Mat launches his GSX-R over the turn 1 curbing at Infineon image by tim huntington

There has been a bit going on lately in regards to traction control. Can somebody please tell me why we shouldn't be using traction control? The whole idea of racing in the first place is to develop tomorrow's street bikes for the consumer. Does it matter if the privateers can't afford it? No. The factories spend tens of millions of dollars in a whole host of nations racing. If we do not test the newest technologies on the racetrack, trust me you guys on the street will never see it. The manufacturers are not into selling hundreds of thousands of motorcycles with un-proven technology. Would anybody out there like to go and pick up a new GSXR 1000 from your dealer and have them tell you, "We are testing a new traction control system on your bike. Can you please go down the road there to that fourth gear right hander, lay it on its side at a buck fifty and just grab a big handful of gas, oh and don't feel like a guinea pig because the other fifty thousand Gixers that Suzuki sell are the same". Your reply to this is something like, "um, um, yeh, um, but have guys like Spies, Yates and Mladin done any testing on this stuff at the track, I mean Suzuki pays them a whole load of money to be the test pilots". To which the answer to that is. "Well they are not allowed to use it in racing because the privateers can't afford it, even though in production form it will only add twenty nine dollars to the price of your new bike".

You get my drift. The fact of the matter is that traction control would make our racing safer and your new street bikes a bunch safer. The fact that an organizing body can ban traction control because of a few privateers who, traction control or not will never be in the race is crazy. It is your bikes that are being held back by this ridiculous rule.

The same person isn't telling everybody that to get the good race gas that the factory guys' use is costing them? But if we all used pump gas that it would only run one hundred bucks for the weekend. Superbike is for the factories to show their stuff, not worry about the privateers. Change the support class rule so it forces the factories out of it and put a salary cap on the amount allowed to be paid to the riders that ride the support classes. Make the support classes just that, support classes and give the privateers somewhere to show their stuff.

Mat in Sunday morning action at Infineon image by tim huntington

What is happening? I have heard that a fair amount over the past six weeks. I will tell anybody that wants to listen. I am getting my ass kicked. Pretty simple really. Now I could make up some excuses like I have a sore finger, the dog ate my notes from last year, you know the ones that tell me how to ride or just plain say I am getting smoked.

There are no excuses. As a team we are being beat by a better rider/team combo. Together they have lifted their game and are doing a tremendous job. The good thing for us is that at Infineon I learned a couple of things from the kid and put a bit of it to work at the Miller test, with good results. I seen a couple of things at Fontana and confirmed it at Infineon, a few areas where Ben is stronger than me. I love the challenge. I have been happier this year getting beat than last year winning so many races. Of course the bank account doesn't look as good but the motivation to get better has lifted up to new heights in the past weeks and I look forward to the up coming races.

I have always enjoyed doing things with people that are better than me at whatever it is we are doing. When I used to play a bit of golf, I enjoyed mostly playing with Jason Pridmore because I knew that I had to be completely at my best just to keep him in sight on the scorecard. The last couple of years Marty (Craggill) and I played a lot of Squash. It was some of the best fun for me as I hadn't played for years and Marty put some hurt on me for quite a while. The challenge of getting to his level was the most fun. In the end we had some epic games, to the point of me collapsing on the court with a stuffed back. It must have been a sight for the people working there to watch Marty essentially carrying me out of there and to the doctors. When I was six or seven years old I used to race motocross with the eleven and twelve year olds at my local club. Being in the fight was much more fun than putting a trophy on the mantle for winning an easy race.

At Infineon I was asked why I am doing wheelies after finishing second and why am I smiling more than ever? I was reminded that I have won races before and almost looked unhappy at the end. 'Because it has been fun getting my ass kicked,' is the honest answer. The challenge ahead is steep and I look forward to seeing if I can do it.

I have the best job in the world; I wake every morning to breath the fresh air. Somehow I think I've got it good.

Ride smart and stay safe