VOL. 50 ISSUE 23 JUNE 11, 2013
LOOKING BACK
turn to the serial success that attended the
first 10 of his 13 years in the premier class.
Rossi in World Superbike would be one
for the books. It would test the loyalty of his
diehard fans, who are unlikely to be found
wanting. The hordes that pack the stands
at Grand Prix races would turn up instead
at Monza and Misano, in the same way that
they didn't for Max.
The same effect would doubtless prevail
in other countries – perhaps to a lesser
extent, but still in a highly significant way.
MotoGP would lose traction everywhere
except in Spain; World Superbike would
assume the importance that the organizers
have long and falsely claimed for it.
There is a precedent, based in Britain. In
the years that Carl Fogarty was the Rossi
of World Superbike and Mick Doohan's
mighty reign was in full sterile swing, the
production-based series was very much the
senior of the two in Foggy's home country.
Crowds for the British GP hovered around
a pitiful 20,000, while two Superbike races
a year in England attracted easily four times
as many fans, causing the sort of air-horn
frenzy and traffic chaos that elsewhere attended the Grands Prix.
The organizers? Ever since last year,
they are no longer different people. World
Superbike belongs to Dorna, the same organizers as MotoGP. What sweet irony it
would be if their takeover of the faltering
superbike series became a booming success, at the expense of the senior series.
They say no man is bigger than the sport,
and in the very long term perhaps that is
true. Right now, however, the opposite is
the case, in many places.
Rossi defines motorcycle racing for many
hundreds of thousands; a race without him
isn't worthy of their attention. Win or lose,
as long as you are in Italy, he still holds bike
racing in the palm of his hand.
CN
40 Years Ago
June 19, 1973
Grand Prix motocross was featured on
the cover 40 years ago… Roger DeCoster smoked them again at the 500cc
Italian MX Grand Prix; Brad Lackey finished sixth overall… Mickey Quade and
Howard Utsey combined efforts to win
the Baja 500… Dave Seil topped the
Louisville National.
30 Years Ago
June 22, 1983
A photo of the monster KTM 495 motocrosser that we tested graced the cover
30 years ago… Pro rookie Ron Lechien
won his first Supercross at the age of 16
at the first SX race held in Orlando… Jay
Springsteen topped the Harrington Half
Mile… Kevin Hines won the Trask Mountain ISDE Qualifier.
20 Years Ago
June 16, 1993
Jeremy McGrath made history in San
Jose for winning his 10th straight Supercross 250 main event… Kevin Atherton
ran away with the Parkersburg Half Mile
win… We covered the Little Burr ISDE
Qualifier won by Jan Hrehor… Carl Fogerty doubled up in Spain in World Superbike.
10 Years Ago
June 11, 2003
Eric Bostrom rode onto the cover 10
years ago for winning the AMA Superbike
round at Pikes Peak… James Toseland
won his first World Superbike in Germany… David Jefferies was killed while
practicing at the Isle of Man TT, a race he
had won nine times… Chris Carr chalked
up his 59th win at KC Raceway in Ohio.
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