American Josh Hayes' stirring race to the front in Sunday's World Supersport race in Portugal woke up a section of the paddock that had previously dismissed him as just a stand-in, it seems. There were many questions as to his future plans after the race. Hayes deferred nearly all requests.

Hayes would love to race in the World Championship, but it comes down to a matter of economics. World Supersport rides pay about a quarter of what a ride in the US will, and Hayes seems to be holding out for a ride in the US. He says he has good interest there for a 2009 ride.

"I feel like I have unfinished business here," Hayes said. "I hope one day to find my way back."

It was pretty clear that Hayes was using every trick in his bag to race at the front with a slightly blunt blade in the Supersport race. His bike looked down on power compared the other machines, yet he hammered it home in fourth place after actually leading the race.

Was the throttle cable stretched about four inches longer after the race than when you started, we asked Hayes after his neck-wringing session with the Honda. "I don't know," he said safely, smiling.

Ten Kate Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu made a triumphant return to World Superbike racing at Portugal, winning the race after spending the season off the pace and struggling in Superbike. Sofuoglu strafed past new world champion Andrew Pitt on his way to the win. Along the way, he made some wild gesticulations at Hayes.

Asked yesterday during the FG Sport media test day what exactly was going on when he was waving at Hayes, Sofuoglu said that he felt Hayes was riding pretty aggressively while the American led the race and that he felt he should have ridden a little more conservatively, plus Hayes seemed to be blocking Sofuoglu's path for the lead.

We're Americans, so we are clearly clueless, but we then asked Sofuoglu this: where he comes from do people just get out of the way when you're behind them?

"Um, no," he said.