Retirement Of Mat Mladin!

Mat Pictured with Wife at Fontana 4-09

It was a sad day for me and a happy day for Mat Mladin, the 7 time AMA Superbike champion retired after Sundays race in New Jersey. For me it was a long 10 year run of following my favorite racer and male athletic figure. Mat was really the reason I got involved in Sportbikes and was always my inspiration to watch and learn. After watching him get nipped at the line by Duhamel in the 99 Daytona race i knew he was my racer of choice. Throughout the years he was not really liked in the pit area as he was the consummate professional, always looking for a way to get faster and making friends at the track was way down on his list of things to accomplish. Mat didn't make friends and even made some fierce rivalries with his win first attitude. Winning his Championships in 99,00,01,03,04,05, now after Ben spies squeaked out 3 straight he gets the crown back in 09. Mats professionalism and get things right attitude was always an inspiration to me ,I enjoyed watching him at the track looking at data ,talking to his crew while other riders were out checking out the girls or laughing with their buds, not Mat he was all Business and went about things in that manner all of the time. The man would always give u straight answers during interviews and at times was fined for his open comments about the way the organization was running things. Looking back on some old video and some DVR material i have saved of Mat it really makes me appreciate the level of dedication and sacrifice he had to endure for the past 18 years of his racing career. Becoming a father in the past 6 years has made thing even more difficult for him to get out and race with the family being put a close second during the race season. But as this, his final season progressed you could see the fire in his eyes go away, he lost Ben Spies to WSB and had no real contender to push him and test his skills, sure there are some damn good racers here now but none that could push Mats buttons to go like the mad worker he once was. With a huge lead and the competition seemingly at his mercy, he started to not win every race, you could see he was going through the motions and waiting for the season to end. With the new organization totally fucking the series up and taking away real Superbikes for slightly more than store bought machines. His team lost their motivation and drive and coupled with No Ben Spies to push them, racing wasn't much fun anymore. But he brought home his 7th Crown and will retire as the AMA's winningest superbike racer by more than45 wins on the closest winner, 82 wins and over 60 pole positions to close out his AMA career. The series is doomed until somebody else picks up the torch and carries it again, Spies ,Mladin, duhamel, Russell,Gobert,Oliver all the great ones are gone and that is what I entered into this great sport was watching the superstars compete against each other. Now I wonder where I'm going to get my racing fix, WSB with Ben spies seems to be it, but he will dominate that series like Mat did AMA and then go the Moto GP and be thrown to the wolves , but he will win there as well. i hope Ben realizes how important having Mat Mladin as a teammate truly was in his developement, to push and to show the level of work that needed to be done every week was a just a glance to the next pit away, although he's never acknowledged this, i believe Ben is very appreciative for having Mat to teach and show him how to win the tough races, every race they raced against each other was a battle and this has helped him overseas. I will miss Mat Mladin every Saturday and Sunday on Speed TV racing for us all, but i guess being able to retire at 37, own 3 homes,2 planes and your own the largest motorcycle supply business in Australia leaves him with something to do and the family to spend all of the time he so graciously shared with us every race weekend. Hope he still Blogs and Tweets otherwise we may never hear from him again, he is a private guy... Thanks for all of the memories!!!