Mladin says AMA riders are spineless and retires

I know he might be ace at riding, but I've always had him down as a bit of a poof, too scared to come and race out of his comfort zone in WSB. I know he gets paid more to race in AMA than he would in WSB, but racers dont race for money, do they? He looks camp as you like in that picture if you ask me.

Posted: 03/08/2009 at 21:24

I think you're right, but why leave a championship where you are massively dominant, on the best bike by miles & only have to fend off decent competition occasionally to come and do it for real? A real poofy no-brainer if ever there was one. He would be consistently around about 10th in WSB and having to pay our ridiculous taxes. Plastic if ever I saw it.

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 00:47

Yeah, make a move a-la-nicky and become a one hit wonder outside AMA...

 I don't know, maybe one season in WSBK just to see what he's made of.

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 00:55

Thats what I'd like to see him do, just one season. He must have enough dosh in the bank to be able to do it without worrying abot cash.

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 09:51

What a bunch of ignorant, xenophobic jerks so many Brits are these days. Of course, you are all " so young or so stupid " that you don't appreciate Mladin rode Moto GP for Cagiva alongside Eddie Lawson in 1993 and was going really well until Cagiva pulled the pin and left the Series... He also smashed his leg and foot in an aircraft crash but STILL came back to race again. No guts, eh? Mladin is a " class "act and multi-capable rider who taught Ben Spies everything he knows and has nothing to prove whatsoever to a little dysfunctional and intellectually-handicapped coterie of whinging homophobes like you. Just for the record - he has several children and a happy and long marriage. This fact makes your bullshit even more pathetic. Go and learn something about motorcycle racing B4 you lunge in and demonstrate to the World how incredibly moronic you are. At 37 with nothing left to prove, still displaying respect and concern for his competitors safety, a thriving multi-national parts & accessories business and a millionaire many, many times over - I doubt he gives a rat's arse  what you think. Get a life!

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 09:58

Well said, John Scull, what it boils down to is he's a racer with a brain.

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 10:23

what a ridiculouse statement, just about sums up mindless idiots that have come to call themselves race fans, suppose you would boo stoner and pedrosa too without knowing them!

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 14:35

I seem to remember Barry Sheene making very similar comments in the 1970's and moreover taking matters into his own hands on occasion (he set fire to some disgusting toilets in Finland, I think it was).

No doubt elbows in and  jamieg999 would have the same comments about Barry.  By the way I am British though I live in the USA, about a days drive from Topeka. I have seen Barry and Matt race and I have the greatest respect.

 Learn your history and your tracks before you comment lads.

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 15:12

I rate Mladin....he is certainly a racer. But didn't he ride a Suzuki a few years ago, in WSBK? If I'm right, he wasn't all that fast. Having said that, Spies didn't seem anything special when he raced a couple of wild card races last year did he? And look at him now. So yeah, I'd love to see him over a full season (preferably two so he can learn the tracks)..in WSBK

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 16:14

Matt Mladin is one of the top 10 racers in the world!!! In any series!!! Any day!! Period!! He has the work ethic, talent, brains, whatever you need to race and beat some of the best. One big reason Spies can handle the pressure and the competition is Mladin! Annnyyybbbooodddyyy who says different doesn't know pay full attention to racing and should keep their trap shut. Yeah maybe Mladin likes to open his mouth on ocassion but he has the championships and the respect for himself and his competitors to speak his mind. Mladin only wants to see the AMA series get better and be respected on a global basis!!

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 18:16

I respect the guy as a racer but agree with the few that stated that if he's out of his comfort zone, he's a bitch!  Here's a guy that should have been in WSBK for years but copped out so he could romp in AMA and have 1 guy to battle on the weekends for an crazy amount of money.  And he's full of crap at topeka.  I've raced there many times and the wall in turn 1 would be a problem if you banked a hard left an 1/8 of a mile down a 1/4 mile straight.  Turn 2 has been retooled into a dog leg right (the actual turn 2 is a 90 degree) with no wall and added a run off (watch it on tv) and turn 3 is a mirror image of turn 2!  The pavement could be resurfaced in a bad way, but in all Topeka did a great job.  So you don't want to race because your not comfortable, well stick around and support your "TEAM AND SPONSORS!"  Don't just  take 7 practice laps and jet.  I would have more respect had he stuck around and supported Hayden and Young and put his face out there for the fans he keeps saying thanks to.

