Moto America | Championship of Sonoma | Aug 10-11

Man, the spectator attendance is brutal. I've been to SCCA club races there with more people.

 

Indeed. I'm there all weekend and anecdotally, it feels even worse this year than last.

 

Attendance has been on the rise in the East... Must be a Cali thing..

 

Nonexistent marketing and poor planning. I didn’t know the race was this weekend until I saw the thread on Friday morning.

 

The track itself looks dumpier and dumpier every year. It’s just looks like a cow path and the changes to the layout make the entire track look like a hodgepodge of crap.

 

Does MA doing a lot of their own marketing or do they leave it up to the tracks?

Judging by the track surface, seems to me the track is either hurting or their just cheap skates.

Crazy to think MA is also the only real touring pro series running at NJMP anymore and the track surface is equally as bad. True SCCA Pro visits there, but I wouldn’t call a series that gets three entrants for its premier class (Formula 3) a viable pro series.

Not sure I understand the MA hate. 14 bikes in Superbike is still pretty good, especially considering all 14 will NEVER be in a battle royale for the win. Not like a club race is any better. Been to AHRMA events with two bikes on track in a run group, and what seems 2x as many classes as entrants (with the same 20 bikes double / triple dipping giving the allusion of bigger fields). Same goes, for contemporary clubs... a lot of “didn’t I just see that guy race two run groups ago?”...

 

MA hires people to do things. I’m not sure what criteria is used at times.

 

Morning warm-up. Toni making a statement...

Say what you want about him, but his race craft / and psychological battles he plays with Cam are great. Going back to even last year when the tire screwed him his season, but he went out and made a point to win more races than Cam, and he made sure to say that too.

 

I like the announcer patter during quallies so far, informative, pleasant...

 

yup. good stuff.

 

Guess this is paying off for Garrett....

 

Not hate, just an observation that when a 2 or 3 bikes retire/crash early (especially if they are factory guys) and the field spreads out, it’s hard to find anyone battling for position.

 

One of the best races of the year. PJ looking super racy.

 

goodbye. PJ is gone.

 

Pumped for Bryce. Oh and screw you haters. I’m enjoying watching racing and a Hazt Little Thing!

 

PJ rode an angry last 2 laps with a huge lead.

 

Mathew’s bike looks crazy. Lots of Mx’ing. Wonder how much of his crashing lately is just trying to figure the electronics out. A lot of them seem to involve the rear coming around.

Holy crap! Toni!

 

Just got around to watching race 1. After Gerloff passed Toni I ffw'd through the rest of it. Dear lord that was boring. Bikes so strung out it looked like only two guys showed up. Hope race 2 is better.

But I also hate Sonoma so I'm biased.

 

Looking at the shot of the back straightaway(?) with the seams in pavement that look to a couple of inches deep

 

Watching the Twins race on fbook. Pulling for the Suzuki dude so he's probably doomed.