Should pro racing be affordable? (as in AMA Pro)

I believe it, cause the fans was racing.

 

Kyle Wyman is a smart kid.

32 years ago a couple of road racers figured out that if they wanted to get anywhere in racing, they needed to make something happen themselves because the factory teams were hiring 19-year-old dirt trackers and they weren't 19 and weren't dirt trackers.

So they started their own team and started making things happen--including landing an outside the industry sponsor. Today that same team is still in business--no easy task in itself--and is the longest continuously operating professional (as in, with infrastructure and semi-trucks and a paid crew of engine builders and mechanics and the whole deal) motorcycle road racing team in the country.

That doesn't mean that current economic conditions don't require serious cost reduction on the equipment side. Especially if continuing to have professional teams exist and to have paid rides for people to aspire to is a goal.

This opinion is based on the experience of actually running a professional team for 32 consecutive racing seasons.

 

Damn. You're old.

See ya tomorrow.

-jim

 

Don't worry, the mindless mob will overcome his rational train of thought and bludgeon him with idiocy. He won't last long here.

Sup' Kyle.

 

Did you mean Eddie or Kyle?

 

I bet the introduction of rubber tires was awesome. How long did it take to carve a set of race slick from granite.?

 

Series Organizers must constantly review their rules to insure racing affordability. If they didn't 1 or 2 large teams (manufactures) would gladly convert the racing series into testing sessions for their machines and contracted riders.

I think the goal of the Series should be to attract fields of around 30 competitive bikes for each race and enough racing per day to have 6 - 8 hours of racing per day for the weekend (maybe include 1 race of regional racers). As far as contract values, I don't care how much any of them are paid any more then I think strangers should be concerned about what I'm paid.

IMO the winners of the Moto2 & Moto3 championship this year will be a hell of a lot more impressive then the winner of the MotoGP but Stoner & Lorenso's contract are probably more then all of the Moto2&3 Racers put together.

 

Secondly, I know what some are saying with you've got to do it yourself and all. But, I still think it's important for the factories to at least invest in themselves! I mean how else do you promote the growth of your company and encourage others to buy in if you're not willing to invest yourself? Where's that proverbial carrot on a stick at? I'm probably wrong about all this, but it's just the way I see it.

 

Not long, there was a guy who did it for hire, IIRC he charged tree-fiddy a tire!

 

That wasn't the tire guy, it was the Loch Ness Monster, fool!

 

Boom.

 

Very well put and a great perspective on what it takes...

 

I'm proud of ya kid. You're doing great! :up:

 

That is so true ! Great post Kyle !:up:

 

Rispoli's bike doesn't have carbon fiber bodywork. It has a wrap that looks like carbon.

 

And that's one of the reasons I was interested in having you ride our bike when we started talking about it last year. You know how to do it right Kyle. Too many people expect something. Lots of people win races. Lots of people are fast.

Exactly. Many people get upset at the first no. It's not uncommon to spend 2-3 years working your way in with a company and once working together - showing them how well-spent their support is.

 

I agree with Kyle on everything except for that...

plenty of professional racers haven't "earned" the position they're in through their business acumen or marketing expertise. I'm not going to go into it but all it takes is money and a little bit of talent to get into pro racing...

once they got into and showed they could ride a bike then the rest is history

there is nothing wrong with that, more power to those individuals

but saying every "successful" racer out there has "earned" it is not something I agree with...


but that is just my opinion obviously

 

Neither. Just the mob mentality that can sometimes overtake this place.

 

Well, maybe there's something deeper then. They worked hard or their parents worked hard in another discipline of business to put them in that position to go racing at the professional level.

Either way, if they don't continue to work hard and make sacrifices, eventually it will catch up to them. Or they'll just run 15th every single weekend. Either way, my comments don't really apply to those types of people, because they aren't the whiners...

My point is - if you want to make it in this sport starting from rock bottom, there's only one way to do it - get off your butt and get to work!!!

 

That's how I view the AMA (all classes). I hardly view it as "professional" racing.

Great post IMO!