Can you still get "rich" racing bikes in America?

He doesn't have to. He could have had the Top Gear job, could be a full time TV presenter, could sell his image to many different companies and never work again.

Dude definitely marches to his own drummer.

 

I just saw a long form interview with him and he had been at the shop working on a truck at 5am that day. Yeah, he even says one of his most proud achievements is that he had gone 12 month without one truck failing their MOT inspection. Ha

 

Beat me to it! In short order you can become just “rich”...

 

What do you think his average all-in compensation was in those championship years?

 

A relevant article on the matter over on Motorsport.com, albeit regarding British talent taking the leap. Mat Oxley goes over some of the financial risks and rewards of doing so.

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/...w-lowes-and-dixon-are-doing-something-special

 

I was specifically not talking about him. He's made his money. Hopefully, well invested. I'm talking about the young guys now getting to that level.

 

I doubt we will ever know the answer as to what Cam's compensation will be, but it is a big coup for Dorna to get an American with his credentials into the paddock. I suspect that he will have individual sponsor money and perhaps the team will get some Dorna help to get him and keep him.

 

Sorry, I started typing after I read your first sentence

 

That, I am certain of. They don't hesitate to do what's necessary for the greater good of the series.

 

Thats a trick question.













Superbikes didn’t exist until 2008.

 

Eh, I don’t know. I reckon it all depends on if someone wants to “survive”, or “live”.

For the sake of discussion, let’s say he made $500,000 in those years. Let’s also (for easy math) say he didn’t spend a dime of that money. Hell, to make it even easier, let’s say he didn’t even pay taxes on that money.

So that gives him a full $2.5mil in the bank. Depending on how long he lives, that gives him ~$40-45,000 per year.

That’s not a lot of money each year, especially when you figure he will have to pay for private insurance (not to mention inflation).

In order to retire and be fine, he would either need to make another $3-4mil or so from racing, or plan on getting another job afterwards.

 

The economics of MA have always been a bit of a mystery to me.

 

He also lives in California so that adds a whole other aspect to cost of living etc

 

I thought it’s been said Cam paid his house off and has been good with his investments.

If that’s the case, maybe he now can afford to take some chances.

 

Who have you spoken to personally regarding their paychecks?

mans it all depends on what you consider “rich” from racing motorcycles.

 

How are you figuring he's only getting 1.6%? And your math (at least the amount in the bank) somewhat illustrated my point and why I was asking. Even if he was making $500K/year (I'm dubious, but many here are significantly more knowledgeable), that's only going to be a $300K a year after taxes, and after feeding himself, clothing, etc., I doubt he's putting away more than $150K/year.

 

Well the key word was "rich" obviously there are a few others that have been able to pay bills Jake Lewis etc

 

Salaries for pros on the world level seems to vary a lot. I remember hearing a few numbers several years ago from interviews in the GP paddock about that and Dovi was making only around $300k per year when he was with Tech 3 Yamaha, while there were a couple guys in the Moto 3 paddock making in the $700k range (like Vinales and Rins). But I never saw any real evidence for any of that, just what I've heard.

With that said, Jonathan Rea seems to be living a pretty life. Likewise with Chaz Davies although it doesn't look like he's living a lavish lifestyle by any means. My biggest concern would be what to do after the racing career is over. There are only so many positions for motorcycle racing broadcasters available, or mentors/managers. If you retire when you're in your upper 30s and aren't a multi-millionaire....then what?

 

ESPN 30 for 30 “broke.”

pro athletes going bankrupt after retirement is a relatively new problem, because pros in the 60’s had day-jobs to go back to when their day in the sun was over.

i think it’s wise to have a career lined up for life after racing. Hanging drywall, wrenching, selling insurance, whatever. There is no shame in having a long-term skill that doesn’t rely on physical talent

 

I see his move to Moto2 as a bet on himself with the opportunity to reach MotoGP. The MotoGP goal probably transcends money, but hopefully the money follows. Also, I sort of assumed that the sponsor deals and incentives are a huge part of a top rider’s income. I mean even at their peak, folks like Jordan and VR probably only got 10-20% of their income through a team salary. Those are obviously extreme examples who have monetized their brand to the max, but I would suspect that other energy drink riders and such have some sort of incentive deal. I suspect if Cam was making Mladin money from years gone by, this decision would have been much tougher.