Motorcycle Superbike Roadracing: AMA Pro (DMG), WorldSBK

2010 Ducati Monster 696 ABS

2010 Ducati 696 ABS ridden by Paul Danger Kile and Dr. Kay Ann Kile MD

• $9,995 MSRP is expensive compared to it’s closest big-four competitor’s models. That said, this is my favorite bike ever, and much less expensive than many dissimilar models.
• It is incredible easy to turn. It makes me think “this bike is telepathic, and goes where I think it should.” Are you bad at u-turns? Maybe it’s not all your fault? This bike helps.
• The seat is comfortable for a 5’9″ 220 lb. man. It reminds me of a Gold Wing in the way that my body interfaces with the machine.
• I never feel like I am putting weight on my wrists, and I never feel like I am doing pull-ups (between 0 and 85 MPH).
• The levers are adjustable, and my hands do not tire when using them.
• The bike is very short for a sporty bike, but possibly too-tall for some people that are five-foot-tall and shorter.
• The forks are not adjustable in any way, although they work for my 220 lbs. on the road: the track is probably going to be a different story.
• The shock is adjustable for pre-load only.
• It was initially difficult to use the sidestand while on the bike (due to its short length), but I can use the back of my boot to get it down.
• The battery is extremely difficult to access. Make sure that you install trickle charger wiring the first time that you do access it.
• The passenger footpeg holders look too large (they are functionally-fine, this is an artistic-design comment), but my 8 year old is occasionally a passenger, so they will stay.
• It is sometimes difficult to read the speedometer in bright sunlight.
• The bike needs (and now has) frame sliders.
• The bike needs luggage.
• I wish that more of the metal were the same color (except for the trellis frame, that _should_ be painted). Ducati lets many metals be their natural, non corroded, color. Apparently this is so that the magnesium parts on the more-expensive models stand out. In other words: it’s a tradition.
• The inside of the hubs rust (they are hollow). The rear brake’s return spring rusts.
• The acceleration is slower below 4500 RPM (but quicker than the other bikes in this list). The word “rocket” comes to my mind between 4500 and 8000 RPM.
• I hate all of those stickers the trellis frame. The stickers are annoying on most bikes, but some states have proposed laws about leaving the emissions stickers where they are, and I don’t want to.
• The English-language chapters in the manual replace “,” with “.”, and “.” with “,”. This is how it’s done in many countries: “1,000,000.5″ (one-million-point-five) is written as “1. 000.000,5″. It’s correct, but confusing to Americans.
• The manual has errors:
  • Redline at 800 RPM? I think not. They need to multiply that by 10.
  • The manual warns about leaving the headlight on, but also touts the bike’s run-down protection feature. I am nitpicking here.

2004 V-Star 650 Classic

This is a great cruiser for long distance. I spent the most time on this one. I added a fairing (to avoid the doing pull-ups feeling that you get when your upper body becomes a sail-in-the-wind) and hard luggage.

Paul Danger Kile’s 2004 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, at The Art of the Motorcycle: Memphis.

2007 Suzuki SV650S ABS

The non-S version is a baby bear bike; it is “just right” for most folks in every way. It’s a sportbike, but with a v-twin engine. I ride the S version: which goes a long-way towards explaining why I am happy to ride the Monster 696. I intended to install a tubular handlebars on here, but did not.

Gershwin Kile’s first motorcycle ride: we practiced in the parking lot that day.

2007 SV650S ABS

Harley Davidson Night Train

The Night Train is a Harley Softail model with a black crinkle-finish on the engine. The fit-and-finish is excellent. It pulls like a tractor at low RPMs, but costs around 2.5 times more than the V-Star 650. I did not purchase this one.

Harley Davidson VRSCR Street Rod

The Street Rod has mid-mount controls, inverted forks, and it is taller than a V-Rod. It was the sportiest non-Buell HD ever, but not as exciting as the SV650 or Monster. It also suffered from that I-could-buy-two-motorcycles-for-the-price-of-this-one issue. That’s my opinion; most Harley Davidsons are expensive, but obviously enough people desire them to justify the prices. I did not purchase this one. This model is no-longer available. The bike in the video has a custom exhaust system.

