Some folks go to the races to see the personalities, Valentino Rossi or Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies or Mat Mladin, but a lot of us aren’t really interested in that part of the sport. We like motorcycles, we get a kick out of different engines, suspension setups and all of the other variables that make a motorcycle unique or maybe just a bit better than what the other guy has to offer.
Comments on the post announcing the Formula Xtreme rules change seem to touch on both sides of the story but this really is a class where the “my bike is better than yours” debate gets a decent shot at finding out who’s right. The old, “If this motorcycle was allowed to compete, it would win.” statement, might be true, then again, that bike, whatever it is, might get nowhere near the front.
When the rules of any class limit the diversity of machines with a realistic chance of winning to two or three, personalities or not, the race becomes less exciting. With Formula Xtreme, we might see a whole new series emerge with this new set of rules and I think Daytona next year will be something to look forward to.
Auto racing used to be a very company brand oriented sport, drag racing or stock cars, race cars were just highly modified versions of what you could buy from the showroom floor. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. Now it seems to be all personalities and it’s lost a lot in the transition. What you see on the track isn’t remotely related to anything you can buy. I miss the old days and I bet some of the auto companies do, too.
With motorcycles, MotoGP is a personality driven high tech, high dollar world and, except for the new Ducati, you can’t get close to that sort of tech at your dealer. AMA Superbikes are closer to the showroom but still filled with exotic pieces and unobtainable part numbers. Superstock and Supersport just get the spectators confused.
Formula Xtreme might break the mold. Sure, there will be a lot of money spent getting bikes up to speed but you’ll recognize the bikes and know you could own one, maybe first thing Monday morning. If Buell would just sell the XBRR like all of their other bikes, the picture would be complete.
Everyone will have their favorites, the Buell guys will have high hopes and the Triumph crowd will predict big things. Ducati, BMW, who knows who might show up? Of course the Japanese brands will be there, but so will everyone else. Just think of a grid with all of the Japanese brands plus Ducati, Triumph, Buell, BMW and I have to look at what’s offered but how about Moto Guzzi or even KTM? Wow! It might take a while before the new guys get up to competitive speeds but they will, you can be sure of that. And I think we’ll see more people cheering on their favorite brands, whoever might be riding, and we haven’t seen that in quite a while.
The AMA made a good decision expanding the eligible machines, now let’s see who steps up.
C.J. Luke says
I agree with you completely. I can remember when NASCAR was made up of most of the Manufactures. The rules said it had to be a body + engine combo that you could buy from the dealer. I was a Chevy fan…and I was a Smokey Unick fan…and I had several drivers that I rooted for…as long as they drove Chevys…and I was pasionate about it all.
I think Formula Extreme has a chance to reach that level of involvement of the fans.
If you think about motorcycle racing today…there isn’t much identification of the winner with the bike…it’s all about the rider. I love MotoGP and in MotoGP I don’t give any consideration to what bike wins…it’s all about the rider.
In Formula Extreme I will be able to start rooting for the Manufacture (Triumph) and the mechanic/crew that gets the bike ready, and the rider that brings it all together.
If that’s not good for racing, fans, teams, and promoters….then I don’t know what is.
hoyt says
It will be interesting to see if the added diversity of engines & models also helps some riders finish higher…..
Some riders may race a helluva lot better with a triple or a big twin instead of an in-lne 4 (or vice versa). We now have a platform that will open up that possibility more than in the past.
This sport is sorely being under represented by television in various ways….one of which is to have more pre & post race coverage.* Another, is to follow more battles in the middle of the pack during a race. The latter would help build fan interest, particularly during the growing pains of some new race teams fielding the “new” brands (assuming they don’t run up front right away).
*How many hrs of programming does Speed dedicate to NASCAR, yet they don’t even have a contract to cover the actual race?….all the while MotoGP gets minimal pre- and post- race coverage (except for 5 minutes of interviews of the top 3 finishers).
Paul, I’m sure you know about the Moto Guzzi MGS-01, but I don’t know if that is still being built or if it would qualify for this class. But, I sure would love to see & hear a Guzzi at race throttle against a British triple, Japanese 4, & Ducati BMW, & American twins.