Press
An Englishman in New York (Actually make that South Carolina)
By
Oct 1, 2003, 14:10

Words: Chris Martin

Images: Carlos Hatfield

Motorcycle Racing, October 2003

Jamie Hacking is one of those racers you can't help but want to see succeed. You know the type – all effort, blisteringly quick, and yet flawed (or at the very least snake-bitten), their endeavors marred far to often by mistake or ill fortune

Unfortunately, such riders are rarely fully out of the game by injuries or unable to come completely to grips with the subtle nuances needed to orchestrate a successful championship campaign.

There are exceptions, one-time GP champ Kevin Schwantz serving as a prime example. And it appears that in 2003 the light bulb has flashed for 'Hacker' as well. Really showing a consistent, level-headed approach to go with his ever-present speed, the 32-year-old is looking more and more like another of those uncommon success stories. Only two races separate Hacking from his first career U.S. Supersport title, and with a 30-point advantage and his newfound maturity in his favour, it will take a massive upset to see him come up empty handed in his quest.

And if the underdog-comes-good angle isn't enough to pull you in, many Racer readers may have another compelling reason to root for Mr. Hacking. While you probably wouldn't guess it upon meeting him - his vibe is pure South Carolina these days - Jamie flies the flag for England in the American roadracing scene, both figuratively and through the Union Jack proudly displayed on his leathers.

He explained, I moved to the States in 1980 when I was nine. Up until then I lived in a little town called Oswaldtwistle, which is right near Blackburn and Burnley, where Hodgson and Foggy and all those guys are from. I actually got An Italjet 50 when I was about five.'

While his accent has been considerably modified since he was a young lad, he vividly remembers his days growing up in Lancashire, attending class and hanging out at the pie shop and the sweet shop in his free time.

It's just me and my mum and my dad that live over here. I still hold a British passport, and we have lots of family over there - my grandparents, my mum's sisters, and I actually have a cousin who is roadracing in England right now – Paul Charman. He just started about a year-and-a-half ago, and he's coming along quite well.'

Any chance the expat might someday return to his birthplace to show his wares? 'I've actually had offers to do some stuff in the UK. But the racing and the pay over here are both so good; it would take a lot to get a guy to move away. I like it where I am in the States, and the series is growing really fast. That's not to say if the opportunity and everything was right that I wouldn't do it. It wouldn't be like going to a strange country for me, it would be going back home.'

But back to the task at hand - after years of crashes (and their resultant injuries), Hacking has had a dream season thus far in 2003. Armed with the new R6, the factory Yamaha ace has been a devastating competitor in Supersport racing this year, scooping up four wins, four poles, and seven podiums in just nine attempts. Perhaps more impressively, he has almost entirely avoided the kinds of errors that haunted him in the past and made the best of situations where they were unavoidable.

'This year has definitely been the highlight of my career,' he reflected. I feel I've accomplished some pretty spectacular achievements - the only rookie to ever finish on the podium at the Daytona 200, things like that - but I definitely think this is the season where everything has finally fallen into place for me. '

There was a lot of positive energy starting the season, I knew I had a hell of a bike and my crew is so cool - we work really well together. Just a good vibe all around. Since the start of year my crew has kept making all the right moves, and I've straightened out my riding a good bit - knowing when to back down, knowing when I didn't have the bike to win or the weather wasn't just right. It's just been awesome. We're getting close to getting this thing wrapped up, and it's been really exciting.'

He realised he had to change his mindset in order to take his riding to the next level, thinking in terms of the big picture when necessary, instead of single-mindedly focusing on the nearest chequered flag.

'Yeah, that's the thing - I guess my brain is maturing, finally!' he laughed. 'It's telling me when to shut her down - "you know, it doesn't matter if you win this weekend.” I've already proven that I can win races. The main goal now is win the title.'

'The race at Mid-Ohio was a perfect example. I set the pole and was the fastest guy all weekend, but I got into the race and wasn't too happy with my front tyre so I held back not to push it. I just rode comfortably and hung out there and still picked up second, which I was pretty happy to come away with.'

Of course Hacking's seasoning wouldn't have brought about such stellar results if Yamaha hadn't delivered on their end as well. Entering the season, the hype machines were in full effect touting the revolutionary Honda CBR600RR and Kawasaki ZX-6RR, while the buzz surrounding the new R6 was noticeably more muted.

