Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

C Y C L E N E W S • JULY 12, 2006 41 take care of their customers, which is the manufacturers, the sponsors, the promoters. But the promoter, they're the ones that can put all the entities together perhaps. And there's promoters out there than can do that. From promoting groups to RPM [now M1Event] to the LiveNation to the Gary Beckers to the Jams. There's a list of them. And there's others out there, too. It could be a revenue source for them also. A lot of times it comes back to money. The AMA needs to use AMA Pro Racing to earn money, gain money. I believe the vision would be to strengthen AMA that supports our sport, which will grow our sport, protect our rights. And I think they separate too often and AMA is doing one thing and Pro Racing is worrying about something else. They need to work closer together. The only way to do that is to divide up the responsibilities within Pro Racing. McCarty: One other thing, I really believe, since I'm not deep within the confines of the AMA, I really think their mission is about memberships. That's really what they're all about. They sell AMA memberships to support riding. I can't support that with all the people that ride motorcycles in the U.S., I think the membership is actual- ly pretty fractional of that entire population. Maybe one of the reasons is that nobody really believes that being a member is going to help them overall or help in all these other areas that need improvement - whether it be governmental or land closure or racing itself, you know, was separated. If you, kind of, came to the race- tracks and wanted to sell memberships, I don't know about you, but I've never seen an AMA membership stand at a racetrack. Here's a lot of people that, whether they ride or not, they could be members and help out this sport. It'd be a great way to kind of boost the membership. They do come to racetracks. I've seen them at race- tracks. If you go out of the paddock you'll find them. Miller: Can you imagine how powerful we would be if the AMA had a fraction of what the NRA has, as far as members, and the power that that would give us. Preston: I think a better way to look at it is our own groups. If the AMA had as many as H.O.G., I'll bet you, the Gold Wing Association, I don't know the numbers... H.O.G. is over a million worldwide. Preston: I know the Gold Wing, I don't know what the exact name is, they're a fraction of their membership would be... McCarty: You know, if we thought that having more members was going to help this entire situation, but put- ting more money in the pool for them. You can't have a business without money - we all know that. But I think we thought that was going to help us or we could see how that would help, I think it would be in all of our best inter- ests to really try to... Preston: But again, it's back to what Chuck said and what we said in the beginning. It's leadership and it's con- flict of interest. They've got to decide. They've got too many people involved and there's conflicts of interest. Well, racing, they see some money there and they're put- ting it over here. I hear the stories. And I don't know 100 percent. Is Daytona running it and this is how we run these races at Daytona, or is the AMA running it? Again, conflicts of interest. Let's get back to racing? Classes: Is everyone happy with the class structure as it is now? Or what would they like to see? Don, you go first. Sakakura: Obviously, the 1000cc, my opinion is to continue as the premier class. Some form of Superbike, modified production class. I think we're at a point now where it's a bit confusing for the spectators when you have two 1000cc classes. We run the same motorcycles for both classes. Visibly, they look identical. So we need to eliminate one of the classes; 600 is a very important class for Suzuki to perform in and try to sell product for Suzuki – promote the product. But, again, I think we do need a class for the younger up- and-coming riders, possibly. Whether that's a Formula Xtreme class or a modified version of the 600, that's a pos- sibility as well. From our program standpoint, I think the 1000cc classes is a bit confusing when you have two basical- ly identical classes, or very close to identical. Lap times now are at the point where they're within a second, a second and a half, at some venues. So why do we need two classes? Do you believe three classes, total? Sakakura: That's adequate for a race weekend. Bodenbach: I'd like to see three classes. Since we're only in Superbike, which one gets eliminated isn't really a major concern for me as long as it isn't Superbike. I do think that there needs to be, I guess if I was doing it off the top of my head, I'd say: 600, Formula Xtreme, and Superbike would be the ones that I would pick. Use 600 more as an entry, not Formula Xtreme. Formula Xtreme still have factory riders. Show what the bikes can do with aftermarket parts. Promote that whole side of the market and then go to Superbike. Miller: I don't disagree that three classes right now is the right number, but looking at the schedule and the time of a weekend, if somebody came along with an idea, or