Submitted by David Emmett on
When news broke a couple of days ago that Yoshimura Suzuki team was to abandon the All-Japan Superbikes championship to run in World Superbikes, speculation immediately turned to the fate of Yoshimura's US program, featuring the veteran Tommy Hayden and young challenger Blake Young. Would this decision mean that Yoshimura would also turn its back on the AMA Pro racing series in the USA and redouble its efforts in World Superbikes?
The answer to that question is almost certainly no, according to the authoritative US journal Roadracing World. The American magazine had a meeting with Fujio Yoshimura, head of the Japanese specialist parts manufacturer, in which Yoshimura told the magazine that the decision by the company to withdraw from the Japanese series would have no effect on the current American racing program. The decision, according to Roadracing World, was based entirely on dissatisfaction with the direction of the Japanese Superbike series, and is independent of the events going on in the DMG-run AMA Pro series - despite their apparent similarity.
The Japanese Yoshimura Suzuki team will run selected rounds of the World Superbikes series, namely those that don't clash with the British Superbike series. This is to allow them to field Yukio Kagayama, who will be racing a full season of BSB next year. More details on Yoshimura's decision are over on the Roadracing World website.
Comments
Why on Earth
would you want to emulate the AMA Pro series regulations? The DMG run series was roundly criticized as an enigmatic catastrophe this season and now the Japanese want to copy it??? I just don't get it. I understand that they want to limit costs but this is a bad way to do it. Purely my opinion of course but the numbers don't lie and the last time I checked the AMA series was down to around 9 races next year.
I must have missed something...
Who says they want to emulate AMA regulations?
Just read the Roadracing world article.
It states "MFJ officials, meanwhile, want to move toward American Superbike rules to reduce the cost of building and maintaining racebikes."
This was the basis for Yoshimura's departure!
Thanks.
A reference for your comments would have made that much easier to understand = )
AMA rules
Maybe the AMA rules are not being written by DMG. Edmondson has been pushing for the FIM to adopt a new set of standardized national rules. DMG/Edmondson don't have the clout to form a new world order. They are carrying a message.
It all makes sense now. This rules package is coming from Japan.
New SBK rules
Perhaps they should all follow the BSB Privateer cup rules for next year.