Mat Mladin to Race in World Superbike?

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

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Just got this juicy tidbit from Motorcycle USA's resident track junkie, Steve Atlas.

Mladin contiunes his winning streak in Race 1 of American Superbike - Road Atlanta

Is Mat Mladin headed for World Superbike? Enquiring minds want to know!

Will we see AMA Superbike star Mat Mladin finally displaying his skills on the world stage?

Here’s what Mladin had to say in a post by the seven-time AMA Superbike Champion on his Twitter page:

“A couple of world superbike offers have come my way in the past month. 1 of them is very good in regards to machinery. decisions decisions ;-)”

In 2009, his former Yoshimura Suzuki teammate and chief AMA nemesis, Ben Spies, made the switch with amazing results. Can another rider from the American racing series be the next big thing in World Superbike?

Mladin is arguably the best rider to ever compete in the AMA series. He has more race wins (82) in the premier American motorcycle racing circuit than any other racer and has seven Superbike titles to his name. Mladin retired this year after disputes with DMG, the series’ new governing body, and claims that safety issues at some of the tracks weren’t being addressed.

Whose machinery is Mladin referring to? The Suzuki GSX-R1000 has been his weapon of choice in AMA. Yoshimura and its Suzuka 8 Hour World Endurance Team just announced that it will be entering some of the 2010 World Superbike races as a wild card aboard the big Gixxer ‘for future product development.’ Looking for a world-class rider, Yoshimura?

Related Mat Mladin Articles

How great would it be to see the Aussie racing again on the world stage? American motorcycle race fans have always believed Mat has the skills to be successful at the next level. Want to see Mladin in World Superbike? Chime in to let us know what you think.

AMA Pro Road Racing News

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View all articles in World Superbike 2010 News

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Comments

alan c -smokin racer November 15, 2010 05:20 PM
Matt is the best rider on the ama no other rider has shown so much ability on the bike always and awesome show to watch Madlin spies is equally talented and is just a rookie in gp but has shown skills however know one rides like Madlin and his skills are totally awesome th best racer out there it was a shame to see him go because of politics it should have been all about racing . I would like to see him come back and sport the 1 on the front of the bike again he deserves that oh to the guy that said he is the fastest out there at 187 mph ha ha trying having a blow out at Atlanta at that speed and tell me how you do haha

dan -not the best but damn good August 24, 2010 09:00 PM
Mat is not the best, to be the best you have to beat the best and that is rossi hands down. He is pretty awesome thou. I think he will have more trouble learning new tracks than spies, but definitely be up front:)

big e -matt no June 11, 2010 03:26 PM
matt was a big fish in a little pond.

RJ -Matt in SBK or MotoGP June 8, 2010 05:32 PM
Anyone that thinks matt wouldnt kill it in sbk or motogp is f****n stupid or a Matt hater. Mladin lost the title to spies because of the lame ass point system in AMA superbike. Matt won more races than Ben - period. Furthermore Matt got out because of the f****n hilly billy crew running (ruining) AMA superbike. Anyway, this is all a moot point, because Matt aint going no where unless you throw him a lot of dough and a good bike and crew. Respect.

Dimitri -06gsxr1000 June 6, 2010 08:42 PM
hi you are the best i no . im the best in nyc my 06 gsxr1000 187mph so go to the WSB......................

The Solly -late to the party March 23, 2010 11:34 AM
Just had to comment on an old article because of the idiotic comments following it. Mladin proved he is faster than anyone posting here could dream of being. I only question his ability on the world stage now because of his age. He made a career of the AMA. He could have easily gone elsewhere but decided to stay with one series for the long haul. Alot of reasons to consider from machinery, especially since the AMA doesn't make huge changes every couple years like MotoGP. The AMA series has a very direct relationship to the bikes sold in the US as well, meaning Mladin has been a huge influence on what Suzuki's on the street are like. That is an intangible benefit but one Mladin mentioned in interviews so it must matter to him. I think he's a legend and he showed spine retiring over safety issues rather than trying to milk another season somewhere. More power to you, Matt.

