Geoff May and a factory ride

[r6_philly]

Kevin, good job on your team and program! I really enjoy reading your activities and seeing it making an impact for the kids. I used to work with inner city kids in a non-profit program for over 6 years, which was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life...

which gives me an idea, you got a great point in getting outside corporate money to sponsor a program that will give to the community that will make them look good, and that money should come from community program budget rather than marketing budget ;) good call.

now if I could bother you for some ideas/pointers, I would greatly appreciate it... if you don't mind.

[4and6Shawn]

so if Geoff May can come knocking on the door with 150k in hand you think he can get a ride, at least on attack or something?

Thats probably about what it would take for a factory ride in superstock or supersport

[xseal]

Kevin - I have met you (track day in May 03) and Jim (bought a bike from him). I'm in DC now, but have contacts w/ the gov't/GOP politics and IL. If there is anything I could do to help (try to line up endorsement of gov't official, etc.), I'd be happy to help your program.  

And for the guy that said Geoff is too old, he's 23 for crisstake.

max.grant@lw.com

[Thorny]

I want more comments from Jim, I love some of the cool stories about R. Muzzy and other stuff. He will put alot of you in a better thought process in what your plans should be.
 Come'on give us more stories Jim!! How about if Jim gives us one story a week in a whole seperate thread? Who is for more cool stories!!??
 You will have time Jim, if you just make Hansen do some of the friggin' work.

 Love your stories at the track Jim!
      Your friend PJ (VRS Instructor)

[fourandsix]

Hanson work? that would be novel ! just kidding.

[hdpromos]

Fourandsix's statement "Geoff although a good rider and finished well in superbike standings this year did not have any really impressive races this year on the pro level"! Are the words of what I consider a truly "uninformed fool"! How anyone who follows the AMA Superbike Series can make such a "lame brain " statement about a rider who not only finished 5th in the series but was top ten (and as high as 5th)in every round but two, can only be classified as a "fool at best"! Geoff's accomplishments on the track speak for themself while fourandsix does nothing more than talk out his ass!

HD  

HD

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

Geoff's accomplishments on the track speak for themself while fourandsix does nothing more than talk out his ass!

 :oDOH! :o



...and in this corner, wearing his boxing trunks backwards and speaking to the crowd thru his fly.....


...now go to your corners and come out fighting!


(LMAO!  ;D)

[cornercamping]

 :o

[khanson]

Here's the double edged sword I'm learning about with Superbike.

It's the best class for privateers to make some money and offset the hemoraging of their wallet during an AMA weekend.

However, the downside is the manufacturers discredit the privateers who finish well in it because of the disparity between a factory bike and a privateer bike......for clarification read Roadracing World this month on Toye riding Duhamel's Superbike.

Being top privateer in Superbike isn't really opening up any doors.

Manufacturers want to see results in Supersport and Superstock classes where the bikes are more closely match.  You will get noticed more beating some factory guys in those classes than finishing top privateer in Superbike.  However, they don't pay squat.

Racers wanting to make it in the AMA need to start positioning and marketing themselves before they ever ride in the AMA and have a plan.  Riding fast just doesn't cut it.  Look at what you spend going to college hoping to get a good paying job.  

There are no guarantees when the job market is tight and tons of people are competing for the same job.  It doesn't always go to the highest qualified applicate a lot of times.  It comes down to who speaks well during the interview and has networked his/her way into knowing somebody in the company.

Racing is no different and even more difficult because the jobs are few and money is tight.  However, it can be done and people willing to gut it out need to be armed with more than great throttle control with their right hand.

People really need to understand that free rides are extremely difficult until you have proven yourself on good equipment/team.  The factories would be taking too big of a risk on someone going directly from club racing to a factory bike without proving themselves first on a satellite team.

Food for thought......You can have a free ride on a crappy team A with crap equipment or can pay for a ride with top of the line team B with top equipment.......which do you choose?

Which gets you farther in the end?

[cornercamping]

Food for thought......You can have a free ride on a crappy team A with crap equipment or can pay for a ride with top of the line team B with top equipment.......which do you choose?

Which gets you farther in the end?

NEITHER !  You stay amature and race CCS, WERA, ect. and sandbag, while taking everyone's contigency money

 ;) ;D :P

[khanson]

and still spend a lot of money out of pocket......

And that's fine.....

I really want people to understand what they are getting into if they really want to pursue AMA and not have these delusions of grandeur about getting a free ride and 50K for a salary and all the contingency/winnings you can win!!!   :-*

[cornercamping]

and still spend a lot of money out of pocket......

And that's fine.....

I really want people to understand what they are getting into if they really want to pursue AMA and not have these delusions of grandeur about getting a free ride and 50K for a salary and all the contingency/winnings you can win!!!   :-*

What about the guys like Denning?  Don't they race more or less for a living?  I know he has several lap records, but when it comes to it, where would he be come the checkered of an AMA race?  I really don't know much about the subject, but what I've heard over time is that he pretty much races for a living and makes good money doing it.  Again, it's what I heard.  The truth of it may be a whole nother can of worms, but I've seen him ride and he's fast as hell.  Same goes for teams like Vesrah Suzuki Endurance.  Why aren't they running AMA?  The obviously have some sort of backing, and can't be touched for Endurance.  Tray Batey too old maybe?  Who knows.  It's a complex thing to try and figure out.  When you look at track records, you see Denning's name all over the place, but why not run AMA if your that good?

 ???  

Still trying to figure it all out

 ???