Kawasaki Eliminator 125

The Eliminator is fun, and inexpensive, but small. I rode this during an MSF course. The name “Eliminator” refers to drag racing, but this is not a fast bike.

Kawasaki Eliminator 125, image by Wikimedia user Museo8bits, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Suzuki GZ250 Marauder

This one is also fun, and inexpensive, but small. I rode this during an MSF course. The new TU250 is prettier.

Scooters?

My wife and I rented scooters in Fort Lauderdale. I am not sure what model they were. I like automatic transmissions in concept, but CVT transmissions are not as exciting as dual-clutch transmissions, regardless of engine size.

Gershwin Kile’s first scooter ride: Gershwin Kile, Paul James, and Amy James: KYMCO is a sponsor of James Gang / Hoban Bros. Racing. They provide the pit bikes. The photo was taken during the 2009 AMA Pro roadraces at Heartland Park Topeka.

Harley Davidson Biases

In the plus column

• Great build quality.
• Beautiful Bikes.
• Paul James Harley Davidson’s Director of Communications is extremely generous with his fans. There are videos, articles, images, and essays, about Paul James’ and Jeff Johnson’s race team (James Gang / Hoban Bros.) from in-the-pits and on-the-track. This does make me think positive thoughts about HD.

In the minus column

• One of the salespeople at a Texas HD dealer was only willing to sell me a Heritage Softail. He showed me a picture of his girlfriend, and told me that women like-that only date HD riders. Bad experiences affect our feelings about the brand.
• At another Texas dealer they said that I must have broken my defective goggles by mistreating them after admitting that they had quality issues with that particular product. HDs are so desirable that bad salespeople can still get sales. (Does this belong in the plus column?)
• Expensive
• Buell, Buell, Buell, Buell: did I mention what they did to Buell? Some of the HD dealer salespeople that I met apparently hated Buell. HD forced decisions on Buell. HD killed Buell instead of selling the engineering, branding, etc., to another company. Yes, Buell’s market share was low, but that wasn’t entirely Buell’s fault.
• The exclusivity attitude that some riders have. HDs are extremely comfortable, and easy to ride bikes, but some owners think that they can only be ridden by big bad bikers. (Wait… does this belong in the plus column?)
• The 100% American branding of a product that is assembled from parts that are manufactured all over the world: even by some Japanese companies. (Not that there is anything wrong with that.)
• Harley Davidson bought MV Agusta, improved their process engineering, and then sold the company: presumably at a loss. That’s right, Harley Davidson briefly owned the world’s most beautiful superbike, and offered it for $18,500 MSRP, which is competitive with the big-4′s prices (Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki). If you suspect that the company is being run by a guy from the air conditioning business, then you are correct. I leave you with the F4: a bike that I may never get to ride, because it won’t be part of any HD US demo fleet.

Larry Pegram Lean – AMA Sign – at Hearland Park Topeka, Image © 2009 Paul Danger Kile http://dangerismymiddlename.com

I really like this one. There is so much to see in it: the worn knee pucks, the details on the Sidi boots, the beautiful blues on the titanium exhaust, the miss-matched red paint, the top of the chain losing slack because Larry is opening the throttle, the fact that the Leo Vince exhaust ad off-track overpowers the Akrapovic logos on the bike. You can even read the Ohlins logo on the forks (in higher res), and brembo logo on the brakes. Larry leans so far that his tires are worn in places that aren’t even meant to touch the ground.

Ducati left US racing, for the most part, so what did Larry do?  He build a Ducati team. If Ducati ever comes back full-tilt, then they will already have a team that they can promote to factory-level support. This is what Micheal Jordan (yes, that one) should have been doing instead of using suasion to change the rules.

My lenses are cheap, my camera focuses very slowly, and neither the body or the lenses have anti shake features. My best shots involve a ton-of-luck. I see the pros not taking pictures of every bike, and I just don’t get it. Riding like this is amazing. It should be captured and appreciated again-and-again.

