Tell me what it’s like working with your mechanics throughout the season to get the bike where you want it to be. Obviously there’s not a lot of leeway, but…
MAT MLADIN: There’s a lot of stuff that can be done on these motorcycles, with superbike. It’s a production bike, but the rules are reasonably open so a lot of things can be changed. From the steering angle so the rake of the fork can be changed, to how far forward or back the whole front of the motorcycle [is moved] can be changed. The swingarm angle can be changed, the suspension can be changed, which in turn leads you into a whole bunch of other things.
After a couple months of testing we find a general area where we think the motorcycle seems to work the best—it doesn’t mean we always stay in that area, but it seems to work the best-- maybe the contact patch of the front tire, the way it corners on the road, certain swingarm angles, and a certain amount of axle force. What rear spring you have on the rear shock [determines] how much axle force you’re putting into the ground. There’s many, many, many different parameters we can change, to the point of… let’s look at the rear shock from a mechanical standpoint. At last weekend’s race [the Superbike Doubleheader at Barber Motorsports Park] we had to do one millimeter of preload, so loading or unloading the shock an extra one millimeter made a difference for the first 30mm or 40mm of travel; it made it 10% stiffer or softer. They’re very critical, you’ve got to be on top of that stuff because it can get away from you very quickly. And that’s where having a good team comes into play, as well. They keep everything in line and all that stuff.
Obviously you’re riding a flagship bike for a company that’s going to sell a lot of bikes. How much does Suzuki tap your expertise while creating the next model?
MLADIN: Aw, that’s what racing is about. As much as we’re out there to win races and spray the champagne on the podium, the bottom line is that Suzuki as a manufacturer are here to put into testing the things that they’ll use in future road motorcycles for the consumer. So, you know a lot of what you see in these motorcycles here [points to a 2008 Suzuki GSXR-600] is first developed on the racetrack. That’s what we are. We’re test pilots. That’s what we do, we figure stuff out and what the limits are, etc. etc., and down the track they put ‘em in the road bikes.
How often do you communicate with them in terms of feedback?
MLADIN: On a daily basis. On a weekly basis the team communicates with the factory in Japan. It certainly is an ongoing thing.
Do you do outside testing?
MLADIN: Aw yeah, lots of it. We do a lot of testing, it’s a part of racing I enjoy the most—is actually getting on the bike and testing things, and seeing if you can come up with new stuff. Japan sends new parts over for us to test-- new engine, pistons, suspensions, or new this and that, and we get out there and grind away. Testing is where you make that better, or decide that it’s not as good as what you’ve got.
What are you looking forward to in ’09? Do you have any plans yet?
MLADIN: ’09? I’m contracted to ride for Suzuki in ’09, so…
What are you thinking after 2009?
MLADIN: Oh, I don’t know. I don’t have a clue. I can’t really think much past tomorrow, to be honest with you. Life’s too dynamic to worry about what’s going to happen next year.
Well, enjoy the ride.
MLADIN: That’s exactly why I don’t think about next year, because you’ve gotta enjoy the ride.
