Yoshimura Road Racing
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing is ready, willing and able to continue its “Own the Racetrack” performance in 2009. The team enters the new season with championship-winning equipment, new team members and the same exacting standards that have helped it win six consecutive Superbike Championships.
Mat Mladin and Tommy Hayden finished on the podium together in nine rounds of the 2008 season and 2009 should be no exception. You can bet these guys will be ready with their insatiable appetite for winning.
For 2009 we've built on an already strong team by adding "Young-Gun" Blake Young to the mix. Blake showed blinding speed this past season and there is more yet to come! The Madison, Wisconsin native and Horizon Award winner is set to light the Superbike World on fire in 2009. Blake Young moves up to the factory team following three years racing for Suzuki support teams. Young proved he’s capable of competing at the top level with victories in two racing classes in 2008. He earned his first pro-level victories in 2008 and is prepared to continue at this level.
Tommy Hayden will be returning and building on the momentum he created in 2008. Tommy had a string of bad luck starting with a testing crash in Sepang, and then a strange incident at Fontana where another rider collided with him. The result is that Tommy wasn't 100% for most of the '08 season. Towards the end of the season though, Tommy stuck it on the podium several times providing a glimpse of things to come in 2009! Hayden will focus his efforts on Superbike class competition this year.
Mat Mladin is the definition of intensity and nothing indicates that this will change anytime soon. Arguably the toughest competitor ever to race in Superbikes, Mat will be back looking for another title. Knowing Mat, we don't think too many people will be betting against him, he just seems to get faster and faster with age. One thing is for sure - with Mladin you always get 110%.
All three Rockstar Makita Suzuki racers will compete on the Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the AMA Pro American Superbike class. New for 2009, the GSX-R1000 brings a new level of performance to the racetrack – the racetrack it has owned for so many years. A new engine and all-new chassis help this bike deliver improved power and handling.
 | Mat Mladin #7 Superbike |
 | Tommy Hayden #22 Superbike Born: July 14, 1978 Residence: Kentucky Height/Weight: 5'7"/142 pounds Marital Status: Married Current Racebikes: Suzuki GSX-R1000 Crew Chief: Katsuhiro Yanagawa Chassis Techs: Chad Rusinoski, Dave Sanders Engine Techs: Kenny Kato, Rhett Lougheed Electrical Tech: Toshimistu Baba Racing Highlights: 2-Time AMA Supersport Champion (2004, 2005) More... |
 | Blake Young #79 Superbike |