Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1035029
VOL. 55 ISSUE 39 OCTOBER 2, 2018 P117 mostly better when the ultimate result comes down to a head-to- head battle late in a race. Can Beaubier Catch Mladin? It now appears more certain than ever that Beaubier is likely destined to race his entire career in MotoAmerica. Even though he's very much in his prime, he's in a position, similar in many ways to Mat Mladin 20 years ago, where no ride that might be available to him in a world championship series would be a title contender, nor would he be able to make any- where near the money he's making here in the domestic championship if he tried to make the jump. With that in mind, it's at least conceivable that Beaubier could go on to rack up Mladin-type all- time career numbers. Beaubier has 32 career AMA Superbike wins after five years in the series. At that same point in his career Mladin had 18. Mladin didn't have the advantage of regular double- header rounds during his first five years, if he had, the first-five-years numbers would have been very similar between to two. And Beau- bier has time on his side. Consider if he races until he's 35—at an average of eight wins per year that would be 80 more wins, combined with his 32 now! If Beaubier stays he could easily obliterate all previ- ous win and championship records (Mladin's records are 82 wins and seven titles and he retired at age 37) and become the first 100-win rider in MotoAmerica/AMA Super- bike history. Series Growth, Yet a Long Way to Go MotoAmerica cannot be faulted for trying new things. This year it signed a new branding and spon- sorship agreement and brought in big-name attractions at some rounds in an attempt to attract younger fans (i.e. Tony Hawk And Friends at Road Atlanta). It also stepped up with a very aggressive push on social media. You have to meet younger fans where they live, but it takes time to see if these types of efforts pay dividends. There were good signs. Notably MotoAmerica announced at So- noma that pre-event ticket sales for the Cycle Gear Championship of Sonoma, were up by over 30 per- cent. The Dunlop M4 Suzuki Two- Seat Superbike Program, run by Team Hammer, Inc., continued to provide thrills, expand minds, and offer local media the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation for the skills demanded from the riders of the MotoAmerica Championship. On the ground you could see crowds slightly better than in 2017, but are the numbers good enough to sustain the series long term? Se- ries officials spoke privately of get- ting to a financial break-even, but numbers likely need to continue to improve to attract major sponsor- ship and additional factory support, something that could place the series on a more stable footing. Fans Still Having Trouble Watching the Series on TV MotoAmerica was fully aware of the difficulties fans faced this year with local cable and/or satellite providers turning off beIN Sports due to the broadcast company's ongoing negotiations with its distributors. "We understand our fans' frustrations," said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. "We know that beIN is diligently work- ing on getting the issues resolved and progress has been made. In the meantime, there are ways around the issue, so we can all continue to watch MotoAmerica, MotoGP and World Superbike. We have been assured that this matter is being resolved as quickly as possible." Despite what MotoAmerica characterized as "temporary is- sues," it claimed that interest and viewership of the MotoAmerica Series rose dramatically in 2018, saying the domestic series moved ahead of World Superbike and ap- proached MotoGP numbers. Total viewership (television and digital) for the 2018 season was up 50 percent, year over year. What it boils down to is beIN understands what it has in MotoGP and it desires to be a regular cable sports channel across the board like ESPN and Fox Sports. The cable systems have been hearing loud and clear from motorcycle racing fans of their displeasure about cutting off beIN. The silver lining is that it's likely that when this issue is cleared up and the network and cable provid- ers come to terms, beIN will be in a stronger position. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives