When AMA Pro Racing took two wins away from Mat Mladin a few weeks ago after finding the crank inside Mladin’s bike illegal, his Yoshimura Suzuki team immediately appealed the decision. AMA Pro Racing has now denied that appeal, and with the loss of these points Mladin’s teammate Ben Spies is the 2008 Superbike champion. This is the third championship in a row for Spies, and, although Spies likely would have won the title anyway, there is some irony in that Spies bike was not examined on that same weekend, yet it was built by the same team.
The final round of this year’s championship series at Laguna Seca will now feature a shoot-out between Spies and Mladin while neither rider has anything to lose.