Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

• • By ERIC JOHNSON stepped into the picture. Do you remember all that? uch like Bill France Jr. in NASCAR or Bernie Ecclestone in Formula one, Gary Becker of PACE Motor Sports is the overlord of his chosen form of motorsport. Gary's sport is supercross, and for the past five years, he has been instrumental in bringing about change and reform in a sport that, only a few years ago, was on the verge of destroying itself. By stepping in and working in tandem with the riders, team mangers, and industry as a whole, Becker has helped make supercross one of the fastest-growing motorsports on the planet. Bolstered with an infusion of new corporate money, strong A.C. Nielsen TV numbers, and unprecedented mainstream media attention, supercross is on the verge of breaking through and going big. But along with all that come pitfalls and growing pains. In order to keep the sport prospering and thriving, Becker will need to make all the right moves. Doing so - as every other principal player in American motorsport has learned - won't be easy. I sure do remember that! It actually started a little earlier. I was in Denver, which was the only time we ever ran there. I was walking around on the stadium floor. I don't remember which rider it was, but I heard somebody near me say, "Those cheap PACE bastards didn't bring enough dirt." We had major issues with the stadium people in Denver and to hear a rider make a comment on an issue like that, a comment that we were trying to save a few thousand dollars on dirt, just showed how far apart we were. It really hit home. It was not our intention in Denver to save $5000 dollars on yards of dirt. I knew right there we had to go out and change our attitudes with the industry. We needed to teach the guys what was in our heads. Immediately, we started to create a relationship with the industry, teams and riders. We wanted to allow them to voice their concerns in a constructive manner. We wanted to have a single vision and turn things around. We had a new way of thinking, and 1996 was the turning point. The date is June 21, 1996. The site is the Las Vegas Silver Bowl. The lights in the stadium have gone off and a rider boycott is beginning to take place. American supercross had reached, both literally and figuratively, its darkest moment. That's right about the time you Are you pleased with the progress the sport as made in the last four to five years? M Q A A I'm absolutely thrilled with the success of the live events and the overall series. It's all coming around. I'm also real excited about the future the next two to five years. The economy has really helped us. We have also had some great success with the network TV broadcasts. New sponsors, such as EA [Entertainment Arts). our new title sponsor, have been brought in, and as long as trends like that continue, things will be great. However, losing Seattle this year was a major blow. [The Seattle Supercross had to be taken off the schedule due to the scheduled demolition of the now-obsolete Kingdome.] But now there will be a new race at Route 66 Raceway outside of Chicago, and hopefully we can build a competitive track for the racers that is enjoyable for the fans. We're really going to have to dot the i's and cross the t's at that event. DO you have any major worries Q ing the approaching series? concernThe teams are growing bigger and the talent is getting better. However, I worry that the money it takes to pay the talent - and I should say the riders definitely deserve it - may be getting a little too costly for the teams. I hear a lot of talk about how A fM ABSOLUTELY THRILLED WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE LIVE EVENTS AND THE OVERALL SERIES. IT~S ALL COMING AROUND. The signing of new series title sponsor EA Sports is indicative of just how important supercross is to companies attempting to reach a young, affluent audience. Toyota Trucks is returning as a presenting sponsor, and also on board are Maxxis Light Truck Tires - which will badge their sposnorship as Bravo Tires - Speedstick Deodorant, Suzuki, Parts Canada, The City of Las Vegas, THOR, Honda, KTM, PJ1, Yamaha, Van's, First USA Visa, Alpinestars, FMF, U.S. Tobacco, Parts Unlimited, Dunlop ,NGK and Conoco Paint. Including the Daytona Supercross (which is produced by Bill France's ISC company), the 2000 EA Supercross Series will throw $2,034,850 in prize money and bonuses up for grabs for the competitors who line up during the 2000 series. PACE SX director Todd Jendro explains: "Last year's purse was $55,000. The purse for the new season will be $60,500. If you include the Daytona round, the total purse money comes out to $1,011,850. There is also the EA points fund, which will add in another $110,000. The rider who wins the series will receive an $85,000 bonus and a new Toyota Truck from PACE, along with a $15,000 bonus from the EA Sports point fund, bringing the champion's overall take to $100,000." Back for the new season will be the popular Van's Triple Crown Series, which has designated Phoenix, Minneapolis and Las Vegas as its three / stops. Should a rider win all three of these rounds, he will walk off with $500,000 (doubled from the $250,000 in 1999). If one rider can't pull down all three rounds, the rider who accumulates the most points at these three races will claim a $25,000 bonus from Van's. New to the 2000 campaign for 250cc racers will be the SFX Superfund. Through taking $178,000 and spreading it out over four selected events Anaheim, Atlanta, Pontiac and Chicago - an additional $44,500 has been dumped into the purse structure, adding up to a $105,000 purse for the four aforementioned events. The Main Event Privateer bonus will also return, with $100,000 being disbursed over all 15 events. That figure amounts to $6667 per event being split evenly among all privateers to make each individual main. Last year, top privateer Tim Ferry left town with $23,183. The C.E. Altman Top Privateer Award will bless the top-finishing privateer in the 2000 series with a $5000 bonus. Moreover, should a privateer be able to win a 250cc main event, he will receive a $5000 bonus courtesy of PACE. Just like last season, the PACE Holeshot Bonus will payout $22,500 to the top holeshotace at each event ($1000 to the first 250cc rider and $500 to the first 125cc rider to cross the predesignated white stripe painted through the first turn). Finally, the Dave Coombs Senior 125cc East/West Shootout has been graced with an additional $11,200 in purse money, bumping the purse up to $20,000, with the winner grabbing $5000. SPORTS~ much money the riders are getting paid now, and I'm real happy about that, but I don't want to lose any teams because of it. DO you see Q changes takingany major fundamental place within the sport during the next few years? For instance, do you foresee a change in the event format or anything along those lines? well, I've never had any say in the format that's all the AMA. . However, I will say that a lot of people would like to see the format change a little bit. I think we can work with the format to make it more competitive for the racers and more entertaining for the fans. A HOW are things with the AMA? The relationship with PACE and the guys back in PiclJerington has been a bit acrimonious during the past couple of years. Have things been smoothed over? Q As far as the AMA is concerned, I wish things were better. They have shown zero, and I mean zero, interest in sitting down with us and discussing the future. I don't understand that at all. The AMA does a great job in running the races they oversee, but as far as getting involved in the politics between the teams and industry during the best years in the history of supercross, it is very unfortunate. It is my job to look at the bigger picture involving the sport and the company I work for. Everything I have been doing is for the good of the sport and the companies involved in it. I wish the AMA was more receptive to embracing the good of the sport and its future. A With a new relationship Q with the AMA formingwhich will now see Chevy Trucks both entities very involved in AMA Racing have they expressed an interest in becoming more involved in supercross? eye. e n e _ S • JANUARY 12. 2000 7

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