Fella -WHAT!!!! March 5, 2010 05:47 AM
ok no i havent been up on the races n a while but y the hell iz ben spies az with yamaha now?

Hector -fan March 2, 2010 05:38 PM
I think he is by far the best racer of all times and I know if he did choose to race again he would have a huge fallowing.What ever you do Mat just remember "YOU ARE THE MAN!"

Bo -Mladin in WSBK February 7, 2010 07:13 AM
I'd love to see it happen just to be able to see how he does against the young guys on the world stage. Maybe it would re-energize him. Yeah, he's almost 40 but Brett Favre and Randy Couture are old guys too and still doing pretty damn good!

Camden Boy -Mat Mladin January 20, 2010 02:26 AM
I can't see it happening. Mat is glad to be home in Australia and is enjoying being with his family and enjoying some of the fruits of his labor. If he were to go to WSB he would walk all over them. Look at 2009. Haga crumbled under the pressure and Spies won with everybody else nowhere. The year Mat lost to Spies over the 'crankshaft incident' was just another America's Cup thing. For those who don't know what that means it mean if the yanks can't beat an Aussie fair and square just change the rules or make up some kind of irregularity just like the yanks used to do in the America's Cup. They didn't hold that Cup all those years because they were the best. If Mat had been the same age as Spies I am sure Mat would have won. I saw him race as a young man and he was awesome then and he still is.

Phil -Mr. January 17, 2010 08:40 AM
Jeez..this thread has gone haywire: The bottom line is that Mladin is just as good a motorcycle racer as Ben Spies. The 3 years of losing to Ben was just a consequence of what Matt's goals were at the time (he already won 6 championships so his goals changed to winning races and not worrying about championships). He DID achieve his goals and did win more races then anyone else (I guess nobody paid attention to what he was saying in all those interviews). Anti-social? Who cares he won motorcycle races...he was not there to lick anyone's butt. If you go by the comments of the actual racer's (not fanboys or chair jockeys) you will get the general idea that Mladin was one of the fiercest competitors on a motorcycle out there (Spies, Duhamel(sp?), Hayden(s) have all acknowledged this and I think that carries more weight then what anyone says here).

TODD PARSONS -MAT THE MAN January 11, 2010 05:11 PM
Idoesn't matter what anyone says or does mat doesn't have to prove anything to anyone.He has the right to race anywhere anytime,I don't care who don't like it if you can't outride him then don't down him.Because he will always be the BEST,just learn to get used to it

Kabob -As awesome as it would be...probably won't happen December 15, 2009 04:38 PM
I'd love to see what Mat could do in WSBK but as others have mentioned I highly doubt it's going to happen. He wants to win, he's not going to join in and ride on a bike he can't win on, he wants to do his own thing (as he's always done in the AMA's), I think the WSBK would be too stressful for him.

Methinks he'll be the anti-Favre and stay retired.

BeRad -Not Another Bret Farve in Motorcycles December 15, 2009 02:30 PM
The Young riders take too many chances, I'll slow down and still win. I'm getting too old I should retire.
then Do It.
Let someone else ride that wants to chrage to the front, it's called racing not numbers game.

yosh fan -Mat can still win December 15, 2009 07:58 AM
Mladin has been the best rider in the AMA for the past 10 years! He lost championships by only a few points in the 3 seasons he didnt win. Seasons that he had DNF's. He showed up to win every sunday regardless of championship standing. I am a fan of Ben also, he would not be where he is now if he had not had Mat to push him. You would be a fool to count Mat out of any race. I too am sick of the current direction the AMA has went. I also no longer go to 3 races a year or watch Speed channel races. If he races WSB it would be nice to see him race a series im interested in!

Pat... -MLADIN December 14, 2009 05:19 PM
Go Mat! Since i gave up EVER watching AMA again... I would gladly replace it with WSBK!!! Go show them how its done...

W1LLPOW3R -Cherry picker Mladin won't race the BMW.. December 13, 2009 06:33 AM
Mladin is a has been..he is gonna win races were Corser was struggling for top tens?!..he is delusional..

