America Sucks

casdrmm · 10-21-2004, 10:00 PM

America sucks, I guess. I think I will be moving to Spain because they seem to be the best country going according to DORNA and WSB.

Looks like the USA officially got dropped from the WSB schedule for 2005. That I kind of understand, well maybey I do. Since Laguna Seca scored the MotoGP race for next year, due to track usage that meant WSB couldn't race at the track on a separate weekend. The WSB officials didn't want to schedule another location in America due to the chance of rain. Like it doesn't rain in Europe. To add insult to injury the US race was replaced by a race in Qatar. I don't know if anybody watched the MotoGP race in Qatar this year, I did and there were only 4000 spectators on race day. The race definitly will not be rained out but what they will get is plenty of lying sand and track tempuratures of an execess of 130 degrees. Now Qatar gets two World class races at the same track, one at the beginning of the season the other at the end.
I was really hopping that WSB would go to Barber or Road America but I guess FGSport feel that they need to kiss OIL ASS more than they need fans in America.

Ca$h · 10-21-2004, 10:03 PM

I would love it if it was here in the states, oh well, as long as I can watch it on the "tube"

Jammin_Johnny · 10-21-2004, 10:11 PM

Money talks with everything. Barber Motorsports Park would have been an excellent spot for a Laguna Seca replacement.

I blame it on the people that promote motorcycle motorsports here in the US. It takes money to make money. No one wants to advertise.

I'll stop there..........It just pisses me off to no end with this CRUD!

mattg · 10-21-2004, 10:16 PM

i thought motogp raced at road america.

or was that the AMA races? i'm confused.

casdrmm · 10-21-2004, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgranzow

i thought motogp raced at road america.

or was that the AMA races? i'm confused.

Yes you are, American Motorcycle Association (AMA) races at Road America, MotoGP hasn't raced in the US since 1993 at Laguna Seca.

likebikes · 10-22-2004, 07:11 AM

Don't call it cancelled yet. They have some TBA dates still and AMA hasn't come out with their schedule.

TheSollyLama · 10-22-2004, 08:56 AM

Gotta cut down on the international series anyway. Drop WSB and move to MotoGP.

Too many series so the rider talent gets split up for one. But also, the manufacturers are split into which series to back, so you're not seeing the real battle of brands that we should see. With one series there is Honda, Yamaha, maybe a Ducati or two. In the other Kawi runs, Suzuki runs, but Honda and Yamaha have a token presence. Makes you wonder what would happen if we combined WSB and MotoGP. Leaving one international series and one national (AMA) series.
I think the competition would be better, you'd see less dominance by one rider/brand, and we'd have less scheduling conflict.

Fabian · 10-22-2004, 10:11 AM

People don't turn out for the races like they do overseas! Too many cheap bastids not willing to attend and show the sponsors that there is a demand for this sport!!

likebikes · 10-22-2004, 10:34 AM

I'd rather see the Superbikes. MotoGP has hurt World Superbike and AMA Superbike. The factories are in MotoGP spending way too much money on a wild ass engineering excercise as opposed to racing the bikes that they actually sell.

This year I went to 3 AMA Superbike races. Mid-Ohio and Road America were packed and are great places to see races. VIR wasn't as busy but that may have been because of the reschedule. Last I read the Laguna round was jammed full.

If the factories were all in Superbike it would be an incredible series and that would draw more fans in.

TheSollyLama · 10-22-2004, 10:43 AM

Okay, then dump MotoGP and support WSB. Doesn't matter to me. Just reduce the series so all the manufacturers fight in one series instead of giving up the battle to one or two companies to compete elsewhere.
Every country should have it's national series (like our AMA) and there should be one International series. I don't see a point in having WSB and MotoGP. Usually, people gravitate towards one or the other, so motorcycle racing is competing with itself too much.

obijuan · 10-22-2004, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammin_Johnny

Money talks with everything. Barber Motorsports Park would have been an excellent spot for a Laguna Seca replacement.

