AMA, Please Explain...

I just watched the AMA Supersport race at Infineon Raceway (the same place that claimed the racing career of Vincent Haskovec) and I am completely confounded by the race result. According to AMA timing and scoring they gave the race to Josh Hayes even though it was Jamie Hacking who crossed the line on the last completed lap before the red flag came out. Yes, the red flag came out due to the fact that someone crashed bad enough into some obstacle to need the race to stop. Regardless, it was Hayes who grabbed the lead for less than ten seconds, between a couple of turns, when the flag came out. Is this how it works in the AMA rulebook? I've got to get me a copy.

MOTO GP AGONY

I just got back from the dentist. They jabbed a needle into my gums to make me numb. The jammed a tray full of resin into my mouth to make a form and some of it squeezed down the back of my throat until I gagged. Then they ground my cracked tooth down to a nub to fit for crown. Lastly, they put in another tray for my botton teeth which dug into my gums on the side that wasn't numb for a solid five minutes. Does this sound unpleasant?

Well it was nothing compared to watching yesterday's Moto GP at LeMans. When Hayden binned his RC212V from fourth place with only a couple laps to go it was like a punch to the gut! The whole race was simply not fun. I think I'm going to volunteer to select race tyres for Colin Edwards. My method will be to put on a blindfold, walk up to the tyre rack and pick whatever feels nice to the touch. I couldn't do any worse than he or is team is doing this season. It was pathetic to see him go from first to last on the first lap. His first pole down the toilet. I think I'll simply sneak into the Bridgestone truck and grab the first two tyres I can get my hands on. That should do.

And Hayden? What can anyone say about the season he's having. Hopefully he'll have a good finish at Laguna. But I'm not counting on it.

FREE HAYDEN T-SHIRT RETIRED (For now)

I feel like I'm to blame for Nicky Hayden's bad season this year. I've been wearing the free Repsol t-shirt with Nicky's image on it for most of his races and I think it's brought him bad luck. Sure, I know there's a time differential from 8 to 12 hours but I think the moto gods know I'm going to wear it while I watch. I'll keep it in the drawer this weekend and we'll see what happens. You can thank me if he gets a top 5. Maybe then I'll roast the shirt on the campfire.

FONTANA STINKS

Nice race track California. It's just like all your other race tracks. They suck! Hay bales, cones, guardrails, it looks like Daytona and Daytona reeks. I'm sure there are abandoned Wal-Mart parking lots all over this country just waiting for an AMA National to arrive California style. Just put up some tyre barriers, some hay bales and you're set. Don't forget the cones and perhaps some of that yellow police tape.

I finally watched the Supersport race from a couple weeks back and it was amazing to watch the race restarted THREE times! That means four starts in all. It was really exciting to watch Josh Herrin's Yamaha burst into flames after he crashed it and see no track workers in sight for a really, really long time. It's a good thing he wasn't aflame, he'd be in the burn ward right now, whatever was left of him.

Off to Infineon or whatever they call it.

STRAY MONKEYS EVERYWHERE!

It looks as if a couple of riders have gotten rid of some very big monkeys from their backs in the Moto GP ranks. Young Casey Stoner has been riding some completely flawless races this season and it shows. He's got a firm grip on the championship at this point. Unlike last year, when we saw him throw his bike down the track several times. Often while at the front or at least in contention for the podium. I'm sure the LCR Honda wasn't the best bike on the grid, but it wasn't the worst either. Stoner had so many crashes that I thought DNF was a team sponsor.

Not so this season. Sure the Ducati is fast as hell. It also seems to do quite well in the twisties. But Capirossi is on the same bike, so it can't all be the bike. Plus, no matter how good any bike is, it's never crash proof. Stoner has been pressured quite often by the likes of Rossi, et al. Yet, he has rarely put a wheel wrong, and certainly not made a serious mistake all season. Yes these are early days, but it will be fun to see how far he goes.

Monkey number two belongs to Mr. Hopkins himself. Finally he gets his podium, and in grand fashion as well. The top three were riding in a class by themselves in Shang Hai. Pedrosa finished a distant fourth and never really was a threat for the podium. HRC has got some work to do on the RC212V. Poor Hayden didn't even get a chance to ride a bad race on his own. It was given to him by Elias who contended that Hayden braked too early. Watch the replay Toni. You're going about ten miles per hour faster than anyone else around you. Remember, you can't win the race on the first corner but you can certainly lose it. Also, to finish first you must first finish and lastly, always keep the rubber side down. I don't think double nickels on the dime works in this instance, but I'm sure I can use it somewhere in my daily routine.