Vmax -Mat Mladin in WSBK December 13, 2009 05:51 AM
Hey guys! Mat gave Ben Spies a harder time than anyone in WSBK, he won 40 races in battles with Ben. In Australian superbike championship 1992 Mladin regularly beat Troy Corser (WSBK champion 1996 & 2005) and won title in his first season of professional roadracing. Mat won 14 races in a row (7 double, Australian superbike aslo runs WSBK format of two races per round). WSBK 2003 champion Neil Hodgson about Mat (from 02:22): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6G6_KaYEEU

sm -mladin December 12, 2009 07:09 PM
love it!

Scooter426 -Mladin in WSBK December 12, 2009 07:05 PM
I would love to see Mat on the world stage again. Remeber he has been on a 500cc GP bike in the early years. Too early in my opinion. I have been on the track against him and he was the fastest rider at the time (Laguna). Nicky was just a 750SS rider at the time with Suzuki (Hypercycle). Mladin was by far the most skilled rider on the track. He was extremely precise in his lines, VERY good at braking into the corners, and equally skilled at throttle control exiting the corners. I will never forget the precision of his braking going into the corkscrew, always the exact same line (within an inch of the edge of the pavement on both sides of the track) and always blacklining with the rear brake going in and spinning it up and blacklining again on the exit. It was jaw-dropping to me as a superbike beginner (I did qualify!)

I did get to speak to him a bit at Daytona the next year and he is not much of a social guy. Very much down to business. I asked him why he was not going to run the 600 race. He said he thought the bike was not up to winning. Oh well.

mwb -Matt Mladin why not?? December 12, 2009 06:02 PM
Suzuki just won a title a few years back with Troy Corser!!!! It would be another cool bit of drama to come out of the American Racing scene to prove to everyone we are still one of if not the best national series in the world. Have not always been the biggest fan of Mladin but if he raced on the world scene i think i could really pull for him would definitely keep me glued to every race.

Greg -mat, WSB & DMG December 11, 2009 08:17 PM
I'd love to see Mat run for Yosh in WSB - he is an awesome competitor, a catalyst and a hero. He would bring much of the disenchanted AMA roadracing fan base to WSB. I am still left VERY pissed at AMA "Pro Racing", will be dropping my long standing AMA membership (usually renew at Intl Bike Show - not this year), and am very concerned that DMG has severely impaired our upcoming talent from participating on the world stage - I don't understand why - revenue and enthusiam hasn't exactly increased because of their changes.

Why could Spies step into WSB without missing a beat? Because he was on a comparable superbike. If we don't bring our guys up at this level, they will never be able to compete globally.

Nuke DMG

Renton -W1LLPOW3R December 11, 2009 03:59 PM
“i remember when Nicky Hayden was kickin' his ass in 2002, Mat started whining about "inferior machinery"..well welcome to what all your competitors experienced for a decade”.. Well W1LLPOW3R I think your memory is pretty poor because as I recall Mladin was racing a 750cc against Hayden’s 1000cc RC51. The same RC51 that not only beat every inline four race bike but also Ducati. The RC51 won not one but two WSBK titles. How many WSBK titles were won by Suzuki with their 750cc gsxr…none. As a matter of fact the only inline four race bike (and the inline four part is critical to make note of because Honda won titles on V4s and V-twins prior to the switch of 1000cc multi cylinder bikes), to have won the WSBK title was Kawasaki ZX7RR and only one time.

“..well welcome to what all your competitors experienced for a decade”… Well here is your chance W1LLPOW3R to prove me wrong and not look like an obvious hater. Why or what was uncompetitive about the other competitors bikes? In other words what DID Mladin’s bike have that the other factory teams bikes NOT have? His bike weighed the same. His bike followed the same technical rules his competitors did. His team had a factory budget but not as big as Honda or Yamaha. His bike was the same displacement, or in the previous case mentioned, less displacement than his competitors. The GSXR was not some homologation special. It had four cylinders just like his competition. And oh yeah why didn’t any of these imaginary advantages help the other riders and teammates of his win titles?

So go ahead W1LLPOW3R share with us the secrets as to why Mladin won 7 AMA titles seeing as how you think it was his bike and not him that won the titles.

