MIC Announces USSB Championship Series

[s a x m a n]

MIC Announces USSB Championship Series News Article // RoadracingWorld.com

Two competing championships?

There goes Motorcycle Road Racing in the USA ... now nobody (general public) is going to have any clue what the hell they are watching.

In addition, trying to get out of industry sponsors will be that much more difficult.

IMO this is not a great direction

[lrrs313]

Great. Fuckin great. For those that want to fast-forward ten years very easily, see: CART-IRL split.

And how, exactly, do they propose to develop new talent when they are only inviting factory teams?

[s a x m a n]

Our sport is just going to get that much more expensive I fear

[lrrs313]

Luckily for me, I hate watching AMA racing already. I'd much rather watch WSB or MotoGP. I guess some things won't be changing for a while.

[eboos]

It doesn't look as though the MIC has anything truely in place to actually run a 2009 season. This seems like a group of hot headed executives that will ultimately get themselves fired. Their bluff was called when DMG proposed the Factory Superbike class with WSBK rules, like the saber rattlers had asked for. When given what they wanted, they then wanted it to be structured like 2008 AMA Superbike rules.

Watch further, and you will see that there will be no USSB series in 2009 or ever. Give it a month or two and you will see an announcement stating that there was not enough support, or something like that so they could shift the blame from themselves for not having any realistic way to make this happen.

[Karaya One]

Yamaha will race the DMG series, Honda and Suzuki the USSB series. Kawasaki doesn't know.

This has CART / IRL written all over it if we have two series next year. Or AMA / NASB / FUSA again...

[Trackday Guru]

I'm a bit confused so...let's review:

As I see it, DMG wants to run/promote only the bikes that showcase their preferred forms racing, i.e. MotoST. What the hell happened to 600 supersport? And who in God's name left this out of the plan? 600SS is some of the hotest, closest racing at any given race weekend for years now. Barnburners all of them....DMG just doesn't seem to care about the needs of the manufacturers, much less what they want....hell, my 11 year old could tell you that if the manufacturers can't showcase what they are building, they can't/won't participate. As racing is, to them first and foremost, a development and promotional tool.

DMG has come up with a World SBK rules package that will make everyone happy, right? And should at least help attract Ducati back into US roadracing. Suzuki of course, wants nothing to do with this - they like things the way they are, as long as they are winning. And who can blame them? The fact that they compete against only themselves means no nevermind to them.

Ah, and what about Ducati? Will they save US roadracing? HELL NO! They are going to soon realize that the carrot being dangled in front of them by DMG is a precarious one at best, and if they bite they will be racing here alone against Suzuki (which again, Suzuki is OK with ) as Yamaha is not afraid to stop racing until they can be competetive and promote themselves effectively. They will go where the competition is and surely abandon their intent to race with DMG in short order because...........

USSB is the answer. Or more appropriately, the response. And a good one in that the MIC is effectively telling DMG that if they won't provide a racing structure that at least meets the needs of the manufacturers, then the manufacturers won't support, much less participate in their series. Honda and Kawasaki will like this, they now will have a platform for their development programs and to continue showcasing their product here in this country. Most importantly, a platform which to showcase the product they want to sell: the big 1thou's. Because here in America, bigger really is better. (insert joke of your choice here ).
But bad in that the fans will be missing out on the one true American iconic race that sets us apart from the rest of the world.

That's the bad news; that the fans will suffer the most through this. Kinda like Hockey has lost fans and the league is still paying for the price of not getting along with the teams and players in years past.

That these two "boys" that control top level racing in this country (DMG and now USSB) each have their fists firmly embedded in their pockets and neither is willing to play nice with the other and do what is in the best interest of all the players and fans is disheartening heading into another cold New England winter with months of waiting and waiting for the racing to start again, and the fans not knowing who will be around come beginning of 2009.

Hayes has already packed up and shipped out. Zemke is looking to do the same. Miguel will prolly stay here in the US due to his age, BTW: 39 my ass. Spies was denied his supposed rightful spot in MotoGP - if you listen closely....yup, I can still hear Loris giggling all the way from Spain. I guess that Allstare offer ain't looking too bad right about now, huh Ben? Mladin will stay only if he's paid what he's worth and someone is still here to keep him on his game. Jordan hasn't been happy here yet with the rules packages. I could go on and on........

