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/1151987
THE STATE OF MOTOAMERICA P92 Feature Regardless of whether a rider wants to go to WorldSBK or not, the fact is it is becoming harder and harder to make a living as a professional motorcycle racer. MotoAmerica runs the Superbike Premier Entry program, which provides $4000 per weekend guaranteed to riders who sign up for the whole series and have a significant presence in the paddock (i.e., hospitality area, transporter, etc.). However, their efforts to provide a sustainable championship are dependent on manufacturer support. Even if there is a lack of factory involve- ment, companies like Kawasaki, Suzuki and BMW have stepped up with attractive contingency programs to at least keep riders on their brand happy (hence the Stock 1000 series seeing most its riders on Kawasaki machinery, the same with the Junior Cup). The only competing manufacturer without a contingency program is Ducati; however, they have only two riders in the whole Mo- toAmerica paddock in Superbike star Kyle Wyman and Twins Cup racer Michael Barnes. M4 Ecstar Suzuki's Chris Ulrich By far, the most prominent presence in the MotoAmer- ica paddock is the Chris Ul- rich-run Team Hammer—an American racing institution, and one that fields riders in every class but the Junior Cup (as Suzuki doesn't have a competitive Junior Cup race machine). "In terms of the actual operation and execution of the events and the implementation of the rules and everything, they are the best we've ever had in the United States," Ulrich states. "Very fair. Very level when they do something. They have some great team programs in terms of Superbike and Supersport that helps support that through the Premier Pro- gram that you can buy into, but then you also get some support back. "I'm a big fan of the control tire rule. I've been on both ends of the tire spectrum. We have worked with a tire brand that gave us quite a bit of tires and financial support. Those years we won one or two races. The spec tire era in the United States espe- cially, the first season that happened, collectively we won 14 races. "I think they [MotoAmer- ica] are doing a good job. I think they're trying now to help teams find sponsor- ships. They're providing the materials that they need. We can always improve. That is a good example of those guys listening, paying attention and having a good discussion. But the Superbike class needs some help. I think a good, hard look at the rules and a good, hard look to reduce costs would prob- ably do well. "I personally like the 2015-2016 rules where you were running standard forks, running standard swingarms, and kit ECU's. Currently, swingarms are $9000, and forks are $12,000-$15,000, instead of just having inter- nals that cost $2500 per set. In Superbike, all the way through the field, through 10th or 15th, there're very, very fast motorcycle racers. They're on very expensive, very good equipment that requires a lot of maintenance and care. I think backing off the rules could be a way to reduce costs and lower the barriers to entry in the class." Manufacturer support is es- sential to the growth of the cham- pionship. With rumors circulating the paddock of two new manu- facturers joining the series in an official capacity, the future of Mo- toAmerica—as far as the KRAVE organization is concerned—is a bright one. "From our perspective, things are going great," Varner says. "We're all trying to pay this thing forward, and this is what we got. We're all doing the best we can, and we have to earn our money every day." CN Chris Ulrich, flanked by his two Supersport riders in Sean Dylan Kelly (left) and Bobby Fong (right), has an enormous presence in MotoAmerica.