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Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Ben Spies being tailed by teammate Mat Mladin (Photo: Brian J Nelson) ยป More Photos
Following the 19 intense rounds that made up the most hyped showdown in AMA Superbike history (that somehow exceeded its billing), there could be only one man left standing.
While six-time series king Mat Mladin established a new single-season wins record with 12 victories and made a convincing claim to the second-best campaign the championship had ever witnessed, it still wasn’t enough to overcome his Yoshimura Suzuki teammate, Ben Spies. The Texan defeated the AMA’s most decorated rider, who was by his own admission riding at the top of his game, thanks to an amazing season that culminated in a clutch victory at the Laguna Seca season finale to repeat as AMA Superbike champion by just a solitary point in the final standings.
The 23-year-old superstar outdid himself in 2007, logging seven wins while never finishing lower than second in any given outing. He also displayed his blinding speed in claiming nine pole positions in eleven tries, each one vital to his successful single-point title defense (with a bonus point paid
And if that wasn’t enough, Spies also found the time to run away with the AMA Superstock crown, winning all but one race he entered in the class last season.
“After winning the first title, everybody was like, ‘can he do it again?’ Spies remarked, hinting at a source of motivation. “And racing the Superstock bike too, we had our hands full all year. Mat was riding at such a pace that on some of the weekends we just couldn’t match it. He wasn’t holding anything back and we were focused on the championship.
“He’d never really gone that great at Laguna Seca but he really stepped it up in the finale -- enough that if he would have run that pace during the GP weekend he would have won that race. But fortunately we were able to step it up another notch when we needed to.
“It was picture perfect; just one of those weekends -- the way we got it done, the pass that was made, and all the hype that went with it. It was an amazing weekend.
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