Oh SNAP Mladin DQed!

[smileyman]

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=33814

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Aug/080821atf.htm

MAT MLADIN DISQUALIFIED FROM
VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY SUPERBIKE RACES

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - AMA Pro Racing announced today that Mat Mladin has been disqualified from the August 16-17, 2008 AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited round at Virginia International Raceway following the outcome of post-race technical inspections.

The crankshaft from the #6 Rockstar Makita Suzuki was sent to AMA headquarters in Pickerington, Ohio, and was compared to other production crankshafts from the same model. Upon this inspection, the crankshaft was found to be in non-compliance of the 2008 AMA Superbike Championship Rulebook.

Please note the following rules for reference.

Superbike, 2.4 Crankshaft
Only the homologated crankshaft is permitted with the following modifications:
a. Bearing surfaces may be polished or surface treated.
b. Balancing is permitted only by the same method used by the OEM. For example, heavy metal (i.e. Mallory metal) inserts are not permitted unless they were originally specified by the OEM.
c. Attachment of aftermarket ignition components or sensors is permitted.
d. Primary gears can not be changed or modified.

A3 Equipment Offenses and Penalties
This section deals with violations of equipment regulations. Regardless of a motorcycle passing prior inspections, compliance with all applicable equipment rules must be made at the post race inspection. Any motorcycle found to be in violation of equipment rules may be assumed to have been in violation for the entire race meet. In passing a motorcycle through technical inspection, AMA Racing does not warrant that motorcycle's adherence with all rules. Each participant assumes full responsibility for any violation of equipment rules involving his/her motorcycle.
a. Category 1 - An equipment violation that could potentially or effectively enhance the performance of a motorcycle used in competition.

A3.3 Penalties: At the discretion of AMA Racing, any or all of the following penalties may be administered.
a. Category 1
1. Disqualification
2. Total or partial loss of points or laps
3. Total or partial loss of prize money
4. Suspension
5. Fine

The team was notified on August 20, 2008

ENDS

[Mrs. Colleen]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! :panic: :( :mad: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :bash:

There goes any chance of the championship. :cry: :cry:

[Mr Lefty]

WOW... so what punishment did they get?

[Mrs. Colleen]

Hey there quick edit...

[Mr Lefty]

yeah I missed it the first time through.... but what punishment did they get... just DQ'd?

or will there be a final punishment yet to come?

[Mrs. Colleen]

yeah I missed it the first time through.... but what punishment did they get... just DQ'd?

or will there be a final punishment yet to come?

A3.3 Penalties: At the discretion of AMA Racing, any or all of the following penalties may be administered.
a. Category 1
1. Disqualification
2. Total or partial loss of points or laps
3. Total or partial loss of prize money
4. Suspension
5. Fine Sounds like they do not know yet. :idk:

[Mr Lefty]

ok.... cause it says they were notified... and that they were DQ'd but to me... DQ should only be for someone who DIDN'T WIN... if you won... fuck that... they should fuck with your points and maybe even suspend you a race...

[smileyman]

The RRW article said the AMA disqualified him from both the Aug 16-17 events...I am not sure Ben Spies or Tommy Hayden's Yosh bikes would be any different spec than Matt's...

[Mr Lefty]

intresting... yeah wonder if spies and haydens crew's are tearing apart their bikes make'n sure they're in spec :idk:

[smileyman]

I can't find anywhere who started the protest, whether it was an AMA tear down or if it was a protest by Hacking or American Honda or , Gasp, Ben Spies?

[Mr Lefty]

isn't there a post race inspection? like they tear them down and test random parts after each race? to make sure they're in spec?

[smileyman]

No I dont think they do the whole NASCAR post race inspection thing...And this is what it smack of...The AMA trying to drum up support for the DMG group with some sort of a cheating scandal to run all the owners into thinking the manufacturers need constant inspection due to rampant cheating...:panic:

[azoomm]

I hate cheating.

