Just got a question from Matt about what is going on with racing in the U.S. The Motorcycle Industry Council has issued a press release about their new USSB Championship Series. This will be a superbike and sportbike series run separate from the AMA/DMG series. As of right now, Yamaha is staying put, Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki may be going to the MIC, … or not, does anyone know for sure? Sounds like a mess.
Everyone involved in racing seems to have a strong opinion but, as usual, the argument comes down to different ideas about the rules. Fragmenting fans between the 2 competing events doesn’t sound like a good plan but that’s what will happen. The details of all of this will probably change a lot in the coming weeks and months so race fans and teams will be watching closely. If you’re really into racing, RoadracingWorld and CycleNews have updates about the move but here on The Kneeslider, we focus more on the machines so what this means for development in that area is the interesting part.
The Indy cars went this way for a while and finally got back together, now it’s motorcycle racing’s turn. Rules, who needs ’em?
From the press release:
The Motorcycle Industry Council, the national trade association representing top motorcycle manufacturers and 300-plus other members, will launch a new professional road racing series next year in the United States.
The MIC has formally established USSB, Inc., and already is at work creating a national championship for 2009 that will take place at major racing facilities, feature factory superbike teams and rules similar to those now in place – rules encouraging technological development that advances motorcycle engineering.
The USSB Championship is being designed to carry on America’s tradition, spanning more than two decades, of world-class superbike racing that showcases the nation’s best riders on the best motorcycles in the country. The premier class, U.S. Super Bike, will invite teams running the highly developed, factory-backed, fan-favorite racing motorcycles (1,000cc fours and larger-displacement twins) that have long been the basis for superbike racing. The inaugural USSB series will include U.S. Sport Bike, a 600cc category similar to the World Supersport Championship and others.
“We initiated USSB because next year it will offer the only racing series in America for unrestrained factory superbikes and their teams, as well as those who aspire to join their ranks and compete with them,” said MIC President Tim Buche. “We recognize the strong support for this level of racing, among enthusiasts, among manufacturers and among riders. With the other series set to abandon superbikes as we’ve come to know them, USSB will fill that void.”
Buche said the MIC engaged in a development process for USSB that takes into consideration the various needs of industry members, manufacturers, track owners, sponsors, racing fans and riders, as well as the desire to grow the sport of road racing. In particular, there is a need to allow manufacturers to use road racing to advance research and development and improve future production motorcycles available to consumers. Buche said that the MIC possesses the resources, the capabilities, the access to talent, and the ability to contract with various groups and firms, to meet all of those needs and wishes.
“This is America, a big country with a big motorcycle market that deserves a world-class championship with full-on factory bikes raced by star riders,” said Ty van Hooydonk, USSB managing director. “The USSB Championship is our answer. We want to steer away from engine restrictors, away from mandated power-to-weight ratios, spec tires and spec ECUs. We want to set the stage for racing teams to compete, on the track, in the R&D shops, in the way they develop their bikes and help develop production bikes, in how they develop their engineering staffs and crews, and their riders, too. Let them do what they do best and go racing.”
Organization
The not-for-profit MIC has established USSB, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, to be the owner-operator of the series. As the sole shareholder for the subsidiary, the MIC board will appoint the USSB Board of Directors that will then function independently and guide the series.
To maintain the integrity of the competition, USSB, Inc. also will establish an affiliated, but independent sanctioning body, USSB Sanctioning, Inc., which will employ the series commissioner, a racing CEO who will have ultimate responsibility for all competition-related aspects of the series. USSB, Inc. will serve as the series promoter responsible for developing series sponsors, managing series communications and partnering with stakeholders and others to present the series.
Four stakeholder groups will each have a voice and participate in series governance: riders, manufacturers, sanctioning and promoters.
USSB will help establish a riders association that will then operate independently as it represents all of the on-track competitors in the series. Participating manufacturers will form their own committee through the MIC and represent factories. Sanctioning will oversee tech inspection, rules and regulations and will manage race organization and administration. Promoters will include individual promoters and a racetrack association in collaboration with USSB, Inc.
Marketing and Communication
“We’re going to have a compelling story to share,” van Hooydonk said. “The USSB Championship will feature the nation’s top level of motorcycle racing, with phenomenal riders capable of competing in any league, and high-tech superbikes that are among the fastest on Earth. We have a great deal of experience with marketing the story of motorcycling, and we will apply all of it to road racing.” USSB news and updates will be available 24/7 at USSBCHAMPIONSHIP.COM. The site will be live Friday September 12, 2008.