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 19:26

Yikes, sure is a lot of angry Americans out there. Good for you chaps, glad your sticking up for Mat. But how can you say he has nothing left to prove? He hasn't won a WSBK title, or a MotoGP title.

Try not to be so personal with your replies, it really hurts my feelings. This is a forum, a place for considered debate for mutually consenting adults, not just some crazy free for all.

Posted: 04/08/2009 at 20:48

Hey, elbows in - here is the news. Please don't call me an American - I am not. Please don't call me "angry"- I am not. Just appalled by the ignorance and grotesque rationality you display yet again in your last post. You say,"try not to be so personal"? So, it's OK for you to smear Mladin by inferring he is gay ( on top of all the other slurs ) - but when someone challenges your mindless bullshit - you go all coy and get "hurt". You jerk! Again, for the record - Mladin had the odd " wild card " ride in WSBK ( obviously in the US ) setting POLE TIME at Laguna Seca. When Suzuki, Witham, Chili et al couldn't get results out of the GSX-R in WSBK - Mladin's Yoshi Suzuki was creaming ALL the SAME opposition. Yet cretins wank on about how he would only finish 10th at best? Mladin is repeatedly on record as to WHY he stayed in the US and rode the AMA Championship. Go look it all up - and get someone to read it to you. People like you and your ilk make me spew. Mladin is a rolled gold, guaranteed hard bastard and great rider - in any company. You and your cowardly Neanderthals, on the other hand - are snivelling big girls who need to slag-off people you don't know and have never met from behind the shelter of anonymity to add some bizarre meaning to your pathetic lives. A piece of advice - gratis. When you set out to demean someone of real substance and ability - just be very aware it could all come back and bite you on the bum,OK? For me, having made my point - this correspondence is closed.

Posted: 05/08/2009 at 00:10

Very Well Said!!

Posted: 05/08/2009 at 00:43

I have just realised something that our learned and comprehensively fair colleague, JS may have missed ...    Is it just remotely possible these carping geniuses are so scarily ignorant that they don't even realise Matt Mladin is an Australian? Mladin was schooled in the same crucible as other great Oz riders and hard bastards - such as Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan, Aaron Slight ( a Kiwi ) & Troy Corser - all Australian Superbike Champions too ( as was Mladin ) before going on to 500 GP and/or WSBK glory. He went to the AMA after Cagiva pulled-out of GP and struggled to establish himself there for several years. It all gelled for him with Yoshimura Suzuki and he has been dominant ever since - only narrowly losing to teammate Spies on technicalities and by as little as one point! To imply that racers don't factor in the money as a motivation for riding and the risk of injury is as ridiculous as it is infantile. That these idiots can pick at and attempt to diminish Matt Mladin's achievements is foul and petty. Conversely, that he @ 37 has finally had enough, because he is the only rider in such a strong position to be able to stand up to and challenge authority ( for the safety of his fellow competitors ) is admirable and understandable. Good on you and well done, Matt. Enjoy your life and thanks for all the pleasure and fine example you gave us.

Posted: 05/08/2009 at 02:11

IMO Mat seems to be trying to make the sport better and safer for him and fellow riders.  If it waasn't for a pay check none of the other riders would of raced either, as happened when when sheene, Roberts etc (payed up racers) sat out at a few unsafe curcuits in the 70's.

I do think it was a bit piss poor of Mat not to come into the WSBK paddock to win a World title.  He has said himself he was bored with no 'real' competition until Ben came along.  He should of attempted WSBK about 4-5 years ago.  he proved he could see the likes of hodgson, and the Bostrum brothers, off all WSBK race winners (and a title)

but you've got to take a step back and think of the bigger picture.  What you've got to remember is all the travelling etc for him and his family.  Surely when you apply or get a job offer you think about your family needs too???  With only 2 rounds in its current format Mat would of been away from home for most of the season.

i hope he doesn't hang his boots up.  One crack at WSBK. 