Oh yeah…ahh W1LLPOW3R you do know he also won a national superbike championship in Australia and won AMA super bike races with Ducati. I guess that was either a fluke or it was just the bike, right.

Clearly W1LLPOW3R you are not a real motorcycle road racing fan because anyone who is knows that with motorcycle racing the rider is the biggest factor then tires and besides didn’t Mladin race a non-current one yr. old GSXR against the competitors NEW bikes in the first 5 races of this season and didn’t Mladin win those races.

So go ahead W1LLPOW3R…Mladin only won 7 championships because…

Paul -Mladin December 11, 2009 01:01 PM
If Mat makes the jump, and has a fast bike and good team, regardless of the naysayers, he'll do well. Top 3 or win it outright. While it would be great to see him soldier on with Suzuki,riding for Aprilia or BMW would make it more interesting.
He'll breath added life into the series after Bens departure. Hope it happens!

Limey66 -Mladin WSBK December 11, 2009 12:15 PM
@Renton. "Mladin had the best bike argument. Really??? So did Aaron Yates he didn’t win any titles let alone 7, How is Tommy Hayden doing with the “best” bike. Gee I guess Blake young will win 7 titles now because he is on the best bike! What does Suzuki’s 1000cc inline four sport bike have that all the other 1000cc inline sport bikes don’t have…Mladin." Yep. Well said. Argument over. RE: WSBK, I'd love to see Mat do it against some real competition on decent machinery. Wouldnt expect him to win too much, but think he would put up a good fight and ruffle a few feathers. Be great to see

W1LLPOW3R -Renton=Mladin? December 11, 2009 11:14 AM
or his press agent maybe,,Mladin IS a cherry picker..i remember when Nicky Hayden was kickin' his ass in 2002, Mat started whining about "inferior machinery"..well welcome to what all your competitors experienced for a decade..

he is a cherry picker...MCN are reporting that he is going to ride BMW?! let's see him win on THAT bike...won't happen, b/c after a piss poor test, he will be whining about "inferior machinery"

and Nicky was how old when he kicked Mladin's ass? 20?

Renton -Mladin Haters December 11, 2009 10:49 AM
Matt is many years older than Spies and still can run with or beat Spies on any given day at any given track that alone makes him a better rider. Let’s see how fast Spies is when he is almost 40 yrs. old.

Staying in AMA is not cherry picking because in Mladin’s 14 year long career he raced for Ducati and Suzuki he won races on v- twins, 750cc, and 1000cc. He raced some of the best riders in sport in those 14 yrs. Neil Hodgson is a WSBK champ but Mladin handled him like a toy in the AMA series. It was smart for Mladin to stay in the AMA because the AMA factory teams pay double or more to their riders than the WSBK teams. Mladin has a family to take care of and he made the hay while the sun was shinning. Now the sun isn’t shinning in the AMA so he has left and all the while Mladin could have gone to WSBK when ever he wanted to so now he might. Why would you leave the AMA at the time Mladin was there only to race in a Ducati cup, which was what WSBK was for a couple of years in the past, for half the money?

Funny how nobody called Miguel DuHamel a cherry picker for racing in AMA 600 SUPERSPORT and superbike for 20 yrs. At least Mladin raced in Superbike and didn’t pick on 16 yr. old kids on 600s.

Mladin had the best bike argument. Really??? So did Aaron Yates he didn’t win any titles let alone 7, How is Tommy Hayden doing with the “best” bike. Gee I guess Blake young will win 7 titles now because he is on the best bike! What does Suzuki’s 1000cc inline four sport bike have that all the other 1000cc inline sport bikes don’t have…Mladin.

He is unsocial argument. This is my favorite a real close tie with he had the best bike but nobody can tell me specifically what it was that his bike had or did that the other bikes didn’t have or couldn’t do, especially when they did testing and Mladin’s bike would be 3-4 mph slower in top speed…guess that was the secret. But him being unsocial would be a fair complaint if he was Miss America or Mr. America because those people are SUPPOSED to be polite that is their job to smile, blow kisses, go to fund raisers and be real swell. Mladin’s job is to risk his neck and go around a race track really fast on a really fast bike and do it day in and day out sometimes while healing broken bones and scar tissue.

The pundits once thought Rossi was fast just because he always had the best bike.

If you regularly use these silly, false, illogical, nonproveable arguments then you are either jealous of Mladin’s ability, frightened by the fact he can do what he does at his age and you can’t or you simply don’t have a firm grasp of motorcycle road racing both on the business end or practical end. Either way nobody has done what Mladin has done in the AMA, to deny that is insanity.

Finally, who in the WSBK paddock do you seriously think could beat Mladin on a regular basis?

Rudy Lynn -W1LLPOW3R December 11, 2009 10:02 AM
“...when is the last time Suzuki did anything in WSBK”? In 2005 Suzuki won the world championship, 2006 5 wins 4 pole positions 14 podium finishes, 2007 3 wins 18 podium finishes 1 pole position, 2008 2 wins 2 pole positions 10 podium finishes. 2009 Max Neukirchner was injured most of the season and is no longer with Suzuki. These are good numbers considering that there is usually a dozen or more Ducaties and Hondas on the starting grid with maybe 3 or 4 Suzukies.

Mladin would do fine in WSBK because he has proven he is nearly as fast as Spies and look what Spies did. In addition, when they have pre-season testing in Phillip Island for WSBK Mladin has also tested there on the same test and posted some of the quickest laps with an AMA spec super bike and had a top speed deficit of about 4-5 mph.

Hopefully Mladin doesn’t have a case of the Favre or Jordan for that matter.

rocket49 -ouai géniale mladin en SBK en 2010 !!!! December 10, 2009 10:48 PM
Super j'ai acte de revoir Mladin ce battre en WSBK européenne, un fan aller Matt Mladin!!

x2468 -n/a December 10, 2009 10:08 PM
BTW what a playful friggen way to end the statement for a guy like Matt. ;-)...... Really? I mean.... Really now?

x2468 -n/a December 10, 2009 10:07 PM
Not even the dedicated Road Racing websites have caught wind of this story. Wow. Guess none of them are hip enough to use twitter. Matt in wsbk would be the Bee's F-en Knees. Either on a Suzuki or an Aprilia. In my mind him and Ben are equal, he'd be competitive in WSBK right off the bat. It's funny though, his worth to WSBK teams was probably nil until this season. Before Ben no one thought anyone from the AMA could hang on the world stage. Ben showed where the watermark is, and everyone knows Matt is on the same level as Ben. Or Ben is on the same level as Matt. However u wanna see it.

JBAXX -Mladin December 10, 2009 09:22 PM
Two words: Hell Yeah!

AllBlackK8 -Mladin to WSBK December 10, 2009 04:19 PM
It would be great to see Mladin bring some good results (and a little respect) to Suzuki. They are, after all, responsible for the "sportbike revolution." Where would the sport be without the GSX-R?

MADSCIENITIST -HE IS STILL THE MAN December 10, 2009 03:00 PM
MAT SET THE BAR AMA ROADRACING. BEN WAS RACING MAT IN HIS HEAD WAY BEFORE MAT WAS RACING HIM. MAT IS NOT WASHED UP ONLY FED UP. BUT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THIS BECAUSE SOMEDAY WE WILL ALL GET OLD AND OUR RELATIVES OR WIVES SAY WE ARE TO OLD TO DO THIS OR THAT. MY POINT IF HE STILL HAVE LIFE IN HIS BODY WHY NOT DO WHAT YOU DO BEST, RACE! AS FOR BEN SPIES, I KNEW HIM WHEN HE WAS KICKING ASS IN CLUB RACING AND AMA REALLY NEEDS HIM TO HELP RAISE THE BAR AGAIN BECAUSE RIGHT NOW I ONLY SEE ONE RIDER THAT CAN REALLY BE SUCCESSFUL ON A WORLD LEVEL AND HIS IS VERY YOUNG BUT MATURING RAPIDLY AND THAT'S JOSH HERRING. THIS LITTLE GUY IS FEARLESS I WISHED KEVIN SWANTZ WOULD TAKE HIM UNDER HIS WING FOR A YEAR OR TWO.

Brian -Matt back? December 10, 2009 02:53 PM
Dont think so . Go home and sleep it off.

Brian -Matt back in world supers? December 10, 2009 02:51 PM
If he is up to it, good for him. Even an old dog get a bone throne to him once in a while.

ty -This would be awesome! December 10, 2009 02:30 PM
As many have pointed out, although Spies won the 3 titles in AMA, during those 3 years, Mladin won more races. With regard to the bike, Althea will be switching over to Aprilia (from Honda), and having merged with Sterilgarda (formerly Ducati), has only one rider so far, with a second ride possibly available. Aprilia seems fully on board, and judging by what Biaggi has been doing and what insiders have been saying about the bike, the RSV4 may be the best bike in the paddock. If that bike is offered to Mladin, he may be able to do a lot of damage on it. And I for one would like to see him add to an already loaded field.

Guy -Love him or Hate him... December 10, 2009 02:17 PM
Regardless of emotional feelings or opinions… If he races all of you will watch… I know I will. So ask yourself. Is he good for the sport in WSB? View-ship goes up… Sponsors pay up… We win with a sport that is prospering, unlike DMG / AMA.

GW -Mladin in WSBK? December 10, 2009 12:03 PM
I hope Mat goes for it and I hope it is with Yoshimura and the Suzuka 8 Hour World Endurance Team. He has been with Suzuki for a long time know the bike inside and out so his test time will be minum and he will be up to par. If the team makes Mat a simulator in his traveling van he can get familure with all the diffrent tracks before he even steps foot on the circuit.

r schmid -mladin December 10, 2009 12:02 PM
I doubt if he can handle the competition on a higher level..... life for him was free and easy when the only competition was Ben Spies who beat him repeatedly

W1LLPOW3R -Mladin's prime.. December 10, 2009 11:31 AM
My like or dislike for him is irrevelant..i watched him mop the floor with hte field for a double at road Atlanta in 2004..he still lost...3 years in a row on the SAME BIKE.. Everbody who follows AMA knows he had the best bike, with the best team for almost a DECADE..
If mladin was a boxer, he would be called a CHERR PICKER, b/c thats what he does...and i'm glad he is gone b/c he is an Arrogant, anti-social twat.

DCCLrider -Mat December 10, 2009 10:57 AM
I like how everyone thinks Ben mopped the floor with Mat... but in actuality, Mat won more races then Ben. Hell, in the '07 season Mat set a record for most race wins in a season, & that season's champion was decided by a single point! Mat still won more races in '08, but thanks to his bike being disqualified @ VIR, they handed the race wins to Ben (both races Mat won). So it's not like Ben whooped Mat throughout those 3 championship years in the AMA. Ben just stayed more consistent when he didn't put the bike on top of the box. But the fact remains, Mat won more races. (& yes the other fact remains, that Ben still ended up with the title for 3 consecutive years) Also, if just being on the best ride alone makes you win races, where are all of Aaron Yates, Tommy Hayden, & Blake Young's race wins??? In this year's AMA season, the races Mat didn't win, it went to Josh Hayes or Larry Pegram - neither of those riders were on (factory) GSXRs.

SteveO -Remember December 10, 2009 09:56 AM
Guys, you must remember that while Spies won three championships, during those three seasons Mladin won more races. As much as he's not a fan favorite to some, there's no question he has the talent and speed to win races anywhere in the world. Would be interesting to see how his style mated with fast and flowing European tracks, though. But don’t forget, Spies still says he’s the toughest competitor he’s ever raced!

RG34 -RE: W1LLPOWER - Mladin.. December 10, 2009 09:46 AM
His Prime was 5-10 years ago? Are you serious? Just because he lost to Spies 3 years in a row? You know as well as I do that if Mat stayed in Nascar...i mean AMA, it would be yet another boring and predictable series of him adding another title. Spies is an animal! And, Mladin being runner up every year to him is in no way degrading. Did you even watch WSB?