It's up there with lieing... it sucks. It's stealing the championship from those that play by the rules.

It sucks that he was DQ'd - but what sucks more is he cheated in the first place. How many other races did he win that he stole?

[CW AF 03]

Did you guys watch the races? I doubt his crank was the reason he pulled such a stupid gap on everyone. He's been spanking ass for most of the past decade!

[Mr Lefty]

naw I didn't see the race... so I don't know how it went... just wondered...

but regardless if the Crank made the diffrence or not... it wasn't in spec with the rules which are black and white... it must be factory. so he cheated... known to him or not... the rules say the rider is responsible for his motorcycle.

[DLIT]

Is Spies' shaft the same???

[Cutty72]

Is Spies' shaft the same???

:idk: have to wait and see if they check it.

[Dnyce]

Is Spies' shaft the same???

not anymore lol

and if it was tore down because of a protest, i think the protestee is anonymous. i think.

i would think it was protested bcuz like it was mentioned, hes been tearing it up for awhile, and this is the 1st i remember of there bein a issue with tear down. but i could be wrong

[marko138]

not anymore lol
No doubt.

[Amber Lamps]

Did you guys watch the races? I doubt his crank was the reason he pulled such a stupid gap on everyone. He's been spanking ass for most of the past decade!

No shit! I mean really,what kind of "power" can you expect? Besides,they probably illegally balanced it using lead or whatever. It's not a horse power item, per se'. It's still stupid on their parts but there's at least one of these scandals every year. Honda got hit last year in the 600 class,if I'm not mistaken. Heck,remember when Rossi got spanked for cleaning the dirt from his starting position in Qatar?

Besides,I doubt that we've heard the last of this. I'm sure they will file a protest with the AMA.

[Dave]

No shit! I mean really,what kind of "power" can you expect? Besides,they probably illegally balanced it using lead or whatever. It's not a horse power item, per se'. It's still stupid on their parts but there's at least one of these scandals every year. Honda got hit last year in the 600 class,if I'm not mistaken. Heck,remember when Rossi got spanked for cleaning the dirt from his starting position in Qatar?

Besides,I doubt that we've heard the last of this. I'm sure they will file a protest with the AMA.

BS! a lightened and balanced crank would free up a couple ponies and allow for quicker acceleration since the engine wouldnt have to work so hard to spin it

[Amber Lamps]

BS! a lightened and balanced crank would free up a couple ponies and allow for quicker acceleration since the engine wouldnt have to work so hard to spin it

I didn't say there would be zero hp gains... I don't think it would account for these 15-30 sec leads that MM & BS have enjoyed all season. Besides,most of the factory bikes on the grid couldn't pass that inspection. Every time they do one they find something regardless of brand.

The Yamaha limited edition came with a balanced shaft so they are allowed to work on it more per the rules. Also,the MV and High end Ducati come with heavy metal balanced cranks so they too are allowed to modify them further. I wish Suzuki would do a limited edition $30,000 bike to race WSBK and AMA.

To be honest,I don't see why they would knowingly "cheat" this way. It really doesn't give you that much of an advantage and they certainly don't need anymore hp or acceleration. They have a hard enough time putting the power to the ground in a controllable manner!

[Dave]

I didn't say there would be zero hp gains... I don't think it would account for these 15-30 sec leads that MM & BS have enjoyed all season. Besides,most of the factory bikes on the grid couldn't pass that inspection. Every time they do one they find something regardless of brand.

The Yamaha limited edition came with a balanced shaft so they are allowed to work on it more per the rules. Also,the MV and High end Ducati come with heavy metal balanced cranks so they too are allowed to modify them further. I wish Suzuki would do a limited edition $30,000 bike to race WSBK and AMA.

