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AMA Pro Superbike
AMA SBK: Star Power
Josh Hayes and Blake Young erased any doubts of their combined ability to carry the torch for the AMA Pro Superbike Championship at Road Atlanta.
(Photo: Evan Williams)
Star power is one of the biggest allures of racing. Rooting for “your guy” is a huge part of it, along with the spectacle of seeing people push cool machines to the limit.
AMA Pro has seen its share of stars over the years -- not only from the rich American talent pool but in the form of international protagonists as well. Maybe we were a little spoiled. AMA Pro has always been a little more than a national-level championship over the years.
The series has faced tough times in recent years with the economic downturn that devastated the motorcycle industry that provides the lifeblood for racing, but things are slowly improving.
One huge positive … Road Atlanta proved once and for all that Blake Young and Josh Hayes are true superstars.
Cult of Personality
In the Mladin/Spies era, it was clear both riders were world-class talents. What Spies has done in World Superbike and MotoGP proved it out. Mladin could have done well on the international stage, too, if he’d wanted.
They were the faces of the series. Even if the racing wasn’t always close, the fans knew that if they showed up or tuned in, they would see them pushing to their limits.
When both moved on, a valid question was, “Who are the marquee guys now?”
Hayes was going fast and challenged Mat in ’09 but his career to that point could have been described as journeyman. He’d succeeded and won support class championships, but Josh wasn’t a whippersnapper headed to a bigger stage like a Ben Spies or Nicky Hayden. He didn’t have seven Superbike crowns like Mladin.
Young was fast but couldn’t stay healthy. Was his speed just a result of a brave guy riding past his talent level, like some have done?
Well, there’s a body of work out there now we can use to judge these guys and the verdict is very favorable. Starting at Road Atlanta in 2010, the Hayes/Young battles (and toss in Tommy Hayden when he was at Yoshimura) have been numerous and high quality. They are unpredictable and provide great on-track action. They will push to the edge, even when banged up. The only way you don’t like this is if you hate passing.
Hayes and Young are the real deal. As a fan, it’s easy to get behind one of these guys and root him on.
AMA Pro has seen its share of stars over the years -- not only from the rich American talent pool but in the form of international protagonists as well. Maybe we were a little spoiled. AMA Pro has always been a little more than a national-level championship over the years.
The series has faced tough times in recent years with the economic downturn that devastated the motorcycle industry that provides the lifeblood for racing, but things are slowly improving.
One huge positive … Road Atlanta proved once and for all that Blake Young and Josh Hayes are true superstars.
Cult of Personality
In the Mladin/Spies era, it was clear both riders were world-class talents. What Spies has done in World Superbike and MotoGP proved it out. Mladin could have done well on the international stage, too, if he’d wanted.
They were the faces of the series. Even if the racing wasn’t always close, the fans knew that if they showed up or tuned in, they would see them pushing to their limits.
When both moved on, a valid question was, “Who are the marquee guys now?”
Hayes was going fast and challenged Mat in ’09 but his career to that point could have been described as journeyman. He’d succeeded and won support class championships, but Josh wasn’t a whippersnapper headed to a bigger stage like a Ben Spies or Nicky Hayden. He didn’t have seven Superbike crowns like Mladin.
Young was fast but couldn’t stay healthy. Was his speed just a result of a brave guy riding past his talent level, like some have done?
Well, there’s a body of work out there now we can use to judge these guys and the verdict is very favorable. Starting at Road Atlanta in 2010, the Hayes/Young battles (and toss in Tommy Hayden when he was at Yoshimura) have been numerous and high quality. They are unpredictable and provide great on-track action. They will push to the edge, even when banged up. The only way you don’t like this is if you hate passing.
Hayes and Young are the real deal. As a fan, it’s easy to get behind one of these guys and root him on.
AMA SBK Homestead-Miami
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