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AMA Pro Superbike
AMA SBK: Is Cardenas The Answer To Yosh’s Hayes Problem?
Yoshimura Suzuki discarded runner-up Blake Young in favor of Martin Cardenas in hopes of toppling three-time AMA Superbike champ Josh Hayes.
Martin Cardenas (Photo: Evan Williams)
After a couple of seasons of incredibly close racing, the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike season turned into a series of predictable blowouts by three-time champ Josh Hayes and Monster Energy Yamaha.
Hayes and the Tuning Fork boys were glad to get the wins. After all, that’s what they work towards, but it got to the point where there wasn’t much opposition. As much as he claim that he's greedy, Hayes would rather have a good fight, honestly.
Well, it looks like Hayes could have more competition in 2013 with Martin Cardenas joining Yoshimura Suzuki. Cardenas is a top talent who has shown he can win championships. Cardenas has the skill and drive to push hard, and has proved he can work with a good team to bring home the results.
In 2012 Cardenas used his return to the undercard to improve the weakest point in his game, which was being able to back off just a bit to assure he gets maximum points.
Apart from his first couple of races, Cardenas successfully spent his American career with Team Hammer. The past four seasons, he’s progressed from a race winner to a Daytona SportBike champion, to successful Superbike rookie, and finally with a successful return to DSB and another championship. It was a great fit.
Cardenas wants to return to world championship competition -- he cut his teeth in Grand Prix -- and the move to Yoshimura is one that will put him in the spotlight should he whip Hayes a few times.
Yoshimura Suzuki has been the dominant team in AMA Pro Superbike racing over the past 15 years. Even though Mat Mladin and Ben Spies are gone, the team was very competitive with Tommy Hayden and Blake Young in 2010 and 2011. Most of the mechanics are the same ones who played a big part in the 50-something-in-a-row juggernaut of the glory days.
There’s an expectation of excellence with anyone who wears the blue and white – whether one is riding the bike or cooking the hamburgers. Things soured with Blake Young after the Wisconsin rider lost the plot a bit mid-year. Blake couldn’t keep up and crashed trying, then appeared to be a beaten man down the stretch.
You could see the split coming when Young couldn’t recover the mojo he had the previous season by the end of ’12. Yoshimura does not settle for second place. The feeling one got from hanging around the garage was the GSX-R1000 should -- at least -- be a lot closer to Hayes’ R1.
The Yosh crew knew Blake well, but the tough love program that had worked so well to challenge Blake had run its course.
With Cardenas, Yosh now has a rider who is known for his toughness and willingness to push to the limit and beyond. Cardenas and Yoshimura Suzuki seem like a good fit.
Can this pairing contend for the title in 2013? Sure, although it won’t be easy with the level at which Hayes and Yamaha are performing.
Martin’s skill is up to the challenge, but he has to quickly re-acclimate to the big bike (something that didn't prove easy the first time around) and learn new electronics. We’ll see how quick Martin can get up to speed.
Hayes and the Tuning Fork boys were glad to get the wins. After all, that’s what they work towards, but it got to the point where there wasn’t much opposition. As much as he claim that he's greedy, Hayes would rather have a good fight, honestly.
Well, it looks like Hayes could have more competition in 2013 with Martin Cardenas joining Yoshimura Suzuki. Cardenas is a top talent who has shown he can win championships. Cardenas has the skill and drive to push hard, and has proved he can work with a good team to bring home the results.
In 2012 Cardenas used his return to the undercard to improve the weakest point in his game, which was being able to back off just a bit to assure he gets maximum points.
Apart from his first couple of races, Cardenas successfully spent his American career with Team Hammer. The past four seasons, he’s progressed from a race winner to a Daytona SportBike champion, to successful Superbike rookie, and finally with a successful return to DSB and another championship. It was a great fit.
Cardenas wants to return to world championship competition -- he cut his teeth in Grand Prix -- and the move to Yoshimura is one that will put him in the spotlight should he whip Hayes a few times.
Yoshimura Suzuki has been the dominant team in AMA Pro Superbike racing over the past 15 years. Even though Mat Mladin and Ben Spies are gone, the team was very competitive with Tommy Hayden and Blake Young in 2010 and 2011. Most of the mechanics are the same ones who played a big part in the 50-something-in-a-row juggernaut of the glory days.
There’s an expectation of excellence with anyone who wears the blue and white – whether one is riding the bike or cooking the hamburgers. Things soured with Blake Young after the Wisconsin rider lost the plot a bit mid-year. Blake couldn’t keep up and crashed trying, then appeared to be a beaten man down the stretch.
You could see the split coming when Young couldn’t recover the mojo he had the previous season by the end of ’12. Yoshimura does not settle for second place. The feeling one got from hanging around the garage was the GSX-R1000 should -- at least -- be a lot closer to Hayes’ R1.
The Yosh crew knew Blake well, but the tough love program that had worked so well to challenge Blake had run its course.
With Cardenas, Yosh now has a rider who is known for his toughness and willingness to push to the limit and beyond. Cardenas and Yoshimura Suzuki seem like a good fit.
Can this pairing contend for the title in 2013? Sure, although it won’t be easy with the level at which Hayes and Yamaha are performing.
Martin’s skill is up to the challenge, but he has to quickly re-acclimate to the big bike (something that didn't prove easy the first time around) and learn new electronics. We’ll see how quick Martin can get up to speed.
AMA SBK Miller Motorsports Park
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