Mat Mladin, never one to mince words, had this to say about the racing conditions at the Topeka on his Twitter page.
 
“So Topeka today! 170mph turn 1 and you can hit the concrete with your shoulder, which leads to turn 2 head on into concrete which leads to turn 3 where a wall has removed and if you run off the track you go into a 10ft deep ditch. The track seem willing to do work but the wrong people are advising what to do and unfortunately I do not wish to die or be busted up waiting for that work to be done. Some riders are saying that the work will happen in stages. It’s the reason why some places we go now are still bad. Because riders wont stand up and be counted. Amazing how great they can ride a bike but be the most gutless people I have ever known. Spineless!”

With a 126-point lead in the AMA Superbike, Mladin can afford not to race. But it puts his Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammates in a precarious position. Do they follow suit and pull out of the race or use Mladin’s withdrawal to their advantage to make up some points? Do they pour more salt in the wounds of the DMG/AMA debacle or buck up and put on a show for the fans? Regardless, it leaves a big question mark about the state of American road racing for next year.

We’re keeping an eye out for an official statement from Suzuki and will post it up as soon as we know more.