MA 2023 Silly Season

Doubt that but with Zook pulling out from MotoGP and World Endurance, I can see it.

 

What's the bet for cost per day for Indy. $50k?

 

On the Friday of the Indianapolis round I was talking with 3 other racers out in open air outside the paddock. Roger Penske drove up and waved us over and yelled at us for having our masks pulled down. Before he drove off he said “this is why you motorcycle folks aren’t coming back next year”

 

So specifically because of you we’re not invited back!? Thanks Hayden

My guess is that there is much more money floating around in the gentleman car racing scene than in the outlaw, scruffy, just-scraping-by motorcycle racing scene. If every racer had a rig like Veloce, or we looked like a MotoGP paddock, Penske would support another race.

 

No need to guess. I would say the only scene that is cheaper than motorcycle racers is RC car racers and maybe go karts?

Well the go karters have a lot of car connections, so probably only motorcycle guys, corn hole players and the national tiddlywinks champions.

 

I'll put it this way. Rahal's shop is about 7 minutes from my house. The amount of money driving through for cars and coffee is staggering.

 

Motocross races can be pretty cheap. I've been to 2 AHRMA rounds and I have seen some questionable human beings LOL

 

I stopped over at one of the grand parents of one of the kids I coach to pick up something and got talking to grand dad. first of all, the house was stupid and on 5 acres (and if you know this area. . .). Cool ass dude and he pointed out his garage. I thought the garage was a freakin barn.
anyways, in the barn was one of those gazillion dollar motorhomes, a race trailer that would be at home at an endurance car races, a newish Volvo tractor and a shitty ass Miata race car, a Ferrari with about an inch of dust on it and a bits and pieces of a formula ford.

he had maybe a million and a half worth of shit, a shop that probably cost half a mil all to haul around and store that shitted up Miata. car dudes are a different type.

Oh, he’s a freakin cool ass dude.

 

Would suck if we lose VIR, I love that track and that trip. It's also one that's within 1.5 days driving distance..... Car events bring in cubic dollars. We're small fish. AHRMA had to make some kind of deal with Road America that they didn't get the gate fees- I imagine what it costs to rent these tracks is getting a bit crazy.

I talked a little with Ty Scott during the track walk. He's not old enough for Superbike yet. Nice young man.

On the Carruthers and Bice MotoAmerica podcast, Danillo says he wants to come back but only if the team is going to invest in certain parts for the bike- at least that was my interpretation of his words. He says no matter what they change, they aren't progressing so he feels they need some new parts. Probably some crazy expensive swingarm or something. In one of Scholtz's posts or comments at the beginning of the season, he said that Westby made an investment in some parts they had been asking for and that was one of the reasons they made a big jump this year- or something to that effect.

 

Karters spend a shit ton of money sometimes more than car guys. Especially parents because every kid is the next lewis Hamilton.
So the kid needs new tires each race, a electric powered motorized jack to transport the kart to hot pit a back up kart and a custom painted helmet

 

Hey us motorcycle parents are guilty of this one too.

 

Most times Grattan had both the MX track and the road course open for the weekend, the road course people would have a number of items grow legs and walk off.. lol now that's cheap. A lot of times it's the teenagers looking for coolers to steal beer out of.

 

Yamaha is same
Suzuki I think escalate stays and pj takes the other seat.
Gillum moves to superbike only and Jake the snake takes his stock 1000 bike
Petrucci leaves.
Herrin takes that ride
Hsbk pulls out after next year yet again.
Rocco mysteriously finds enough money and gets a stock 1000 (remember they are broke)
Tytlers with Cam B and Hector, their stock 1000 stay.
Wyman's stay on Hardleys

 

Things maybe changing, but the the class Rocco runs in, is considered a higher level class versus stock 1000. At least in the old days SBK is #1 and then #2 (SS, 600 class or whatever it is called now).

Stock 1000 doesn’t even race 2x some weekends. So maybe in addition, but I don’t see him leaving SS class for a stop at stock 1000, only “an upgrade” to SBK.

 

I know it doesn't which is such a shame. Considering they give the baggers 2 races some weekends.

But the stock 1000 is a step up considering speed and bike. I understand about the 600s being pretty dam fast and all. I'm just looking at the technical riding part of it.

 

And he could run SBK Cup too if he did Stock1000.

 

Technically, he could race 3-4 times a weekend. Could use the Stock1000 Contingencies and potentially the SBK cup purse to help with funding for the ride. if he sticks with Yamaha though I think their Stk1000 payout is lower than Supersport.

Granted I'm not even sure how far this contingency goes at the MA level.. I know Mesa club races to raise money for MA rounds, but (and I could be way wrong here) I think he gets a decent amount of help from Pirelli which is potentially a massive cost savings. I'm just finishing up my first actual full year of racing, I run a ZX10R and have been a safe, consistent Novice.. I still managed to spend a silly amount of money on Pirelli's lol I prolly didn't need to change fronts as often as I did.. However I took the "I'm not allowing myself any excuses other than I didn't have the speed" method this year. So new tires every day after practice.