3-Time AMA Champ Jamie Hacking Without a Ride Going Into the 2010 Season...

One of the oddities of the rise and fall of the economy is the effect it has on people. Whether it

be the million dollar corporate exec, the regular working guy, or even the factory-contracted pilots who risk their lives on a regular basis to thrill us in the sport of motorcycle road racing.

Obviously for the working guy, tomorrow can be a big if. The million dollar exec will most often survive--if he didn't spend foolishly and invested and saved properly. And the factory pilot? Well, he may be okay in terms of financials in dealing with the economy, but no one knows no

work like an out of job motorcycle racer. When you aren't on the track, when you aren't in the

limelight of the public and/or fan's eyes, when you aren't out their showing your stuff, the world

of motorcycle racing can and will leave you behind.

Of all of the current motorcycle road racers out of work, 'former' factory pilot Jamie Hacking is

one who hopes it won't leave him behind. As are his fans, such as myself, who consider it a tragedy that a man with the skill and talent levels of The Hacker, who has more then proved himself on the track. With his three AMA Championships, his superbike class wins and points

tallies, and his numerous wins in Supersport and Superstock races among many other accomplishments, Jamie Hacking has a racing resume that The Pope would be impressed with.

And for mere mortals such as myself, I and many other fans over the course of the last 12-13 years have seen what this man has done on the track and the rapport he has with the fans and

the sheer excitement level that he brings to a race, and you have to wonder why he doesn't have

a contract to race motorcycles for the upcoming season?

There are several possibilities, most of which would point to the overall economy as how it

pertains to motorcycles, motorcycle road racing, and motorcycle sales. And without a doubt

some of it could point to the reckless way that the AMA/DMG people ran roughshod on the

paddock last year and drove off the people and teams and factories and Japanese that had

supported the U.S. series for decades. But that is for someone else to debate and argue and

point out. And to help you wonder why as much as I do and have, or to better help you to make

up your own mind on the reason, I have included the press releases from the last few days so

that you can do so. First I have to take the time to thank my main man, Larry Lawrence,

for his outlook on the current subject over at his website http://www.theriderfiles.com/. And then thanks again to Dean Adams and his crew for the interview and spin over at his site

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/. And last but not least the great people at http://www.cyclenews.com/

for Paul Carruthers fine interview with Jamie as well. And just to help better ingrain in you

what type of racer and champ that Jamie Hacking is and has been, I have added the link

to his stat page from his website, http://www.jamiehacking.com/ and another link and general overview of his racing career as well.

In the meantime, we wish Jamie Hacking and his family the VERY best of luck in not only your

personal life, but in your future career as a motorcycle racer, whatever path that that may take

in the future. We know no matter where The Hacker lands on a road race track that he will be

tearing up the competition, bringing it home, smiling from ear to ear, and being the class act and

spokesman for the sport he has always been. And we will be standing on the sidelines shooting

the pics, grinning and shaking our heads, and rooting for him all the way!
http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=2387

http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jan/100106-92.htm

http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jan/100108-92-interview.htm

http://cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2010/01/06/hacking-nothing-yet

http://www.jamiehacking.com/stats.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Hacking

While you are taking a read, today's Stu's Shots come to you from beautiful Road America, in

Elkhart Lake, WI., during the '04 and '06 AMA Supersport and Superstock campaigns.

Starting out we have Jamie on the Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 Superstock machine coming

out of turn 8 during practice for the '06 round. He won the '06 AMA Superstock Championship later that year, along with the '06 AMA 600 Supersport Championship. The last time anyone

won both championships in the same year was in the late '80s when Doug Polen did it. Pretty cool and hard to attain feat, for sure.

We then see Jamie leading in the earlier stages of the 600 Supersport race on the #1 as they come into turn 14 at Road America in '04. He's leading his teammate Aaron Gobert on the #96 Graves Motorsports Yamaha R6, followed by teammates and brothers Tommy Hayden on the #22 and Roger Lee Hayden on the #95 Team Kawasaki ZX6R-based machines, with #40 Jason DiSalvo on another Graves bike trying to stay ahead of #11 Ben Spies on a Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR-600. Jamie was the defending 600 Supersport Champion from '03, hence the change to

his number plate in this class.

We then have a paddock shot from '06 of Jamie's championship-winning Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 Superstock machines as they are in various stages of being prepped for the weekend races.

Fourth on today's list is JH again on the #2 Graves Yamaha R1 trying to chase down #95 Roger Lee Hayden on his #95 Team Kawasaki ZX10R-inspired mount during the Superstock finale in '04.

And last but not least is Jamie giving it his best impression of WFO coming out of turn 8 during

practice for the '04 Superstock race at Road America.

Thanks again to all of you for coming by and for spending your time with Stu's Shots. We hope you have seen something that will want you to keep coming back to enjoy this wonderful thing of motorcycle racing and to hang out again with us and do some bench racing while we try to stay

warm from the chill of a January winter in the midwest and get amped up for the upcoming motorcycle racing season. Take care, God Bless and have a safe week.