Danny Walker is 100000% correct

Indian came in because they saw the series taking off. Point blank. After they pull out? Lol they just designed several bikes based. For flat track customers.... showroom bikes.

If anything flattrack boosted indian.

 

Is SX growing? Honest question. Doesn't seem it has, the past several years. Flat track - absolutely. It has the best TV deal going right now.

People like to compare to NASCAR. NASCAR is not growing.

Dammit, I hate when I get sucked into these type of threads.

 

I think part of that is X-Games and such. It's just in the wheel house for the youngins.

 

There were almost as many winners in AFT as MotoAmerica, over almost twice as many events. Lots of run away races last year...

 

Robby Bobby, just curious. What kind of electronics rules are in place in AFT?

I know in sprint car, DLM and most other racing that is actually doing well all forms of electronic traction control is banned.

Not sure about the sprint car stuff but in the DLM world a top shelf car is around $100k with nothing on it production but pretty strict rules for all aspects of it. The engine being 35-45k of it last I heard. Cant see the sprint stuff being any more expensive as its the same other than intake and carb.

 

They are strict on rules. The book is easy to find as I don’t have it memorized. But for $50k you can buy a bike and if you have the talent you can win a National the next day.

 

Yep...NASCAR is having a large decline in TV viewership, some increase in digital, but yeah they are not doing so well.

http://www.espn.com/jayski/cup/2018/story/_/id/25395485/nascar-tv-viewership-2018

 

I believe SX is constantly growing. It may seem stagnant because of several retired stars the last 5 years. Stewart, villopoto, dungy etc, but even if the aren’t growing as fast as flat track they are still filling stadiums.

 

$50k bike: comes with maintenance, crew, travel expenses, and guaranteed income?

 

Ok you’re right. Motoamerica is doing fabulous. Teams are coming in. Viewership is growing. New fans are pouring in each race....

Oh wait.... everything is perfect and it’s just Honda’s fault.

 

$50k gets you absolutely Factory support at each event. Meaning if you have an issue there is an indian/SS support team there.

Crew is on you. In most cases there’s a suspension guy and a gear changer. No electronic guru necessary unless you wanna fine tune injection within the limits. Guaranteed income? Yup, gotta be the top 18 rider that day and you’re getting paid.

Might eve pay the guys in the semis also, I don’t want to speculate on that though.

 

Bloomers is paying about 60k for motors.
As are allot of teams.

But the ban on traction control works.

 

Lol.

I mean, if you’re going to argue a position, then be open to having facts pointed out.

Is Jared Mees’s bike what I can buy? I’ve seen it with different exhaust systems than the showroom AFT Indians, and that’s not getting into cams, etc. I really doubt Tolbert and Indian’s “A” guy is getting the same stuff that others are getting.

It’s not, but I have no doubt if RRF had Yamaha’s, they would have had less trouble / been more competitive.

Even Ten Kate with Cosworth (as in F1 Cosworth) couldn’t make those things competitive. If Supersport bikes are almost as fast as it, then what does that say? I seem to remember those bikes finishing behind the SuperSTOCK bikes of Scholtz, Lewis, and Fong in 2017, and Gagne is no slouch in any capacity.

 

You can absolutely buy everything on Mees Bike. Can you walk into Cyprus and buy the bike Gerloff rode last year? What about yosh? Can I get the same bike Elias Rode? You know the answer to that

But I can’t buy TOLBERT knowledge but I a absolutely get the 2-1 Exhaust that Mees prefers on certain tracks.

As for camshafts, you can absolutely contact Web and have your own set ground. Is TOLBERT going to share his degree numbers? Not likely.

If you want to get technical, BSmith had a custom different frame in his indian a few rounds. You couldn’t buy that, but you damn sure can make your own...

 

220hp...

 

He had a different exhaust at the miles late in the season

So, there you go, I need to buy the Indian and then do a motor development program. $$$

 

It's because of promotion. It's because the TV package. It's because the "show" atmosphere...AND it's because the fields are full. Full fields is a direct result of affordable, competitive machines. Anyone with a modest budget can buy an Indian and go attempt to run with Mees. Far far much less to run singles and still get an equal part of "the show."
Make Superbikes less superbikey and cost $30k-$50k with parity in the rules and the fields will grow. It also would allow talented club racers to move up and get a legit gauge of their abilities without being outdone by raw cubic dollars.
MA TV package is junk. Bein does a good job of covering the show and it makes it to nearly no households. On Comcast, it's part of an add on package that isn't even high def. You would need to be a serious fan to find motorcycle roadracing on TV in the U.S.
I said the same in the MA silly season thread and most disagreed, but you're right Rob Bob, AFT is growing quickly. I agree the relatively low cost to run is making the show better and fueling the growth.
The problem having that discussion in this forum, is the argumant is taking place with uber passionate, well connected fans that feel the need to see their idols on super trick exotic bikes. That's cool. I agree. I come from the car racing world. A Porsche 962 was cool as shit and damn sure a lot more fun to drive than a Napcar...but the Napcar race has stands full of paying fans and the sports car race has empty stands and paying drivers.
If MotoAmerica is going to be a rich guy's playground like sports car racing, expect small fields with only a handful of truly competitive bikes as the norm.
Leave the really trick shit to MotoGP.
My .02

 

Why is Superbike the target? Where are all the club racers “taking it to the pro racers” in Supersport? It was a three rider show last year.

Superbike is a legitiment pro level class, wth pro level budgets and expectations. It should remain as such. Why couldn’t RRF put together a Supersport program like Rickdiculous has?

Like I said, RRF on the Honda’s were getting beat up by three Superstock bikes in 2017 who lacked the electronics, and they had front running talent on the bike. The electronics were the missing link? Really?

 

Well let’s see here..... at the last round the top 5 were split at the line by 8/10 of a second.
Bryan Smith-Factory Indian
Jared Mees Factory indian
Jeffrey Carver- Indian built in house garage by my friend Ben Evans in Ohio.
Briar Bauman- Stock indian he got 1/2 through season with suspension upgrade for his size
Henry Wiles- Stock indian purchased from dealer in Panama City with suspension.
8/10th of a second between them.

 

Well, yeah - agreed on stadiums (even though there's three Anaheim's), but there have been various satellite-level teams folding up, privateers not chasing the series like they used to, etc. - similar to roadracing. Even the D14 guys around here will talk about "practice/track days" ruining club-level racing, etc. like we do.

Either way, it's still the best thing we've got in the states as far as bike racing goes, but I hope I'm wrong about it not growing.