To be honest,I don't see why they would knowingly "cheat" this way. It really doesn't give you that much of an advantage and they certainly don't need anymore hp or acceleration. They have a hard enough time putting the power to the ground in a controllable manner!

gotcha, from previous arguments on this site i didnt think you would be unaware of the advantages there but that first post made me unsure enough to speak up lol

[Rider]

I can almost guarantee that Spies and Hayden were using the same crank. The other question is... have they been using it all season long... maybe even the past few seasons? If this was the first use of the "illegal" crank, it didn't make much of a difference because the Suzuki guys have been beating the shit out of everyone the entire season by large margins of victory.

[z06boy]

I was at the races and have already stated here that his bike "sounded different" than the other bikes out there so this does not surprise me at all.:idk:

I didn't actually compare his bike one on one against Spies or Haydens bikes but just remember Mladin sounding different when he would fly by. Another guy at our table brought it up first and we would listen for it when he would come by.

[pickle.of.doom]

I would hope they would be checking Spies bike as well. Don't bother checking Tommy's, you know he's the red headed stepchild of the team anyway, he doesn't get the good parts.

I'm sure it has to do more with changing rules and foggy rulebooks than it does with anyone trying to cheat.

I suppose it doesn't matter anyway, AMA racing is doing its swan dive of a dramatic death....

Lookin forward to watchin cousin bubba race on the "Team Bob's Backyard BBQ This Saturday At Eight, BYOB" Suzuki racing team

[smileyman]

To me it brings up a couple big ??



Ben and Tommy are more than likely on the same spec cranks. So Yosh Suzuki has been cheating for some time, how long probably could be measured in seasons, so why now? An unprompted protest by the sanctioning body at this point makes me think DMG wants a scandal to enforce their view that Superbike racing needs a clean up and they have the plan to do it.


If he is DQed and no appeal sticks Ben is the Champ. He is well out in front of everyone else and could pull out of the final round and still win. Or he could run the final round and get protested, DQed and still win. I think if I was American Suzuki and if it didn’t stick I would simply withdraw my entries from the final rounds and call it a protest. There is nothing set for next year or any plans for racing at all so why not?


If I was Mat Mladin I would be pissed as hell, knowing that all that speed came from his hard charging style and maybe .002 of it was a better , more efficient crank. If I was Ben Spies I would be scared to have this scandal question my AMA Championships. If I was Jamie Hacking I would be scared to death they would look deeper into my ZX10 cause they have been cheating their ass off just to stay in sight of the Suzukis…


None of this is any good for US motorcycle racing. None of this is any good for the fans

[smileyman]

More from superbikeplanet....
Mladin Disqualification: The FAQ
by dean adams
Friday, August 22, 2008
We've received a great many questions from readers and the like on Mat Mladin's recent disqualification for the VIR round of the AMA Superbike series. We will try to answer some of them here.

No one involved is talking on the record so actually verifiable information is scant.

Question 1. What does Mat say?

Answer: Nothing but silence from Mr. Mladin, thus far. We have asked him if he has any comment. There has been no comment.

Question 2. Why did the AMA disqualify Mladin from the Saturday race if they tore down the engine in his Superbike down on Sunday?

Answer: Interesting question. From the AMA rule book and press release: Any motorcycle found to be in violation of equipment rules may be assumed to have been in violation for the entire race meet.

Question 3. Is there any information on exactly what was found to be in non-compliance on the crankshaft?

Answer: Not really, but reading the AMA's press release on the matter seems to indicate that the crank either had material removed from it, or had a surface treatment that the AMA has deemed illegal.

Known good sources on each side contend that the crankshaft that was in Mat Mladin's Superbike was "visually and dimensionally different" than all three of the production crankshafts it was checked against. Suzuki sources contend the crank is legal.

Question 4. Why would a team so dominant that they could probably win Superbike races with a Superstock motor, cheat?

Answer: It's highly doubtful that there was a bona fide, outlined, plan to cheat (like most of the factories did in early '80s AMA Superbike racing). Modern Superbike teams are vast organizations with many employees, departments, budgets and the like. Within that complexity, sometimes, shall we say, issues arise.

