Mat Mladin

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ooost @ Jan 18 2007, 04:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>In Ben's defense he has a fear of flying and, same goes for Mat, who doesn't love money?

Yeah I wasn't trying to attack Spies as much as defend Mladin's motives. Mean, in the last few years only a handful of guys have left AMA for bigger and better things, both in WSBK and MotoGP. It must be a pretty comfortable life. I don't think Mladin should be singled out here, a lot of AMA-based talent dosent appear to be willing to move.

Or they don't have the talent to make it up there so they stay here where it is appreciated.

That could be true, hector, but look at the rate Aussies are flooding into WSBK. As far as motorcycle racing culture goes, Australia is pretty silimar to the U.S.A. Its heavily based in motocross and superbikes. Now, the whole racing scene stateside would be ten times bigger than it is down under. Sheer numbers involved in racing should dictate that the U.S should be able to produce more world-class riders than it is. From that I draw the conclusion that the AMA must be the way to go for them. It's no secret that the pay is great. Unlike MotoGP, theres no sporsorship shortage in the AMA. A lot of people are making a lot of money. And the riders are getting their fair share too.
It sounds like the good riders have the choice of moving to Europe, learn new tracks, learn languages, and get uprooted from your whole life life, all for a smaller paycheque. I mean, look at Hayden. The guy is a world champ now, but any look into his private life and you see he's homesick as all hell when he's on the road.
It probably comes down to winning, earning a bootload, and being able to do it all without leaving the country. Europe is a long way to go just to get paid less and be behind with track experience. I think it takes riders who really hunger for World Championship glory like Hayden and Hopper to leave the good life behind.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (phleg @ Dec 19 2006, 09:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>How old is the grumpy Aussie anyway?
35 of the 10th of march.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (richo @ Jan 20 2007, 06:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>It sounds like the good riders have the choice of moving to Europe, learn new tracks, learn languages, and get uprooted from your whole life life, all for a smaller paycheque. I mean, look at Hayden. The guy is a world champ now, but any look into his private life and you see he's homesick as all hell when he's on the road.
It probably comes down to winning, earning a bootload, and being able to do it all without leaving the country. Europe is a long way to go just to get paid less and be behind with track experience. I think it takes riders who really hunger for World Championship glory like Hayden and Hopper to leave the good life behind.

Right on.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (richo @ Jan 20 2007, 02:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>It probably comes down to winning, earning a bootload, and being able to do it all without leaving the country.

or perhaps it just comes down to having no ambition ?

each to their own - Mat has nothing to prove to me or anyone else but if I was him (which I'm not) I would wanna see just how good I really am.

Yeah, I was under the impression that most professional, serious roadracers hunger to be the best in the world, but the AMA confuses me. Either I was wrong, or they got some really, really fat paycheques over there.
It might just come down to American racers not holding the World Championships in the same regard that we do. I mean, in Europe, you're frankly flooded with the stuff, most of the GPs are in Europe so it's kinda like the home of the MotoGP- and WSBK championships. Riders can win in BSB or the European Championship, but they're not recognised as "the best of the best", because a few hundred miles away, in another country (Which is, trust me, a pretty overwhelming concept in countries like America and Australia) some guy just won a WORLD Championship. In America it's like the other side of the world. Why go to Europe to race in the "World Championship of Europe" (I don't mean to generalize about Eurpoe here, I know it's a huge, diverse place, but this is the way it is on the other side of the world)
Did you ever notice that the American greats like Lawson and Schwantz and the rest seem to call thier transition from Domestic racing to the Grand Prix Championship as "Moving to Europe"? That's how it's seen. A good comparison would be the SX "World Championship" Can you understand why all the rounds are held in North America? Dosen't make sense does it? Then why should the roadracing "World Championships" be based in Europe? That's the way they see it, the World Championship isn't in their world (Laguna might as well be in Europe if you live in New York, which is why so many of them complain about having a second GP), so why should they seek world championship glory? Their world is the AMA, and they're racing in their world championship.

a good point well made

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (richo @ Jan 25 2007, 09:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>so why should they seek world championship glory? Their world is the AMA, and they're racing in their world championship.
this may be true about some but defo not the majority. i think you would find that most of the ama guy's hunger for world glory. as any racer from austrailia, britain or anywhere else for that matter proabably does.

