Mladin disqualified from VIR wins for crank irregularities
Following Mat Mladin’s double win at VIR last weekend AMA officials requested to examine the crankshaft of his winning GSX-R1000 Suzuki.
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki complied with the request. “During post-technical tear-down at VIR, only Mat Mladin’s crankshaft was examined,” explained Rockstar Makita Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura. “The AMA determined that further examination was necessary and asked Suzuki to submit two additional samples to the Ohio office by Wednesday, August 20.”
Following further inspections AMA officials stated that the crankshaft was not in compliance with the rules and retrospectively disqualified Mladin from the VIR meeting where he won both races to claw back some ground on teammate Ben Spies in the chase for the 2008 AMA Superbike Championship.
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki have stated that they will appeal the penalty. If that appeal fails it will be impossible for Mladin to challenge Spies for the title and the American will take the title. The AMA has not detailed the nature of the alleged discrepancies.
