AMA Laguna Seca Superbike Finale

The AMA Superbike Series for 2008 ended at Laguna Seca. For the first time since I have covered the series, it felt like the end of high school. Everyone I ran into said the same thing. Where would we all be next year? As at the end of school, some would go off to university, some would maybe join the military, and others would find a job or travel. It would not be the same. There was a sense of melancholy throughout the paddock.

So where would we all go next year? We know that Ben Spies will head to World Superbike riding a factory Yamaha. Will Mat Mladin, the six-time AMA champ, even race again? Josh Hayes will more than likely end up on the Parkalar World Supersport 600cc machine. And it's looking quite likely that longtime Honda rider Jake Zemke will lead the Boulder Motorsports Ducati effort. While career choices are being made, we wait for some final decision to be made about how the AMA Superbike series under the DMG banner will transform itself for 2009. Or will there be an alternative series? We'll just have to see.

Leaving the track on Sunday evening, people were making the rounds, saying their goodbyes. The oddity is that within this small world of motorcycle racing, people move on, and so you'll always meet people somewhere in the world in a difference series. Maybe this really is like going off to university?