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/128135
"Let's all look on the bright side - we are alive and we get to ride motorcycles." Motocross Marketing The AMA And IRL am 23 years old and 20 of those ears have been spent on motorcyles. I currently work in a motorcycle hop in St. Louis, Missouri. Although 'm glad to see that our sport is startng to become much more popular, I on't like the thought of motorcycle tuff being sold in these huge outlets like Wal-Mart or K-Mart. It's bad nough that small four-wheelers and o-carts are sold in these places. hat is what we have motorcycle hops for. Where do you think these people o to get their parts and things? We re professionals, and that is our job. ou don't go to McDonald's to get a aco, do you? All that this is going to o is crush the little man, and destroy he "coolness" of a motorcycle shop. Fox gear does a similar thing in ome retail stores, and I think it's idiculous. Well,. that is my opinion nd I'm sticking to it. Keep up the ood work and keep the sticky side Congratulations on your new relationship with Tony George and JamSports, AMA. I am very impressed with your new relationships concerning the supercross series. Tony is responsible for the CART split and subsequent dismal Indy car loss of popularity. My first AMA membership dates back to 1972. Have you lost your minds? JamSports equals Tom Petty. Tom could sell records to the deaf. His talent sells, not JamSports. Incidentally, the AMA is not responsible for supercross' success; the NFL is responsible for the growth of supercross. The NFL created first-rate indoor stadiums. Without the stadiums, we would be second to the European GP series. That is a fact. As a consumer, my money is on Clear Channel and the Yamaha-riding Jeremy McGrath. We are well aware what happened to your relationshi;with Yamaha. Do you think that the other factories are going to stay on your Mickey Mouse boards? I hope, for racing's sake, they resign in 2002. You have bilked enough money out of some of my former favorite tracks. Also, I will bet you a lifetime AMA membership that the majority of nonracing TV viewers of supercross have absolutely no idea what the AMA stands for - or is, for that matter. Do you think that the fans will go to second-rate venues to see Carmichael on his Honda? They already boo him for selling out. Pigs get fat; hogs get slaughtered. The AMA does not enforce a very up-to-date rulebook, does not provide astute track personnel, has no business running a for-profit corporation, and has lost sight of the needs of the members. My money is on The Blue Ribbon Coalition for riders' rights. I understand how difficult it is to bow to a powerful promotion group. If your only interest was for the riders' needs, then this problem would not exist. I am going to paint you the picture that you created. The fans are going to be disgruntled and confused about the split. People do not pay for separate second-rate racing programs after they have had a taste of a first rate promoted star-studded program (does CART/IRL ring a bell?). They will go elsewhere for their entertainment (NASCAR sound familiar?). Once again, you have effectively killed the momentum and growth of my sport. I will not renew my membership or race at an AMA sanctioned event. You can count that as a direct loss for your decision to place greed ahead of common sense. I hope this brash response to your rash behavior gets published in my Mlke Oendenln Sf; Louls,MO et's see if I have this straight: Jeff urwall did not want his product (No ear) sold in mass-market stores uch as Wal-Mart or K-Mart because t was not the vision he had for his roduct. Yeah, that would be the last hing I would want for my product eing exposed to millions of people ho normally would not have an pportunity to buy it. Why, he could possibly make a ortune and expose many new fans to he sport of Supercross! We wouldn't ant that. It sounds like McGrath ade the right decision to separate imself from this marketing genius. RayMerkJe VIa the Internet Don't Worry, Be Happy n regards to the Voices section of ycle News - since when did the leters to the editor column become the oapbox for complainers? Every leter is from someone whining about rap they have no control over. Let's II look on the bright side - we are live and we get to ride motorcycles. ome of us are even lucky enough to ake our living in this industry. This is not a complaint, but merely n observation. Please print at least a ew optimistic letters. P.S. My mom wants me to ride on other's Day. ::Jerry Bernardo VIa the Internet favorite unbiased News. maga~ine, Cycle Douglas M Holt Nashville, TN The AMA And IRL II I wonder where the sport of Supercross is going. It appears that the AMA is trying to screw this sport up in the same manner that Indy racing has been. Are we going to see half of the top names in one series and half in the other? I hope not. Honestly, it will ruin all the progress the sport has made so far. Arenacross is the stepping-stone, is there room for another full-blown supercross series? I don't think so. I predict that the AMA will fail and blow lots of coin doing it. But, what the heck, they may as well spend it on something other than their own salaries. Emle Wall VIa the Internet feel this is an outrage. This is the one event I and many others look forward to as an escape to "get away" in the middle of the season and to also see all of my road racing heroes in person. To not be able to do this is unbelievable, as this motorcycle race - as you know - is the oldest motorcycle race in the country, known as the "Loudon Classic." What is ahead? Is it going to be coming back ever? I have nowhere to go except to Virginia, which is impossible in my position as a selfemployed motorcycle shop owner on Cape Cod. This is very hard to digest. A few years ago, the new police chief in Loudon cracked down on the craziness in Weirs Beach during bike week, and now no Superbike race. What is up with that? Hopefully, the AMA and riders will change their attitude toward this track as they have more fans in the Northeast than they realize. SX And Harleys It is obvious to me why the American Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Association (otherwise known as the AMA) couldn't come to an agreement with Clear Channel on a deal to run Supercross for the next five years. The A(H-D)MA no doubt insisted that there had to be an 883cc and a Buell Blast class. An additional stumbling block may have been Clear Channel's insistence that there were states west of the Great Plains. It is obvious if you look at the A(H-D)MA's dirt track national series that they think the United States ends 500 miles west of Pickerington, Ohio. Donavan Dorsey VIa the Internet 5coftHardy Hyannls,MA The Loudon Classic The Loudon Classic III It was with great sadness that I read of the demise of the Loudon AMA Superbike race. It seems hard to believe that arrangements could not be made to allow the only race held in New England to continue. This was the only real opportunity for most in the Northeast and Canada to see AMA racing in person instead of on television. For a sport trying to attract new spectators, this leaves a very large market void of any AMA racing. Mlchael RIchardson Farmington. NH I Just received my copy of Cycle News containing the new AMA schedule. I have attended the Loudon round sporadically since 1977, and regularly since 1995. The last two years were washouts on Sunday, and the race was run the next day. This situation had me debating on the way home that Monday whether I wanted to return this year. It appears that the decision has been taken out of my hands, and I'm not sure whether to applaud or cry. The trip up has always been part of the attraction (I live in southern Pennsylvania) and I will miss that terribly. But at least I won't have to agonize over the decision about protesting by not showing up next year. DavldCRahn The Loudon Classic II I just learned that the AMA Superbike races will not be coming to New Hampshire Speedway in June of 2002. As an avid motorcyclist/motorcycle shop owner in the Northeast, I cue. e n e _ 50 • Abbottstown. PA JANUARY 2, 2002 5