Hacking: 2006 AMA Supersport Champion

(AMA Pro Racing Release) Jamie Hacking, the 35-year-old British born rider from Denver, N.C., clinched the 2006 Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei with his victory at round nine of the series on Sunday, Aug. 20, at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.

Hacking took the title in fine style, dicing with M4 EMGO Suzuki riders Geoff May and Michael Barnes, who each took a turn in the lead, en route to his sixth consecutive victory aboard the factory Yamaha.

For Hacking winning back the championship he first earned in 2003 was one of the most satisfying accomplishments of his 10-year AMA professional racing career.

“Getting this championship back is something that’s been a goal of mine for the last three years,” Hacking said. “This feels every bit as good as winning the first one. Coming back from injury and all makes it really special. To get this title back for Yamaha and my crew feels especially good. They gave me the best bike out there for sure. To wrap it up with two races to go is just incredible. It’s been a great season and now I’ll turn my attention to winning the Superstock title.”

Hacking also leads the Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series. He is trying to become only the second rider ever to win both the AMA Supersport and Superstock Championships in the same season. To date Doug Polen is the only rider ever able to accomplish the feat. He did it in 1988.

Hacking had a stellar AMA Supersport campaign. After finishing second to Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden in the first two rounds, Hacking won six straight races, the longest consecutive win streak in the class since Miguel Duhamel in 1995. Hacking moved sharply up the rankings on the AMA Supersport all-times wins list. Beginning the season tied for fourth on the list, Hacking, now with 18-career wins after VIR, is second to Miguel Duhamel for all-time Supersport victories.

Hacking’s title marks the fifth AMA Supersport championship for Yamaha. Scott Zampach (1989), David Sadowski (1990), Jamie James (1994) and Hacking in 2003 were past champions riding Yamahas.

The Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei ranks second in importance to AMA Superbike among road racing classes. In spite of Hacking’s dominance in the series this season, the class is typically one of the most closely contested in all of AMA racing. Past champions of the series are a Who’s Who in American road racing including riders such as Miguel Duhamel, David Sadowski, Nicky Hayden, Kurtis Roberts, Aaron Yates, Eric Bostrom, Tom Kipp and Tommy Hayden.

Hacking joins Polen, Duhamel and Tommy Hayden as the only multi-time champs of the series.