The Hayes/Paris, and West/Fernandez combos would be great fun to watch! But, they'd have to fight out who is front, and who is back, lol Maybe mid race, pit and switch!
I thought it was a circus act, at best. About half the field either dnf or dns, the bikes wobbled all over the place and at least half of the riders weren't experienced roadracers. The PR flack from PU tried his best to put a good spin on it and that jackass Robbie Floyd was sucking up right along, but he kept making the point that the Harley and Indian dealers were having watching events at the dealerships. This was all about promoting baggers and his aftermarket empire, not MA and roadracing. If they are going to do this as a series next year, they need to nail down the rules, not make it an invitational builders show (Biker Build off anyone?) and get real riders out there on well developed bikes. Anything less is an insult to professional racing.
Who gives a flying f what it was if it brings fans or viewers which ultimately gets the sponsor dollars coming back.
At least it was a race. Far better than another jackass stunna show. These were professional racers racing motorcycles on a track. Just not the type of motorcycle we are used to.
So, question... what convinces sponsors to actually throw money at racing? When the sponsors all decide they don't get any return on their involvement, what happens to racing?
I found it entertaining. I liked watching the riders shift gears with their entire bodies- You know, bounce on the seat, flap elbows, while stomping the shift lever. Herrin pulled in at one point when the bike died- but he got it re-fired. The 4th place guy was smoking the whole race, when he pulled in, they were following him with the bag of oil dry. There was a ton of media there, the podium probably had more photographers in media vests than were there for WSB last year. I hate to say it, but I think this class is here to stay. And if it brings more fans to the races, so be it! MotoAmerica had a hell of a time clearing the hot pit for the start. And they're gonna have to start enforcing those team shirt rules a little more carefully.
I don't see a lot of the teams in the other classes using product from S&S, Vance and Hines, Drag Specialties and Kustom Krome. Maybe they should have a baking contest at next year's events and see if they can pull in sponsorship from Pillsbury and Betty Crocker. My point is, there is all kinds of racing out there and putting this kind of stuff in with a professional roadrace series is like racing buses as a filler at F1 events. It may be racing, even close racing, but it doesn't belong at a MA event. If Harley and Indian want to compete then get a bike together that fits in the twins class and race it. The Harley won the production twins AFT class this year with James Rispoli.