I am really proud of this shot. Interestingly, it almost looks as though Jason is looking down.

Valentino Rossi does look at the ground midcorner. When asked why he appears to be doing-so, Rossi said something like, “I look down to see where I am in the corner. I don’t need to see where I am going. I already know where I am going.” Kids do not try this at home.

Jason DiSalvo at AMA Pro Tornado Nationals, Image © 2009 Paul Danger Kile http://dangerismymiddlename.com

Ben Spies, Tom Houseman (Crew Chief), and team, win Yamaha’s first World Superbike World Championship in 2009! This post includes an exclusive interview by OnTheThrottleTV, quotes from Yamaha Racing Europe, Ducati, and more.

I don’t understand how Suzuki could have possibly let Ben get away.  The critics talked of “Ben isn’t ready for MotoGP” last year.  Not ready?  He came in fifth during the Indy GP.  Fifth in MotoGP… On an unfamiliar bike… in severe weather…

During Valentino’s second 500cc year they kept talking about how he met his match during each race, because he would start out behind, but by the end of the race he was always in front.  I decided that year that Valentino must be the greatest rider to ever live, and that panned-out.  Same with Ben Spies.

Ben once-again downplays his chances of winning the MotoGP championship next year. He shouldn’t do that. Rossi began 2000 with similar goals, and rode more defensively in order to meet those goals. Rossi finished 2000 in 2nd but admitted that he might have finished in 1st had he set that for his goal. Ben, please stop saying “Top 10″. You did top 6 in MotoGP, on a Suzuki, in the worse weather (Hurricane Ike “remnants”) of any GP in history. Go for #1 in 2010!

Notice in the video below how even Ducati is celebrating Ben’s Championship on the podium, even Noriyuki Haga— the man who had the next-best chance of being World Champion this year— is celebrating Ben’s championship on the podium. An awesome show of sportsmanship from those Ducati guys. (See the manufacturer’s standings below to see how both Yamaha and Ducati can celebrate this year…)

Here is the “Ben Spies 2009 World Superbike Champion Exclusive Interview” Video by OnTheThrottleTV

Rookie Ben Spies wins the World Superbike Championship, becoming the first American to do so since fellow Texan Colin Edwards in 2002. SpeedGreen was on location to capture the emotions as Yamaha celebrated their first World Championship.

Quotes from Yamaha Racing Europe’s Release

Ben Spies and Yamaha made history today, claiming the first ever Word Superbike title for the Yamaha World Superbike Team. In yet another Ben Spies Masterclass of riding, The American rookie sensation took a race win and a well executed fifth place finish to lift the title for Yamaha for the first time. Race one saw a textbook performance from Spies, taking the holeshot on the first corner and leading from the first lap. Perfectly executed lines and smooth riding saw him cross the line nearly two seconds ahead of a determined Biaggi who had stalked him for the entire race. Championship rival Noriyuki Haga crashed out six laps into the race, leaving Spies some breathing room for race two.

With the extra points behind him and less pressure for an outright race win Spies kept himself in check for race two, monitoring Haga’s position and keeping a steady race pace as he counted the laps down to victory. The American let a couple of riders passed then tucked in behind Biaggi for a number of laps. After the Italian rider ran wide a couple of times, Spies turned on some extra speed to pass him and brought his championship winning Yamaha R1 home in fifth place to take victory.

Spies can now claim 14 Superbike race wins and 11 pole position race starts in his rookie year, breaking all records since the championship began. He leads the standings with 462 points, six clear of rival Haga.

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (1st, 5th)

On the first race: “It was actually a really tough race. At first I was just going for the win, getting to the front and not worrying about anything. Then when Haga was out I had to win to get as many points as possible for race two. Once you have a gap, you don’t want to be stupid and throw it all away.”