I blame it on the people that promote motorcycle motorsports here in the US. It takes money to make money. No one wants to advertise.

I'll stop there..........It just pisses me off to no end with this CRUD!

Dorna is like the mafia. They specialize in strong arm tactics, you play their game, or you don't play at all. To get an event at your track, you have to pay for whatever saftey upgrades they want, you pay for the promotion, you pay Dorna 2 milllion euro, Dorna gets the box office money, and a portion of the advertising and TV revenue. The CEO of Mazda Raceway was on Speed Channel, and explained this. Barber couldn't raise the entry fee, so they didn't get MotoGP. Qatar won't have a problem with the cash.

It's going to be hard getting corporations to support US motorcycle racing. It has a relatively small fan base, the return won't be as good as say a NASCAR event. Maybe if Laguna sells out for the weekend for MotoGP, it will convince others of the viability of US motocycle racing.

jk750 · 10-22-2004, 11:07 AM

Considering the last minute re-schedule and the condensed weekend, the turnout at VIR was commendable...

The race wasn't even televised until the 19th, over a week later.

TV coverage in the US sucks! There is only one game in town, SpeedTV and if it weren't for Greg White
and Dave Despain, motorcycles would be cut out even further.
Do we really need another Inside NASCAR live! Pitbullsh*t Trackside Victory Lane legends of Past Champions
Revisited program??

The whole racing scene in the US is in flux right now.

Chevy has dropped it's sponsorship of AMA Motocross and AMA Superbikes for '05...

The Daytona 200 is going to be run by the Formula Xtreme class in 2005. Not Superbikes...
Repeating, NOT Superbikes!

What is the World coming too?

obijuan · 10-22-2004, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSollyLama

Okay, then dump MotoGP and support WSB. Doesn't matter to me. Just reduce the series so all the manufacturers fight in one series instead of giving up the battle to one or two companies to compete elsewhere.
Every country should have it's national series (like our AMA) and there should be one International series. I don't see a point in having WSB and MotoGP. Usually, people gravitate towards one or the other, so motorcycle racing is competing with itself too much.

MotoGP needs to exist for the same reason F1 exists for cars. It's a way for the manufacturers to show of their development abilities. Theorectically the technology flows down to the street machines. WSB allows the manufacturers to race showroom machines. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. I don't think there is much "competion" between the two. MotoGP is like the NFL, where WSB is a D1 college. It's not splitting the talent so much as it is a progression. If you liked Colin Edwards, or Neil Hogson in WSB, you'd probably continue to watch them in MotoGP. The talent level, and money at the MotoGP level is greater than an any other series in the world, just like F1 for cars.

WSB could be considered Europe's "national" series, and even then most European countries have their own local series. British Superbike for instance, is Britain's version of the AMA.

likebikes · 10-22-2004, 11:23 AM

Racing in this country, if it isn't NASCAR then it doesn't matter.

It really sucks.

If people actually liked close racing with lots of battles they would like motorcycle racing.

I can't believe how much time NASCAR fans have for watching that stuff on TV. 4-5 hours for a race and then all the wrap up and preview shows too. Who has that much time?

I'd rather be out for a ride.

bssrf4 · 10-22-2004, 01:33 PM

I guess I could see getting rid of WSB and combining it with MotoGP. That way MotoGP could cut the 125s and 250s and replace them with 600SS and 1000cc Superbikes and leave the MotoGP class alone. Besides with MotoGP running 1000cc 4 strokes one has to question the value of 125 and 250cc 2 strokes. I'm sure all the manufacturers sell a helluva lot more 600SS and 1000cc Superbikes than they do 125s and 250s.

This way there could be 1 international series with 2 classes of motorcycles that people actually purchase and ride on the street and 1 prototype class for development. I think that would be pretty sweet, though I'm sure theres a bunch of people that would go crazy without the 125s and 250s. Oh well, my 2 pennies.