RACE STUFF THREAD

[Mhanis]

I cannot tell you how NOT SUPRISED I am. Disappointed but not suprised.

[Mhanis]

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111116/F1/111119894?utm_source=DailyDrive20111117&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=missedarticle11&utm_content=20111116-Formula_One__Austin_race_on_the_verge_of_cancellation,_Ecclestone_admits&utm_campaign=awdailydrive


 

[muskrat]

IDIOTS!  move it to Dallas mofos

[Mhanis]

I'd be willing to bet the entire track will go down the shitter and not be completed:

No MotoGP
No V8 Supercars

Just a guess.............

[CajunR]

 

[fastwin]

Local Channel 8-WFAA story about The Ben:

http://www.wfaa.com/sports/more/Ben-Spies-from-Texas-to-MotoGP-134718968.html

[fastwin]

SPEED TV always shows repeats of the years races at this time of year. MotoGP, AMA/DMG, etc. Sort of fill in to help folks make it through the long racing off season. I was watching a recent TIVO'd race tonight of one of the Daytona AMA Superbike races and it dawned on me that no one was there! Not a single spectator in any of the grandstands. The only human beings I saw were in the pits along the grid and those were team mechanics, umbrella girls and family. That's it. I never saw one single spectator.

I am sure there were a few folks there in Daytona to watch the race but I guess most of those were in a bar down the street watching the race on TV. How sad to see what was once a world class race in the past with some of the world's best racers competing reduced to nothing more than a bad comedy. Sad. I remember when Hailwood and Carruthers raced there. Dick Mann winning on the Honda CB750 in 1970. The Daytona 200 wins on TZ350s. The great superbike races. Steve McLaughlin winning the first AMA SBK race on the BMW R90s in 1976. Cook Neilson winning the 1977 SBK race on the "Old Blue" SS Ducati. So many great races and racers. And now to see no one there in the stands or infield to watch the current races is just sad. We have come so far yet it seems no one seems to care anymore. Again, just sad. At least I was around for those good old days.

[LYD]

i just watched the same 2 races, I DVR mine, I noticed the same thing.

[Pinocchio]

I worked in a BMW/Ducati shop in 1973 and didn't even know Daytona had motorcycle races. I don't remember ever seeing a motorcycle race on TV until years later. Of course, I didn't own a TV at the time, so I may have missed one. My point is, motorcycle racing was not a mainstream sport (it still isn't), so if you wanted to see a motorcycle race you had to go to the track, and to keep up with racing results, you had to read specialized print publications. All of which presumed foreknowledge, and cost money I didn't have at the time. It is still pretty expensive to go to a motorcycle race halfway across the country; hopefully, the COA track will change that for Texans in a couple more years. If I don't get to attend races there, I can watch them on Speed. We live in amazing times.

[calscrazy]

i know last year they "tweaked" the schedule for the races. if i was them i would do a friday, saturday, sunday schedule. this way you can offer packages for both classes with supercross included. you have to make it worth their while. nobody will spend big money on a two hour race but if you give them a few races the price is easily justified. plus you may get some supercross fans come in early to watch the other series or vice-versa. Daytona is cool but you cant sell tix just by saying come to daytona. today's economy people can't justify the road trip, race tix plus all the bike week BS. they need to offer big savings packages with multiple race tickets and hotels.
this year is supercross the 10th ($40), flat track the 15th and 16th ($25 each night) and the 200 is the 17th ($45). those are grandstand pricing. why not do the flat track in the afternoons with the big boys at night and package some deals like $115 for all four. you save $20 bucks not to mention you get them at both places for a few hours back to back. they will need food and beer.

[fastwin]

Mike the Bike, Daytona 1970.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/engle/2/3.htm

Phil Reid, Daytona 1970.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/engle/2/5.htm

Ago, same place different year... awesome!

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/engle/5/53.htm

Great days back then.

[fastwin]

This should be interesting. Eslick and May on new Buell 1190RS bikes this year in AMA SBK. Sweet!

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2012/01/11/eslick-to-ride-for-erik-buell-racing/

[webspoke]

Looks like more great AMA SBK action this year then 

[fastwin]

Cool pic's of The Ben's M1 from last summer's Laguna race.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/2011m1laguna/1/index.htm

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/2011m1laguna/2/index.htm

Seriously... carbon fiber bench tops and pans to hold Ohlins shocks? Jeeeez.

[Pinocchio]

Well, the shocks are probably $5K apiece; why wouldn't you spend a little on the pan and the benchtop? When you consider that they routinely airfreight the entire contents of all the garages between continents, the weight savings starts to make a lot of sense.