RG34 -Mladin in WSB? December 10, 2009 09:42 AM
I welcome it! We need an an established American rider in the premier series. For all those opposed to Mladin's option...get real, this isn't an issue of what he has to prove, I see it as a competitive guy that likes racing plain and simple and obviously still wants to do it, and I don't blame the guy for going south because DMG is in the toilet right now. Two thumbs way for Mat. I bet the only obstacle for him is uprooting his Fam over seas. We will see though, I like the rumor indeed. Whatever Mat is on, top 5...easy

W1LLPOWER -Mladin.. December 10, 2009 09:29 AM
Mladin's prime was 5-10 years ago...he's finished..

Torre -This guy!! December 10, 2009 07:30 AM
I knew he wouldn't stay away, lol. Would be nice to see.

cyclopathic -not gonna happen But PLS do it Matt December 10, 2009 07:01 AM
Mat is fast even in the years he lost AMA to Ben he still managed to win more races, so given good ride he will be there, week in/out. Also when Corser won for Suzuki back in '05 during winter testing in Philip Island Matt was quicker on race Dunlops then Troy on qualifiers, despite having less top speed/HP (and as I recall Troy was the fastest WSBK rider during that test).

Now Matt was involved in racing in other ways, as a team owner; if the US sponsors want him to set up a WSBK team and have him ride for a couple seasons before transitioning to full team mgmt only role, would he pass on opportunity like that?

Now if he does come on competetive bike and my name is Haga and I am reading this, it is not a good news.

Samxrl -What the hey? December 10, 2009 06:09 AM
What the hey,I'd like to see what he's made of. It's one thing to ride on the ONLY real factory effort in the states (thus dominating) it's totally another to be on a WSB team where there is REAL competition every week. Racers are racers and the only way they truly stay retired is if no good offers or competitive machines come their way. Besides, any rider worth their weight would LAUGH at the pathetic DMG series and shop elsewhere. You have to compete against the best to say your the best!

GR -Mladin In WSBK??? December 10, 2009 05:17 AM
Now everybody wants Matt to give it a try in that series but he's old now and the Suzuki still needs development!? So what would he ride? he would need a lot of time to adjust to a new machine since he's "Retired" now! Even if he did switch to another brand, he would still have a rough start! There's no way he could duplicate or beat what Ben Spies did in the 2009 WSBK series! That's all he thinks about i'm sure... the deal would haveta be outstanding for him to do it! Outstanding enough for him to be able to out-do Ben's accomplishments! Matt doesn't care about the other riders in WSBK... he only wants to beat Ben's Ghosts (records) that are still there in the history books!!!!!!! Matt will talk himself out of it for sure... wait and see! Matt would only be compared to Ben no matter what he does if he rides in WSBK! Matt doesn't want to lose to Ben's Ghosts too. Matt may even call Ben for some advice before he decides...

Dan the Canadian -Back Runner...... December 10, 2009 04:08 AM
He`s not the man.............

Ken -Go Matt! December 9, 2009 08:33 PM
All those saying Ben kicked Matt's butt. BS!!! 2008 was a 1 point championship! I suspect Matt had a lot to do with Ben attaining the high level that he did. On a reasonably competitive bike, Matt is has every capability to make the win.

RENDELL -World Superbike, I love it. December 9, 2009 08:19 PM
Matt Mladin? I HOPE HE DOES IT! World Superbike is a lot more interesting than Moto GP. I just wonder who is offering him a good ride? I bet Ducati is one of the manufactures with a little help from Bayliss, and Bayliss helped get Stoner for Ducati. It's an Aussie connection. Personally, I hope he stays with Suzuki.

bikerrandy -Mladin in WSBK December 9, 2009 08:08 PM
I'd love to see Mladin show what he's made of in WSBK ! He needs a real challenge to race and this would be it. Already 2010 WSBK is going to be something to behold. Add Mladin on a competitive machine and LOOK OUT !! It'd be a barn burner !

MotoJoe -Mat in WSB December 9, 2009 08:02 PM
Please do it Mat!!

Nabutski -MM December 9, 2009 07:52 PM
My guess is he would easily be as dominant as Spies. He could beat Spies with both riding the same bike. Why couldn't he be as competitive is WSBK? The last season he rode with Spies I could swear it appeared he let Spies beat him a race or two to keep the points close and things interesting! Have at it Mat.

