Superbike Planet's interview w/ Project 1 Atlanta....

[ZDM]

Anyone catch this Q & A w/ Project 1's Melnecius regarding AMA/DMG....it's very revealing, almost a tradgedy....when this guy states that he doesn't want to invest money " in a series that has no value" that's saying something....given the success of his team at the Daytona 200...
I would hate to see professional motorcycle racing disappear in the USA, but it's going to happen unless some entity, someone does something quickly....
thoughts..

[rcrob]

Originally Posted by ZDM

Anyone catch this Q & A w/ Project 1's Melnecius regarding AMA/DMG....it's very revealing, almost a tradgedy....when this guy states that he doesn't want to invest money " in a series that has no value" that's saying something....given the success of his team at the Daytona 200...
I would hate to see professional motorcycle racing disappear in the USA, but it's going to happen unless some entity, someone does something quickly....
thoughts..

I think you have to read and put that statement into context (which Perry did in the interview). Basically the problem was that there was no live TV broadcast package, no aggressive marketing strategy and no scheduling stability. All of these are really valid points. The other thing that I was surprised by was the lack of intervention by DMG to support teams like P1-A. As Perry said, if you are going to build a non-factory supported series you have to have top notch teams with outside the industry sponsors and someone is going to need to prop them up for a while until the series gains some momentum. DMG should be doing that, just like Dorna and In front do with MotoGP and WSBK and their support teams and classes. They can't presume that there was the support there for it to self sustain before and there certainly isn't now. There can be, but it needs some propping up at the moment.

[SP3]

DMG (NASCRAP) is the enemy of and to all those not brainwashed into thinking that roundy-round crapwagon 'racing' is sport. Their brand of sportscar and bike racing exists only to perpetuate the mystique of the 24hr and 200 at Daytona and nothing more. When they finally figure out how to do that without all the peripheral events, those will be ditched in a heartbeat. At this point, I'd almost prefer they (24/200) went away. Specotypes at the 24 is not interesting in the least. The 200, not much more so.

[tye1138]

There are rumors floating around of a new series (outside of AMA) that is being developed for start in 2012. Obviously nothing formal has been announced in terms of a rule book and series rights, but its interesting none the less.

AMA Pro Superbike series won't disappear, it will just eventually become more of a club race then it is today. Sadly the manufacturers don't have the money to put anything into the series and even if they did, DMG told them to get lost at the end of 2009, so that ended that.

If the manufacturers had money to blow, they'd figure out a way to blow it. Right now they are all broke and with the tragedy in Japan, manufacturers are even less likely to put any money towards another series. Heck, after the tragedy, Honda announced they couldn't make GP motors and were lucky to have a few made up already!

Lets face facts with facts, its not just AMA Pro Superbike that is suffering. People in america don't care about racing like they use to, they have bigger things on there plate right now. Attendance at almost all races has been decreasing ever so slightly over the years for pretty much all forms of racing, not just roadracing.

I hope professional roadracing dies in the US so a new series can be born from the ashes.

[rcrob]

Originally Posted by tye1138

I hope professional roadracing dies in the US so a new series can be born from the ashes.

If professional roadracing dies in the US it will be gone for good. People don't invest in failed ventures.

[Chuckracer]

I agree, but I think Motorcycle Roadracing died a long time ago in this country. It simply enjoyed being propped up by the manufacturers for many years...the same manufacturers the AMA so brilliantly kicked to the curb just before dumping the show for pennies.

It deserves to die. It was murdered.