JRP has a new ride

If I am remembering correctly, the races I was at had either 5 or 6 cameras. DSB and MotoGT have rolling starts, so those classes don't need them. How many times all year did ASB or SS have more than 6 rows? SS probably had more than 6 rows only once. Your complaint would have been valid for DSB had they done clutch starts.

 

I'm not even stupid enough to do them now. As for posts here, the Czar is all knowing and all seeing

 

Thank You Papa.


At the end of last winter I was cynical about the season.

Then, as Spring popped some optimism turned me into a possible mindless cheerleader.

As the SNAFUs began coming to light I turned away, shaking my head, looking for some hope.

Knowing full well that there's a ton o' crap that never saw the light of day, I still hoped for the basic sake of a handful of families whose livelihoods were dependant on this series for house payments and such, as discussed with JU.

Then, I watched the OTT vid with Frasier being dismissive and ignoring Mr. Schwantz after Laguna. That was it. If they won't listen to Schwantz?! They want to publicly piss on K. Schwantz's opinion in a Press Conference? Ha! It's nothing but a Catch-22 comedy of fuck-up errors from here on out. Who's going to be Milo and sell off the red silk that the red flags are made of, to buy oil filters that fit the crash and ambulance trucks, from some far off based Italian Corp.?

So, RE, I take it the meetings with the Big Jap 4 didn't go so well in Indy, eh? Congrats. When will we see your press release for next year's schedule and Sponsors?

 

Easy Boss. If you look at it like that sure it is wack. In the end though Nascar and AMA Pro racing are a business that is selling a product to a customer. DMG can simply choose to package their product in a certain way. It would be a win win situation for any sponsor. Most sponsors have no idea that the could field a damn good motorcycle rider for the entire season and reach over 100 million TV viewers and 600,000 fans in person for a fraction of what they are throwing at Nascar. Not to mention a completely different demographic than what they get with Nascar. It wouldn't take long for quite few sponsors to more than want to throw their hat in the ring.

Someone already backed me on this and maybe JRP wasn't the best example. Hows Dean Mizdal for a better dude? Maybe you can enjoy going to the track and watching 10 bikes go by once every 2 minutes, but many many people can't dig on that. Imagine getting a buddy to go checkout a race live for the first time. After the bikes would go by they would literally be watching the grass grow for almost 2 minutes until the bikes came by again. Or there could be a steady stream of bikes flying by albeit at a slightly slower pace. Which scenario do you think would have them interested in coming back to see a second race? Without more $$$ in privateers hands that speed difference will always be there. If some of these privateers had 3 or 4 hundred grand a year in their budget they would be going a hell of a lot faster than they are now. TV is a much different story I agree.

 

My point was they allowed people on the grid last year when they were running the races with the same staff in place and this year just a quick check shows 26 starters at VIR that is 2 without cameras. I can check the other races if you would like. So if you have 24 starters and 6 cameras than use them as soon as you get 25 starters you need to buy new cameras or not use them at all..

 

JRP didn't have to go WOT and drag race the leaders from corner to corner like he did. If he had gone 80% and held his line, the leaders could have gotten past him easier without anyone ass-packing him. That would have satisfied the second half of the rule, which states that the rider being overtaken is to allow the faster riders to pass.

The 'spirit' disclaimer is there to let the racers know that the final say on the rules is that of the sanctioning body, not the opinion (or creative interpretation) of the racer. Given the chance, guys will push the limits to unreasonable lengths. This nips that in the bud. The disclaimer also tells the racer to get any clarification needed in writing so there is no misunderstanding later.

A year ago, I was very vocal against RE & Co. on the way things were proceeding. At this point, I'd have to say that it's good to see that they have admitted to some things not working and announced changes. Having been to two races, I see there is potential for the series to be successful. More changes still need to be made IMO, but I'm willing now to take a more wait-and-see approach. The series still needs to see more high level sponsorship and cooperation with the OEM's, but maybe that will come around this fall...

 

Here's an idea to reduce the chances of another JRP block. Change the cut off from a fixed percentage to floating figure based on a formula: Take the fastest qualifying lap time and divide by the number of laps in the race plus one. Theoretically, no one would get lapped. It might not eliminate lapped riders but it would reduce their numbers. Of course, it would reduce the field too...

Say the race is 40 laps and the fastest qualifying time was 1:20 (80 seconds) That works out to 1:21.95 or 102% and the fastest guy would cross the line just less than 4 seconds after the slowest rider finished their 39th lap. (Theoretically speaking.)

 

I think they should get rid of blue flag. let racers race and those coming through can find way through. blue flag works on world level where you have couple lapers. in ama half a grid is lapped.

 

BINGO!! And that's where we're headed as long as we put "the show" before ***COMPETITION***....

Anyone hear FIM Worldsuperbike rules/classes calling...?? Putting that rulebook in place would, among other things, allow R.E. and the boyz to quit using their limited resources on making up a new, one-off rule book (i.e. re-inventing the wheel) and reallocate those resources to MANAGING a world-class American M/C Road Racing series. Just sayin.....

....Oh yeah, and those little, inconsequential (i.e. non-Buell) guys like Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki might appreciate it too since they would not have to develop umpteen-thousand different "superbikes".

 

The truth of the matter is that it only matter WHO the lapped rider is, or WHO is doing the lapping. Pegram is held in high regard, and JRP is almost uniformly despised, so even though Larry instigated the consent to fight, and the after race antics and unsportsmanlike conduct that they were both guilty of, Pegram gets off scott-free and JRP gets suspended. Rules are supposed to be rules for everyone-equally. If they aren't blanket enforced, why have any rules at all?

 

Oh no. Say it ain't so. That's the real bad news if its true. Will anyone in DMG-AMA notice and take positive action before its too late...?

 

Yep, get rid of blue flag rule, to many involved. let those that get involved solve it in their pits without dmg

 

Fixed that for ya!

Hopefully, from this day on out, you'll practice what you preach.

If i need to jog your memory, let me know, i'll be more than happy to elaborate

 

The NJMP Field would have looked like this:

1 Joshua Hayes 1:21.315
2 Mat Mladin 1:21.505
3 Neil Hodgson 1:21.710
4 Tommy Hayden 1:21.753
5 Aaron Yates 1:21.920
6 Ben Bostrom 1:21.955
7 Taylor Knapp 1:22.063
8 Larry Pegram 1:22.136
9 Cory West 1:22.146
10 Damian Cudlin 1:22.148
11 Geoff May 1:22.277
12 Blake Young 1:22.286
13 Chris Ulrich 1:23.173

Anymore than that and there would be lapping... ...be careful what you wish for.

 

Check in the rulebook. If I am not mistaken, the fastest time in the first qualifying session in which the top ten for Super Pole is chosen is locked in as the lap time that the 108% rule is applied to.

 

Thats what I thought also. But I dunno.

 

I say "Let JRP Ride!"

 

That was offered... OEM's rejected.

 

Well shit. Offer it again!! I bet they take it now.