Yoshimura Suzuki and Mladin to WSB for 2009?
By Michael Hannas
The annual AMA/Dunlop tire test has begun at Daytona International Speedway without the Yoshimura Suzuki or Monster Kawasaki factory teams in attendance, although Factory Yamaha's Ben Bostrom and Josh Hayes as well as Honda's Neil Hodgson are present testing 2009 AMA American Superbike-spec machinery with the new spec-Dunlop tires, along with support teams M4 Emgo Suzuki, Roadracingworld.com Suzuki, Erion Honda, Graves Yamaha, T. Westby Corp. Yamaha, and the new factory-supported Geico Buell and Leo Vince Foremost Ducati squads. The no show by Suzuki and Kawasaki seems to indicate that neither manufacturer will be participating in the AMA Superbike Championship in 2009, although neither company has stated on record exactly what their 2009 racing plans will be so far.
Rumors are surfacing that Yoshimura Suzuki does have an upcoming test scheduled in Malaysia, and that the reason for the test is to test the competitiveness of the 2009 GSX-R1000 in WSB-spec with Pirelli tires for a possible switch to the World Superbike Championship with Mat Mladin for 2009. Now at this point facts are far and few between and no one is speaking on the record about the subject, but it is rumored that Mladin and the Yoshimura team are so upset with both the new AMA rule package and homologation procedures, as well as DMG/AMA's disqualification of Mladin and the subsequent denial of the team's appeal by DMG during the 2008 season, that they are going to race World Superbike instead in 2009. Whether or not the switch will include Tommy Hayden as well, who is contracted to Yosh Suzuki for 2009, remains to be seen.
Seeing as how Mladin has stated on the record many times that his epic battles with Ben Spies were the main motivation for him to continue racing the past few years, it wouldn't be a surprise that he would rather take his bike and crew overseas to continue their rivalry with now Yamaha-mounted Spies and his crewchief Tom Houseworth. 2WT really hopes this rumor comes to fruition as the thought of Mladin and the Yosh crew taking on the WSB boys and Spies again in 2009 is tantalizing to say the least. Stay tuned to 2WheelTimes.com for more updates.
