Pure Unsubstantiated Rumor

I think there are so many different types of adrenaline events out there now that customer entertainment $$ is spread thin. So fans get choosy and motorcycle racing suffers from a lack of marketing hype from all the ADD towards flashier events. How about we chrome our bikes to up the bling factor and perhaps they will look our way? Also mandatory antics at the finish line for the winner would make it fun....lol.

Our take as a fan: We wanted to attend an AMA race to see what it is like but decided against it. It is difficult to view much except maybe one or two turns and a far glance at the pits so TV was the better less expensive option... (when it is broadcasted).

Road America has great viewing but you really need a pit bike to ride around the track. It wasn't all that expensive and I had a great time.

I will be at road America in 2 days. :)

There's a number of US based companies with foreign presence that sponsor road racing riders in other countries. Albeit those budgets are relevant to their respective business units region but as most of you have alluded to there's a obvious popularity contrast from US and Euro public interest which garners the monies from marketing departments. Supercross does well but the cost of entry/participation from the general public is a stark contrast from road racing so you have a automatic broader viewing base. Someone brought up the notion of a "common" goal between regional racing which I think maybe the ticket. One of the problems USA has rather than Europe is that we're so damn big. Lest we forget you can almost blanket the entire west Europe with Texas alone; in my opinion therein lies the problem. In almost all popular sporting events, the smaller cultural countries are fierce competitors in which fans are organically born. They have different languages, historical backgrounds and even different races in what otherwise be a drive from Austin to Houston. As it stands here and now its always great to see a Texas rider kick a California riders behind and we take pride as members of the racing community but from a public perspective it doesn't have much bearing. I never watch soccer, aheim Fotbal, but when USA is kicking other countries A I'm all over it for the simple fact we are. If we could some how organize that regional notion both from a commutation perspective but also from a points challenge etc... across all the USA I think it might have some legs.

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Originally Posted by William Guthrie

There's a number of US based companies with foreign presence that sponsor road racing riders in other countries. Albeit those budgets are relevant to their respective business units region but as most of you have alluded to there's a obvious popularity contrast from US and Euro public interest which garners the monies from marketing departments. Supercross does well but the cost of entry/participation from the general public is a stark contrast from road racing so you have a automatic broader viewing base. Someone brought up the notion of a "common" goal between regional racing which I think maybe the ticket. One of the problems USA has rather than Europe is that we're so damn big. Lest we forget you can almost blanket the entire west Europe with Texas alone; in my opinion therein lies the problem. In almost all popular sporting events, the smaller cultural countries are fierce competitors in which fans are organically born. They have different languages, historical backgrounds and even different races in what otherwise be a drive from Austin to Houston. As it stands here and now its always great to see a Texas rider kick a California riders behind and we take pride as members of the racing community but from a public perspective it doesn't have much bearing. I never watch soccer, aheim Fotbal, but when USA is kicking other countries A I'm all over it for the simple fact we are. If we could some how organize that regional notion both from a commutation perspective but also from a points challenge etc... across all the USA I think it might have some legs.

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I like the concept of regional competition here in the US. I'm not sure if you could get other regions to sign on though. They won't want to get their butts whipped by Texans on a regular basis. :lol:

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Originally Posted by William Guthrie

There's a number of US based .....

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Wow, Bill, lots of very good points in there :thumb:

Those new meds must be doing the trick :wink:

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Originally Posted by Alan Etheredge

Wow, Bill, lots of very good points in there :thumb:

Those new meds must be doing the trick :wink:

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...nothing like a Monster at 7 am to get the juices flowing. I've actually contemplated this a lot whereas I hate to see whats happening to the sport here in the USA. I've actually got much more in terms proposed ideas, just waiting for the right ears and left for that matter.

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Originally Posted by mark niemi

Dirt Trackers-
Wayne Rainey
Bubba Shobert
Freddie Spencer
Eddie Lawson
King Kenny
Nicky Hayden
Ben Bostrum
Danny Eslick
Randy Mamola
JD Beach

The list is extensive. I think if we resurrect a good dirt track series for the youth that the rest of the equation will be there. If I had a kid,i would take him dirt track racing first. The Hall of Fame is full of them. That or ship them off to Spain at an early age.

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MAN OH MAN OH MAN! I have been waiting for this topic to come up. I am a proverbial loaner in my world when it comes to American Road Racing. Absolutely no one in my personal or professional life gives a crap about road racing and only feel compassion for my passion and listen to me ramble because they care. Out of appreciation I keep it to 3 minutes max.

The genius of our domination from 78-94 was we were the first to take dirt track background and apply it too the track. Now everyone knows about it and trains with it. (See Marquez broken leg mid Sepang). Now, we are the ones way behind the ball and must start doing what the Spanish are doing. I don't think its a matter of bike size like a Moto3 or 2 class, but really two things. 1-Sponsorship and 2 Electronics.

I was in the Army. I was an Infantry machine gunner in Iraq. The guys like me who grew up hunting and shooting long distances understood the fundamentals of weapons on a different level than the city boys who only shot a few feet across the street. We were the lead gunners and laid down 75% of the fire for the Platoon between just two guns. Then one day the Army issued a new weapon system that was a .50 cal machine gun attached to a gun control unit that could fire, calculate and compensate for wind, barometric pressure, temperature and drop enemy type silhouettes from twice the distance with every predetermined shot. It was operated by a man in the back of the truck who used a screen and a joystick to operate it. Most of my life I had despised video games. I never wanted to play something with my fingers. I wanted to be out side and doing it. I get no pleasure out of MotoGP on PS3/4 whatever. I thought those who buried themselves in games were waiting their time. When I saw those same kids dropping perfect round after perfect round I knew something had changed warfare forever. (See UAV bombings)

Simply put Rossi was raised with a rifle, Marquez with a joystick. Two different views and paths into the same arena and only one seems to be the current master.

As far as sponsorship; I believe until we do whatever is necessary to get spectators to the track we don't have a chance at getting the kind of money that someone like Repsol is throwing down in Europe. Sponsors are sponsors because they want to sell stuff. Right now the sponsors of the CMRA and most of the rest of American Road Racing want to sell stuff to racers. If they are supporting my series I feel nearly obligated to buy their products. Even if they are not my absolute favorite or the absolute best deal. It's not that big of a sacrifice, after all we are just club racing.
But, its when we can bring in sponsors that want to sell to spectators, (Pepsi, Home Depot, Trane Air conditioners, etc.....) that big money will come down. $20,000 to sponsor a series for a season is NOTHING to Pepsi or any one of 100's of big business out there that could be drawn in if we had spectators.

I don't look to a national series to make a bed to breed world class racers. For me it starts in the same paddock I walk in with pride. I do have some good ideas on how we can bring people out to watch races that aren't there to see friends or family but for a good show. I'm not full of it either. I have set aside $6000 of my own money to drop on one race to see some real action, create rivalry, and make a great show. I stopped and talked with some of you about this at Hallett this year. If you are like minded then quote me and I'll continue. If not I will give you the same courtesy I give all my friends and limit my babbling to 3 minutes of your time.

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Originally Posted by Jesse Williams

Simply put Rossi was raised with a rifle, Marquez with a joystick. Two different views and paths into the same arena and only one seems to be the current master.

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hit the nail dead on.......

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Originally Posted by Joe Rodriguez

hit the nail dead on.......

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So what do we train our kids on? Groms with bazzaz w/TC & QS?