July 17, 2008

Chris Martin

Talk about the mother of all birthday surprises.

A couple short weeks back AMA Superbike superstar Jamie Hacking was out enjoying dinner to celebrate his 37th birthday when he got the call. He was due to fly to Japan to get in a quick two-day test aboard Kawasaki's 800cc ZX-RR Grand Prix racer in preparation for his MotoGP debut at Laguna Seca.

The truth is, Hacking had briefly entertained the prospects of getting a wild card entry for the weekend earlier this season when Roger Hayden, who impressed thoroughly when given a similar opportunity last season, was placed on the shelf due to his crash at Barber Motorsports Park and looking at a lengthy rehab.

Disappointingly, those chances seemed to evaporate when Kawasaki announced they wouldn't be fielding a wild card rider in America this season as they choose to instead focus their efforts on fulltime riders John Hopkins and Anthony West in a season that's proven to be more of a struggle than anticipated for the green team.

However, Hopkins' misfortune at Assen ruled him out of competition until after the summer break as he healed, reopening the door for Hacking. The British-born Carolinina was all too happy to storm through in order to get what could prove to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform at the pinnacle of his chosen profession.

"I was ecstatic," said of the moment he got the word. "I was blown away to find out I was getting a chance to actually race a MotoGP bike."

Prior to throwing a leg over the machine, Hacking tried to glean whatever information he could from his friend Ben Spies, the two-time defending AMA Superbike champ who recently made his own MotoGP debut at Donington Park.

"I talked with Ben while he was at Donington and we were going back and forth about what were the hardest things for him so I already had a pretty good idea what I was in store for. And we traded some phone calls while I was in Japan and had some pretty good laughs about the bikes -- how incredible they are to ride."

It seems as if Spies' advice might have done some good as Hacking quickly got up to speed, making his way around the Autopolis circuit in Japan under the lap record. That said, it did take a bit of getting used to.

"I got on the bike and it was a lot to take in with the electronics -- not being able to blip the throttle and downshift and not pulling in the clutch. It's just something I'm not used to after riding motorcycles for so long. I've been trained to do this and that and all of the sudden someone is telling you not to. Plus there were the new brakes to learn and the different tires and the whole new motorcycle.

"It was a lot to take in the first day, but I enjoyed the riding. I'd been to Autopolis one time before so I knew my way around a little bit. I just put in some steady laps all day long and got in quite a few the first day just getting familiar with the bike. I didn't change much with the handlebar or seating position. The bike is so small, the handlebars just kind of suited the bike. I opened them up just a little bit because the bike is obviously small. Once I did that, I felt like I'd been on the bike a while. I felt comfortable right away.

"Along with the brakes, the electronics package on the bike is just incredible -- how soon you can open up the throttle and how progressive the power is. I was expecting a huge power hit and it was nothing like that. It was nothing like our Superbikes, which are really hard to ride, just with how the power comes on them and how much torque they have. I was really impressed."

Even if his GP experience had ended with that solitary test it would have been a career milestone for the three-time AMA support class champ. Still, he had to keep his mind on the task at hand and not get too caught up in it all.

"It's not something everyone can say that they've ridden a MotoGP bike. But, you know, a bike is a bike and I try not to overload myself with, 'wow, how cool is this?' Once I put the leathers on and put the bike in gear it's just a motorcycle and I ride it to the best of my ability and not worry about it being a GP bike. I mean, the cool factor is definitely there that I'm getting to ride it, but I'm just looking to do a good job."

Expectations are quite high -- perhaps unfairly so -- for both Hacking and Spies at Laguna Seca, a circuit they've both excelled on in the past. Not helping matters in that regard is Roger Hayden's stunning top-ten run in his GP debut at the track a year ago.

Still, Hayden set the bar providing Hacking with something to set his sights upon. "It's nice to have a goal to shoot for. Obviously, Rog did a great job last year and pulled out a top ten in the first time he rode it. That was great. For me to shoot for that same goal wouldn't be unrealistic. Hopefully I can do just as good as he did."

Making a direct comparison difficult is the fact that Kawasaki has yet to really find their stride in '08.

Hacking said, "It seems like they've had a little bit of a struggle this year, just a few minor problems. John is new to the team so he's still trying to learn the bike. Unfortunately, he's had some injuries that have held him back a little bit. We don't know if it's the bike or if John just isn't completely comfortable on the bike yet."

If Hacking can perform like he hopes to, naturally people will want to see him do it again when the series returns to American soil to visit the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Asked if he thought that possibility might be out there, Hacking explained, "It hasn't been mentioned. This is an opportunity for me to ride in MotoGP and whatever happens after that, my results will speak for themselves and everything will take care of itself. Nothing has been talked about beyond this. Our goal is to just do a good job and make everybody proud."

While Jamie will keep himself busy this weekend, it's not an unusually heavy workload for a rider who has competed in more than one class pretty much his entire career prior to this season. In fact, two races this weekend is one short of his typical duties from a year ago, although his unfamiliarity with the exotic MotoGP machinery does add to the challenge.

With a laugh he said, "It seems like the only year I take a break to totally concentrate on one bike I get the opportunity to ride the MotoGP bike. It's going to be hard to jump back and forth between the two bikes because they're so different. There's no comparison. We're jumping off our Superbike and going into another class with some of the premier motorcycle racers in the world. I won't have to worry about a bunch of young kids dive-bombing on me or anything like that. These guys are seasoned veterans so it's a little bit more relaxing knowing that.

"Both bikes are similar in power so at least I won't be going from one bike that's really slow to one that's really fast. Physically, I'm fit so I don't think the double duty will be too hard in that respect."

Asked how he plans to split his focus between his day job and this rare opportunity, Hacking was quick to say, "First thing, AMA Superbike is the main priority here this weekend. I need to stay focused and keep making the progress we've been making every weekend on the bike. We're still trying to climb our way up the championship and maybe take over third place by the time we leave Laguna Seca.

"On the other side, I want to do a good job in MotoGP, but that's going to have to happen after we get everything sorted out on the Superbike."

While they aren't actually teammates, many fans will essentially see Hacking and Spies as such this weekend, as they unite under the AMA Superbike banner to take on the best the world has to offer with the home crowd rooting them on.

"We're excited," Hacking remarked. "Ben is really excited that I get take part in the same event that he is. We're pretty close friends and it's going to be pretty cool. It's going to be a good weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. I think both of us just want to do a good job and make everybody proud while we're representing our series."