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From the teams I talked to last weekend, most of them seemed to enjoy Charlotte and Glen Helen. There was a little confusion on schedules, and staging and start procedures among the U.S. guys, but they were figuring it out. Having to pack their own starting gates is an entirely new experience for our guys.
Having a (much) smaller number of riders does seem to simplify things by a lot. No A/B practices, no extra qualifiers, etc. Since the first-day action at Charlotte was rained out, everyone was still wrestling with the schedule.
As far as talent, there were good guys on both sides of the pond, but the deeper you got into the fields, the speed quickly dropped off on both sides.
The two-day format was a flashback to what the Nationals here were like here back in the day. That results in a lot of down time, though there were obviously no support classes (125, 150, 250, 300, Women, etc.) It makes for a pretty leisurely weekend. It was better for being able to chat with people you wanted to talk to.
Saturday at Glen Helen was a ghost town. Sunday was a bit better, but it was still a small crowd. GP racing seems to attract the guys with a connection to it...like they'd been to the Carlsbad GP back in the day, and remembered the huge crowds that it used to draw. On Saturday, I'd guess that nearly universally that it was a crowd made up of 50-plus-year-old guys. On Sunday the age dropped a bit, but it was still primarily made up of older hard-core fans. They need to connect with the younger fans here somehow.
If you listen to the jungle drums, there might be ample chances to see GPs here in the future. We've heard rumors of up to four per year here. We'll have to wait and see if that proves to be true.
The Shop
The racing itself was really good at both venues in my opinion.
Why don't more people in Southern California go? I know the average motocross fan in the US doesn't follow the GPs but you'd think they'd still go with some of the Americans being there. I'd go if it was within a few hours from me.
The only piece i'll add, which may not be news to anyone else is how professional and squared away the FIM staff is. They take the racing business very seriously and all though we can all deduce it takes an army to pull something like this off, it's pretty damn impressive what they do to provide a safe environment for the riders and staff. Listening in to the radio frequencies was a real treat. There's a ton of communication and everyone has got their stuff squared away.
Walked away from the GP with a lot more respect and admiration for ANY large scale MX event.
Doug
A lot of my friends turned down going because it was $50. They probably won't be paying the $80+ dollar MXDN ticket either. Add on the $20 parking fee (with no one there to direct traffic after the race). $35 event T Shirts, $20 pit passes, lunch, drinks, etc it's an expensive day to watch a bunch of dudes you don't really know compared to the AMA guys that you have followed their entire career and see 5 other times in SX and at the National.
If Tomac/Dungey/Roczen/Anderson/Stewart/Reed/Seely/Wilson/Canard/Tickle/Barcia/Peick/Etc raced in the 450s against the GP guys there would be more attendance. And if it was $30 bucks each with open pits/ it would be packed.
If I had to guess (not knowing their deal), financially it was not a success. Racing wise it was a great race.
How in hell could they hold more MXGPs in the US?
Luongo is kidding himself.
You've got people bleating about the packed schedule as it is, and you get virtually no one at the Glen Helen GPs.
As it is, with some of the "sweet heart deals" I've read that are given to the US races , the rest of the World rounds are subsidizing the US and other fly away rounds.
Even with better pricing to Dr Feldcamp and Co, I can't see them having made anything but a succession of loss's from the GPs. They deserve every penny they might make from next year's MXDN.
Southern California is patently not that interested in the GPs. The East might well be more interested, but how in hell can Luongo think he'll get much interest in more GPs in America? He'll leave a string of bankruptcies behind him, and do even more damage to The World Championships.
A single round in the US, in the right spot, and a round in Canada. I'm sure the Cannucks would flock to a GP held at the right track, at the right time.
Pit Row
Even with Eli Tomac winning with home court advantage, it seems they prefer to go to the beach or practice tracks rather than watch some great racing?
Hope Bud Feldcamp and his team finally get a decent gate in Sept. 2017 for MXDn?
Will top riders decline to race for Team USA at home, saying they are too busy preparing for Anaheim 1?
Perhaps half of the crowd will be other countries, who will travel half way around the world to support their nation.
I think most American fans want to see American riders totally dominate the rest of the world and aren't interested if it isn't a dead cert. so don't go .
Well, Eli changed that and if Herlings wasn't in mx2!
Maybe there will be more fans and riders there next time.
Oh ,as for price, if it's the same as a national , surely that should be ok?
I don't think anyone is foolish enough to cough up the money here for it.
You, I and a few thousand might go to it, but you'd need many, Many thousands to attend.
After the Swiss GP this year, I read an interview with the head of the promotion group - he said it was doubtful that they'd break even, and they'd need to bring in more stand seating, to start to get close to doing so, if they run it next year. Luongo will probably be applying his sliding scale of charges - ever upwards- to the event, as he seems to do with most of them. Until no more blood drips out of the viens.......
Sooner or later the bike manufacturers and other companies in the industry will not spill their money on three different series(SX, Ama Nats, GP's)
SX will survive. GP's will survive because they can present a presence worldwide. From a selling point I think the gp's has the upper hand over ama nats.
If the ama nats disappears maybe the gp's will attract a bigger crowd in the US? I also don't think the size of the crowd at place is that important. They look for a good reach on social media, Live streaming and tv coverage I guess.
I would however welcome one MX serie just like in motogp. Even if it means less rounds in Europe to visit or easily follow through tv without staying up all night.
The only benefit for the riders is they may get that longer break to heal up.
Tomac: Yeah, I had a lot of fun. Obviously everyone’s really fast, but everyone respects each other, it seems like. It’s clean racing, so I enjoyed it. I would definitely come back for another one.
Transworld Motocross 'How was your weekend':
You know these were a couple of races that I really enjoyed, you know, riding my motorcycle, you know the formats different to, it's just something different and something fresh. You know we're still racing dirtbikes but the schedules different, you're racing different guys, you know guys across the whole world so it's cool when everyone gets together. And I was able to get the wins so that made it extra special so I had a couple of fun weekends.
If Eli is healthy next year and doesn't race these again you know these interviews are nothing but fluff.
Post a reply to: I haven't heard yet the 2 USGPs....