Kinda sad competition in Moto America

[number9]

That is all about having (or not having) a good functional national series.

PhilB

I'm not sure I agree with that 100%. It's important, sure, but it's not the only thing, or even the most important thing.

Casey Stoner won the Aprilia 250 Cup in Australia and then left for Europe at 14. He never raced in the Australian Superbike Championship (now called Formula Xtreme). Troy Bayliss did race in that championship, however, but never won it. His big break was getting a one-off ride in the 250cc class at the Australian GP and finishing in 6th on a horrible bike. After that he got an offer to go to the BSB.

Troy Corser ran Formula Xtreme, though, and he competed in the AMA series. Then he went to Europe for WSBK...

Wayne Gardner's son Remy is competing in Moto2 or Moto3 in Europe, not in Australia. Mick Doohan's son Jack is trying for a F1 ride so he's on four wheels and not two...

[PhilB]

I'm not sure I agree with that 100%. It's important, sure, but it's not the only thing, or even the most important thing.

Casey Stoner won the Aprilia 250 Cup in Australia and then left for Europe at 14. He never raced in the Australian Superbike Championship (now called Formula Xtreme). Troy Bayliss did race in that championship, however, but never won it. His big break was getting a one-off ride in the 250cc class at the Australian GP and finishing in 6th on a horrible bike. After that he got an offer to go to the BSB.

Troy Corser ran Formula Xtreme, though, and he competed in the AMA series. Then he went to Europe for WSBK...

Wayne Gardner's son Remy is competing in Moto2 or Moto3 in Europe, not in Australia. Mick Doohan's son Jack is trying for a F1 ride so he's on four wheels and not two...

OK, fine. That is 99% about having (or not having) a good functional national series. Sure, you can always find exceptions, but on a practical level, those who will do that are very few, already motivated, and already have support to do that. Not very many kids are going to have parents who will move to another country or another continent so they can race motorcycles. A good national series, with a few racing classes to move through, is essential to building/developing/finding a pool of talent big enough to produce multiple top racers. Especially in America, where there are no other nearby options. If you're in a smal European country, there are other countries nearby with series; you might not even have to move. In the U.S., not so much.

PhilB

[number9]

OK, fine. That is 99% about having (or not having) a good functional national series. Sure, you can always find exceptions, but on a practical level, those who will do that are very few, already motivated, and already have support to do that. Not very many kids are going to have parents who will move to another country or another continent so they can race motorcycles. A good national series, with a few racing classes to move through, is essential to building/developing/finding a pool of talent big enough to produce multiple top racers. Especially in America, where there are no other nearby options. If you're in a smal European country, there are other countries nearby with series; you might not even have to move. In the U.S., not so much.

PhilB

Phil, you're right. 100% agreed. I think I made a mountain out of a molehill..

[oVTo]

I don't know if anyone else has been watching the series on bein, but there's been some great racing this season.

This weekend at Road America they had to deal with either a wet track (KTM RC cup), or a drying track (Supersport), leading to a lot of close racing and late lead changes. The KTM race finished with 0.034 seconds between 1st and 2nd, Supersport was 0.004, and the Superstock 600 leaders were 0.023 apart. Sunday's race was dry, and the Supersport race still featured only 0.095 between the winner and the first loser.

The Yamahas have more motor, but the Suzukis seem to be better at late braking. The riders have to apply different strategies to get by and stay in front.

[Mgiossi]

I have watched every round this year so far and I have to say it really is good racing. So far VIR I think was the best. When herin was leading the super bike race on a super stock I was out of my seat yelling at the tv! It was an awesome round and in my opinion is better the world super bike to watch this year. bein has been doing great coverage I only wish there was some way to watch it later instead of always having to see it live. Similar to how moto gp and superbike do steaming from there sites

[Woodcraft]

I haven't read every post in this thread, but the overall consensus in the paddock from several of the top teams is that the racing is well organized and well run. That's the first step for factory team involvement (which is why they all left the DMG series). The next step is to get TV time and media coverage. That's a work in progress. I personally spoke to Chuck Askland on the phone last week and they are working on a number of things. There is some really good stuff happening as a result of Rainey and crew being in charge - we have a number of international riders in the series who are genuine stars. We have guys like Danny Eslick and Cameron Beaubier getting rides for World level races. This is all very good stuff. The series needs to promote the stars much like the NBA does. You always hear Lebron and the Cavs are playing Steph and the Warriors...all season long. People get interested when they decide to like (or dislike) someone and thereby feel like they care about the results.

As an aside, another reason for talking to Chuck last week was to discuss the potential for having MA come to NHMS. All I can say at the moment is that when the track gets repaved (and likely reconfigured) that the door is open. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and will remain in contact with them when the time comes that NHMS starts looking at the upgrade. I'd love to have them back.

[Mgiossi]

As an aside, another reason for talking to Chuck last week was to discuss the potential for having MA come to NHMS. All I can say at the moment is that when the track gets repaved (and likely reconfigured) that the door is open. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and will remain in contact with them when the time comes that NHMS starts looking at the upgrade. I'd love to have them back.

[isaac_]

As an aside, another reason for talking to Chuck last week was to discuss the potential for having MA come to NHMS. All I can say at the moment is that when the track gets repaved (and likely reconfigured) that the door is open. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and will remain in contact with them when the time comes that NHMS starts looking at the upgrade. I'd love to have them back.

I see the upside in all this.

But the selfish person in me says I still have too much to learn in the current configuration (bumps and all!). I know many have raced the current configuration for years. But having just started... I'm not ready to let go!

[backinthesaddle]

Herrin was on it at VIR. I had a feeling he wouldn't be able to sustain that wild ride and was bummed when his race came to an end but what a charge !

[reks95]

I'm not sure if there are enough riders in the top classes. The superstock race seems better, but gets no coverage because it's not the premier class. Hopefully, more teams will join next year.

The biggest TV improvement they need is commentating. Maybe they'll get better at it too, but I find myself reaching for the Mute button.