Mount Vernon News

Suzuki continues dominance

LEXINGTON — One look at the AMA Superbike Championship Series points standings and it is easy to see Suzuki is going something right. Out of the 26 riders entered for this weekend’s Wiseco Superbike 100s, 15 ride a Suzuki GSX-R1000. Of those 15, three are in the top provisional qualifying spots, including Ben Spies. Four of the top seven in the points standings ride Suzukis, including Spies and teammate Mat Mladin at 1-2. Fellow teammate Tommy Hayden sits in fifth.

To speak more of Suzuki’s dominance, Spies and Mladin have combined to win all 12 over the races contested this season. In 2006, the pair combined to win all but one of the 19 races run. In fact, in 2005, they combined to win 12 of the 17 races contested.No one has contested the Suzuki bikes since their introduction, but why? The Honda CBR1000 has been Suzuki’s biggest rival, but not finished higher than second in the points race in 2004.

“There is not one particular thing. It is a bunch of things really,” said Hayden. “We have a really good relationship with the racing department in Japan. There is really good communication, everyone works well together. It is also a good approach to testing and development.”

American Honda Red Rider Jake Zemke has watched first-hand as Suzuki has gained a chokehold on the AMA Superbike Championship Series. He and teammate Miguel DuHamel have been close to Spies and Mladin, but haven’t been able to overtake them, a reason he dates back to 2004.

“The bike were are racing now — the CBR1000 — originated back in ‘04 and back then, we had the best bike in the paddock, for sure,” said Zemke. “At that time, we used to get full works bikes from Japan, meaning they created it and sent us a complete race bike ready to race. Even though all of our bikes are based on production bikes that anyone can go to a dealership and buy, those bikes were ready to race. Starting in 2005, American Honda decided to take on everything in house, meaning we are no longer relying on Japan to send us bikes. We are building everything here in the states.

“It was a difficult season in 2005. Last year, in 2006, we were kind of back to where we should have been the previous year, and now, in 2007, the bike is really good. On of Honda’s No. 1 trait has always been speed. Our motor is a great motor. Our biggest challenge has been getting all that power to the ground and getting it to hook up so that we can accelerate down the straightaways. That has been the area we have had to really focus on and work on. We are getting better, but the problem is Suzuki has to. The target is always moving, but we seem to be gaining ground.”

Hayden, who is in his first year riding for Yoshimura Suzuki, has ridden several different types of bikes, and is amazed in the difference.

“I am surprised (how well the bikes run),” said Hayden. “The bikes at the dealership that are available to people with zero experience is really impressive. It is impressive to me how good those bikes are. All of the research and development that went into those bikes were handed off to the racing team, who has taken it and saw how much more can be done with it.

“In the Supersport class, the bike is very similar to what you can go and buy. We are very limited in the modifications that can be made. Suspension is the biggest thing we can change on the bikes. In that class, they are really similar, In Superbike, not so much. It is more open and we can change a lot of parts on that. Really, it is more about lightweight parts and more horsepower. They are quite a bit different.”

Yamaha entered the Superbike fray this year in hopes of dethroning Suzuki and ending its dominance. Rider Eric Bostrom has been given the task, but hasn’t been able to quite come through — yet.

“The Yamaha R1 that I ride is a strong package,” Bostrom said. “It won the Superstock championship last year so we know the overall package is good, but we have had some difficulties in Superbike. We have been left to take everything good about the Superstock bike and try to expand it, making it competitive in Superbike. That has been a big task. It has been very difficult. We have a good power package and strong chassis so we have, basically, all the pieces of the puzzle that we need. We haven’t found the right way to fit them in yet and actually take home a win.”

With nearly carbon copy finished as many of the races, one has to wonder how Suzuki has gained the edge. Zemke notes it as teamwork.

“In a sense, we are in a race of development,” Zemke said. “You have to get everything you can out of your motorcycle first. I think that’s why we are seeing the racing at the front between Ben and Mat. They are both getting everything out of that motorcycle that they can get out of it. That’s why they are so close. It is a perfect example of two guys riding their bikes to the limit, and it is very similar to Miguel DuHamel, my teammate, and I. We are usually right together in qualifying and in the races. Our lap times are usually similar even though we run very, very different set-ups. ... You are always trying to get the most out of your bike so that when the green flag drops, you can really put your head down and race the competitors around you.”

All three riders agreed on point — the rider is most important part of the equation.

“The rider is a big part of it,” said Hayden. “Arguably, he is the biggest part of it. A good rider definitely makes a big difference, not just for the day of the race, but in testing and development as well. The key to winning races is more than just running fast. You’ve got to work with your team and keep moving forward.”

”Motorcycle racing is such an individual sport, but you can’t do it without the whole package,” said Bostrom. “You often see teammates racing against each other. They might be racing in 10th and 11th or they might be racing in first and second. That’s what we are seeing now. Suzuki has been pretty dominate the last couple of years.

“Ultimately, the rider is the most important piece to the puzzle. That’s what makes or breaks a team. The rider is actually part of the package. If you need to change the weight distribution on the bike, you can do it. With that being said, Suzuki has a chokehold on us right now, and that shows that they have the whole package. They are better than everyone else.”

Zemke has seen how one wrong decision by a rider can lead to disaster for the team. In a sport where everything is nearly equal, one move is all it takes either way.

“The rider has a lot to do with it, for sure,” said Zemke. “With the level of competitors that we have here in America in the AMA Series, any rider on a factory bike is at a similar level. A lot of times it comes down to the equipment and the rider’s input to the team so that the mechanics and engineers can get the most of their motorcycle.

“The Superbikes have so much adjustability that you can almost tune yourself right out of it or you can end up having a very competitive package."