Is american superbike really this sad?

Oh no, I know they don’t drive as far as the US rounds do. It doesn’t get much farther than traveling from Laguna to Barber (for example).

I was only counterpointing the common argument of “the UK has big grids because they aren’t spread out as far”.

ASBK is spread out 10x as much as the UK, but yet their grids rival the UK. Which means distance isn’t a “deal breaker”.

BTW - at no point in this entire thread did I mention my personal budget, nor did I use it for comparison or justification for anything. My point was based on distance between tracks; nothing more.

 

I know that. Which is why I didn’t say “total costs”.

I said “the difference between driving 10hrs and driving 18hrs”.

I never meant for my post to be taken as an all-inclusive breakdown of every dime that has to be spent. I assumed that would be understood in the context of my post and the discussion, which is why I didn’t put that disclaimer in there.

 

Straight shot from Taillem Bend to Morgan Park -- 1775 km or about 1100 miles.

Nope. See above. I've driven a good section of that. Even took a wrong turn at Hay in the blackout middle of the night and went about 50 km into the bush before figuring out I was gonna get us kilt.

 

I get where you're going with the healthy grids in a big country but it's not 7-10 times as far as the tracks in the UK. It's about double at it's furthest point. Which with UK traffic prob takes the same amount of time lol.

 

33, 24, and 24 in the races for the other rounds. I suspect we'll get a better picture of it by the end of the year. im trying to look up full-time entries, but havent found it yet.

I do expect more racers for WSBK rounds. we see the same at Laguna, most for non-SBK classes. MA SBK only had 2 wildcard racers at Laguna, Uribe and Coffey. I wonder what's diff about ASBK that allows so many wildcards to enter. the barriers for entry cant be THAT much lower. its still SBK and still a pro event. do Aussies just have more talent and more bikes lying around? im gonna keep looking in to this.

one thing I just noticed is that their SBK races are only 20min compared to MA's 30min. this likely means they don't need larger fuel tanks, which is def a wildcard barrier for entry in the US.

 

With the price of petrol in the UK you're probably looking at that much to get from London to Cadwell

 

In my experience, Aussies are pretty sportbike crazy. Witness 8 premier GP championships from a relatively small (population-wise; more than FL but less than TX) country.

 

So the consensus is BSB is wildly successful with nail-biting racing, packed grids and photo finishes with MotoGP, WSBK and TT racers competing for seats because... it's easy to travel.

Well alrighty then.

 

Looking at season entry payouts, results and entries in the classes makes a pretty good case that the electronics and rules are what is hurting the class...
What incentives are there to run Superbike when you see teams like M4, Westby and Wymans all damn good teams, not a consistent threat to win and all of them fighting for one podium spot. Seems like with a more sensible rules package new teams could have at least a reasonable possibility of a decent result.
Hell just banning Rider aides would absolutely change the landscape of things in the class and give new teams more incentive to join the fun.
JMO

 

The UK is where the sport was born.

 

This only my humble opinion... but the lack of packed grids and poor spectator turn out has little to do with; TV coverage, money, travel costs (spectator and team alike) or DMG for that matter. The simple fact is that the US is not overly interested in motorcycling. It's a bitter pill that we all have to accept. I can't explain it. It just is.

I just got back from the UK; they are passionate about all aspects of motorsport. We had the opportunity to go to the Goodwood Festival of Speed; the organizers cap ticket sales at 150,000 people per day (its a 4 day event). BSB rounds are equally well attended. These folks have a passion for the sport that has to be seen to be believed. I can't explain this either. It just is.

Personally, I think MotoAmerica is doing a great job considering what they inherited (the DMG fracas and a sport that never really recovered from a depressed economy). But they are working hard to build it back up. We have one of America's finest ambassadors spear-heading it and he has surrounded himself with people of like passion. They listen to their competitors and they listen to their fans. It's not all bad. The manufacturers will return - perhaps not as strong as previous years, but they'll be back. Chin(s) up...

 

We ain't gotta accept sheeeeeit! We want witches to burn and scapegoats to spatchcock!!!

 

You touch it with a needle. People always feel that others should love what they love, and would if they only watched it.

 

As a flat track fan I'm laughing at this over focus on grid size. Oh NO! Only 16-18 riders? That's been the grid size for almost every pro flat track race for the past 50 some years. And they deliver more consistently good races that road racing does.

 

How many races this year have had over 14 riders????

 

apples/oranges.... those FT riders are sharing a MUCH smaller patch of racing surface

 

I don’t think it’s just big grids. It’s new blood. Where are the next wave of Superbike racers coming from?

 

Spot on mate.

 

The next wave is stuck in SS, SStk and the rest of the lower classes.
The problem isn’t lack of talent never has or will be. It is lack of viable seats for them to take unless they pay for them.