Florida racing takes a hit

The new CCS has abandoned the FL series it appears, there are no Florida races published on their schedule with the exception of the Race of Champions in Daytona in October.

Pan American Superbike (formerly known as FMRRA) has also only published one round at Homestead in February, the rest of their schedule expanding to CMP, NOLA, Barber, and still including Roebling.

Florida has been tough for CCS ever since FMRRA took over all the PBIR racing and 2 Homestead rounds per year, and CCS was struggling to get turnout at Homestead. There just wasn't enough racers to support 2 series.

So now we get nothing and like it.

 

Traditionally, the December round at Homestead has been strong because Penguin runs the Ducati REVS event the day before, so a lot of Yankees come down for that.
One rumor is that in December of 2023, Homestead will be the opening round of the 2024 season.

 

Sean had been posting about this happening for a few years now.
You could say the jolly fat man is clairvoyant but the reality is that it was pretty much common sense and he really isn’t all that jolly.

 

I like how pittrace is "midwest". Didnt want to talk to Gingerman or even Mid-O instead.

Wanna see the rule pkg first. If it gets too stupid, will just do SCCA or start doing local short track.

 

I was lucky to get into the Florida CCS in the early 2000's. They had a full race schedule and decent grids. And then there was always jennings trackdays on the regular, PBIR got more and more track days over the years, homestead used to just be a winter thing but became more and more, then there was always the once a year chance with team hammer to do daytona tracks days and ccs. It was a good time, remember in 2004 season the supersport class in homestead gridded up with 53 bikes, got 3rd in novice class. Kind of like the Al Bundy of scoring 3 touch downs in high school, it still makes me smile. Fast but not that fast

 

Well you wont get alot of racers going to Gingermann if you schedule it the weekend after Road America, which happened. Most the midwest is Chicago/Milwaukee area. How many are really gonna take the 8 hr drive there?

 

I think next year is going to be interesting for all of the orgs including trackday groups.
I don't think pan america is going to have the success they anticipate with the new tracks they are going to but they also have a very manageable schedule that does have people excited so who knows.
They do do a very good job getting people excited about the events they some how have people excited just to qualify on Saturday

 

Does nobody race at Jennings?

 

Not since 2019, no. That was the last year FMRRA went there.

Track is up for sale now (though I guess technically it was always up for sale for the right price), so who knows what the future holds for that place. But it seems Borge/Jacky are wanting to unload it.

 

Ah quit your bichin'. Ye lost $1.5B in one day and he's "fine"

Maybe stop whining and get Adidas and Balenciaga to sponsor WERA. Seems like they may have a few spare ad dollars lying around.

 

"fmrra took over all the pbir" is putting it really nicely. Pushed CCS OUT is more like it, with the partner of fmrra and pbir track manager doubling Henry's rental fees. No argument here, just pointing it out . fmrra's other shenanigans like calling their racing "track days" (verified this with the track manager at Roebling) could have gotten real bad, and how they got jennings on their schedule but CCS couldn't get rounds is a mystery.. but when i talked to Borge (owner of JGP) he said "they are calling it track day not racing".. but not sure how that got fmrra in and ccs out. Odd stuff and a mystery but is what it is. Yup, pretty much dried up the FL series, no doubt. Sad stuff.

I remember every garage being jam packed at Homestead in the early 2000's when i started (and you would remember too). Sad that Palm beach (formerly Moroso) shut down and bought out for other use. Fmrra/Pan Am series had lots of riders going there.. Indeed, FL racing is pretty much gone. Hope the ROC continues on to draw big entries.

 

When I started racing in 93 grids were huge in the FL series . All 2 wave starts . Crazy fast company to boot ,tons of AMA riders out testing and getting seat time ( no track days back then ). Sad to see the mess that wiped it all out and a track gone . " New Normal ? "

 

There’s only one viable FL track… homestead

Jennings is putting themselves out with the sound Nazi”ism”
PBIR closed
Daytona is priced too high for club racing
And that’s it…. The next closes tracks are what PanAm has. Who else comes to FL?

 

It's not difficult to understand. In May we had 98 entries in all ASRA sprint classes at Summit. In February at HMS in 80 degree sunny weather we had 20. The 2nd date at HMS was cancelled for lack of entries.

Keep in mind ASRA has qualifying for all sprint races, which loads of people want. Yet they get it and they don't show.

Mongo nailed it.

 

My first track day in 2002/03 at jennings was you on your F4i as an instructor/guy with the jacket. You probably don't remember me but you gave me some good advise. Sixx too. Jennings was a cool place/ still is, everyone was really cool and never new the difference if you were talking to a slow guy or really fast guy

 

I'm well aware of what happened, and have posted about it before, years ago- I didn't think it was worth repeating as it's all over now. There are alot of factors- Everyone wants to lament the loss of PBIR, but after the repave the place was dangerous as hell, and after they failed to pay the Airfence bill Henry threw down the ultimatum that we would not come back. Thus FMRRA was born (one of the partners was PBIR's road course manager at the time). We then had two series, and the writing was on the wall from then on.

@Mongo is correct overall, however FMRRA DID do some things better, and it just so happened that those things they did well were what the new younger generation of track-day-riders-turned-racers wanted and that allowed them to grow, while all the old crusty guys like me and @MELK-MAN and most of the other experts stayed with the "real" series, CCS.

FMRRA / Pan American has never had large turnouts, but to be fair, nobody has in the last 7-8 years. The closure of PBIR, basically due to the fact that the property is worth north of $80 Million, is a blow to the racing community all around, cars, trackday guys, everything. Homestead I'm guessing got more expensive over the summer, and so now PanAmerican will try to make it by going to other tracks. Personally, If I'm going to travel 8+ hours to race, it's not going to be to CMP. (No offense to CMP, I've never been there).

Florida has people with money to spend, lots of motorcycles, great year round weather, and yet motorcycle racing continues to wither on the vine, no matter who is in charge. Blame the pussification of the younger generation, I guess. I don't know. I'll keep traveling to race, once I'm sick of that, I guess I'll join the douche bag car race paddock. Or get a MX bike and promptly bust my ass and THEN join the douche bag car race paddock.

 

I believe there can't be any racing at Jennings anymore unless the bikes are 250cc or some shit like that. Something about neighbors bitching about noise.

I am not 100% sure on that though, Dan would probably know better.

I do hate it though. I love me some Jennings. It was always one of my fav tracks.