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WHITE: Title Fight Over? Don’t Be ‘Silly’
While it may seem like it, this AMA Superbike title fight isn't over just according to Greg White.
Greg White  |  Posted September 25, 2010   Birmingham, AL
Team Graves Yamaha's Josh Hayes and Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Tommy Hayden (Photo: Brian J Nelson)

PROGRAMMING NOTE: The AMA Pro Road Racing season finale from BMP will air Saturday and Sunday night on SPEED starting at midnight EST.

I'm going to take you back in time to Barber Motorsports Park, 2003. We came to this racetrack and there was a championship battle being waged in the now defunct 750 Supersport class. That fight was between Suzuki rider Josh Hayes and Kawasaki ZX-6R rider Tommy Hayden.

Josh came into the weekend leading in the points and ultimately walked away with the championship by a narrow six-point margin.

Josh Hayes and Tommy Hayden have gone at it for years now, from 750 Supersport to 600 Supersport, to (1000cc) Superstock, and now in Superbike. Tommy has won some of those battles and Josh has won some of those battles.

As we come in to the 2010 AMA Superbike season finale at Barber Motorsports Park, there are shades of 2003. Disadvantaged with a 22-point deficit and the pole point no longer available, having gone to teammate Blake Young earlier today, things are looking bleak for Hayden and Hayes' lead is starting to feel insurmountable.

But this is racing and anything can happen. The difference between this year and year's past has to be the influence of the impending silly season. Who has contracts for next year, who are still unsigned, and how much will the results from this weekend make a difference for them?

At this point the only rider known to have signed for a manufacturer in the American Superbike class is Josh Hayes. The pressure is off, at least in terms of securing a ride. Hayes wants to win the championship, no question, but he's not racing for a job. John Hopkins, Tommy Hayden, Blake Young, Jake Zemke… all those guys, are unsigned and eager to get a race win or two before the year is out.

Does the championship matter to them? No, at least not for Hopkins, Young, and Zemke. What matters to them is being able to put food on the table in 2011.

As a result, I would say in all the years I've raced/commentated, this has been one of the most high-pressure race weekends to finish off the year (and we haven't even mentioned the Daytona SportBike class where only 12 points separates first from third).

Yes, 22 points is a big gap. But if someone gets desperate looking for a win that just might earn them a job for next year and happens to knock Josh Hayes off his motorcycle, that leaves the door open for Tommy Hayden. Mechanicals can happen, a bum tire can happen. Somebody could oil the racetrack or a lapped rider could get in the way. Anything can happen in racing. It's definitely worth watching.

In 2003 Josh Hayes ended up on top and claimed his first career AMA Pro title. What will happen this weekend? Well, that's why we're here at Barber Motorsports Park to find out. Whatever happens, it's going to be exciting.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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