbike and I say Kawasaki and Yamaha need to do there part to get the best riders and bikes together on the racetrack. We need the factory riders out of Supersport and Superstock and leave it to the privateers and factory supported teams. We need 12-16 factory bikes in Superbike so this country has its premier class, we need to get rid of Formula Extreme because three classes are enough to fill a days schedule and if all the factories get involved with it, the costs will escalate to the same as running factory superbikes.

Another thing to consider with this whole Formula Extreme thing as premier class one day is the fact that if all factories get involved it will be less than five years until they are doing the same lap times as the 1000's are doing now. You can't make the bikes suit the tracks, because technology is an amazing thing when it come to racing. This year at Road Atlanta was a perfect example of that. My fastest time this year compared to last was 1.5 seconds faster. Actually my fastest race time this year was almost 0.5 seconds quicker than my single qualifying lap last year. Development is development from all sides. The tires this year were so much better than last year. The pace of a few riders this year was hotter than last year. The tire smoking was better than last year which the fans love. I had so many fans come up and say man all you guys are nuts smoking the tires like that. Make the tracks suit the motorcycles, the AMA need to keep the rules the same for an extended period of time, the factories all need to get in the premier class and let the tire smoking continue for the fans, the people that pay the bills.

One last thing. In the press conference after Sundays race Ben Bostrom brought up a very good point. Back markers or lappers as we call them. The fans were robbed of a good race on Sunday because of them. I had about a one second lead when we got to the first ones and a three second lead when the dust was settled. It eventually grew to about five seconds but Miguel and Ben had lost touch and the outcome of the race was processional. Ben's idea of twenty or so bikes on the grid is a good one.

One thing we have spoken about for years is this: All the prize money from twentieth place on should be brought forward and spread evenly through the field so the fastest privateers make enough to pay there way and some. I don't believe the fans come to see the guys lapping in twentieth position. I don't believe the fans care to see a constant line of motorcycles going around the track, I do believe the fans want to see an inside pass down the hill entering turn 12 at Road Atlanta on the last lap for the win. The fans are watching the big screens to see what the leaders are doing on the back of the track, not the slower guys in twenty fifth position right in front of them. The fans are being robbed by the fact that the AMA believe there needs to be forty bikes on the track.

I don't hold it against the slower guys for being out there earning some cash, but the fans are the losers in the end. The premier class should be hard to get into, there should be a qualifying cut off point that makes it hard to make the main show. Ben mentioned making the cut-off less, but still paying the guys back to wherever but not letting them start. So they make their money without burning up their equipment. It's a good idea. Twenty or twenty-four bikes on the grid is enough. If you are good enough to make the main event then you get paid accordingly; if you are not, go practice you skills else where and come back when you are.

That's all for now. I am trying to finish off my pilots license before I go home in a few weeks so I will be busy doing that leading up to VIR.

Stay safe and ride smart

cheers

Mat Mladin