USSB, Inc. will establish a communications campaign to improve visibility and interest in road racing, include all types of media, and bring in new fans while maintaining its enthusiast base. For 20 years, the MIC has generated major mainstream media coverage through Discover Today’s Motorcycling. DTM promotes responsible riding by generating positive print, broadcast and online coverage, and through a responsive news bureau that annually fields thousands of inquiries from journalists nationwide.
B. Case says
All I can think about right now is MOTOGP THIS WEEKEND AT INDY!! RAIN OR SHINE I WILL BE THERE. ALSO CAN’T WAIT TO CHEER ON FASTEST MAN ON TWO WHEELS CHRIS CARR AT THE INDY MILE FLATTRACK.
Matt in NC says
This really concerns me. I haven’t been really good about keeping my AMA membership up, but the years I did I had respect for the organization, because they promoted both racing and safety. They have been a huge advocate and lobbyist for all motorcycle riders, cruisers, off roaders, sportbikers and tourers.
Yes, they’ve had some weird rule changes and complicated specs for their racing classes.
It just seems to me that this USSB and the MCI overseeing it is a setup for predictable finishes based on whichever factory team with the biggest billfold throwing the most money into the bikes. Privateers aren’t going to be competitive.
Of course I may be wrong here, but one of the things I always enjoyed about the AMA events I used to get to go to was the approachability of the teams and the more laid back feeling between the fans and the riders. WSBK and MOTO GP events are always such theme park feeling weekends, with cattle car like lines, varying ticket prices all over the track, pit access limited, and that always left me feeling detached from the riders. I have more fun watching on TV these days.
Maybe I’m just turning into an old curmudgeon, and I need to STFU. Perhaps it’s time for SuperBike racing to go the way of NASCAR.
Motoxyogi says
I can see the USSB title going to one of two teams. Honda or Ducati
tom w. says
Will Ducati compete in USSB? My sense was that Honda and Suzuki were the ones driving this to try to maintain the advantage they’ve had in AMA.
Kawasaki seems on the fence, and, unless I’m misinterpretting it, I thought Yamaha was leaning toward AMA only.
I have a feeling the USSB is going to be a big nothing, but I guess we’ll see. I’d say whichever series can nail down some decent television coverage will be the winner.
What’s Spies doing? I thought it was pretty certain he was going either to WSBK or Moto-GP in which case USSB may have a fairly thin field.
I guess competition is theoretically a good thing. Unfortunately there’s not currently enough interest to support one series let alone two.
US racing really needed the exact opposite of what’s happening. I was becoming optimistic that some of the improvements DMG was incorporating would help, but now everything’s all screwed up again.
tom w. says
This is a good one:
“In particular, there is a need to allow manufacturers to use road racing to advance research and development and improve future production motorcycles available to consumers.”
Translation: We want a racing series in which we big guys can outspend the little guys and be more certain of victory without being restricted to those crap bikes we sell to you idiot consumers who think you are riding “Superbikes”.
As a motorcycle consumer, I like the idea of more stock bikes such as those in the new AMA rules. That forces manufacturers to improve their actual street bikes if they want to compete.
The USSB rules will allow them to sell very watered down bikes to us and then modify the heck out of the ones they’re actually racing.
And if you believe their real motivation is R & D so they can improve our street bikes rather than winning with the illusion that they’re winning with the bikes they’re trying to sell us, I’ve got a bridge in Broolyn to sell you.
Ultimately, no matter what you think of Edmondson, I think there’s more credibility with an independantly owned, operated racing series that is willing to stand up to the manufacturers in and attempt to maintain a level playing field than a group set up by a select group of manufacturers with the intention of giving that select group of manufacturers an advantage over anyone who would like to get in the game.
Gordo says
The same type of thing happened in GP with Kenny Roberts. Nobody liked how FIM was running things (mainly the riders). They started their own series but no race was ever even started or organized because the FIM gave in to some of the requests the riders had.
The way it looks to me is the riders and teams will have a lot to do with this. If they, meaning the teams and riders, can stick together and let the AMA know they do not like how things are and will leave if changes are not made then the AMA will have no choice but to make those changes.
The fans will also show support with their money. If they see better racing in the new series then that is where their money will be spent. Again, that will force a change from the AMA because they will want to win that revenue back.
OMMAG says
The CART vs IRL thing was a disaster for everyone except Tony George.
I don’t see any winners in the bike world if this happens.
Tom says
Don’t be surprised if USSB just flat out never happens. I’ve been reading between the lines of various statements, and I have a feeling this is similar to a lot of new motorcycles that are announced.
You know how every year it seems that there’s a cool new bike from some upstart company and after several prototypes and maybe an actual review of a pre-production model . . . we just never see anything.
In those cases, there’s usually a great product that can just never get enough support to get off the ground.
In this case, I’m not even sure there’s a great product.