Yates paying off for Jordan

That was nearly five years ago. Today, Michael Jordan's Motorsports Suzuki Team competes on the AMA Superstock and Superbike circuit, with its next stop at Infineon Raceway this weekend in the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown.

Last year Jordan hired veteran racer Aaron Yates and it paid off with the team's first wins.

This year Yates has already won two of six races in Superstock and leads that class in points.

Geoff May, like Yates a Georgia native, has also been added to Jordan's team this year. May concentrates on Superstock while Yates races both Superstock and Superbikes.

Both will race Superstock and Superbike at Infineon.

Yates said both bikes can hit the same speeds -- up to 140 mph at Infineon -- but more modifications are allowed on the Superbikes.

While Suzuki riders Ben Spies and Mat Mladin have dominated Superbike, Yates said its a challenge to try and catch them.

"Everybody is working hard to close in on them," he said.

When Jordan tabbed Yates to be on his team, he was getting a racing veteran who has competed in just about every class on every course in the country.

Yates is the only rider to win in Superbike (1996), Supersport (2002) and Superstock (1996) at Infineon.

"I've been doing this for a long time," Yates said. "You just race hard and do the best you can."

Jordan, who's also a part owner and Managing Member of Basketball Operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, won't be in his customary spot in an Infineon suite puffing on a cigar this weekend.

"He comes to about 75 percent of the races," said Yates, who since he started racing in 1993 has won four AMA championships, his most recent in 2005 in Superstock.

Jordan was at the series opener at Daytona and continues to say that he didn't enter the racing business as a lark but wants to win.

Bucking the factory teams can be expensive and now with factory support from Suzuki, which includes bikes and technicians, Jordan Motorsports budget is estimated between $2-3.5 million a year. Factory teams probably spend close to $7 million a year.

One of Jordan Motorsports sponsors is Jordan Brand, a division of Nike. The team's sponsor list for the season includes 37 companies, among them Hanes, Gatorade, Oakley and American Suzuki.

The team colors this season represent the 23rd franchise Jordan Brand shoe (the Air Jordan XXIII). The bikes are painted Carolina blue and feature special tank stitching with the letters "MJ" linked together.

Yates said racing for a factory team definitely has its advantages, but racing for a "satellite team" like Jordan Motorsports isn't all that different, especially with more backing from Suzuki.

"The sport has grown," said Yates. "There's more riders."

Yates, 33, said he speaks with Jordan whenever he comes to a race and said the 45-year-old former NBA great obviously loves motorcycles and hasn't lost any of his competitiveness.

"He's always asking about whatever he can do to help," Yates said. "He just seems like a really cool guy and a big motorcycle fan. It's just a neat feeling representing Michael Jordan."