2023 Daytona 200

Holy Kee- Rist...Lol WTF crawled up your sensitive lil a$$ ?
Semi- Seriously?

NEVER said anything like what you insinuated above.
A "MAN " can have an opinion, and that's my opinion, I'm not of the current Generation of being told what I need to embrace and accept.... Nor have my beliefs misconstrued or manipulated into popular "woke" opinion No Sir ..A man has to stick by his princibles. Jus sayin
FYI anyone on planet earth can tell you Daytona as an event, is a shadow of it's former self..as a matter of fact ." It was exponentially FAR BETTER , that's irrefutable on almost all levels
The machinery, doesn't get my blood flowing....on the same level. I could care less if it's safer, faster, computer, traction,wheelie, angle controlled etc .
To me .it's not the same , Thats all.
The response below, instead of lobbing out a rash of insults and Ill will, such as "old,antiquated bullheaded" really dude I GET IT THATS, YOUR Passion ..BUT CONSIDER FOR A SECOND ..THE BIG MACHINERY AND BIG 2 STROKES OF MY ELDERS WERE OTHERS PASSIONS

ITS all good ....Just don't take so many steroids today..lol

Thanks, I just may....I'll watch or race anything from skateboards to trophy trucks.
You understand , a race of the magnitude of Daytona pretty much having a permanent vasectomy...
And I've watched motorcycle racing disappear from the landscape of America, I definitely support the sport but the youth in general has no interest anymore don't know what kids are into these days but it's certainly for the majority not as it was for us our fathers and our grandfathers
Obviously it does not affect the competition or the racing it's just a matter of preference on the premier class you prefer to watch or participate in.
It's all good
We'll try & watch if it doesn't conflict with the Mint 400 off-road race

 

Bullshit. You haven't watched the race in 20 years. 'Nuff said. Any opinion you have on the event is null and void. You say it's a shadow of its former self. How the fuck would you know? You haven't attended or watched. So you are just parroting what other people say. Or forming conjecture. That's not your opinion, that's you being a grumpy old fuck parroting other people's opinions or just purely speculating because it gives you an excuse for your inability to keep up with change.

Spouting this kind of bullshit isn't supporting the sport, it's degrading it. Just like all the people who like to bitch about Motoamerica and how much better things used to be while conveniently forgetting the dumpster fire that was DMG and the rebuilding Motoamerica has undertaken to get where we are today. You want to support the sport for real? Go to a race, buy the Live+ package, help fund someone's race effort, hell just turn the race on when it's on TV, even if you don't watch just to add to the view count.

And as far as the race not being what it once was... 60+ bikes on the grid, at least a dozen of which have a legitimate shot at winning, including multiple superbike champions and champions of other classes, international level riders, one of the greatest IOMTT riders to ever live, need I go on? But yea, the race sucks. Nevermind that the bikes are effectively as fast as the "sUpErDuPeR mOnStEr bIkEs" that apparently were so much better in your day.

I get it, I grew up watching the bikes you're referring to. Personally, my favorite class of motorcycles are the big twins of the late 90s and early 2000s. So much character that gets my blood pumping. I own a couple myself and if I am one day able to get back on a race track, it'll likely be on one of those as they are far more interesting to me as a rider. But I'm not just a fan of a machine or a particular rider, I'm an enthusiast of the sport that appreciates race craft, regardless of the equipment or personality under the helmet. And thus, I'll support the sport regardless of where technology takes the machines, not just decide one day that I don't like these newfangled plastic, electric contraptions so therefore the whole sport has gone downhill and isn't worth supporting.

 

In 2004, the last time Superbikes raced the 200, the fastest laps were 1:49, with most of the race averaging in the 50's and 51's.

In 2022, on Supersport machinery, the fastest laps were... 1:49, with most of the race averaging in the 50's and 51's.

You cannot talk about Superbikes from 20-30 years ago like Superbikes today. They are not the same.

 

My MotoA subscription just renewed, the D200 is just a couple weeks away, and then riding season in the Northeast starts soon after. Life ain’t sucking.

1000cc Superbikes, Supersports, or Grom’s, I don’t care. I just wanna see a big ole grid with some good, hard racing.

 

I wonder how many times riders could draft and re draft on the banking riding groms. Would take forever to run 200 miles haha

 

Shit... It took forever just to do a warm up lap and 2 laps at Barber. Felt like we were out there for an eternity. I tried to grab @Gorilla George's ass but I couldn't get close enough on the stock POS I was on with him on his $1ok crate. What year was that? 2015? Jeesh I'm getting old

 

Not sure they could even stay up on the banking!

 

I really enjoyed the boxer cup. That was some great/close racing.

