The view Jason Disalvo wants to show the competition image by tim 'haywood' huntington

Yamaha's Jason Disalvo is having a tough Superbike rookie year. The New Yorker has finished every race so far, but hasn't exactly showed the speed he would have liked so far in Yamaha's first year back in Superbike. It doesn't help that teammate Eric Bostrom has been on the box, either.

Yamaha has invested a lot in Jason over the years. Part of the Ben Spies/Roger Hayden/Disalvo trio that emerged as the hot young American talent earlier this decade, he was chosen to carry the flag in US Superbike (and perhaps beyond) for the brand.

The expectations are high. When the results aren't forthcoming, people wonder why.

Disalvo was fast on a 1000c bike in his Superstock tenure and put together an impressive pole streak in his time in that class. He also got a taste of modern racing electronics in last year's Formula Xtreme class. The preseason consensus was Disalvo might struggle in races, but would probably show impressive bursts of speed from time to time -- especially in qualifying. That hasn't really materialized yet.

How does Jason rate the year so far?

"If you'd asked me that question at the beginning of the year, I'd have said pretty poorly. But now that I'm six months older and wiser, I'd say it's going pretty well now," said the 23-year old. "It's been a long road getting to where we are. We're nowhere near where we want to be or need to be. We're making progress. Every time we go out on the bike, we're learning something new about it."

Disalvo says it is a variety of issues that have contributed to the slow start. "I don't think it's ever really one main thing," Disalvo said of his missing speed at this year's races. "It's the overall package. It's tough to pinpoint one thing that we're missing. If we could, it would be easier. It's a lot of things that add up to being on the podium."

In talking with Disalvo, he keeps a positive attitude even though it's "hide the knives" time when some young riders struggle.

"Don't get me wrong, I lose sleep over it on a nightly basis," said Disalvo. "At the same time, I know there's only so much I can do and so much Yamaha can do. These things take time. I'm glad I was able to realize that before the season started so I didn't try too hard, get in over my head, and make some dumb mistakes that really set us back."

It doesn't help that Disalvo is in a contract year, either.

"There's always a bit of pressure," said Disalvo when asked about his expiring contract. "You know your stock always rises with good finishes. If you want to sign a multi-year deal, you don't go into that with a year of sixths, eighths, and not a podium on your list. It always plays a factor. But we have to keep doing what we're doing, trying to get a little more every day --working hard be it at the gym or in testing and hoping for the best."

"Don't get me wrong, I lose sleep over it on a nightly basis," said Disalvo. "At the same time, I know there's only so much I can do and so much Yamaha can do. These things take time."

"At times, it can be discouraging. All in all, it's a great challenge, though. Yamaha has stepped up to the plate and I think I have, too, developing this new motorcycle."

If nothing else, Disalvo could usually be counted on to pull one out of the hat in qualifying, going back to his days in Europe. It's no surprise a rookie on a new Superbike struggled, but even Disalvo's qualifying mojo disappeared. Where did it go?

"It's back in the Dunlop factory in England with the qualifying tires," Disalvo told Super Bike Planet. "When the qualifier really helped me in the past was when I was struggling with my setup. The qualifier fixes a lot of problems you might have. And we didn't have that band-aid this year. I don't really know if it would have made much of a difference since everyone else would have them, but I always seemed to get the most out of them."

Let's talk specifics -- there are really two different learning curves here. Disalvo is a Superbike rookie, plus Yamaha is in there first year back in Superbike. Which is hurting him the worst at this point?

"Competition wise, it's about what I expected," Disalvo said of the Superbike class. "Development-wise, with the bike, it's been much more than I anticipated. It's funny, I've worked twice as hard this year and we haven't gotten nearly the results as we had in previous years. The effort has doubled."

"I think my transition would have been easier if Yamaha had been in Superbike and had a bike developed, if they knew what settings worked and I just hopped on it and rode it," he said. "At the same time, this is a great learning experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

In the past, Disalvo was a rider who relied heavily on a baseline setting on his bikes. He's learned that won't work in the premier class, where the rules allow for more machine adjustments. The rider has to know what he wants and what detail changes do to affect the machine.

"What I've found is you can't really do that on a Superbike. There's so much to change and you can always find something better. There's always something better than what you'd call a baseline setup," he said.

"I look at the things we change on the Superbike, it's the stuff we couldn't change in the support classes. Now, you know it can always be better and someone else is going to get the most out of their bike. You have to improve it or you don't stand a chance."

What's the biggest issue he currently faces? "Finding grip out of these tires," said Jason. "Dunlop puts out a good tire. It's really durable and lasts the whole race for us. But I think Suzuki's found a different way to get grip out off of the rear. It's been a struggle for us. It's funny, we never really complain about it because it's not that bad. They just seem to have a lot more (rear grip) than we do."

Teammate Eric Bostrom has gotten more out of his Yamaha Superbike at some races this year, finishing on the podium at Fontana twice and leading in Utah. But Bostrom has had some terrible races, too, where as Disalvo has been more consistent in his finishes-- even if they have been lower than Jason would like.

"I think at Fontana, Eric really hit the setup and that's one of the tracks where we really missed it. There have been tracks where his setup has worked really well," Jason acknowledged.

Sears Point: Disalvo's '07 Superbike highlight image by tim 'haywood' huntington

Disalvo did have two decent runs, finishing fourth at Infineon and showing some pace at Elkhart in the dry. But he ran wide in the first race and lost track position, then it rained on Sunday.

"I loved my setup at Infineon and (Bostrom) was pretty unhappy with his. I loved my setup at Elkhart and he was pretty unhappy with his, there," said Disalvo. "I haven't quite figured out what's behind that. It seems like we're at two opposite ends of the spectrum."

As far as getting both riders on the same page, it doesn't help that Bostrom and Disalvo prefer setups that are "completely different", according to Jason. He says the team has been open with information between riders, but it hasn't always helped.

There might be some light at the end of the tunnel. Jason tested in Japan after Elkhart and was second quickest at the Yoshimura Suzuki-free VIR test. And there are always more parts coming in for the first-year Superbike. Disalvo said he already feels a difference in the Yamaha R1's performance.

"It's been a steady trickle of parts from Japan. All the teams do that to some degree, but Yamaha is really behind us. It has helped a lot since the beginning of the year," he said.

So, the important question: When can Disalvo make the next step and earn a podium finish for Yamaha? He paused before he answered.

"I think we could only be a race away. In my mind, I think I'm overdue for that really good race. We've had a couple that were close," he said. "From testing, I think we have a good setup for the next couple of tracks."