” I’ve got to thank Yamaha for giving me the bike I need to win. We had a really good first race, in the second we did what we had to do to win. It was quite difficult to keep it in check as the pace was pretty fast, I saw I had a couple of people behind me and I knew that if Nori won I had to be in sixth and that’s where I was so I tried to get a bit of a gap on them and stay out of trouble. Max came through the inside of me and ran off a couple of times which really freaked me out so I went to get past him and then settled in for some nice fast laps to the end. It’s been a spectacular day and I can’t thank those people enough that have been behind me. It’s been incredible to do it for Yamaha, and especially in my first year here. I don’t think I really realize what’s happening right now but I’m sure it’s going to hit me in a couple of days!”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager

“I feel great! This is the first time I’ve had this victory feeling. I was so nervous for this whole weekend. Ben showed us that the speed he had was ok but I know Nori very well and Ducati as well so I was always worried that something was going to come. Fortunately we finished very well. I want to thank everyone, not just the people here in the team and Yamaha but the people at home, mine and the team’s families, they give us a lot of support and are patient, I think it is hard for them to so thank you to my wife!”

Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe

“A fantastic day for Yamaha! Today was the crown of a year’s hard work for Ben and the team. From the first moment we started to work with Ben it was clear he was something special. He did an amazing job in his rookie season, not knowing many of the circuits in Europe. This victory is also very well deserved for the team who have given 100%. I know how hard we have all been trying and coming close for such a long time. This championship success is a clear testimonial of the competitiveness of the new R1 and a validation of Yamaha’s vision of production bike development and so is also shared with the engineers in Japan.”

Quote from Noriyuki Haga

“All weekend I have had problems with the set up of the bike, mainly with the tyres that didn’t give me total confidence. Usually we have a package that works well at every track and here too we didn’t change so much with regard to the setting, only really tyres. In Race 1 we mounted two hard tyres and they didn’t perform as we’d hoped, they didn’t give me the necessary grip so it was hard to brake and unfortunately I fell even though I wasn’t pushing so hard. We changed bikes for Race 2, just to be sure, as well as changing tyres of course. This time I had more grip and was able to make a good race. Unfortunately second in the race was not enough to take the title and it’s a real pity, but I must say that I have had a great first year with this fantastic team that always provides me with a good bike. I thank my whole technical team, Ducati, the sponsors and the Clinica Mobile who have taken good care of me throughout the season. My compliments go to Ben who has been such a strong rival this year and even though he is going to MotoGP next year, I am sure we will remain friends. This week we’ll start testing in preparation for next year. This year was a new adventure with Ducati and we’ll continue to give 100% in 2010.”

Results

RACE 1

1. B. Spies (Yamaha WSB)
2. J. Rea (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda)
3. M. Biaggi (Aprilia Racing)
4. S. Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati)
5. M. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox Team)
6. L. Camier (Aprilia Racing)
7. C. Checa (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda)
8. R. Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
9. M. Lagrive (Honda Althea Racing)
10. M. Baiocco (Guandalini Racing)

RACE 2

1. M. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox Team)
2. N. Haga (Ducati Xerox Team)
3. J. Rea (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda)
4. S. Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati)
5. B. Spies (Yamaha WSB)
6. M. Biaggi (Aprilia Racing)
7. L. Camier (Aprilia Racing)
8. J. Smrz (Guandalini Racing)
9. T. Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
10. S. Guintoli (Team Suzuki Alstare)

Final Points

1. Spies 462
2. Haga 456
3. Fabrizio 382
4.Biaggi 319
5.Rea 315
6. Haslam 241
7.Checa 209
8. Byrne 192
9. Sykes 176
10. Smrz 169.

Manufacturers Standings

Yamaha wins the championship, but Ducati wins the most points…

1. Ducati 572
2. Yamaha 505
3. Honda 431
4. Aprilia 329
5. Suzuki 173
6. Bmw 141
7. Kawasaki 76

Team Roadracing World M4 Suzuki at Heartland Park Topeka image by Paul Danger Kile (c) 2009 dangerismymiddlename.com; Free for use on the Web. Please link the photo to dangerismymiddlename.com and use this caption on the photo.

