Seems to be a forgone conclusion.I know there is still a lot of racing to do, but if you do the math,this thing is
over,obviously barring a get off and no point race on Spies part.With 5 legs left,Mladin could maximize the points in every race and still fall short as long as Spies finishes second.Which brings up another debate,the points system.It doesnt put enough emphasis on winning and on the other hand,1 non point race is the kiss of death.You can win a race and only make up a couple of points if the second place guy got the poll point.With the competition
at the front consisting of 2 guys,one no points race is basically the end of your hopes for a title.Mladin was also very luck that the AMA has some silly rule that a restart before the 1st lap is over results back to the original grid spot.How you can go out and wreck,all on your own,Cause a red flag,be allowed enough time to rebuild your bike and still re start 1st is beyond me.

povol - 06 August 2008 10:02 AM

With 5 legs left,Mladin could maximize the points in every race and still fall short as long as Spies finishes second.

That's true until you take into account the points for Pole Position and Laps led. Mat would need to win out and pick up 9 of the 10 bonus points to win the title (assuming Ben finishes second in all races). You may want to double check my math, but I think I have it correct.
MM:449+180 (5 wins) + 9 (Bonus Points)=638
BS:476+160 (5 2nd's) + 1 (Bonus Point)=637

A longshot for Mat I know, but it ain't over yet.

povol - 06 August 2008 10:02 AM

Which brings up another debate,the points system. It doesnt put enough emphasis on winning...

I couldn't agree more. I don't know why they just don't adopt the standard scale. 25 points for the win, 20 for second, etc. I think giving out points for pole position is stupid. Your reward for being fastest in qualifying is that you start in P1.

It ain't over till it's over. There has been some crashin on the part of both of them in the past. If both DNF once it would seem that Jamie could even factor in to the equation? Especially if he wins a race or two.

Having said that ... probably Ben is pretty close to a lock and will probably not lose the title this year. Eager to hear where he and Matt will be racing next yr. Hate to see Matt in a 600SBK class. I think he will destroy the competition. Anyway...

Although Matt may turn things around I don't see Ben laying back and taking it easy waiting to go to MotoGP, I see him still fighting for wins and getting a few.

There has been all kinds of talk over the years about how points should be structured and it usually comes from somebody who didn't win the championship.

So what kind of premium should winning get you over 2nd? Should it be such that the guy who wins the most races in a season wins the championship even if he had DNF's or other poor finishes? What if the 2nd place finisher scored points in every race? What would happen then is people would start yelling about the system not rewarding consistency.

I kind of like the idea of bonus points for pole and most laps lead because it adds to the possibilities but I would like to see another bonus point paid out for the fastest lap in the race, too.

Their are only 8 bonus points left 3 poles and 5 for laps lead but Mladin could still win the title with 1 point to spare if he wins all 5 races and gets all 8 bounus points.

I don't see Matt running the table and beating Spies. Mat's won 4 in a row, but 2 were post-surgery for Ben and Laguna Ben was focused on the MotoGP race. Ben will be healthier at VIR so he'll be out there looking for a double.

Do you think Mladin comes back next year to race after Spies wins 3 championships in a row? With no real contenders next year (Hacking is close) he'd likely win every race and the Championship but everyone would say he only won since Spies wasn't there and no one else could hang.

amafan - 06 August 2008 10:50 AM

Their are only 8 bonus points left 3 poles and 5 for laps lead but Mladin could still win the title with 1 point to spare if he wins all 5 races and gets all 8 bounus points.

My mistake. I didn't take into account the fact that only one bonus point is awarded for pole on the double header weekends. That's quite a mountain for Mladin to climb.

And IMO, I think Hacking will fight for positions as long as he can without playing spoiler (for example, he will go for a win or second place as long as that specific pass won't ruin the championship for either Mladin or Spies). If the title is on the line at Laguna, I think he'll let them fight it out.

ilthomson - 06 August 2008 11:10 AM

amafan - 06 August 2008 10:50 AM

Their are only 8 bonus points left 3 poles and 5 for laps lead but Mladin could still win the title with 1 point to spare if he wins all 5 races and gets all 8 bounus points.

My mistake. I didn't take into account the fact that only one bonus point is awarded for pole on the double header weekends. That's quite a mountain for Mladin to climb.

And IMO, I think Hacking will fight for positions as long as he can without playing spoiler (for example, he will go for a win or second place as long as that specific pass won't ruin the championship for either Mladin or Spies). If the title is on the line at Laguna, I think he'll let them fight it out.

Especially since him and Spies are best buds.I cant see Jamie doing anything that would cost Spies the title.Back to the topic,VIR and Road Atlanta are Mladin's playground with Laguna being Bens.Can Ben beat Mladin at those tracks,its hard to say since he really hasnt had to.What he has been doing is stealing the pole point lately and racing for seconds since his illness,which by the way could still play into this thing.Supposedly,the appendectomy has not fixed what ails Ben and he still feels like $%^&.The new track configuration at Road Atlanta could also play in to the equation,who knows what riders style will fit the new turn,plus the riders packed up and went home early yesterday when it became to dangerous to test on the new grinded areas to remove bumps.They removed the bumps and left a surface that Mladin said was like hitting ice when you transitioned from the old pavement to the grinded area.A lot of variables, butMladin will have to be perfect to get it.

VIR. and Road Atlanta are Mladin's best tracks so i think it will go down to Laguna what cost Mladin last year was 2nd qualifing was cancelled because of rain and the pole point was given to Spies at Road Atlanta.Matt argued about it at the time but never brought it up again but that point cost him the title.

paying consistance over wins has always been an issue. i think the 25 pt system gp and wsb use are a good balance.

i think bonus points are total bs. they have nothing to do with racing and should be removed. fastest lap is irrelevant. bonus points are like judging for ballet and ice skating

think about it. if you get a point for pole, a point for most laps lead and a point for fastest lap and take second you got 1 less point for the race as the winner. is that right? i don't think so. as it stands you can get two less by placing second. that's almost as silly.

ilthomson - 06 August 2008 11:10 AM

amafan - 06 August 2008 10:50 AM

Their are only 8 bonus points left 3 poles and 5 for laps lead but Mladin could still win the title with 1 point to spare if he wins all 5 races and gets all 8 bounus points.

My mistake. I didn't take into account the fact that only one bonus point is awarded for pole on the double header weekends. That's quite a mountain for Mladin to climb.

And IMO, I think Hacking will fight for positions as long as he can without playing spoiler (for example, he will go for a win or second place as long as that specific pass won't ruin the championship for either Mladin or Spies). If the title is on the line at Laguna, I think he'll let them fight it out.

why would hacking care how his placings affect the championship?

that seems such an odd, odd statement.