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AMA Pro Superbike
AMA SBK: 2013 Championship Prediction Countdown - #4
Continuing with our 2013 AMA Pro Superbike Championship prediction series, a look at #4...
Yoshimura Suzuki's Martin Cardenas (Photo: Brian J Nelson)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The AMA Pro Superbike season opener will air on SPEED on Friday, March 15 at 6:00pm ET with Race 2 airing Sunday evening at 9:00pm. The Daytona 200 will air on SPEED at 1:30pm ET on Sunday, March 17. The Vance & Hines HD race and the twin SuperSport races will air LIVE on SPEED2.
With just days between now and the start of the new campaign, we're making our 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship predictions at SPEED.com.
Danny Eslick was the consensus pick for #5. So who's #4?
Evan Williams: Martin Cardenas - Yoshimura Suzuki
Cardenas returns to Superbike after another DSB championship. Cardenas is a great talent and had nothing left to prove in that class.
The Colombian won in tough conditions in Barber in 2011 against a relentless pursuit from Ben Bostrom, so he already has a win in the class. He can do it.
The question now is can he do it on a race-by-race basis. He'll have a lot of help; his team is excellent. The bike will be good.
The question now is how quickly he can get up to speed. The former 250GP competitor doesn't have all that much seat time on a Superbike compared to some of his rivals and the transition is always tough. Everyone expects him to figure it out. It's just a matter of time.
Chris Martin: Martin Cardenas - Yoshimura Suzuki
This is a difficult pick. I consider 2-3-4 to be a wash. The only reason Cardenas is getting slotted in at #4 is because he faces a considerably tougher adjustment ahead of him than the other two, who are better poised to immediately build upon their 2012 campaigns.
That said, I might also expect that once Cardenas gets everything dialed in, he will prove to be the biggest threat to triple champ Josh Hayes' week-to-week dominance of the series.
Cardenas has to gel with a new team and readjust to Superbike machinery -- equipment he's only had one prior season of experience aboard. And even though he showed signs of brilliance during his rookie Superbike effort in 2011, he never truly embraced the stylistic nuances required to fully exploit the potential of a 1000cc, 220-horsepower beast, at least not at full race distance.
However, last season he showed considerable growth as a rider and, as always, his talent is unquestioned. Also easing the transition is the fact is that he's got the powerful Yoshimura Suzuki outfit backing him and the bikes electronics package should allow him to ride effectively in the fashion he's most comfortable.
SPEED.com Motorcycle Racing Editor Chris Martin saw Eddie Lawson win aboard a Kawasaki the first time he attended an AMA Superbike race and witnessed Ben Bostrom win a World Superbike race aboard a V&H Ducati the first time he worked one. He has written about AMA SBK, WSBK, and MotoGP for SPEED.com since 2003. Chris is now on Twitter.
With just days between now and the start of the new campaign, we're making our 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship predictions at SPEED.com.
Danny Eslick was the consensus pick for #5. So who's #4?
Evan Williams: Martin Cardenas - Yoshimura Suzuki
Cardenas returns to Superbike after another DSB championship. Cardenas is a great talent and had nothing left to prove in that class.
The Colombian won in tough conditions in Barber in 2011 against a relentless pursuit from Ben Bostrom, so he already has a win in the class. He can do it.
The question now is can he do it on a race-by-race basis. He'll have a lot of help; his team is excellent. The bike will be good.
The question now is how quickly he can get up to speed. The former 250GP competitor doesn't have all that much seat time on a Superbike compared to some of his rivals and the transition is always tough. Everyone expects him to figure it out. It's just a matter of time.
Chris Martin: Martin Cardenas - Yoshimura Suzuki
This is a difficult pick. I consider 2-3-4 to be a wash. The only reason Cardenas is getting slotted in at #4 is because he faces a considerably tougher adjustment ahead of him than the other two, who are better poised to immediately build upon their 2012 campaigns.
That said, I might also expect that once Cardenas gets everything dialed in, he will prove to be the biggest threat to triple champ Josh Hayes' week-to-week dominance of the series.
Cardenas has to gel with a new team and readjust to Superbike machinery -- equipment he's only had one prior season of experience aboard. And even though he showed signs of brilliance during his rookie Superbike effort in 2011, he never truly embraced the stylistic nuances required to fully exploit the potential of a 1000cc, 220-horsepower beast, at least not at full race distance.
However, last season he showed considerable growth as a rider and, as always, his talent is unquestioned. Also easing the transition is the fact is that he's got the powerful Yoshimura Suzuki outfit backing him and the bikes electronics package should allow him to ride effectively in the fashion he's most comfortable.
SPEED.com Motorcycle Racing Editor Chris Martin saw Eddie Lawson win aboard a Kawasaki the first time he attended an AMA Superbike race and witnessed Ben Bostrom win a World Superbike race aboard a V&H Ducati the first time he worked one. He has written about AMA SBK, WSBK, and MotoGP for SPEED.com since 2003. Chris is now on Twitter.
AMA SBK Homestead-Miami
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