Michael Gougis of Roadracing World recently conducted a phone interview with Roger Edmondson: who is the President of DMG/AMA Pro.  Please follow this link to read the full interview.

Here are some quotes from the interview:

We are not insensitive to the criticisms that people have raised. Not everything is fixable. But we will fix what is fixable.
…
I’m confident that we will see some changes in personnel, and we have some rules where the penalties do not meet the crimes. Those will be changed, and we will do that before the beginning of the season so that the penalty we assess at the beginning of the season will be the same that we assess at the end of the season.
…
You’ve gotta be blind. I’m going to tell you my standing orders to my officials. We need to know what the circumstances are, what the facts are, and only after we know all of that and the penalty has been determined should we find out who it is.

Fans and professionals have been polarized by this year’s decisions.  They seem to fit into two camps:

1. The racing is better than ever.  Therefore it must be fair.  Roadracing doesn’t need any more negative publicity.  DMG is in charge.  Why doesn’t everyone be quiet?
2. The second camp contains people that think things could be better if we all speak up.  In some cases the people in this camp are themselves very polarizing; Johnny Rock Page is an example of this (I am a fan).  Please see John Ulrich’s “Why Discuss DMG Selective Enforcement And Other Abuses Of Power Now?” for… um… the reasons why to discuss DMG’s selective enforcement and other abuses of power now.

Dave Rosno’s Response

The following is a comment that was submitted in response to the above.  The author of the comment— Dave Rosno— did a much better job of describing the situation than I could have.  Therefore I have “promoted” the comment.

Well, is there fairness in the series? It is my opinion that the base rules structure is “fair”. I use quotes because when one might be dealing with an amount of money versus a sick amount of money, hey, it can never be completely fair. But the rules structure reduced a number of the special parts and pieces that were only available to particular individuals or teams. A lack of commitment from some of the previous factory teams reduced their large amount of preseason testing. In the end, the results were tighter. A better representation of rider ability in the AMA series on machinery that was more attainable when compared to years and years of racing in the AMA past. The Buell 1125RR in American Superbike? Strange deal again. It’s good for the series, in my opinion, but it is kind of an oddity that leaves one questioning the processes in general.

What has been reported as of late, well, that just sucks, doesn’t it? There were some individuals that were appointed to jobs before the 2009 season started. They were experienced within the road racing industry, but they also had some baggage attached also. Will they improve in 2010? Hard to say. One would expect that they would have improved during this season, but it didn’t seem to happen.

Some of the probationary issues are a big struggle. AMA Pro Racing is now an independent entity. It is their show, so they really can do as they please. But there is a need for riders. I guess I felt that Hacking got something appropriate for his outburst early in the year. Johnny Rock is probably not going to win an American Superbike race, but he is part of the show. He’s not a second year amateur, so I struggle with some of the comments made about him and how it does certainly appear that he’s being scrutinized very specifically.

The racing has been great. Fix the stuff that wasn’t part of doing laps during a race. Consistency is good. Everything should be attainable and enforceable. If the rules are a moving target, it just makes a mess for those that love the sport, the teams and the fans.

Story used by permission of Sean de Fraine— Sean is the Web master for www.blarneyquick.com and the Kevin Schwantz School – Official Page facebook page.  For more about Kieron and Sean’s Schwantz School Experience see “Kevin Schwantz Laps Barber Motorsports Park”.

Kieron Mooney, Kevin Schantz, and Sean de Fraine. Image linked-from, and linked-to www.blarneyquick.com. Click on the image to go to www.blarneyquick.com.

This was my third year in a row. What can I say, I am totally hooked. But this past combination of first participating in the 2-day Kevin Schwantz School and then being hosted by the school for three days at Indy for MotoGP was a life long dream fulfilled. Barber Motor Sports Park is the best racing facility I have ever seen. Just driving into it made me feel like I was at a golf course – everything is so manicured. The track was very technical with lots of sweeping corners, not as fast as years past in Road Atlanta. The school was excellent as usual, Lee Acree was lead instructor in the classroom with the man himself chiming in and answering any questions. I knew all of the track instructor except for one, so it was like seeing family again. Marnie Lincoln: the boss; had everything well organized and she always had time for everyone. I returned to the school with another 3-peater – Sean de Fraine. We drove 2200 miles overall. Went through 10 states – read Sean’s piece on the trip. He describes every detail real well, so I don’t want to be repetitive. There were 9 guys in the A group and everyone rode well. We were all better at the end of our 2-days with Kevin and his crew. Sean in my opinion improved the best – he’s the guy in the fancy Rizla leathers.

