Cycle News

VOL. 51 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 16, 2014 P105 Superbike right now. Unfortunately, the near-three de- cade history of World Superbike has shown that it simply is not an effec- tive MotoGP feeder series with Spies being its most successful product to date (he remains the only rider ever to graduate from full-time World Superbike duty to win a race while competing as a MotoGP regular). But would a return of genuine American competitiveness at the World Superbike level be consid- ered a success by KRAVE or will nothing short of MotoGP podiums be con- sidered good enough? PERCEPTION AND DOLLARS KRAVE has done a marvelous job putting the pieces it can control in the proper place. The early returns have earned the group a great deal of cautious optimism from seemingly all quarters. The next—and more difficult—task will be to lever- age all of that good will and convince the most important parties to go beyond cautious optimism and blindly buy-in. Success or failure could all hinge on perception. The return of high-profile factory Superbike pro- grams from Honda and Kawasaki would mark an immediate positive transformation for the series. However, if both take a 'wait-and-see' approach, they are likely to see relatively little difference in the on-track product. They themselves are the dif- ference makers in this equation. KRAVE must convince them that MotoAmerica is an attractive marketing opportunity—and one significantly more affordable than it was before they pulled out (for reasons now since corrected) considering restricted development costs and lowered salaries. And it's a marketing opportunity that becomes all the more attractive by their very participation. Both are capable of bringing eye- balls back with them. It's all about the money and the paddock des- perately needs a serious injection. And looking at rider salaries, prior to the collapse there was admittedly some market correction required. At one point factory rider deals were artificially and grossly inflated (not in terms of the skill or risk in- volved, but relative to the size of the fan base). This was in large part due to Harley-Davidson's entrance in the Superbike class and the sub- sequent bidding wars for talent. At its height leading riders made NFL- type money. Not anymore. The market and sport's fall demonstrated that riders once making big bucks were willing to spend (relatively) big bucks just to stick around and stay in- volved. Now a serious correction is required in the opposite direction to bring back some semblance of sustainability for both sides. Ultimately, outside sponsors are required to bring the sort of financial resources to the pad- dock required to elevate the sport to the desired level. But outsiders have other options and will in- variably wait to see how things shake out before they commit their support in substantial numbers. Industry partners—from the manufacturers on down—have considerably more at stake when it comes to MotoAmerica, and need to do their part. That means sharing the risk to help set the condi- tions for success rather than play a role in limiting those chances. KRAVE and MotoAmerica are off to a strong start but there's still a long way to go as evidenced by the painfully slow trickle of announcements regarding team and rider participation in 2015. MotoAmerica appears to be the long-desired white knight riding in to save the series—certainly more than even the most hopeful American roadracing fan could have dared to dream about even a year ago. However, there's a large, multi-headed dragon that needs slaying. CN The face of MotoAmerica— Three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey.

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