Sorry DJ, but Ben may have the talent, but @ over 6 feet tall and probably over 175lbs, I think he's just too damned big to compete against 5' 4", 105lb (Pedrosa) ex 250 riders, as Nicky (@ just under 150 lbs) is the heaviest of the top 5 MotoGp guys.
My thoughts exactly Bob. He will need to wait for the Mega GP class,1500cc and 400lb. Of course if the trend toward Nascar style contact continues, bigger riders may be in favor. Imagine a Moto GP weenie trying to lean on Spies.
I think what's most disappointing is not Hondal's refusal to use Nicky to sell bikes, but Honda's refusal to use Nicky, an American MotoGP world champion, to sell the sport in general. It would seem to follow that by promoting the sport and increasing the fan base by promoting an extremely marketable character like Hayden, that increasing the fan base and awareness of motorcycle roadracing would pay-off in increased and renewed interest in sportbikes and sales thereof. The only problem is that that is a longterm marketing strategy with very few immediate returns in the marketplace or the bottom line; the payoff might take years in an industry focused on quarterly returns. I'm torn between wanting to see this sport gain wider popularity and the knowledge that were it to do so- as has been previously mentioned- would price it right out of the range of a working stiff like myself. Although, OTOH, I can't help believe that were it to hit critical mass, the market would respond in kind with more tacks being constructed to meet increased demand and a better race series for fans in the US- come on, AMA racing is a poorly run joke. Cheers, Lance
Hello Lance, Sad to say, except for Nicky your post could be dated '67,'77,'87,'97. It's the old "the more things change the more they stay the same." They even go backwards. Prize money for the Daytona 200 for example and AMA roadraces in general was greater in the early seventies than it is now. As for track construction keeping pace, good luck. There has been a large increase in track riders/racers in the last thirty years. The result? More crowded track events and a small increase in the number of tracks in the east.
Hi Mike, Sadly, I fully realize that. personally, I blame the AMA, who squanders every opportunity to market racing, even to the motorcycle riding public. For the life of me, I don't understand how watching hillbillies make left turns all day is a top spectator sport and Superbike doesn't even get buried in the stats listings in the back of the sports pages. For all intents and purposes, it doesn't even exist.
Who is this Nicky guy you keep talking about?? I don't care what he rides or who hires him. Of coarse he doesn't sell bikes. What, maybe 1 out of 1000 sport bikes sold ever see a track and maybe 1 out of 100 of those that do may see a race even at club level. For the most part they are sold to young people who can't handle them and only dream to seeing the front wheel in the air and couldn't name a single ama rider...heck I cant. We are viewed as crazy for what we enjoy and maybe we are. Ater a bad day of crashfests which happen some days more than others, i tend to agree that we are a little off.
I am willing to bet that 75 % of all the sportbikes sold will see a racetrack , and that number is growing every year . A crashed street bike is a perfect track bike . In my area I have seen a big decline in sportbikes on the street . Just my two cents
:lol: :lol: :lol: Yeah, I know.....but I've still got 3 deer in the freezer from this year!!! :lol: :wink:
i think thats not a safe bet to take. there are too many people who never get a chance to ride on a track, there are just too many man. i would bet to say its a lot lower than you think.
I doubt there are enough track days and enough tracks to support a small fraction of even the GSXR600's sold, much less 75% of all sport bikes sold. Most track days I attend have at the most 100 riders, many less than 40. Compare that to the 10's of thousands of sport bikes sold every year in the US. I'm fine with that, as even 100 riders at a track day is more than I prefer (though Monte would probably have a different opinion on that). Can't wait until I build my own track and ride it all by myself (or maybe with a couple close friends) every day. :lol:
Two years ago on a trip through town you would see 10 -15 sportbikes on a warm night . Last year i would see one or two . Most of the guys out there are now doing trackdays /racing My 600,750 ,and 1000 were at one time cosmetically challenged street bikes . I was just thinking back on all the rashed up street bikes that ended up at the track . Just my opinion from my corner of the world
most sportbikes end up in boneyards or parted out on ebay for guys like us to build into track bikes. we are definitely the minority of the sportbike riding public. although our numbers are growing every year, too many guys still ride on the streets, living their racerboy fantasies on the backroads, crashing there- many dying there. I lost my best friend that way a year ago labor day. I'd tried and tried to get him to the track, but he demurred-. the guys who won't ride on the track have a million and ten reasons not to: it's too expensive; i don't want to crash my bike; I like straight line speed; all BS, IMHO. i think it's mostly ignorance; they think they won't crash on the street; they think street riding is safer; cheaper, so they ride i jeans sneakers & a jacket. In my opinion, riding like that on the street is potentially way more expensive than on the track. I can only imagine what a 100+ mph speeding ticket would cost me. I'd most likely loose my license and my job as well because I need to drive to work. one ticket could cost me $60k or more. I can't even begin to imagine crashing not ATGATT would do. L
Not disputing what it might be like in your town, but if true it is not the norm. The sport bikes in the Detroit area alone could probably sell out every track day STT hosts in the Midwest, East and South (if all the owners chose to go to the track). Just look at the sales numbers compared to track day attendance. There are enough SV's in southern MI alone to sell out every STT event at Grattan and Gingerman, but pretty much the same 2-4 are at any event.
The cops are so bad .... I mean persistant . We have Blackhawk , Autobahn right here. Road America & Gingerman . STT and the other two or three orgs . So there are more dates than most can afford to attend . Roads here are crap . People in Union actually cut there grass and run there Semis in the gravel to dirty up the roads . My guess is the sport will continue to grow . The newbies on the new trick of the week 600s will find there way to a trackday much sooner than a newbie did five years ago . Sorry ..Think i got off topic a bit . Did the BEARS kick butt or what ?!!! :mrgreen:
If they want Nicky to sell Hondas, they should keep him in Europe or Austraia and have him do PR there. In europe, he's a flipping superstar, in the U.S., he's the son of a used car dealer. Hell, even Colin Edwards can go out in public in Europe without getting mobed. It's really sad that no major news puplication even bothered to write about his story and what it means to fans on this side of the pond. Sorry, but if it's not NASCAR or Harley-Davidson, then no one will write about it. And yes, lots of us buy the bikes we ride cause of style, power, comfort, etc. and not care too much on who races it. But if you think about the big picture of sports marketing, look how many Nikes Jordan has sold and how many Canons Andre Agustie has pimped out. Most of the major athletes make 2 to 3 times their saleries in indorsements alone, so there is marketing power in a champion. So why can't Honda market an American champion who battled the odds and beat the world on their bike? No brainer, right? Well, it only works if the target audience knows what MotoGP is in the first place. This is why they won't bother with him. I'll bet that Pedrosa makes more indorsement money that Nicky will ever see. "I am willing to bet that 75 % of all the sportbikes sold will see a racetrack , and that number is growing every year ." I'll bet you that 95% of all sportbikes will never see a track Nation wide. Ferracci did a promotion with Reduc a few years back where if you bought a new Ducati Super bike, you get a free day at Reduc. Of the 75 or so Superbikes they sold that year, i think a hand full of owners took up the offer. Buyers just weren't interested is 'risking' their bikes. And these are Ducatis, bikes that are designed exclusively for the track and owners with disposable income. I think Bobby can better testify on the success of that offer, for it was a few years before my time.