I brought my Suzuki GSXR 750 down with me and it preformed brilliantly. There was a Suzuki film crew at Barber taking segments for the 25 the Anniversary of the GSXR Superbike. They filmed everybody, so hopefully some of us will make history. The A group guys all became friends and all meet back up at Indy for the experience of a life time. Kevin was going to ride his 1993 World Championship RGV 500 just before the start of MotoGP. Kevin is a huge fan favorite and he was showered with attention. Marnie pulled off a great location in the paddock. We were at Garage 4, right beside Yamaha and Honda catering. So we really never had to move to meet all the past and present stars – they basically came to us. We all took hundreds of photo’s of just about everything – I even managed to take a few of the famous brolly girls. We meet all the riders and were brought into LCR Honda’s garage and also Rizla Suzuki. This kind of access is unheard of. I meet Valentino, Jorge, Nicky and all the riders, but for me it was the old school boys like Kenny Roberts, Wayne Rainey and Kevin that impressed me most. They were very cool to talk to. We even went and watched Kenny Roberts Ride his TZ 750 dirt tracker at the Indy Fairgrounds. We were afforded so much in such a little time. Corner 9 seating was great and the VIP club house was first rate. The Racing was exciting and I don’t think it could have been better. Thanks to Kevin and Marnie for this GP Experience Package – one I will never forget.

Essentially there are three reasons for Honda’s leaving:

1. They aren’t winning in the U.S.
2. The series isn’t helping to sell motorcycles. At this point, lack-of-credit, is what kills motorcycle sales.  Even if they did “win on Sunday”, they wouldn’t be selling more bikes.  This is not DMG’s fault.
3. They claim that they would like to use the AMA Pro series for development, and DMG’s new rules don’t allow that.  I suspect that this means “we need trick parts”.

American Honda Senior Vice President Ray Blank told Cycle News the following (and more) in a September 17 phone interview:

“Either it makes customers really happy, it improves the breed, or it helps sell the product. I don’t see customers real happy, we’re not permitted to evolve in technology, and we’re not given a platform to really sell the product. It isn’t any different than what it was in March of 2008 when we first sat down with Roger [Edmondson] and were told this is how it was going to be.”

Honda builds their products for the street; it’s possible that they believe that they need the racing parts (that the rules no longer allow) to win.  This is a the-bikes-win-the-races-for-us world view.  Does American Honda have that view?  The Honda MotoGP effort certainly does.  If not, then they wouldn’t have chased champions such as Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi away.  This isn’t a guess.  Both of these riders have said as much.  Even with the new rules: how many wins would Honda have in AMA Pro if they had Spies riding for them, or Mladin, or Rossi?

The rest of this article is a re-posting of what we wrote yesterday (September 17):

We received the following from Cycle World Magazine’s Twitter Feed:

American Honda is officially out of AMA Pro Road Racing, won’t renew contract with Corona Extra Racing for 2010, padlocking race shop. MPM

We also received these from Road Racing World’s facebook Notes:

Honda Racing announcementTorrance, CA: During the 2009 AMA/DMG Road Racing series, American HondaMotor Company, Inc. contracted team personnel, including team Honda riderNeil Hodgson, to the Corona Extra Honda race team.Corona Extra Honda race…

Seven American Honda road race crewman currently assigned to the Corona Honda AMA American Superbike team were told today that their contracts will not be renewed when they expire October 31st.The crewmen work out of a shop at American Honda headquart…

And here is the Press Release:

Honda Racing announcement

Torrance, CA: During the 2009 AMA/DMG Road Racing series, American Honda
Motor Company, Inc. contracted team personnel, including team Honda rider
Neil Hodgson, to the Corona Extra Honda race team.