Running under the very strict U.S. Supersport regs, however, the tune quickl;y changed once the actual racing got underway. 'I've seen it happen a bunch of times, where a manufacturer builds a new bike and they think they've got all the ingredients right, but what's on paper doesn't quite translate like they expected on the racetrack,' Jamie said.

That wasn't the case with the R6. 'Yamaha did their homework - the engineers back in Japan really got it figured out. The motor has the same characteristics as the old one, just better all over. And the chassis is worlds better; it's lighter and just flicks so well. But the acceleration is where we just beat everybody hands down, and in 600s that really counts for a lot,'

While he's riding better than ever and has a winning package underneath him, his year hasn't been completely free of drama.

Following a runner-up finish and a pair of wins to kick off '03, Hacking found himself trapped heading into Turn One after the restart at a drying Road Atlanta. 'That was definitely a weekend where we should have won. I got hung up on Aaron's (Gobert - Yamaha team-mate) back wheel. It threw me off balance and off one side of the bike and finally I fell over. I picked it up and couldn't get it going for the longest time, but I wasn't going to give up. I was going to ride it damaged, and I got back in there and cut the fastest lap of the race on the thing and picked up some points.

'That was the weekend where I was tested. It bummed me out. I was thinking, "God, I hope this doesn't start changing things in the wrong direction" because everything had gone so smoothly to that point. I had built up a nice lead in the points race, and we were dropped back to dead even. I really had to dig down, and my guys were really proud that I picked the bike up-it was like a champion move. That kept me positive,'

Proving that he wasn't about to fall into old habits, Hacking climbed back on top of the podium at Pikes Peak, the very next race. But instead of joy or even relief, controversy reigned. Hacking nudged past team-mate Damon Buckmaster to take the lead during the contest, a move that resulted in some ugly name calling afterwards and nearly escalated to blows under the Yamaha tent.

'I set Damon up on the run down the back straight and out braked him. He was a little outside and didn't really see me. I got enough wheel underneath him, but there was room for him on the outside. I think it spooked him more than anything -I just barely rubbed up against him.

'We had big stuff going on after that in the team - things that Damon said, not only to me, but to my wife, which is not acceptable. We had a team meeting in Las Vegas after that. We all sat down in a room and got everything straightened out there. Apologies were made and ever since then... I still don't respect the guy for what he said, but I've got to race with him and that's just the way it is. I admit it's in the back of my mind a little bit, but when we're out there I'm racing him, not his anger.'

The tension between team-mates can be a bit intense at times within the powerful Yamaha Supersport squad, but at the same time, Hacking attributes much of his success this year to the level and quality of support he's received from Yamaha and his crew.

He was one of the manufacturers' favoured riders during his first tenure with the outfit from '98-00, but left for a two-year stint with the championship winning Yoshimura Suzuki team in search of greater Superbike success. Lost in the shuffle and pushed back to the role of forgotten man behind Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates, he quickly found the truth in the old cliche about the grass not always being greener.

Having learned the hard way just how vital solid team support is, he happily returned 'home' to Yamaha this year. 'Having the team behind you is the most important thing, it's the biggest part. To have a good motorcycle is one thing, but you've got to have a team that's supporting you and giving you all the right things,

'That was my decision to go over there (to Yoshimura), Not that I regret it - I did some good things, I won my first Superbike race over there - but once I got over there I found out it was different; you're over there fighting for your own. Yamaha had treated me very well and they didn't want me to leave. They were disappointed that I left, and it's not something I would choose to do again.'

His one regret this year might be in Yamaha competition in 2003 (and perhaps longer), during this time of radical rule reshaping. '

Yeah, it's been a disappointment not to be running Superbike this year after doing it for the past several years,' he admitted. 'But that's just the way things go. I can only do what they offer. We'll have to wait and see. Hopefully Yamaha will be back in Superbike before too long. If things are all worked out right and the rules are right, who knows?

I'm definitely motivated to get back up in the top class. I'm sure everybody else is too that's out of it! But I'm really happy they have given me a bike I can win on - that's the main thing.'

Hacking is confident that the lessons he's learned in Supersport competition this past year will be directly applicable in the premier class as well, should he find his way back in the near future.

'Oh yeah, I showed speed on a Superbike before -I ran up front a lot, but I always made the stupid mistake or somebody took me out or whatever. Hopefully, Yamaha is working on a bike that's equally as good as the 600. If they do that, I feel I'm ready to make a run at that championship next.'