If you could hire any rider next year to ride for your team,regardless of contract obligations who would it be? Also why was Craghill approched to fill in for Hayes instead of a u.s. rider without a ride(G.Lopez?)? As always thank you for your time.
It's my wish that more teams would hire AMERICAN riders for the AMERICAN Motorcyclist Association's Superbike series. When a certain foreigner had wished his foreign national anthem was played at a track last year, it really pissed me off. I'm not saying all foreign riders are bad ... I just wish more American Citizens would get the top tier rides. On a more constructive note ... why are more and more foreign riders present in the US? Is it like finding someone to hang drywall for you ... those from other nations are willing to work for less than Americans?
So Rick, what's wrong with playing the National Athem of the person who wins the race? If we want the AMA series to be the best, it will have to attract the best from around the world. It is a common practice to play the coutries athem of the winner. He has won the serise tittle 3 times. I did not think that is was an unreasonable request.
It is common practice to play the national anthem of the winner during an international event...not an event sanctioned by the AMA...in which all events are held within America. Do you think they play the Star Spangled Banner in Australia if an American wins a national caliber race? The AMA series is the best ... in America. Similar to England, Italy, Australia, and a number of other countries that have their own national series. I believe the reason we attract international riders is $$, pure and simple. That, and said riders maybe can't handle world class racing. Maybe the American riders need to step it up, have some national pride, and ef'en win the title back...and hold onto it. Or maybe I am full of crap, America is a big melting pot, and we should welcome and embrace all nationalities' anthems AND flags? Yea, that's it! Screw history, and what created this great nation. Now that it's open for everyone to come here, lets just say "ef-it"! Who needs the Stars and Stripes, or the Declaration Of Independence, or the Constitution for that matter!!! Wait, if we didn't have these, no one would want to be here, and I would have nothing to say. Dud
he would hire me. because he would like to see my bright shiny smiling face around all of the time. now the rest of you need to have a beer or twelve and calm down
Personally I couldn't give a flying sh@t what country a rider is from, as long as they can get the job done. I'd like MORE foreign riders racing in the US. I'd like to see Emmet, Hislop, Reynolds, Borja, Craggill, Tamada, Yanagawa, Meklau, and any other that I can think of go up against Yates, Hayden, Chandler, Meiring, Caylor, Acree, etc on good equipment (be it 600ss, Formula Ex, 750 ss, Supers) on US soil. To this it would mean that the US series is indeed the top national series in the world. A true feeder class to World SBK or Diesel GPs. I understand that their is a finite number of rides, but to me this would make the cream rise. Wouldn't this eliminate rides for US riders? That already happens in the superbike class now. The US series seems to recycle riders time after time after time after time and seldom does a US rider truely get a shot at a full on factory Superbike. This is my opinion, and worth all of the $.02 it cost. Dave K
Gee Michael, if Mat Mladin would enter (and win) an International series like World Superbike, then he'd get his foreign national anthem. They do it all of the time at Laguna Seca, you know, the WORLD Superbike series? Oops ... that's right ... Mat doesn't do International stuff anymore. He'd rather apply his "team of one" approach to a lower tiered series like the AMA. That, and tell lies on the WERA BBS.
Rick, this can't be? Did you really come up with this BS? Please tell me someone stle your user id and password! So they should play the american anthem because the event is held here? Who would they be celebrating? The Austarlian rider who won the race, or the Japanes motorcycle he won on? Right, the bikes are Japanese and Italian, rmember that? How about taking your wish one step further and making this a championship open only to American riders on Harleys? That's the racing I want to see. Who cares that Dave K is right and that we want to see the best racers, regardless of where they're from? Rumor has it, Kocinski once said "if you're not American, you ain't shit." If he said it, it must be right. Doohan, Gardner, Bayliss, Corser, Gobert, Mladin, none of them ain't shit. Neither are Fogarty, Rossi or Biaggi. They're Europeans: who'd want to see them?
I dunno about next year, but give me 2 or 3 more years of racing and I'll be ready! Journalist today, contracted rider tomorrow....
I don't give a sh... what nationality a rider is, I just want good racing. I agree with Dave K it would be pretty cool to have guys like Hislop, Reynolds and Emmet mix it up with Hayden, Chandler et al. Not everyone agrees though. I just spoke to my old buddy David Duke and he agrees with YamahaRick and DudleyDoRight; That no foreigners should be allowed into the U.S let alone be allowed to race in our very high profile professional, and well run, championship.
Its funny that Americans never mind hearing their national anthem when its being played in foreign countries........... Gotta go with the talent factor here. I guess most european riders learn on tracks without concrete walls, so they really learn how to give it 110%.
At an American event in the American National championship for the entertainment of Americans I expect to hear the American National Anthem. The many nationalities of the riders and equipment is part of the freedoms of this great country. Love it or leave it. Ray
You could also have it in your Walkman, so you could paly it all race long, RB. You don't want to take any chances: if you don't hear it all the time, you may forget that this is America. Answer me this: why do they play ANy national anthem at sporting events anyway? What's the relevence? What purpose does it serve? What's so patrioctic about kicking a ball around a field, or driving a car in circles? Shit, if you're so proud of where you're from, drape yourself in a f*cking flag and carry a boombox blasting your national anthem. That kind of attitude is a friggin crutch for people who have nothing else to be proud of. I can see why someone who fought for their country feels a certain way about a flag, or a national anthem. The rest of us: get a f*cking life. Go out and accomplish something.
Part of the purpose of the anthem is so loud mouths might be reminded of the men and women who fought and died so that being a loud mouth is permitted as opposed to said loud mouth ending up in trouble as happens in some countries. Enjoyed life much lately PT?? Ray
I missed the part where you explained to me why this needs to be played at sporting events, as opposed to at work, or on the subway, or in your walkman. In case it's still not registering on your radar screen, think of it this way: do you think that because you hear it at the races, you're more aware of people who have given their lives for their country than people who don't attend sporting events? Surely you have a valid explanation that you simply forgot to include in your response. Here is your chance to prove to this loudmouth that he is wrong. Knock yourself out.