Posted: 05/08/2009 at 07:55

It seems to have kicked off a bit here, I was & am very much aware that Mladin is Australian & I would suspect of eastern European descent given his name. Outside of the mighty US of A (except in Oz in 92) he hasn't done anything. Saying he would've done this or that  is a bit like saying Fogarty would've done this or that. The facts show that they didn't/haven't, no hang on, World Endurance champion for Fogarty, sorry. Oh, hang on again, a 4th & 6th in GP's too. And before you start I don't like Fogarty particularly.

 You're right, he has transplanted everything he knows to Spies ( surprised he can still ride ) & we will see exactly what Spies does with that gift full time in MotoGP at some point soon. I suspect he'll be about the same as Edwards/Toseland/Haga/Bayliss etc etc were/are. Back to Mat, the facts outside of America don't add up to much ( a bit like Hodgson in reverse ) & the fact that he's chosen to stay well within his comfort zone are not, in my opinion, what makes a good rider great. As for the homophobia, I've checked with my gay friend & he reckons poof is about level with Brit on the insult stakes ie not really much to shout about. John Scull, you do sound very American with your "jerks", "bullshits", "spewing" & over bearing demeanour hence I suspect the inference was given. And you do sound very angry.

Posted: 05/08/2009 at 12:00

And I think dragging Barry Sheene into this is, frankly, totally out of order

Posted: 05/08/2009 at 12:03

As for booing Stoner, let me tell you a little story:

Day of Champions 2007, Stoner gets out of his BMW X5 taxi with the lovely Adriana & gets up on stage to boos. I'm stood at the back of the stage with a small group of people who keep changing as the rider changes ( I think they're called fans ), Casey comes off stage looking pretty dejected, he's about to get back into the car to go back to the paddock when the little lad next to me says " Casey, can I have your autograph please?", Casey pauses, Adriana nudges him & with some reluctance he says " sure ". After signing 5 or 6 programs I say " Casey, can you sign my lid please?", he says " sure " & after attempting to sign it in the rain (albeit under an umbrella) he succeeds, whilst he's struggling to sign I say " don't worry about those idiots,  you're the real deal & come november they'll all know it " he looks me square in the eye, smiles & says " thanks mate ". Nuff said

As for booing Pedrosa, I wouldn't bother, I don't rate him enough & wished he'd stayed in 250's where he would've been the greatest of all time, hopefully he'll go to Moto2 where he could easily dominate for a decade.

Posted: 05/08/2009 at 12:19

 I know he's constantly critisized the tracks in the US and they DO look terrible! Seems he's free to retire and name the tracks as a strong reason for retirement now he's proven to be a multiple winner and taken the rewards!

 I guess the walls are easier to see now!

Shame he never moved back to the world stage. It goes without saying a world carreer was cut short when-rightly at the time-he couldn't get another ride. I suspect if he had gone to MotoGP say when the it started he would have been in the same boat as the other ex WSB riders who tried it though who's to say.

 Not going to the world stage does always leave that big ? over any sporting career and that is undeniable.

 As for the screamy rants above.....well everybody has different opinions its a shame people can't take them on board.

Posted: 05/08/2009 at 13:15

 Oh and as for booing people....thats just sport happens all the time but for some reason not in MC racing?

 Boo who ya want you've paid your money. The spectator makes the sport what it is, and it can add to the enjoyment at track side, to spice up a race, to add to the hero and villain aspect of the competition. Take it on the chin Casey and move on, sure your probably a good guy but your in a sport and feelings for whatever reason run high.

 I'll shut up now.

Posted: 05/08/2009 at 13:19

Christ on a bike, thats me told. Thanks for the education, God bless America.

Posted: 06/08/2009 at 13:10

For guys who runitely race with multiple broken bones, to say that a track is not safe when their mere appearence at less than 100%, on the track is unsafe, is laughable. He and Suzuki knew the condition of these tracks long before it was time to lineup on the grid, why bring it up now? I seriously doubt that Mladin would be saying this if he were only 10 points ahead in the standings.

Posted: 07/08/2009 at 04:44

dont know the guy personally so cant comment on his sexual likes but who cares anyway .  nothing left to prove was said well not winning at wsbk level or at motogp is leaving stuff to prove , i may be wrong but are the ama bikes a diff spec to wsbk . rossi complains about tracks but doesnt need too retire to make a stand .sure he may be a great racer in your eyes but others have diff opinions and everyone has to let them have them however wrong they seem to you  

Posted: 08/08/2009 at 23:10