Corona Extra Honda race team participated in this series with our
award-winning 2009 CBR1000RR in the AMA Superbike class, unfortunately
participation in this series did not meet our racing goals and objectives.

Regrettably the current AMA/DMG racing environment does not align with our
company goals. Effective today 9/18/09, AHM will not be renewing contracts
with Corona Extra Racing and will be terminating the on-site Road Race
operations by 9/30/09. All assets will be put into storage for future
consideration. Team staff was informed of these changes today at 1:00PM
PDT.

1. We become fans of the riders that we like, not the ones who always win.
2. You can’t win the race without slower riders out-there to beat.
3. The easiest way to not look foolish on video is to not act foolish in public.
4. Treat everyone fairly.

Here’s the good stuff:

Paul James turned around and said “Hi, Paul” to me while preparing for his stint last year (they switch riders in MotoST/MotoGT).  He did this just before his stint, when anyone else would be getting in the zone, and focusing on winning, and not on the fans. A year later at the first Tornado Nationals he gave my little girl her first ever ride on a scooter.  How do I know Paul James?  I am a spectator.  He is a racer.  He remembered me from an autograph signing.  Really. That’s how far this guy goes when he reaches out to people.

Ben Spies was late for practice at last year’s IndyGP. I waited in line for a signature, but it took too long, and the Motul guys asked me to leave.  Before leaving I said “Ben”, just meant as a “Hello”.  I don’t really need a signature , but being able to talk to Ben Spies would be really special, whether the Motul guys wanted me to or not.  I chose to stand there and watch, for the sake of watching, and Ben continued to sign posters until the moment they handed me one.

When everyone else was complaining about the factory teams Larry Pegram was creating his own, or as close to one as he possibly could.

Getting out there is what all the riders need to be doing.  That’s what Johnny Rock Page is trying to accomplish.  Is he making mistakes?  I think that lots of people are making mistakes this season.  I really have to wonder: in all of this excitement over JRP, or LP, or AL, or RE, or whomever, have the officials and racers, lost sight of the big picture?

I was taking pictures from one of the best spectator locations on Sunday: the hill inside turn 12.  Just then we heard the announcer say: “We have a red flag condition”.  The ambulance immediately entered, and crossed, the track at turn 11.  This is while the leaders were on the back straight approaching turn 10 at approximately 130 MPH!  The ambulance then turned left on the far side of the track, and started driving down the track.  The leaders approached the ambulance at a high rate of speed, braked, and “hand signaled”.

Ricky Parker’s (No. 96 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) motorcycle was being loaded onto a trailer just past turn 14. I took a photo: you can clearly see the Roadracing World Action Fund provided Airfence standing sentry behind the trailer. In spite of this accident Ricky Parker somehow finished fourth and became the new SuperSport West Champion.

Here are my photos:

Heartland Park kept the old turns after revamping the track, so there are multiple configurations possible, although all versions are counterclockwise. They use cones to designate which version of the turns that racers should use. The new turn 1 and 2 were used for the Tornado National, but the new turn 8 was not. Many of the wall segments near turns 1 and 2 were removed. That straight part that crosses the road track between turns 1 and 2 is the road at the end of the drag strip. Heartland Park can hold a dirt track race at the same time as another event, but drag races and road races cannot occur at the same time.

Here is the new Heartland Park Topeka aerial map (link), unfortunately they did not label the turns on this version. The ambulance entered just above the “o” in “Registration Building” on this new map.

Sadly, AMA Pro is no longer running on the road track: this was the only year in recent history that they have. This is in spite of the fact that the AMA Pro announcers went out of their way to say how much was changed in the interest of motorcycle safety: after Mat Mladin chose to go home instead of race, and then announced his retirement. Mladin is the winning-est rider in AMA Pro roadracing history, so his decisions impacted everyone’s behavior that weekend.

