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Chris Martin
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AMA SBK: Traction Control, Two Years In
Written by: Chris Martin   
07/18/2008 - 01:38 PM
Monterey, CA
 
Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Ben Spies (Photo: Brian J Nelson) ยป More Photos

This weekend at Laguna Seca marks the two-year anniversary of legalized traction control in AMA Superbike racing.

The mid-season rule shift in 2006 came about following much speculation that the Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki had etched out their advantage over the field in part thanks to some clever rulebook gray area electronics wizardry.

Notoriously difficult to regulate, it was hypothesized that making traction control legal would help level the playing field, and help create closer racing by making the 200+ horsepower Superbikes a bit more manageable (and safer) to ride, allowing more riders to push them to the limit.

However, theory and practice have been separated by a wide gulf. Consider that the last time any rider other than Suzuki's dominating duo of Ben Spies or Mat Mladin won an AMA Superbike race, it was actually the very final contest of the non-traction control era, scored by Jake Zemke on the American Honda CBR1000RR at Miller Motorsports Park just prior to the introduction of the new regulations at Laguna Seca.

The ironclad
grip of Spies and Mladin on the rest of the field is tighter than ever, and the two regularly put a second or two between themselves and their challengers by the lap, both in the races and in qualifying.

The rather rudimentary state of electronics in AMA Superbike racing may not be to blame either, as MotoGP, which features machinery sporting more advanced electronic suites (frighteningly capable according to current AMA Superbike riders Ben Spies, Jamie Hacking, and Roger Hayden, who have all thrown a leg over modern GP bikes), has also been robbed a bit of the extreme competitiveness it enjoyed a few seasons ago.

The future of traction control in motorcycle racing is currently being debated, both at the world and national level. The Daytona Motorsports Group has been promising big changes to help improve the show, including the suggestion of regular ECU changes, and finalized rules are expected to be announced soon. It will be interesting to see how the various leading motorcycle racing series deal with the ever-increasing role of electronics in competition.
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