AMA/MOTOAMERICA Entry Level Class, KTM Cup

I can't wait to watch the new moto series with these bikes. It's gonna be awesome watching this unfold. It's like a new era is coming upon us. I'm totally jacked about it. I will support the series with my wallet as much as possible.

But on the club side of things, Miss Evelyn and Sean are quite capable of making this bike fit into their series. As of this moment, the bike fits into a particular class. On paper, is it fair going against some of the bigger bikes? probably not. But then again, some of the other bikes don't exactly fair that well either. But hey, let's buy the bikes and grid them up. If you're a good racer you'll find a way to make stuff happen. I personally have been frickin HUMILIATED by smaller bikes that I've raced against, but at the same time, I've handed out a couple of beatdowns on folks on bigger bikes. It is what it is. The WERA rules are as fair as they can be right now when dealing with lightweight stuff.

Let's get these 390s and R3s and CBR300s out on the grid and race. This sport needs these bikes as much as it needs R1s and Panigales and H2s. There's a shift in the air as far as bike racing is concerned in this country. It's coming. And I think the WERA folks will be just fine adapting to it.

Let's do this shit and worry about the nit picky stuff later.

 

I could see myself buying a used one at the end of the season and racing it in Shannonville.

 

Already have a deposit for the first one coming to Raleigh NC. Ok, the wife has the deposit on it, but I'll convince her I need a support ride. Metal, we should form a team, kinda like dumb and dumber. We'll call it slow and slower.

 

In. You can be slow. I'll be the slower one (for obvious reasons not bike related).

Will you're ol lady have the nurse outfit on? Please say yes.

 

Yes.

 

Nope, but there is a whole list of Americans who have been in those series in Europe. Not 1 of them has been successful on the world stage except...

Currently the most successful US youngster on the world stage grew up racing just like those names I mentioned. PJ Jacobsen was a dirt and flat track guy. Then he raced AMA and USGPRU with the old guys. He did race Spanish CEV Youth where he faced plenty of competition, the likes of which won't be found by a youth limited class here in the US.

 

So this will be the way to get more than one American on the world stage and have a path to do it. I'm guessing this decision was made by people slightly more knowledgeable and qualified than you.

 

Honestly, I hope you and they are right because it looks like we are going to find out 1 way or the other.

 

I'd love something like this for my son IF there was something to match rider weight. Considering my 16yo is 6' tall and still got a lot of growing to do, I don't see him competing well against a 5'2" 100lb 14yo.

 

I'm optimistic

 

It's a great step, but it's coming after 2 steps back.

The Honda RS125 has 44hp and weighs 72kg [1]. The RC390 has 40hp and weighs 136kg [2].

The sealed engines are a great step, but as the dirt guys have realized, 4-strokes cost too much to run at race pace for extended periods. We need a dedicated, sealed engine prototype racer like the RS125. Preferably 2-stroke as to minimize amortized maintenance costs over the course of a season.

Still, a good first step. But if we want to train the kids right, we can't have them circulating on machinery with half the power to weight ratio of a Moto3 bike. May as well stick to minis.

1. http://world.honda.com/HRC/products/machine/rs125r/spec/

2. http://blog.ktm.com/adac-junior-cup-powered-by-ktm-technique-of-the-ktm-rc-390-cup/

 

That is kinda of what im thinking. Obviously I dont have the experience or know as much as yall about it. But when i first read that, my initial thought was "why limit the competition?".

No, some 43yr old fat guy circulating around at 5sec off pace won't do much to help the "kids". But the more people battling for positions deeper into the field, the better.

If they end up with 35 people on the grid between the ages of 14 and 22, then it is a moot point. But if they only end up with 10-15, they would be much better off eliminating the upper age limit and increasing the level of competition. Of course this is just my opinion. I guess we will just have to see how it works out.

 

If cup bike is not street legal it may not be legal to race with clubs in some classes.

 

The problem with it is the, wanna be in the "show" old guy racers. It keeps those out. Just like Diver, he is a fast old guy. That is HIS vested interest in why he doesn't wish for the class to have a limit. So he can run and be part of the show. I don't blame him either, it is easier to run 1-2 seconds back on slower machinery and have fun and be competitive. So buy one, and race it with WERA. Be part of that movement and others like me will follow.

But you water down the class like that. From top to bottom. It is not a class so your 16 year old mediocre fast kid can go an beat up on old guys and save some face with getting 12th ahead of 20 old guys. That does the kid, and the series no good. Except for more people on the grid. But that's not the point either, that class is about making racers and getting them ready for the world stage, not making money off entry fees off cheap ass racers.

There are other classes for people who are fast , it's the 600 class or 1000SS class. Let them go race there if they want to race pro and have fun.

 

I see that point and it makes sense.

 

1) if WERA makes a class for it, or slots it into an existing class, why would there be both SS and SB classes if it's a spec bike?

2) also, if WERA allows it to race, will the street bike with more hp be allowed to race against the cup bike with less, or would they be separate?

I'm excited at the prospect of a new class that focuses on youth. I also like the spec class aspect and the sealed engines.

As a TZ250 racer and long time 2T fan I also lament the demise of 2 strokes, but let's get over that already. That horse has been dead for a long time both domestically and on the world stage.

 

This is the best news in recent times. I can not speak for the competition when the USGPRU had the STOCK Moriwaki class, as my son was not out of mini's then. We were at the Indy race. My son has raced RS 125's, Moriwaki's and a CBR 250. We can debate which bike is the best bike all day long. What is not debatable how behind America is when it comes to youth road racing. The kids in Europe race head to head all the time, this KTM 390 class is getting us one step closer to Europe, Period. We have gone to Spain and seen first hand the level of the kids racing each weekend on similar bikes. I have tons of GoPro footage of bikes with BUILT motors racing against stock bikes. I have a garage full of broken pistons, heads, cylinders all from GP bikes. Two stroke and 4 strokes. What has he learned by having a competitor pull 10 bike lengths on the straight away? He learned to push the turns until he goes down, to try an win. He had one race against an equal bike at Mid Ohio, his competitor beat him on Monday, he won on Tuesday, we need that every weekend, not who has the best engine builder.

This may not be the best bike, it is just the best class to date.

 

I've been wronged

Age discrimination, I tell ya. Calling ACLU now.

This class must be open to all

 

AARP is the one you want to call if you're an old dust farting f@ck I'd think.

 

What if I'm 23. Those old bastards don't do shit for me