MotoAmerica 2022 silly season

https://soundcloud.com/the-paddock-pass-podcast/episode-260
Danilo speaking about MotoAmerica

 

Probably chemistry. Although I like Greg just fine regardless of who he's with. But he and Pridmore appear to be really good buddies and you can hear the chemistry in their podcast. Either that or they are just REALLY good at selling it. Their podcast together has actually become one of my favorites, right behind paddock pass.

 

Big head Greg drives me nuts at times but he does a great job. Glad he’s onboard.

 

So here lately I've been looking at shooting competitions and something caught my attention. Apparently there are a bunch of PRS competitions/classes based on a $2500 price limit for the rifle off the shelf. And while I'm very new to that world, it seems to be working well as many manufacturers are releasing PRS rifles nowadays right at that $2500 limit aimed specifically at that class.

How would something like this work in a superbike class? Not necessarily for the bike, but for parts. Allowing them to go full affamarket errrything with the caveat that it all has to be parts available to the public at a certain price point. No more $100k forks, 1 off Attack swingarms, billet calipers, etc. And especially it seems to provide more opportunities to lower budget teams in regards to electronics without having to go full spec ECUs. It would bring the class closer to stock 1k in terms of more teams having a reasonable shot at decent finishes while still letting the machines be kinda superbikey and possibly even turn into some positive development in the aftermarket if some manufacturers mirrored what's happening in PRS by developing some trick components to a specific price point.

Maybe there's already some rules along these lines that I'm not aware of so don't flame too hard if that's the case. I don't read the MA rulebook every year. But this concept immediately made me think of superbike when I stumbled upon it in the PRS world.

 

I think there were some price caps on equipment last year. Maybe on forks? I can’t remember the specifics.

I wonder what it costs to field a Moto2 team vs. MA SBK. Remove the travel costs from both. I bet it’s pretty close.

 

Most aftermarket parts are already price capped. It’s in the homologated parts document on the AMA website.

IMO, some in here are really overstating the effect of bike cost on racing. I wouldn’t be surprised if bolt-on part costs for building a SBK is at an all-time low (for the modern era). Engine mods are down, we have price caps, unobtanium is gone, etc. But our grid is still meh. So maybe, just maybe, the largest issue lies elsewhere.

 

I think you’re right. This is clearly all Robbie Floyd’s fault.

 

I think the issue is may be very simple. Moto GP is king, back in the "glory days" it seems that superbikes were just as popular as gp and now thats not the case. As I read and watch the rider interviews all they want is a shot at moto gp and that requires you to jump ship at an early age and not explore a career in superbikes because the riding styles are different. Only once they "fail" or run out of GP options or realize its just not going to happen they then turn to superbikes.

 

There is already a list of approved components. Could perhaps be revised.

https://www.fim-moto.com/fileadmin/..._Parts_for_Competition_-_List_2022__v1.1.xlsx

 

Barbera with the new BMW M1000RR
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZJt15fIsMG/

 

The thing about price caps is that the manufactures of the parts to be homologated will take advantage of that price cap. They'll create a demand then a scarcity, then profit.

lol I bet those $10k SBK forks are made in the exact same CNC machines as the $2500 forks. Just some more quality checks, and some different programming.

Same with swingarms. at the end of the day, they are just some geometry numbers, maybe a little bit of FEA simulation (often outsourced), some machined bits (easily replicable after the CNC programing and work hold tooling is figured out) Then you have some stamped or buck formed pieces of aluminum, a weld fixture, and a TIG welder. buuuuuut, they're $8,500... lol

Garret makes a turbo that is FIA compliant for a certain race series. They make another turbo that's EXACTLY the same. One has an FIA tag, the other doesn't. One is an $1,800 turbo, the tagged one is like $4,500. lol The certain race series has a $4,500 price cap on turbochargers and they have to be a homologated P#..

Aftermarket companies LOVE spec racing.

 

This doesnt really apply here.

FIM prices were set to what parts were already selling for. Some prices went down a little, some probably went up a little. I haven't heard a single example of someone price gouging just because they could.

There is no scarcity. Part of the homologation is that parts must be available to everyone. This did put some extra pressure on small suppliers, which probably affected prices for better or worse.

High-end race parts for motorcycles cost a ton in part because you are paying for the intellectual property. Of course you can race on Road&Track Ohlins forks for $2500... but you probably won't get the same support at the track and probably won't go as fast. The other part is because the manufacturer probably sells 30 of that part. I'd be surprised if anyone can make a profit selling 30 kit swingarms for the price cap.

 

As someone who as programmed CNC's, sometimes the different programming can mean a lot of money. Tighter tolerances may also require putting the CNC machine in a temperature & humidity controlled environment which increases overhead. Higher quality tooling and additional care to finishing passes adds machine time on already expensive machines. Adding in multi-axis work, gets even pricier.

Same goes for quality checks too. Jim-Bob, a pair of calipers, in the high bay might work for my stock forks, but true quality work is done on granite tables with certified & calibrated equipment with temperature & humidity control.

Quality costs money, exponentially so.

 

Sean Bice with some interesting words on the imposter beeb

someone also said Ashton Yates was testing the Aprilla Superbike

 

I also do CNC programming/machining. (rapid part design/prototyping, and Tooling & Fixture design/build) .. I am aware that I more or less "peanut buttered" that statement. especially with the forks. I also was definitely co-relating some experiences from what I have witnessed in auto-racing, into motorcycle racing. I hope that speculation is incorrect.

 

I would love to see RE54 on the superbike.

Didn't they let Stefano Mesa race that 1100cc Aprilia RSV4 in a STK1000 last year as a provisional/no points/test dealio?

 

what aprilia superbike?

 

Pretty sure would be a Aprilia for the Stock1000

 

Yes at barber. I believe cop said they are waiting for it to be approved

 

the same one Mesa and Robem ran last year. I found some pics to confirm:

- Mesa at Barber

- Yates at Homestead