championship points became unassailable and Mladin lost the championship for the 3rd year in a row to Spies. It is a known that all Yoshimura bikes on that day had the same crankshaft. Mladin's bike was the only one inspected. Upon his disqualification, Spies and Hayden were moved up the ladder into first and second placings, also riding illegal bikes. On 31 July 2009, Mladin announced that he would retire from the AMA Superbike Championship at the end of the season, and the announcement came as Mladin refused to take part in that weekend's round at Heartland Park, Kansas due to concerns over rider safety at the circuit: Mladin is known for his campaign for improved rider safety through improvements into the circuits. Mat won the 2009 AMA Superbike championship, and then retired. Personal He lives near Oakdale, New South Wales, with his wife and two children. In 1998 he commented that "I don't enjoy all the press side of things at all, I enjoy my racing and I enjoy winning like nothing else.". Career statistics Grand Prix AMA Pro Racing References 1972 births Australian motorcycle racers Living people 500cc World Championship riders Superbike World Championship riders AMA Superbike Championship riders Motorcycle racers from Sydney