That "one true American iconic race" I mentioned above is the first casualty: The 2009 Daytona 200. Back in it's heyday in the mid nineties, the world's top riders and hordes of international press decended on Daytona and literally took the town over for the week. Hasn't been like that in years now. Why? Because DMG operators ran it into the ground. First by treating the press poorly which caused them to not cover the event in person, and second by treating the teams and riders like they aren't needed. Play by our rules or go home. So basically, the riders and teams just stay home now and don't want to come and race at Daytona.

The race itself, like thier series, may still take place under DMG. But who will be there to race it? And will we know any of their names?

[a13x]

DMG > USSB

As someone who's been involved in this thing since Day 1, lemme tell ya, USSB members are self-serving *$#(@#'s who have no real interest in growing American roadracing as a sport.

I'll be watching, following, and participating with the AMA / DMG series. I recommend others do the same.

[eboos]

I do like the Trackday Guru's thought out counter point arguement. Initially, I thought that DMG was too ridgid in their stance, but according to the reporting of Roadracingworld.com, I concluded DMG was willing to make concessions that Honda and Suzuki were simply unwilling to accept.

[scottieducati]

Are the top people involved in US SBK racing petulant retards? Yes. Should we have a road race series that will converge with WSBK / BSB / WSS rules so they are the same (or very similar) worldwide? Yes.

I'll watch the real bikes thank you, DMG can suck it. Their direction was pretty much to mimic the NASCAR concept, it was / is only a matter of time before they have bikes w/ spec bodywork you can't tell apart aside from the huge numbers on the side and what color / sponsor it is.

[a13x]

Are the top people involved in US SBK racing petulant retards? Yes. Should we have a road race series that will converge with WSBK / BSB / WSS rules so they are the same (or very similar) worldwide? Yes.

I'll watch the real bikes thank you, DMG can suck it. Their direction was pretty much to mimic the NASCAR concept, it was / is only a matter of time before they have bikes w/ spec bodywork you can't tell apart aside from the huge numbers on the side and what color / sponsor it is.

Sorry Scott, but this popular glossing over of the situation is fairly inaccurate.

[scottieducati]

I'm certainly no industry insider like you Alex... and I really don't care WHAT DMG does.... The bottom line is having anything shy of a series comparable to WSBK, WSS and BSB, etc is a farse IMO. I don't want to watch bullshit "localized" rules, and I certainly don't want to watch "Daytona Superbike." I probably will watch very, very little US racing next year, WSBK, WSS and MotoGP are more than enough to whet my appetite.

Until we have the same rules in the US, (that are actually enforced, one thing I applaud DMG for) our national series will fade into relative insignificance as it has been steadily doing so for quite some time. We have shit tracks (slowly getting more quality tracks built), our own rules which until very recently, didn't mean squat anyway, which adds up to a show that doesn't mean a damn thing in any sort of bigger picture.

I really don't care WHO gets it right, but having a class or set of rules entirely for the US, hurts everybody involved, hurts the sport, and cheats the fans out of what should be consistent, competitive racing, which we simply, don't have right now.

If you watch BSB, WSBK and WSS (as I'm sure you do), I find it hard to comprehend how anyone could argue with that formula.

[cdovego]

It appears the silly season has begun early and is fortified with extra silliness this year.

It's going to be a long winter while we all wait.

[Jonny Rocket]

This is utter "Douchebaggery" coming into play. The Factories have been able to get away with cheating to tip the hand in their favor for so long, that they don't know how to abide by the rules and win. They are so fat of the hog that they don't want to see it any other way than the status quo.

On the other side, the DMG messed up and showed their hand. They came in way too strong before the Factories commited to a new season. DMG should have let things go as normal, let the Factories commit to a new season of changed rules, and then layed the smack down with Tech inspections.

Whatever happens, I am so not interested in watching the Factories battle it out among themselves for a Factory Superbike Series. *YAWN*

[Crash Dummy Denno]

This is utter "Douchebaggery" coming into play. The Factories have been able to get away with cheating to tip the hand in their favor for so long, that they don't know how to abide by the rules and win. They are so fat of the hog that they don't want to see it any other way than the status quo.

On the other side, the DMG messed up and showed their hand. They came in way too strong before the Factories commited to a new season. DMG should have let things go as normal, let the Factories commit to a new season of changed rules, and then layed the smack down with Tech inspections.

Whatever happens, I am so not interested in watching the Factories battle it out among themselves for a Factory Superbike Series. *YAWN*

that sums up what I'm thinkin... But I had no idea the factories weren't committed to DMG though... I just want to see some racing that's all about the rider - is that so wrong?

