M4 EMGO Suzuki to appeal penalty

Team M4 Emgo Suzuki to appeal AMA penalty

(Team Hammer Release) The AMA announced on Thursday that Team M4 EMGO Suzuki's Martin Cardenas was fined $2000 and docked 20 championship points. The team is bitterly disappointed in this ruling and will appeal.

After finishing third in the Laguna Seca Supersport race, Martin's Suzuki GSX-R600 was ruled to have an illegal modification to the crankcase breather tube in the post-race technical inspection. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki crew chief Keith Perry had consulted Kevin Crowther, the head of the AMA technical staff, about this modification in 2006 and received approval to make the change. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki machines passed tech inspection for the last two seasons with these modifications.

The team is disappointed the AMA has decided to change their policy without any notice or warning. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki feels the sanctioning body should operate in an open and honest manner, one devoted to fair play and consistent decisions. This ruling and others like it make it difficult for Team M4 EMGO Suzuki and the other squads to trust the AMA.

"I'm extremely disappointed in the AMA's ruling and even more disappointed in how some people with the AMA seem to have selective memory about their discussions," said Perry. "It's more than just one or two people involved. There are several different teams and individuals that have been told the same thing. I guess I need a legal secretary and a tape recorder every time we talk with AMA tech if we can't count on them to remember what they tell us."

Additionally, crew chief Perry was never notified via phone or email about the ruling. He found out about it like everyone else, by reading published reports of the AMA's press release.

"The situation is mind boggling to us," continued Perry. "We plan to play it out in the appeals process and we're confident we will win. Obviously, Martin has nothing to do with the preparation of the bike and we're sorry his name has gotten dragged into this unfortunate situation."