Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin said he wants to sit out the 2004 Daytona 200 because he’s worried about Dunlop’s recent tire failures caused by heavy, high-powered racebikes and the demands of the high-speed racetrack.

“With all the problems that happened yesterday again here at Daytona with tires, I don’t like my chances of being back here for the race on the Superbike,” Mladin told Roadracingworld.com Wednesday morning, referring to Jason DiSalvo’s tire failure and crash Tuesday at the Speedway. “Because to me you’re just playing Russian Roulette, and something’s going to happen one day, and I don’t want it to happen to me. Simply because we’ve outgrown this racetrack, full-stop.

“You’re playing Russian Roulette with this racetrack now with the performance of the motorcycles, a lot of power, a lot of torque being put through, a lot of load on the bikes. The bikes are getting heavier, which doesn’t help.

“I’ll do my absolute best to see that I don’t have to come and race here in March. I prefer to start with a 37-point deficit than come and race here.

“When there’s kids out there and the kids are worried about what’s going to happen to them, the riders, and they speak to you about it (pauses) that plays on your own conscience. When you’ve got a 19-year-old kid on your team (Ben Spies) and he’s thrown down the road at 186 mph two months ago…these kids haven’t even done anything with their lives yet and they’re already worried about having to ride at Daytona.

“I remember when I was 19 when I was racing Superbike I was care-free. I had no worries, none at all. But I knew nothing like this was going to happen. Now everyone sits on the bike and goes around the banking wondering if they’re going to end up in the wall at 185-190 mph. At that plays on my conscience.”