there was a new class that we would introduce, I think that's what should take the place of the extra 1000 class. And it might create some interest. I don't know what that interest is right now, but I wouldn't be opposed to still hav- ing four classes; one 1000 class. I agree with Tom. I think the entry level should be the 600 stock class. I think there should be some rules on that class much like we have in Supercross, to where after so many years, so many points, so many times, so many championships – whatever it might be – those guys have got to move on to Formula Xtreme class, Formula Xtreme being the next stepping stone. Modified 600s, perhaps to be able to ride faster, you have a little bit better ability as a rider, which would be the stepping stone into Superbike. Again, if somebody came along, and we don't sell 250cc racing bikes, all of us. Again, if there was some other machine or class or structure that we could come up with, I would be up for a fourth class. McCarty: I think I agree initially with Don that maybe one of the 1000cc classes should go away and we get that down to three. I'm not fully convinced that they need to be the way that they currently are. My vision would be more that Supersport and FX would be combined somehow. I think that it's a shame that, I don't believe, we're ever going to see a 1000cc bike race in the Daytona 200. And I think we all still would like see the Daytona 200. But I don't think that any company, or at least A companies, are going to get too involved, due to the cost of that particular class. So I think there's a need to have Aprilias and Ducatis, and anybody who wants to race in the Formula Xtreme, if that's going to be the Daytona 200, but not under the guidelines that it is right now. It's a really expensive class to be in. And I don't think that you can be in Superbike and that, both, and do a great job. I think I would want to see either Superstock opened up a little bit that you could do some modifications so that it would allow other bikes, other than the way it's set up right now. And maybe keep it at three classes, total, with what Chuck was saying. If somebody wants to come in and do a cup series, or whatever the case might be, for the third show, but that's the one that takes up any slack in the program. But I think that tech inspection and things like that, don't always... I'm sure that a great job is being done there after the race to really control the rules as they should be. And part of that is because of the number of classes that we have. You can't be all things to everybody. So I think quality practices for everybody and just try to shorten up the times a little bit would be really good. But Superbike, def- initely the premier class, and one more really strong class with 600. Preston: It's a tough question for me. I think, absolute- ly, we've got to make a show. All those classes are irrele- vant what they are, what size, we need to improve the show. I think right now I'm in agreement that four classes is too many. I guess the way that I would like to see it is, obviously, to continue the premier as 1000 Superbike, going at that rate, as long as we can continue with the safe- ty of the tracks. I'm very concerned about the speed that these bikes are going to be going and continue to go. I'm real concerned where I see all other forms of motorsport racing reducing their engine size and we're still staying with that. As long as the safety's there, I'm okay. I mean that is the premier and the biggest and the baddest. I think as a secondary class, I would have say 600... probably a little more with Keith, open it up a little so we can get more people, maybe the same as World Supersport or something. And that would be your second- ary class. And a third class – I'm not sure which size. I don't like the redundancy as mentioned by some of the others. I would like to see, maybe, a beginner class: And I would like to see it so mainly any factory involvement or whatev- er, is not there. Maybe it's dealership or whatever. Chuck had some good ideas. Something I would think is we have to make it a more regional thing. You can only ride two events or three events within X amount of miles of your place and you cannot ride any more. Because if you can start riding them all, we [the factories] want to get involved, because we want to be associated with that championship. It's more put on the local guy who comes to his track. If he does good, try to go on the big class with all of us. I think we need to really work hard on keeping two strong classes to get all the factory riders, the factory-sup- ported riders and the top privateers together. That makes the show. And if you're coming up good, that's a privilege to get in there. We see it successfully in Supercross/motocross, a little bit now in Supermoto. Two classes. It would easier for us, I think, as manufacturers to support two classes. We could have more support. But I think it would a better show to have more of the fast peo- ple and have a field that has more depth. CN Look for Part ll of the round table in next week's issue... Editor ] Mike Preston

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