Mladin DQ'd from VIR!

**Maido** · 22nd August 2008, 12:14

Holy crap! This is a pretty big thing as far as AMA goes.
Hayes from Honda had the same thing earlier in the season.

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

Good to see that technical inspections actually get results. The funny thing is Mladin would have probably got the same wining results on a regulation crankshaft.
I wonder when MNZ will start doing full on technical inspections in the major classes at nationals, apart from checking easy stuff, as everyone knows it is way to hard to pull a crank out during nationals lol

**Cajun** · 22nd August 2008, 12:17

yeah i read that earlyer, though it was very interesting cause you would think spies bike be runnign same crank, so why isn't his bike looked at also now. since he is now the winner of both races.

**johan** · 22nd August 2008, 12:29

What made them suspect the crankcase in the first place? There are many parts to inspect on an engine, is the crankcase most likely to be tempered with?

**Maido** · 22nd August 2008, 12:42

You red wrong johan, it was crankshaft, not crankcase.

I would imagine that even though spies, mladin and hayden are on the same team, they will each have separate engine builders, incase things like this happen.
when hayes was disqualified, he had been using the same spec crank as the previous year with the same modifications, the ama had employed an independant inspector who interpreted the rules differently to the prior inspector and that is how that one came about, i would imaging that this is along the same lines. mladin and his team would not (and could not afford) to cheat on purpose.

**johan** · 22nd August 2008, 16:03

Originally Posted by Maido

You red wrong johan, it was crankshaft, not crankcase.
snip

Oups, yes, wrong indeed

**slowpoke** · 22nd August 2008, 20:18

Originally Posted by Maido

I would imagine that even though spies, mladin and hayden are on the same team, they will each have separate engine builders, incase things like this happen.

Hmmm, can't see 'em having separate engine builders, separate engine maps maybe to suit their individual styles, but I reckon the team would use a common engine builder.

Whatever, it's taken the sting out of what was shaping up to be an interesting end of season. Just like Rossi and Stoner, Mladin and Spies are head and shoulders above the rest. Great racing.

**slowpoke** · 23rd August 2008, 15:20

It's interesting that Spies and Hayden's bikes, from the same team, have NOT had their crank's checked.....

From www.superbikeplanet.com:

"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."

**oyster** · 24th August 2008, 21:16

Mladin and Spies are very independent within the team, including right back to technical matters with their respective bikes.

**BarryG** · 4th September 2008, 15:41

Further to this, Mladin's times from Friday qualifying this last weekend at Road Atlanta were disallowed, same crank problem, apparently. They put in a completely standard one from their stock, had it OK'd by AMA, then he went out and just got pipped by Ben for pole.
I was at the race, and it is absolutely astounding how much more commitment both of them look to have in comparison to the others. Not that any of them are slouches, don't get me wrong, but the way the Suzukis slammmed into the esses and down the hill was most impressive.
It's so obvious that they're the class of the field, have been for the last few years, built to the same rules but the GSXR seems to have an edge, and it's not the crank! Notwithstanding, they won't win their appeal, and Ben is, in a bit of a letdown, champ for the third year in a row.
In a perfect world, Yoshimura would tell DMG/AMA to get stuffed, and pick up and move lock, stock and barrel to Europe and run Mladin and Spies in WSB, and I reckon they'd be just as competitive as anyone else right off the bat.
I'm glad I got to see them again this year - it'll be a while before this shit sorts itself out over here, I reckon.
Cheers
Barry

**slowpoke** · 4th September 2008, 19:22

Originally Posted by BarryG

In a perfect world, Yoshimura would tell DMG/AMA to get stuffed, and pick up and move lock, stock and barrel to Europe and run Mladin and Spies in WSB, and I reckon they'd be just as competitive as anyone else right off the bat.

Haha, that would be brilliant, smoke everyone (again) and just walk off! Everyone was saying how the Zookies were the dominant bike yada yada and then Tommy Hayden climbed on and conspicuously didn't set the world on fire. Mladin and Spies are definitely the class of the field regardless of what they are riding, it's a shame they haven't stepped on to the world stage.

Back to the current controversy, it's starting to smell decidedly dodgy. Why would you check the bottom end of one bike say it's DQ'd, and then award the win to another bike from the same team and not check the same components?

I had high hopes for the new promoter but those hopes are falling faster than the current economic sentiment.

**BarryG** · 5th September 2008, 11:51

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Aug/080831h.htm

This is the AMA/DMG explanation, FWIW. They haven't, in the past, been interested in giving out details ofa technical teardown and why the components were out of spec (see-Josh Hayes, Erion Honda, Daytona 200), so this is quite interesting just from a 'stop the rumours' point.

Cheers
Barry

**Shaun** · 6th September 2008, 08:01

So Yoshimura had a STOCK STANDARD NOT STAMPED OR ballanced crank sent to them, to choose the very best one from the production RUN

WIPPY SHIT, it would only really give the more confidence in the reliabillity of the motor, NOT POWER!

RE checking NZSuperbikes

When has it ever been done

And I have heard 2 of them in the last 2 years using some kind of a quick shifter system!!!

FACT

The NZ SB rules are bullshit really

Unless you are fully supported, YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO BUILD A COMPETITIVE ONE