Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

"It just doesn't seem right." Virtual Grandstand Your Virtual Grandstand coverage of the Superbike race at Daytona was atrocious. The narrative really didn't say much and most of the time we didn't know what lap they were on. At a cursory glance, I counted 73 spelling errors. I could understand making errors if you were typing furiously, but with the lack of information typed and all of the downtime due to red flags, I think the error rate is inexcusable. Going through the printout, the first thing I'm wondering is if Dean Mizdal and Richie Morris were injured in the crash with Russell. It only mentions, repeatedly, updates on Russell. Some of us don't really care about the arrogant Mr. Russell and it would have been nice to know if these two riders were injured. Without the guys in the middle and back of the pack, the factory boys up front wouldn't look nearly as impressive, so I think the "little guys' deserve some attention, too. The sentence about the rider being killed really distressed me. The inclusion of that sentence, especially when it was formatted (originally) in the paragraph about Yates being okay, was in extremely poor taste. Can you imagine being a friend or family member of that person finding out about his death that way? I would be mortified. I could continue picking the coverage apart but it would take too much space. If I were an editor at Cycle News I would be ashamed that something this unprofessional was broadcast on the CN website. Usa Conzattt CentralIa, WA The editorial staff at Cycle News has nothing to do with Virtual Grandstand. .. Editor The Daytona 200 I just returned from my fourth Daytona 200. I really love this event and the opportunity to visit the paddock, infield areas, fellow riders and motorcycle show and see the "Who's Who' of motorcycle racing. However, I am beginning to reconsider the merits of running a 200-mile race. It seems that the Superbike races tend to be less competitive than the other events (especially the 600cc Supers port) as one or two riders typically dominate it and the remaining field is typically minutes behind the leader (which translates into laps down in most cases). While it is true that Daytona has seen some spectacular finishes in recent years, there have been times that the margin of victory was so overwhelming that it was difficult to maintain an interest in the race. The mechanical non-finishes also diminish the field of normally competitive bikes and riders. This outcome affects the interest in the race as well as the championship hopes of several riders (who might eam few if any points). Plus, the rules and application of long-distance riding in the AMA is not uniform and potentially dangerous (not to mention impossibly expensive for any privateer). I think that the AMA should go to a doubleheader Superbike event at Daytona and abandon the 200-mile format. There are several possibilities for the format, such as two races of equal or unequal distances, sameday races, etc. In my opinion, the fans would be rewarded with a significant amount of racing in a single weekend, plus the opportunity for the various teams to redeem themselves in light of mechanical difficulties or poor race outcomes. In the long run, this would keep the championship run more interesting. Daytona would maintain its mystique and importance because of the significance of a doubleheader and the challenge of the course. Tom Catron Nashvflle, TN Switching Bikes How is it that, during the Daytona 200, Nicky Hayden, Larry Pegram and Steve Rapp all were able to use two bikes during the event? It just doesn't seem right! I know it was during red flags and their bikes were not working, but shouldn't you only be allowed to use one bike to compete in a race? I can possibly see the switching of bikes during a firstlap red flag as in Fl auto racing where if your machine is destroyed you go to your backup. For that matter, why not during a race in the rain just come in and get your spare bike with rains on it instead of changing tires? It just doesn't seem right. Bob Beekman VIa the InffHnet SWitching Bikes II In watching the broadcast of the Daytona 200, I was somewhat perplexed over Honda factory rider and championship contender Nicky Hayden retiring to the pits on lap three with a broken engine in his RC51, then being allowed to rejoin the race on a new backup bike at the first restart. Later in the race, when Larry Pegram pitched his Ducati into the hay bales and it exploded into flames causing another red-flag stop of the race, am I to believe Larry was able to restart again on the same bike? Unfortunately, ESPN2's race coverage never explained this. I'll admit I don't have a current copy of the AMA rulebook to confirm if riders have the ability to change bikes mid-race, or to restart the race after causing a red flag, but it hardly seems fair for both the bike manufacturer and rider to still gain their respective manufacturer's and rider's points with a new bike after their first bike breaks. Next thing you know, the factory teams will be parking a spare bike in the pits with qualifier tires, warmed u~ and ready to go any second should a problem occur mid-race on the first bike, or it's tires just go off. Why wait 11 seconds for a pit-stop tire change? I know no other form of racing where replacing the vehicle mid-race is allowed. But, then again, Harley-Davidson is allowed to race a bike that really qualified for homologation under the AMA's flexible rulebook. also could have been much worse. All this was the result of an unsuccessful effort to turn a race into a good TV show, and it rendered the race a shambles - and it could have killed someone. Plus, all this was futile because all that got accomplished was that the resulting events removed several riders who might have challenged Mladin - and he won the race anyway (maybe he won it three times counting the restarts?). Pace cars may be okay in NASCAR, but they have no place in motorcycle racing. Motorcycles don't have radios, and the rider is lying down and is buffeted by the wind while he physically moves the bike, instead of sitting still behind a roll cage with an unencumbered field of vision, as is a driver. It is also so very difficult to signal to the motorcycle riders the entry of a superfluous vehicle onto the racecourse and the necessity of a sudden drop of 100 mph in speed - especially when the flag color is" so similar to another flag. And, besides, an early-race breakaway in a motorcycle race on cold tires and full tank is a sign of geniuslevel superior rider talent and should be rewarded, not hamstrung because it makes for bad TV marketing of the event. The Frances have done II lot for motorcycling - after all, the AMA now races Superbikes, not F -lor GP bikes, due to their influence, and Daytona continues to be the premier event of the year. But the AMA should respectfully refuse to allow the use of pace cars at Daytona, as they refuse at all other tracks in the country. jIm 6IanatsIs Los Angeles, CA Believe it or not, the AMA rulebook allows for this. "In Superbike only, when a race is restarted following a red flag, a rider who was present at the starting grid, but was unable to start or dropped out after the start, is permitted to restart on a back-up motorcycle using the following procedure: (1) Rider must obtain permission from the Chief Steward or Race Manager; (2) Rider will be gridded on the last row of the restart grid. • While Nicky Hayden used a back-up motorcycle and started from the back of the grid, Larry Pegram used a back-up motorcycle and was allowed to start from his original position. This seems to me to be a direct rule infraction... Editor The Pace Car I was at Daytona and I believe the source of nearly all the problems with what turned out to be a very confused and dangerous race was the use of the pace car. Mike Ciccotto crashed in the West Horseshoe off the pavement, and there was nothing seriously wrong there that a waving yellow could not cover. However, Mat Mladin had staged an amazing first-four-Iaps breakaway with cold tires and a full tank, and he was gone, and there was not much doubt that no one would be able to catch him. Unless, that is, there was a pace car to rob Mladin of his lead. The result of the pace car's entry into the race was a truly horrifying crash that could have had much worse consequences, and then another horrifying crash on the restart that cue I • :JamIe Urocwfler VIa the Internet Dear Jeremy Memo to Jeremy McGrath: Maybe it's time to rethink the seven-month vacation. Rob6reen VIa the Internet n • _ s • MARCH 28, 2001 5

• Cover