[eboos]

If you would like more proof of my point...

here it is.

[Jonny Rocket]

If you would like more proof of my point...

here it is.

That is a very informative article!

[s a x m a n]

That a very interesting read for sure

[SVRACER01]

im not gonna pretend i understand all/any of whats going onbut the gist i get is this....

it almost seems like no matter what happens, american roadracing will lose ALL of its credibility to the world. Moto GP is the top of the food chain and when people like Nicky and Hopper went there people took notice. just like when people like Bayliss and Hodgeson went to WSBK. the BSBK series is a respected series with top riders. i think anyone that comes from the US after all the dust settles is gonna have a scarlet letter on them. i wont be surprised if people start jumping ship (leaving the US series(s)) faster than you can count them. Mladin has no where to go because hes a no body everywhere else and hes such an ego maniac that if he cant win then why bother, which im sure is why he didnt move to WSBK 5 championships ago.

[eboos]

american roadracing will lose ALL of its credibility to the world.

Will lose? It already has. While there is a great pool of talent in American roadracing, something that is undeniable, the execution of it as a business has been very poor. Rule enforcement is one of the issues. I am hopeful that DMG understands the business side of racing a lot better then most people that would comment on their efforts.

Leaving a national series for an international one, to me, is a logical next step and something to celebrate. Why do we cheer for Nicky Hayden? Because he was the best in America, then became the best in the world (opinions may very, but you get the point). If he was just an American but didn't race in the AMA, would we even really care about him?

[SVRACER01]

Will lose? It already has. While there is a great pool of talent in American roadracing, something that is undeniable, the execution of it as a business has been very poor. Rule enforcement is one of the issues. I am hopeful that DMG understands the business side of racing a lot better then most people that would comment on their efforts.

Leaving a national series for an international one, to me, is a logical next step and something to celebrate. Why do we cheer for Nicky Hayden? Because he was the best in America, then became the best in the world (opinions may very, but you get the point). If he was just an American but didn't race in the AMA, would we even really care about him?

what i meant was, Nicky was a championship winner and people (not just the US) took notice when he moved to Moto GP. if this continues when a "US champ" wants to move up to the world stage everyone is gonna say..."who?"

[eboos]

The parallel to that is, I have no idea who the last BSBK champion was. In fact, I can not even name a single BSBK rider. While I am sure that the series in very well run, it is just not something that I have followed. I don't expect that other countries would follow our series with the exception that it is known for producing world championship talent. That is something that I do not think will change, infact, our talent pool will grow with developement series' like the AMA Red Bull Rookie Cup.

AMA racing under DMG's leadership will move in a positive direction.

[SVRACER01]

while i havent followed it in a while, the last time i was keeping up with it was when GP went to 4 strokes. thats when we had a bunch of BSBK riders move around. Chris Walker, Neil Hodgeson, Troy Bayliss, Foggy, Byrne, Haslam, Rutter are all names of top riders that have been in or are in BSBK that have raced elsewhere and done well.

[Karaya One]

The parallel to that is, I have no idea who the last BSBK champion was. In fact, I can not even name a single BSBK rider.

Some British dude. Liked warm beer. You know, that guy.

[a13x]

I'm certainly no industry insider like you Alex... and I really don't care WHAT DMG does.... The bottom line is having anything shy of a series comparable to WSBK, WSS and BSB, etc is a farse IMO. I don't want to watch bullshit "localized" rules, and I certainly don't want to watch "Daytona Superbike." I probably will watch very, very little US racing next year, WSBK, WSS and MotoGP are more than enough to whet my appetite.

Until we have the same rules in the US, (that are actually enforced, one thing I applaud DMG for) our national series will fade into relative insignificance as it has been steadily doing so for quite some time. We have shit tracks (slowly getting more quality tracks built), our own rules which until very recently, didn't mean squat anyway, which adds up to a show that doesn't mean a damn thing in any sort of bigger picture.

I really don't care WHO gets it right, but having a class or set of rules entirely for the US, hurts everybody involved, hurts the sport, and cheats the fans out of what should be consistent, competitive racing, which we simply, don't have right now.

If you watch BSB, WSBK and WSS (as I'm sure you do), I find it hard to comprehend how anyone could argue with that formula.

Too bad you feel that way man. You're gonna miss some great racing action next season.

I'm not gonna write a novel on this topic, cause I could easily. If anyone would like to discuss in depth come find me at the next Loudon round at the campfire.