No mas AMA Superstock...

[fourandsix]

it is a big difference between ASRA and an undercard at the AMA. Spectators would actually be watching you as they come to watch bikes circulate not for a sun tan. Other people in the industry would notice if there was a potential young gun winning the race. I just think it's a shame that racers think it is up to someone else to help them succeed in this sport.

[fourandsix]

Oh and i forgot it isn't the bike that keeps the racing from being close , it's called "SKILL". Once everyone figures that out the racing will be closer.

[aberg12012]

the solution seems simple, tighten up the rules to stop the factories from building supersport/superstock bikes that would cost a privateer $50,000 to duplicate. The best riders would still win, but the racing would be much closer.

I can certainly see the argument but personally I view AMA less as a place for privateers to prove their worth with the "big dogs" and more the place for leading edge technology to be developed and proven and for the big companies to advertise their products.  So to say they should make the machines more equal to even the odds for privateers... thats not what top end pro racing is about.  It's about who can put together the best package of racer, machine, and support staff... and win.  To do that, it takes money, and lots of it.  F1 cars, for example... it's not about giving privateers a chance to win, it's about developing the best leading edge technology to win, and further the development of the automotive industry.  Sure, it's unfortunate that extremely skilled privateers with just as much skill as the pro riders don't have the same equal chance at winning.  But thats life on the top.   I am good friends with one of these riders, and have seen first hand his pain in trying to run with the big factory guys.  Does it suck?  Yes.  But AMA isn't about giving privateers a chance.  It's about using leading edge technology that most privateers will not have access to, in order to make racing faster and safer.  And, of coarse, it's also about the much loathed aspect of product advertisement.   

[JBraun]

Oh and i forgot it isn't the bike that keeps the racing from being close , it's called "SKILL". Once everyone figures that out the racing will be closer.

.
Does Hacker win the supersport championship on a Safety First bike? I doubt it.

[aberg12012]

And of coarse, as 4n6 pointed out, of coarse this sport is more about skill that the equipment.  But as anyone knows, in top pro racing, "the whole package" plays a big part as well.  The bike, the mechanics, right down to the semi driver and cook/burger grillin' dude.   Every bit helps.  It all makes the day go that much smoother for everyone, allowing for the rider to be relaxed and ready for game time.  Sure, it starts out with a very tallented rider.  There's no debating that.  Hell, give a fat "all talk" guy like me a factory ride and watch me not even qualify for a single race. lol  But at the top level, their skills are so close, every little bit has an impact on the race results.

[Super Dave]

Does Hacker win the supersport championship on a Safety First bike? I doubt it.

If American Suzuki was paying his salary to ride a Safety First bike?  He didn't win any championships when he was with Yosh or Kinko's before, but, yeah, it could be done.  Hacker doesn't have to race for free.  Back to that recognized skill above others thing.

We could go through a list of guys that have yet to win an AMA championship though too:  Zemke, DiSalvo, Roger Lee, Pegram...

[fourandsix]

Does Hacker win the supersport championship on a Safety First bike? I doubt it.

Does Hacker win the supersport championship on a Safety First bike? I doubt it.

Yes he might be able to. We were able to finish top ten in the classes we competed in last year. What did you do?

[JBraun]

Yes he might be able to. We were able to finish top ten in the classes we competed in last year. What did you do?

Wow, this is getting blown out of proportion. I was not attacking you, so relax. And I'm not saying that the Safety First bikes aren't competitive, just that the factory bikes are that much better.

You could give me Hacking's bike, all his mechanics and double his budget and I wouldn't finish in the top ten.

I realize the factories will always have the best riders, they have the money to pay their salaries. Everything being equal, they will still win, just not by quite as much.

If the racing was closer it would be more exciting for the fans. More fans equals more sponsors. More sponsors equals more opportunities for deserving riders.

[Super Dave]

And I'm not saying that the Safety First bikes aren't competitive, just that the factory bikes are that much better.

You could give me Hacking's bike, all his mechanics and double his budget and I wouldn't finish in the top ten.

I realize the factories will always have the best riders, they have the money to pay their salaries. Everything being equal, they will still win, just not by quite as much.

If the racing was closer it would be more exciting for the fans. More fans equals more sponsors. More sponsors equals more opportunities for deserving riders.

The concept of deserving riders isn't part of the program necessarily.  The AMA is the big show.  Yeah, at the top, there are some skilled riders that are even paid for their services.  There are some riders that pay for the opportunity to ride for some of those teams.  They are deserving, yes, but there are others also available and willing to potentially infuse cash into a team.  Maybe more than other riders.  Maybe their sponsors are willing to put up some money to help those riders get on a better team to get their product better coverage.

Are the bikes that much better?  4&6 has won in Supersport beating all the other factory teams.  And that wasn't just a stroke of luck.  It's a combination of many pieces. 

[fourandsix]

Wow, this is getting blown out of proportion. I was not attacking you, so relax. And I'm not saying that the Safety First bikes aren't competitive, just that the factory bikes are that much better.

You could give me Hacking's bike, all his mechanics and double his budget and I wouldn't finish in the top ten.

I realize the factories will always have the best riders, they have the money to pay their salaries. Everything being equal, they will still win, just not by quite as much.

If the racing was closer it would be more exciting for the fans. More fans equals more sponsors. More sponsors equals more opportunities for deserving riders.

I Understand you weren't attacking me i just wanted to get the response i thought i would. You just answered your own question it's a matter of alot of things and 95% of all local racers will never achieve the level of a Hacking. The racing will never be that close if everyone that races now had Hackers or any other factory bike.

[jeremy271]

 

[cleezmo]

History has been that way.  Superbike was generally 750's and they had 750 Supersport.  Both evolved into 1000 classes.

And, hey, didn't I read an article you wrote for something?

True - Guess I forgot about the 750s already! But I don't remember the lap times of 750 Supersport being as close to SBK as the 1000 'stock bikes have been. Ben Bostrom was 5th fastest in the Superbike practice at Daytona on his superstock bike this year. How many times did we see that last year from Disalvo? The bikes are so close, I for one will like seeing just one 1000cc class and all the top guys in it.

And yes, I had an article posted in "A Face In The Crowd" on www.superbikeplanet.com. Thanks for noticing!