Question 5: Suzuki has filed an appeal. Won't this just be overturned on appeal like so many infractions in the last ten years of AMA roadracing.

Answer: Possibly. But this isn't the old AMA simply because the AMA no longer owns AMA Pro Racing, DMG does. To coin a popular phrase, 'There's a new sheriff in town'. From an analytical standpoint, NASCAR hasn't spent a great deal of time in the last two decades arguing technical points with series participants. Will this become AMA/DMG's modus operandi as well? Maybe.

It seems very possible that Mat Mladin's DQ was only the first shoe to drop. The AMA press release mentioned fines and suspensions.

Question 6: Given the conflict between DMG and the Suzuki factory, isn't this just a counter-move by DMG for Suzuki not supporting the new series and possibly starting their own series?

Answer: DMG sources say that they hope this won't be interpreted that way because it is not their intent. They point out disqualifications of the Erion Honda at Daytona, and the Attack Kawasaki machines earlier in the season--all on technical grounds--as support for their contention that they are serious about upholding their own rule book.

Question 7: What of Spies and Tommy Hayden's bikes? Were they not torn down? Why weren't they found to be illegal.

Answer: Sources tell us that Mladin's bike was the only one to be torn down to the crankshaft. The top end of Spies and Tom Haydens' bikes were checked and some parts taken back to Ohio but thus far they have not met with any issues

:panic::diitb:

[Gunther1000]

To me it brings up a couple big ??



Ben and Tommy are more than likely on the same spec cranks. So Yosh Suzuki has been cheating for some time, how long probably could be measured in seasons, so why now? An unprompted protest by the sanctioning body at this point makes me think DMG wants a scandal to enforce their view that Superbike racing needs a clean up and they have the plan to do it.


If he is DQed and no appeal sticks Ben is the Champ. He is well out in front of everyone else and could pull out of the final round and still win. Or he could run the final round and get protested, DQed and still win. I think if I was American Suzuki and if it didn’t stick I would simply withdraw my entries from the final rounds and call it a protest. There is nothing set for next year or any plans for racing at all so why not?


If I was Mat Mladin I would be pissed as hell, knowing that all that speed came from his hard charging style and maybe .002 of it was a better , more efficient crank. If I was Ben Spies I would be scared to have this scandal question my AMA Championships. If I was Jamie Hacking I would be scared to death they would look deeper into my ZX10 cause they have been cheating their ass off just to stay in sight of the Suzukis…


None of this is any good for US motorcycle racing. None of this is any good for the fans


Very well said my man! :dthumb:

[Mrs. Colleen]

I would hope they would be checking Spies bike as well. Don't bother checking Tommy's, you know he's the red headed stepchild of the team anyway, he doesn't get the good parts.

I'm sure it has to do more with changing rules and foggy rulebooks than it does with anyone trying to cheat.

I suppose it doesn't matter anyway, AMA racing is doing its swan dive of a dramatic death....

Lookin forward to watchin cousin bubba race on the "Team Bob's Backyard BBQ This Saturday At Eight, BYOB" Suzuki racing team

AMA is the series that none of the manufacturer's teams signed back on for next season right? Just want to make sure I did not confuse it with another series...

[smileyman]

Rights to the AMA series were bought out by Daytona Motorsports Group, who have offended all the manufacturers and half of the riders rewriting rules for next season...There has been speculation who, if any, manufacturers would compete next year and in what classes and capacities...

[Mrs. Colleen]

Rights to the AMA series were bought out by Daytona Motorsports Group, who have offended all the manufacturers and half of the riders rewriting rules for next season...There has been speculation who, if any, manufacturers would compete next year and in what classes and capacities...

Thanks. That's what I thought. :cheers:

[Amber Lamps]

Thanks for bringing up the fact that Suzuki has been fighting them tooth and nail about the rule changes....hmmmm....all of a sudden they start tearing down bikes and whom do they start with. That's like fucking a cop's ex-wife and having him just happen to start writing you tickets for 5 over every other day....