Viva La Revolcion!

What impact would an AMA Roadracing series MINUS 1000cc superbikes have on club racing, specifically WERA? (I wonder would the elimination of 1000cc superbikes breath life into the supposedly ending after 2008 1000cc superstock class?)

What about the factory contingency programs? Do you guys think that unhappy factories would still pump millions of dollars into roadracing contingency programs including the club stuff?

Also, for existing riders as well as up and coming riders, would the requirements change to hold an AMA license?

I think all these changes and rumors could potentially f#ck up a team's program as they attempt to plan for the future. I wonder what would be better- to stay the course and keep plugging away, or to cut back a program and see where this (AMA roadracing) is headed in 09 and beyond?

Either way, it's a GREAT time to be a fan and/or chair jockey!!!

 

Mr. Crazy Assumption......that hurt but the female logic is how I keep in touch with my femenine side.

The spec stuff sucks except for what I would deem the support classes. Of course that may help with the current percieved or real they get better tires than everyone else comments we here all the time. I can only go by what those that are closer to the inner sanctum have to say about that particular topic.

 

Mladin and Spies would win on empty, squared off rims.

Bingo, The factories will always be able to afford the "Best" talent, so the usual suspects will be at the front. I guarantee you they will be riding like its Laguna and they don't have a contract for next season though. One mistake,, and any one of 10+ riders could win. I think it will produce some good hard racing.

 

How did Spies do in supersport?

 

He got his butt handed to him. I don't believe he was focused on the 600 class and the Suzuki 600 hasn't been that great for a few years as well.

 

Squared off rims, huh?

 

Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that Yosh doesn't have years of data and bike development in the 600 class.

 

So basically, (with up to date data and lots of R & D), Mladin and Spies would win on empty, squared off rims in the 600 class?

 

Ever heard of hyperbole?!?!

 

Is that like Superpole?

 

If that was for me, no, I'm not the one who said that. I think Mladin and Spies would still win on other brands, but not even close to the level they are at now. They are both great riders, but it's the package of team and rider that makes them so far ahead.

 

I think if you remove the super from souper bikes, (change superbikes to 600cc) or get rid of the factories the series is toast.

Without, badda$$ bikes and the best riders, you have a series like ASRA or WERA pro.

Factories have been involved in bike racing at all levels I don't see how you can remove them. There simply isn't enough sponsorship to use a NASCAR model.

 

+1. I really miss the 90's class structure; it seemed to have the best of everything: wicked engineering solutions, entertaining SBK and SS rider battles, and the occasional gambling on which twin would grenade on what lap (j/k).

I've always felt that the 600cc "Formula Extreme" class as run today is a misnomer. What the hell is so "extreme" about a worked 600 that would normally get hammered by a SBK on most tracks? Besides, I really miss the run-what-ya-brung frankenstein concoctions of the old format. The chopped frame Hayabusa was a great example of how the class should be.

I can also understand the consternation of the factories; have many times in the past decade have they been forced to make significant changes at the engineering level to accomodate ever fluctuating AMA rules? These changes are neither inexpensive or practical from a manufacturing and marketing standpoint, and have actually already forced factories to pull out of SBK.

The AMA needs to come up with viable classes that allow for a proper mix of bikes (600s / 1000s / Twins / Frankenbikes) to show off different product and engineering solutions, and rider rules (keep SS an entry level class) to keep the racing an entertaining and profitable process worth investing in.

And keep the classes / rules consistent from one season to the next. Then the manufacturers may become willing to invest more resources into a program that they know will be in place for longer then a season or two.

 

It is not removing them, it is removing them directly fielding a team. That is the Nascar model. Factories are still hugely involved in Nascar but they spread that money and R&D over the entire paddock not just one team.

 

One question I haven't seen asked nor answered is why? What do you gain by changing the superbike class to 600's?

My guess is that DMG wants to slow the bikes down so they can run more roval races (at tracks ISC conveniently owns). Or maybe they think they'll make things more safe overall by running 600's. I suppose they're marginally safer but not by enough to justify possibly destroying motorcycle road racing in the US.

It certainly cannot be because they think it will reduce costs. If the manufacturers were putting as much effort into FX as they do in superbike I'm sure you'd end up with similarly expensive bikes.

I just don't see any benefit from going to 600's that could be worth risking the collapse of American road racing.

But maybe the proposal was really just to make FX a 600 cc superbike class and to keep the 1000 superbike class as well. Super600 and Super1000 as it were.

 

I will speculate that when they look at the competitiveness of the 600 classes now compared to the 1000 classes they see switching to 600's as a way to deliver a better product to the fans.

Just speculation though.

 

No such thing as bad press. Go two fiddys! :up:

+1

For that reason alone I would rather see superbike go instead superstock.

 

Could be. But really its only the Supersport class that is really competitive. The Hondas have won the FX championship (600 cc) with ease every year except 2006, and in 2006 that was a factory team vs. a satellite team. The most important factor that determines how close the racing is, is how open the rules are. Any time you have more open rules it puts more of a premium on who can spend the most money, and there are more avenues where someone could find a potentially HUGE advantage (see exhibit A: Ducati GP7).

 

Too many pages to read through.
My opinion: Moto St will run with AMA next year.
Why not WERA Endurance?
Because Jim France/DMS does not own WERA, but does Moto-ST.
It's getting more and more expensive to run M-ST.

 

The problem is we have one honda, suzuki, yamaha, and kwak team. You're not spreading the money and R&D cost, they do it by sharing the costs between series.

The factories pay the bills.