So why don't they seem to have the desire to move, Frosty? Is it a lack of oppourtunity?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (richo @ Jan 26 2007, 03:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>a lack of oppourtunity?
this would be it!

That is a very good reason why they don't go overseas.
And again, these guys are good but I dont think their level of talent is enough to take on the others in the world.

Mladin is a great person to compare off of.
He went faster than the old World Champ Corser when he was on his AMA bike.
It was AMA bike vs WSBK bike.
AMA bike won that round.

My way to compare is, Mladin has a WSBK bike, if you cant beat a WSBK bike on the tracks you know how do you think youre going to beat a WSBK bike on foreign tracks.

If they cant beat Mladin, I dont think they should go to Europe.
Unless, its just a natural, ala Hopkins, but he did win his few championships.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (richo @ Jan 26 2007, 07:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>So why don't they seem to have the desire to move, Frosty? Is it a lack of oppourtunity?
That and as you said before, fat paychecks. Ben Bostrom made $1 million (US) each season in 2003 and 2004 and $750,000 in 2006. Ben Bostrom. Most of you know I'm a huge BB fan but the guy has won three AMA Superbike races in his career, one since 1999. Neil Hodgson made $1.5 million in 2006. Each factory Superbike rider is making close to if not more than $1 million per season. It's tough to pass that up when the offers don't come flooding in for American riders and there are cases such as Carlos Checa riding for no salary and Alex Hofmann riding for a dollar.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (richo @ Jan 25 2007, 05:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>It might just come down to American racers not holding the World Championships in the same regard that we do.
Have you ever heard of the "World Series"? The idea is that the players are the best in the World. It just so happens that all but one team in this series is in Canada, the rest in the US. Now the question becomes, are the riders in MotoGP or WSBK the best in the World? If they are, which of the two has the best in the World, since they both claim to crown World Champions?

See my point?

Debate…


To answer your question Richo, the checks in the AMA are fat. But don't for a minute think that the competition is any less talented. Why do the former champs in F1 and GP make so much money? Its because they are excellent at what they do.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Racejumkie @ Jan 27 2007, 05:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>But don't for a minute think that the competition is any less talented. Why do the former champs in F1 and GP make so much money? Its because they are excellent at what they do.

That's exactly what I think. I belive there is several riders in AMA SBK right now with the potential to make names for themselves in the World Championships of Europe, I'm puzzled as to why they're not there. And i think things like opportunity and money are the cause.

If a legend in WSBK and a former champion cant get a package put together with sponsoship and what-not what makes an American (low in the sponsor pecking order) think he can get support on the world scale??

I think Foggy could easily put a team together for WSBK racing, his problem(?) is that he wants to be competitve, which upps the costs. He needs factory or semi-factory bikes, and for that he needs a decent sponsor. Otherwise his riders will be grid fillers. I guess the situation is the same, up front in the AMA or grid filling on lacklustre machinery in WSBK?

How lucky is Mladin?! How many times last season and this one has Spies been leading by a big margin for a red flag to force a restart pulling him right up to Spies!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(baldylocks @ Dec 20 2006, 06:59 PM) [snapback]42158[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
Mladin is a good rider - there's no denying that, but I don't have a massive amount of respect for the guy.

As above, I don't think there's anything wrong with staying in AMA, getting your (considerable) money and going home to the wife and kids everynight if that's what you're in to BUT i think Matt would have got a lot more respect if he'd had a go at WSB

I seem to remember him telling the racing world that he was going to kick the WSB boys butts when the went to Seca for the first time only, on Race 1 he was ..... and Race 2, oh yeah - he was too tired to race.

Poor thing.

Spies will kick his arse next year too and that will be the end for Matt - retirement time (IMO)

He's won more races than Spies this season and is still a shot for the title so I don't think he's gonna retire any time soon barring a major injury!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mjpartyboy @ Aug 14 2007, 07:31 AM) [snapback]84467[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
How lucky is Mladin?! How many times last season and this one has Spies been leading by a big margin for a red flag to force a restart pulling him right up to Spies!

I would hardly say winning 8 races this season is "lucky"!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Son of Doohan @ Aug 13 2007, 11:15 PM) [snapback]84479[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
I would hardly say winning 8 races this season is "lucky"!

I was referring to the amount of times Spies is leading by a big margin that Mladin can't make up, then a crash happens forcing a red flag which brings Mladin right behind him on the restart grid, thus being gifted the gap.