Cycle News

CN III VOICES L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R "Wayne Rainey's mission will only be achieved if the failures of the AMA/DMG experiment are admitted to and so not repeated." Frank Kinsey Motorcycle road racing has lost a great friend and supporter with the death of Frank Kinsey. A phys-ed teacher and coach who took up road racing in his 40s, Frank was competitive on the track and later became a fixture in the paddock as a Michelin tire supplier. But I think his greatest contri- bution was the "Frank Kinsey Racing School," which trained and licensed thousands of rid- ers ranging from aspiring pros to street racers looking to "take it to the track." On behalf of all of us who benefited from his guidance I say, "Thanks Frank" and rest easy. Dave Despain Via the Internet Despain is the now the host of "The Dave Despain Show" that airs on MaVTV every Sun- day night at 8 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific)... Editor The DMG Era I just read Larry Lawrence's musings on the DMG U.S. Superbike era ("Judging DMG," Issue 37, September 16) and have felt the urge to react. A new era is about to begin thanks to Wayne Rainey's courageous intervention and I'm sure he has the full support of all American race fans for his mission to recreate a National Championship structure that will nurture future American World Champions. However, the remarks of all those con- sulted for their opinions of the DMG custody of AMA road racing must have Henny Ray Abrams turning uncontrollably on high. To suggest that the abject state of American road racing can be as a result of the down- turn of the global economy and the U.S. sportbike market in particular is myopic in the extreme. Just cast a glance across the pond at British Su- perbikes - a championship un- der new control over a period not dissimilar to that of DMG's tenure - operating in a similarly depressed economy and sport bike market. None of the BSB rounds have the benefit of World Championship events on the same program and yet each event draws considerably more spectators than the World Su- perbike rounds run in the U.K. and most other countries. The BSB marketing team provides free-to-air television cover- age both live and delayed and the relationship the promoter has with the teams and riders ensures a fantastic value-for- money show for the fans. Clearly the scale of the U.S. creates different challenges, but Wayne Rainey's mission will only be achieved if the failures of the AMA/DMG experiment are admitted to and so not repeated. Paul Butler Via the Internet Butler is a former Team Roberts team manager and MotoGP race director… Editor Enough To Make One Drool One of the best things about the advent of digital photog- raphy in the past couple of decades is the incredible detail now found in racing photos - every cleat on the bottom of a boot, every bolt on the swing- arm, rider's eyes like we've never seen them before, etc. But, alas, there apparently is a downside when we have to witness every crack on Rossi's tongue, every detail of his crusty beard, and most alarm- ing of all, the slather of drool dropping off his chin (Cycle News cover, Issue 37, Septem- ber 16). Steve Casper Eden Prairie, MN Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor P16

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