The following quote is real:

“[It] is our belief that around 50% of the people buying motorcycles have little or no interest in watching sport bike racing. Therefore, we are working on a motorsports product that will feature the popular cruiser models and (get this) 24 paid riders.”  - Roger Edmondson, CEO of Daytona Motorsports Group (a/k/a AMA Pro Racing)

The “AMA” in AMA Pro Racing is not the American Motorcyclist Association, because the American Motorcyclist Association has sold-off all of AMA Pro Racing, and its branding, with the exception of the classes that are already managed by Live Nation (AMA Supercross and AMA Arenacross) to the Daytona Motorsports Group (DMG). There are more details here and here.

Now, it’s no secret that fans were disappointed when the Daytona 200 become an AMA Formula Extreme race. That decision was made, because Superbikes were believed to be too dangerous for Daytona’s banking. Tires heat-up when they flex due to the fact that they are flatter at their contact patch then at other places. Daytona speeds are faster on-the-banking than at other AMA tracks, so more heat is generated by the flexing. Formula Extreme bikes have less horsepower, so they were believed to be safer at Daytona.

Roger Edmondson also said that: “In 2009 Superbikes will again be in the [Daytona] 200” Great! That’s what everyone wants to see! Right? Wrong. The new Daytona Superbike class excludes motorcycles with 1000cc displacement. 4-cylinder superbikes by-definition have 1000cc displacements here, and in every other country in the world. Saying that “2009 Superbikes will again be in the 200″, and then excluding 1000cc superbikes from the class is disingenuous.

Some believe the class changes were made so that the premier class will be safer at some of the more dangerous tracks in the wet (rain). These tracks were once (and maybe still are) considered dangerous by the AMA safety council (a group of responsible rider/representatives that previously worked with the AMA to help track owners prioritize safety changes), because they have obstacles that are too-close to the outside of some corners. I can assure you that the Daytona Superbikes won’t be safer on these tracks, because these smaller bikes go extremely fast in the corners.

Here is what Roger Edmondson told Roadracing World (in an email) about the AMA safety council:

“It’s irrelevant right this minute, as far as I’m concerned. We have not met anybody, and nobody’s ever presented themselves as being a member of it. And frankly, I haven’t asked about it in this particular case. Because, once again, while you may determine that the track is not something you want to ride, I might determine just the opposite. This is my chance for a big payday. And so I don’t think it’s appropriate in issues of this type where a track is approved for competition period that we get riders telling us whether or not it’s appropriate to ride there in the wet.”

Maybe he truly believes that the tracks will be safer as long as the best riders aren’t on 1000cc motorcycles, or maybe DMG wants the class change just so that they can have the best riders in the Daytona 200 (the tail wags the dog)? Personally, I don’t think that anyone should be maimed, or killed, so that Roger Edmondson can have his “chance for a big payday”. Why should it take another Dale Earnhardt or Vincent Haskovec tragedy to get these people to focus on safety?

The irony in all this is that while the AMA (of which I am a member) is avoiding the management of pro racing, they aren’t avoiding the hits to their brand image.

This article used to list details about the proposed classes, but those details are changing all the time. You might be thinking, “Wait-a-minute Paul, all those things need to be ironed out so that the race teams, riders, manufacturers, and sponsors can get their planning, hiring, engineering, and contracts done!” To that I would say, “Yep.”

First AMA says that there won’t be a true AMA Superbike class, then there will, then there won’t. As a result of all of this back-and-forth the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) appears to have lost faith in the AMA, and the MIC has announced the formation of its own racing series called the USSB.

• Here is Roger Edmondson’s response to MIC’s announcement.
• Roadracing World has reasons to believe that not even USSB is ready for 2009 though.

…and even while Roger Edmondson is working hard to destroy AMA Superbike racing as-we-know-it: he is planning to create a racing class for cruisers.

So, folks there you have it. USA motorcycle racing is temporarily in shambles, but Rob Dingman believes that this change “is good for motorcycling as a whole.” We will have to see. In the meantime I am rooting for Ben Spies in MotoGP.