 

RIDE THE APRON!!

 

the only advantage is they wouldn't need a tire or gas stop to go 200 miles.

I think you would just wire the throttle pinned and then it would be about 4 hours of drafting back and forth.

 

Yo Duder...Ya don't h get outta control..chill a lil...find your way grasshopper
This isn't Young vs Old.
No one's attacking you or our sport in a demeaning way....it's just one singular event. And my enthusiasm for that 1 premiere race...pro or con is not representative of my faith or enthusiasm as a whole.
I've been around it all in almost every capacity/venue...old to new
Simple as that.
"Grumpy Old Fuck" that's kinda a stupid as fk comment.
I never came across grumpy regarding anything? Thats only due to you interpreting my words ..grumpy etc..That's all on you brutha..

Not comparing the capabilities of newer machines...that always how it goes. A new Hybrid Honda Civic or Subi STI
is WAY WAY WAY faster than any of the muscle cars I ever had....and light years safer and better in every way...BUT style and visceral feeling.
New bikes are the same, and they should be with all the computer assisted rider aids.
It's the spectacle of the event as a whole Gone are the days...of huge factory budgets, spectators, multiple world class riders..and gone is the BASIC Man vs. Machine..at it purest level. As a enthusiast w different stimulants....that's just my thing...that's all.
But in 20 years...there finally hitting the marks if two decades ago....and much much safer for rider as well. Take the good w the bad

 

I guess you have dementia, too? Go back and reread your original post. You effectively called it a snoozefest and said all the spark of the golden days is gone. You absolutely were speaking about our sport in a demeaning way and by proxy, everyone who has put effort towards this race in the last 20 years. Would you look at Kyle Wyman, Brandon Paasch, Danny Eslick, etc. and tell them the event that marks some of the biggest accomplishments of their career didn't have the luster when they won that it did a decade or 2 prior?

Now put yourself in the shoes of some 20-something kid just getting into the sport and reading the beeb to learn more. Which do you think is more likely to convince him to get all excited and go attend the 200? A bunch of posts like yours calling it a snoozefest or a bunch of posts hyping up how great the event and racing is?

Here's reality... that shit actually happens. I work with 3 dudes who have been riding down to bike week every year for the past 7-8 years and 2 of them actually think racing is kinda cool. I asked them last year if they went to the 200 and their answer was "no, we thought about it back when we first started going but all we've ever heard from the people down there is it isn't worth the time." Well no shit sherlock, you're bar hopping with a bunch harley dudes who couldn't give a fuck less about racing. Guess what, I showed them the last few laps from the race and now they're adjusting plans this year to figure out how to make it to the 200. But if all I did was lament about "yea, you're right, it's not what it once was" then I can guarantee they wouldn't be attending. Instead now a couple more dudes will be in attendance and hopefully spreading the word to others.

It's no secret that our sport could use a boost in popularity, especially in America. Now how do you propose we boost that popularity? By shitting on the biggest domestic race of the season? Obviously if the enthusiasts of the sport think its boring, that's just super inviting to any potential newcomers right?

You made a dumbass statement and got called on it. You don't have any interest in what the 200 has evolved into? Fine, I don't care. I'd encourage you to give it a shot but if you really don't want to, no skin off mine or anyone else's back.

But when you openly admit you have not watched in 20 years and then proceed to call it a snooze, a shadow of its former self, and lacking the glory of the olden days, you sound fucking stupid. Let me repeat that for you - you're spouting opinions over something you have zero, count it, FUCKING ZERO first hand experience, it sounds stupid, and its damaging and demeaning to our sport and everyone who puts an effort towards the event. You haven't watched or attended. Your experiences from when you did watch are irrelevant for an event 20 years later that you haven't watched. Have I broken this down enough for you?

tl;dr - if you don't have something constructive to say, then STFU or GTFO, especially when you don't even have any first hand experience.

 

Mesa set the absolute m/c record in Oct with a 1:45.5 on his ZX10. The best 600 time is around 48.3 if I remember correctly. For reference at the 83 Daytona race King Kenny got the pole with a very low 2:00 lap time on his 680cc 2 stroke but the track length was 3.86 vs today's 3.51.

 

God, someone is a cunt in here.

 

Just one?

 

You sound like a homeless guy when someone is nice and donates him fast food meal, he says "what is this shit! I want me some ruths chris steak!" It's a good race every year, it's not moto gp or wsbk.

 

I thought the old track was considered faster because it didn't have the bus stop?

 

Roberts was riding a r1 not a r6.

Fong can get a ride and has been offered one. He wants to be paid.

 

And there was the another configuration to help the big bikes and tires and that was only 2.95 miles