YellowDuc -Mladin in WSBK? December 9, 2009 07:47 PM
WSBK is fun and all but what does Matt have to prove and to who?

To those who think he's anything less than his stat's, many riders rode for the Yosh. Team, and most did little to challange him other Ben. Also, Ben benefited from all the development Matt put into Yosh, which was a sub-par in comparison to the Yamaha and Honda teams.

Tim B -Mladin - Don't do it! December 9, 2009 07:20 PM
I think the reason he never left AMA was because he never got a deal good enough to make him want to leave the great thing he had going. Plus, he didn't want to leave the AMA and get hammered on the world stage which would have revealed he's not as good of a rider as his stats reveal. You have to remember he was on the best team and had the best bike.

And he's certainly not the best rider to have ever ridden in the AMA series if you're talking skills and talent. That's not even arguable like the article states Sure, he may be the most dominant rider stats-wise, but look at Spies just as an example. He came in, beat Matt's ass, and left before he could ever develop a legacy. If Spies had stayed I'm sure he'd continue winning. Spies is a much better rider than Mladin. Plus, he's getting up there in age when the sport is getting younger.

Matt, stay retired and keep your legacy in place. If you go on the world stage you will tarnish your image and I will put money on that. Find another job in the industry and retire in peace. Your knowledge could surely help teams and manufacturers in this industry. You could even start your own racing/riding track school back in your home country and have much success with that.

Terry Downs -Mladin December 9, 2009 06:38 PM
Since no one has officially confirmed the ride would actually be on a "Suzuki", let's think outside the box for second...Mat on the super fast Aprilia? Come on man...he would kick some ass.

W1LLPOW3R -Suzuki won ama and wsbk in 2005.. December 9, 2009 06:18 PM
my bad, i forgot..usually ther Ducati cup...If you weren't on a Suzuki in 2005-2008 u had NO chance...just ask Bostrom, Hodgson, etc....Mladin won't win in WSBK, his prime is over..

Eric -Do it Mladin December 9, 2009 06:13 PM
"when is the last time Suzuki did anything in WSBK?" Troy Corser won the championship in 2005 on a GSXR. However, at that level it's not the bike, it's the man on it. Mladin would have dominated AMA just as easily on a factory Honda or Yamaha. Him wasting his time in AMA has driven me nuts for years. AMA is a fine series, but after you've won it a few times then it's time to move up...just like Hayden and Spies.

CowboyTutt -MMladin December 9, 2009 06:03 PM
This is my first post ever on a motorcycle article. I would be delighted to see Matt race in this class and no matter what he rides he will do well and add to the thrill and character of the sport. If Ben Spies can do it, Matt could also do it. This is very encouraging news. -Tutt

Racer1 -Possible... December 9, 2009 05:10 PM
Now Spies is out of WSB, he may well have a stab at it if the money is good. I know he'd hate to have his ass kicked by Ben on a world stage in addition to the USA! I doubt he'd be on a Suzuki, he'd want a competitive ride, but unless the factories stump for another bike, all those seat are spoken for... SOMEONE has obviously approached him though. If he does get a decent ride there is no reason on earth he couldn't do very well indeed (now Ben is gone)!

Ngads -Hope so December 9, 2009 04:57 PM
I've always wondered how he would do/ why he spent so much time in ama....lets hope he decides to give it a try

Eduardo -Maldin December 9, 2009 04:52 PM
Really hope he does race in WSBK. It´ll be nice to see him beat all the European "stars". I really hope to see him race again.

KT -Mat December 9, 2009 04:50 PM
We know Mat likes getting his money. If the price is right and he gets a decent bike, why not???

W1LLPOW3R -The return of the Anti-social Aussie... December 9, 2009 04:25 PM
Mladin can come back..if he wants to run near the back of the grid...when is the last time Suzuki did anything in WSBK?

NJ skeptic -Mladin in WSBK? December 9, 2009 03:39 PM
Not gonna happen. Don't waste your energy thinking about it.

Mat Mladin to Race in World Superbike?

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