MotoAmerica changes for 2018

God Dammit! I just had to redo all my eBay and used bike searches from the Monster to the 848! I should have known. This is what happens when you get excited, you'll believe anything.

 

A SS build FZ07 makes 78 hp all day long. Probably more now because last time I checked on a SS spec FZ07 engine was back in January.

 

Perfect. Allow the SV an overbore with a stock or aftermarket crank of not less weight and call it good.

 

Bigger grids, possibly better racing, more involvement....make it 15% if 20% is determined to be too much of a gap.

Or they can make it 7% and full SBK rules and have 7 guys grid up on $25,000 bikes and the class will be dead in 2 years.

I mean good god, MA racing can't have lappers....that is sacrilegious! Or am I thinking it is more sanctimonious?

 

I was looking at fast SV times at Barber. Let's use 1:35 as a fast, LWT time. 110% is a 1:44.5 lap time. That's a pretty slow time for a LWT bike there. I'm pretty sure even my paralyzed ass will be able to turn a 1:44 time on my FZ07R in SS trim. IMO, grids would be pretty big with that cut off time. I wouldn't think an even higher cut off percent is needed. 107% cut off is a 1:41.65. That's still not all that fast. I did 1:42.0 easily on my heavily modified and updated 1985 Yamaha RZ350. But, the frame although braced was still an early 80's design and geometry. Those frame tubes aren't exactly stiff or strong.

Weren't there some sub 1:40 times turned by the winner of the R3 Cup at the GNF last year? That is simply smoking on a 320cc 4-stroke twin streetbike.

 

MotoAmerica is the highest tier of racing we have in this country. It SHOULD be hard to qualify. Racers that aren't capable of running competitive lap times should be doing track days and club racing, not racing in MotoAmerica.

 

The twins will do 33s at Barber, 36s at Rd Atl, 32s at VIR. 110% is too slow needs to be 107%

 

You better, I'm not doing all this damn work for you not to

 

Exactly. Personally I think 110 is too large of a gap, I'm all for 107 min. Ya ya less bikes on the grids blah blah but if you are going to be in what's considered the top tier of racing as you said it should be hard to qualify. What's really sad is more than a few of the people running in MA could barely finish top 3 at a regional or top 5 at a national. I have a sheet somewhere from a few years ago I did and it was pathetic comparing some of the guys club results that were qualifying for an AMA 1000 race. In a lot of cases I even took out the "pro" guys running select events on select bikes to make money and it didn't help much. I get the bucket list thing, etc etc but when I raced I knew where my talent ran out and faced the harsh reality others will never face that fact. Each to their own because it's their money and not mine but it's really a joke. This doesn't take into account up and coming fast kids who are on a curve of steady improvement, it's more of the HWSNBN type of folks. All filling the grids with filler does it f$ck up the races at the front with lapppers (which can be argued it makes the obstacle course another factor in the race). Flame away.

 

I'm fairly sure I've said it before and I'm aware it's not a popular opinion, but I believe that one of the MA licensing requirements should be a predetermined number of club racing wins (or, at the very least, podiums) on comparable equipment. If you can't win (or get on the box) in a club race, you have no business racing in a MA event. Other than Facebook cred, I don't understand the racers who want to spend MA money when they can still learn a lot at the club level for less money.

MA allowing racers to grid up that potentially have never even entered an expert club race is irresponsible and detrimental to the sport as a whole. IMO, of course.

 

I've seen a couple 33's at barber and a bunch of 34's.

I'm sure some hot shot up and comers with new and nicer shit will be able to hit the 32's.

I'm looking forward to it!

 

Do you think the similar equipment rule should still apply if you are moving "down" a class. Say you got a win/ / podium on a 1000, HWT or 750 club racing, but want to enter 600SS, LWT, or 300SS in MA. Or even a podium on 600s in club racing and want to enter LWT or 300SS? I would think that would be OK.

Were you even thinking that these rules would apply to 300SS?

 

Cop, what did XZ run on your SV at Barber?

@regularguy

 

33.6 Stock bore sbk about 88hp. chassis was wera ss legal except for a master cylinder. 120/160 sc1

 

I see no issue moving down although if you've never ridden a little bike or 650ish twin you may be in for a shock on your corner speed.

 

Pretty sure he was in 33's also.

 

It was in the HWT race you were in.

 

I tend to agree that 110% is plenty. However you run the risk of someone putting in a flyer and knocking out the back half of the grid. Clearly, with this class MA is looking to widen the field of potential RACERS. It's not like there is going to be grids of 50 bikes. Big AHRMA weekends bring that many, but with the 8 year cutoff and tighter rules package, they want to make the grid as full as possible.

 

If someone is capable of 33's at Barber on an SV, they won't be messing around in the Twins class for very long. And if they do, there won't be too many of them. That is fast. Of course I understand that this isn't club racing, but as I said above, with this class, clearly MA is trying to widen the field of potential participants.