BBoz's move to Jordan. Why? Good or Bad?

Maybe he did, but Eric was in my race. For sure, and he did better than 20's.

Chris Clark was busy launching missiles off the coast. Dad bought him a new model rocket.

 

Running Eric Bostrom's AMB transponder? Know if it was on a new Kawi or not.

 

Which race was that?

 

The model rocket race. It was after the side cars.

 

Not sure who's transponder he was carrying, but it would fit if he was really trying to place dress up. I couldn't tell if it was the new Kawi or the new Maico.

 

Sure seems like a case of big bro making room for little bro. There are only so many seats in this game of musical chairs. It would make sense to see Eric ride a Pat Clark Bike next year.

But I do think Ben liked being at Yamaha. Got some cool perks there. Granted the Jordan team certainly has a few of it's own.

 

Ben spent too much time being a mentor for chris and the team to worry about himself. He'll be going to a team where he can focus on himself.

i vote good move for Ben.

 

So can someone tell me who is runnin Kawis in 2011 please?

 

What sucks is that there is really just a set number of superbike rides and it is simply musical chairs as stated earlier. All the same guys are riding the same top seats on all the available teams.

My question is when are (no offense) the old guard guys going to step down and let these young pups get rides? Look at WSBK. I know you have Biaggi and others, but the Spies, Crutchlows, Haslams, Rea, etc coming in and getting top seat rides and proving themselves and moving up the ladder.

Here, it is essentially 8 or so seats and the same 8-10 guys have them. Sure, one goes from Yamaha to suzuki and Kaw to Honda, etc. But, with the Hondas and Kaws falling out, the seats are even tougher to land.

The OEMs need to say "give a ride" to the young pups coming up. We have a ton of talent in the 600 classes and the enjoyment of watching these kids is awesome and exciting. While it is cool to watch BBoz or Zemke sliding it in sideways at times, I think it is time to allow the pups a chance. I think one seat on every team (1- Suzuki, 1- Kaw, 1- Yamaha, 1- Honda) needs to be for an up and coming racer that has proven themselves on 600s.

I'm just saying that what WSBK is doing is a great idea to put into action here. More young pups are going to come to WSBK as a stepping stone to GP or bigger things or to become a player in the WSBK ranks.

AMA Superbike with 8-10 top tier riders is getting pretty old. We need a grid of 20 top team riders and then fill in the back 10-20 with solid privateers. While privateers are hitting inside the top 10, it is really because there is a lack of top teams and riders finishing in the top ten...

Suzuki has 5 riders, yamaha 1-2 riders, Kaw appears to be coming with 1-2 riders. BMW with Pegram and maybe a wild card someplace. That's ten riders... Sucks.

For it being the elite racing series in the US, it dissapoints at the premier class. 600 racing is awesome and exciting both in the Supersport and Daytona classes. I think these kids running in those classes need to swing legs over Superbikes and add a dash of excitement to that class... Or, maybe add a 1000 Superstock class to be a stepping stone to Superbike and fill it with the likes of PJ, Herrin, Nash, Westby, etc... How cool woul it be to see those kids on liter bikes with solid backing?

 

Who's going to pay for all that? We've already dumbed the rules down dramatically and we're still too expensive a class for 20-30 main bikes.

I think it's not about the rules, culture, teams or whatever, there's just not enough money.

 

The top teams tend to want the racer with the highest likelyhood of winning races and/or championships. The smaller bikes/classes are where the pups need to hone their skills and racecraft. Look at the top guys in AMA Superbike, the average age of the top 3-4 guys is around 35 years old. Not many youngsters are gonna jump on a superbike and be near the front like a Spies or Nicky did.

 

Not enough money due to lack of support by sponsors. The series is a better series than a year ago, but it has a long ways to go. As quoted earlier, who wants to watch 35 plus year old riders race around?

 

Yes, the 600 classes are for grooming the pups. BUT, when will those pups move up? It isn't going to be until one of the old guard retires or is left in the cold due to lack of performance. Do you think that Herrin is going to want to continue to race until he is 30 here in the States on a 600?

While I agree that there aren't many Spies out there or maybe even arguably, Nicky Haydens, but there are MANY a good rider in that group that has the ability and talent to give the old dudes a run. Put Herrin, Eslick, PJ, etc on those same bikes and after a year or two, it would be shocking, I think... There's a talent pool there and honestly, I think there isn't a Spies, Hayden, Mladin talent level now. All due respect to the guys racing there now, but are they Spies ability? No.

Young pups are the way to the future and when is there going to be a spot open anytime soon? The current guys are going to be racing in this series until they are 40. 2-3 plus years for a young pup to wait is going to wear them out. They will be better off running WSS or similar and hope to get noticed for higher end rides overseas.

I think Blake Young is the best hope to show talent from younger guys - if he can stay healthy.

I just think the average age of 35 plus is somewhat wrong and needs to have some younger talent and aggressiveness and hunger within the group. It would still show well for the older guys, but adding say, 4 new pups into the mix on similar support, would only draw stronger interest from sponsors and fans alike. Look at the crowds as of late. Not showing real well... Used to be that Superbike events were packed and it was the time when you had a list of talent that was deep and 2-3 riders for every factory. Then, the satellite teams where talent was groomed for the big seats. It was great. Remember that?

 

So what do we do with these 35 year old geezers that are hogging the limelight? Do we put them down? Should we create a "rascal" racing series for them. How about power wheelchairs?

Racing isn't charity. If you're the fastest, you get the best rides. When the young pups prove themselves and can beat the old guard, they'll get their chance. Until then, I want to see the best riders racing for a championship.

 

Great idea. KTM should put its money where your mouth is, step up with a two-rider AMA Pro Superbike team and hire a couple of young guns...

 

I agree, but I also think some of the old guys lack the drive to actually put it on the line. They are fast enough to keep their seats, but I want to see racing.

It's kind of hard to expect a up and coming rider to be faster when the equipment isn't available to get the laptimes. Somebody has to give them a shot, similar to what JU has done for years, except put them on superbikes.