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3462
Joined
9/4/2006
Location
Arlington, VA, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/26/2012 9:02pm
The Alessis say they plan on dropping $1 million plus to race in 2012?
Chad Reed dropped $1 million to race last year?
Something is seriously, seriously wrong here. There is no way this sport can sustain that. These are the top stars in motocross.
Chad Reed dropped $1 million to race last year?
Something is seriously, seriously wrong here. There is no way this sport can sustain that. These are the top stars in motocross.
...have yet to get even a free airfilter.
if mx doesnt start bringing in more mainstream sponsors and spectators, it is doomed.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Maybe its the general level of professionalism in getting outside sponsors. I heard this dude on the "new radio show" today saying he used to handle rider contracts, in between a stream of cusswords and shit taking about the riders. I am thinking- this is the guy a professional rider is supposed to deal with? You got to be kidding.
Some of the other people in this sport running teams and in charge of outside sponsorship deals...idaknow. Listen to the way they talk to fans and represent themselves. Not saying I could do better, but there has to be something keeping companies out of this sport.
We have top riders known more for partying exploits than results. We have a guy that invented the sport in jail for murder. We have magazines promoting the sport with fart jokes and boobs dominating the pages. Are these all contributing factors?
When a huge corp. senstive about image sees riders at press conferences with backwards hats saying "umm" and "you know" every three words...not throwing anybody under the bus here. But is it the general level of professionalism affecting things?
When I got hurt racing a few years back, a non-rider friend asked me if I was drunk when I wrecked. I am like "umm...no, I compete in organized racing events."
Sadly this sport is seen as a bunch of drunk hicks ripping around in a field by the general public. It's freaking tragic. Anybody think that might be a contributing factor to the level of outside support?
The Sport is extreme and not accepted by the masses and still the issue of 1 million to race, they are getting the bulk of the money from sponsors or expect to recoup it, The factories spend much more then that.
How is this any different from NASCAR?
I agree with a lot of what you are saying, but the perceptions of our sport and stock car racing are nearly the same, yet NASCAR has figured out how to parlay that into beaucoux money!
we are at the mercy of japanese bean counters and shit energy drinks.
I am not going to waste my time breaking it all down.........so please , feel free ( anyone ) to explain it to me , what the hell kind of a program for one rider needs 1.2 million dollars to function for one season? I have had plenty of friends over the years race all the nationals rounds , in a really nice big motor home pulling a huge trailer ( it was a shop on wheels! ) , and they spend close to $50,000 for for the racing part of it. Probably another $150,000 on the RV and trailer.
Even if the Alessi's went and bought some large race truck ( 1/2 the size of a full blown semi .....but still a semi) , a bunch of bikes , and all the hop parts your could think of , you still wouldn't be any where near 1.2 million dollars.
And don't forget......Mike has some great sponsors , so I don't see the Alessi's really having to flip the bill for much.
Don't get me wrong......I know it will cost a small fortune , but 1.2 million for a single rider / team.......someone isn't doing their job right , and others are getting paid way to much.
$1.2 million a season seems way too much. Full semi for one guy is just unnecessary
Chad seems to be possibly the most business savvy of all the current crop of riders, so to me he is credible. Mind you, TwoTWo Motorsports is the equivalent of a factory team in most respects.
Things I can think of that might account for the difference between TwoTwo and a "privateer" effort as you described:
- flying to/from each round plus testing sessions etc;
- buying/leasing factory parts (not sure if that's how it works - would Honda give Reed factory parts for free?)
- paying a team manager (Osterman)
No doubt there is more.
ok, lets start with the basics, and this is SX only.
Semi. lease it, 150k and you can write it off but its money gone. Buy it, 300~500k, lets call it 400k and depreciate it, then sell it and recoup the majority of your money, or even get lucky and make money. dont need a semi? Sure you do for a variety of reason, but namely, if you dont, you are going to be pitted out in the back 40 with the pitting out of a pickup or van guys that wont even make the night show. Think Im joking? Robbie, his Free Nissan deal, 40 foot tractor hauler. IN 2005. Real deal. Back 40, had to go searching for him. Yeah, thats ROI for sponsors.
Gas for semi. I have heard the number $3000 a week x 17 weeks = 51k in gas alone.
Insurance on said semi and contents. Probably 10k is a safe number
Driver, you dont work for free, neither does he. Plus you cant just grab some homeless guy, you have to have a CDL and enough trust he wont run off and be where hes suppsed to be on time. $1500 a week. Actually though, youre more likely to have to higher the guy for a year unless hes retired. Why? Who the hell is going to quit a job with benifits to drive a semi for 17 weeks? so 6 months is going to cost you, at least,32k PLUS, you have to feed the guy, figure 300 a week for that. And hes got to take a shower at some point. So lets be nice and say you have 40k in that to get thru SX.
Wrapping the semi, maint on it, easy 30k. Doesnt have to be wrapped? yes, you hope others will help fund your racing at that level without their name in 3 foot graphics all over your semi. Plus, tires blow, oil has to be changed. $200 for that by the way, oil changes. And its every other week almost.
And we have just scratched the surface on the transport part and we are 531k in. Now remember, this is just start up costs and if you buy the semi, you sell and recoup some.
Now the bikes. How many bikes do you think hes going to go thru? 2? buwhahahahahah, 6? teeeeheeeee... 10 to 12. bikes. You can get away with it running 4 but thats as lowball as it gets. Now, he has to be getting bikes free, i hope. if not, well, do the math.
So now we have our bikes. Any clue what these guys can do to a bike in the normal course of riding? Lets leave it at this buy saying, they can put more stress and wear on a bike in 5 days, as you put on yours in a year.
And we havent even talked about suspension and motors. motor a week in the practice bike, suspension, hard parts. Needless to say, you can EASILY have 250k in bikes and parts out before you turn around.
Oh, someone has to work on the bikes, two someones. And both those someones literally have your life as a rider in their hands. They mess up, you are the one that gets ruined, so no going to home depot and grabbing one of those guys holding a sign up for work. now, this guy has to make a living, he has to eat, support his family. Would you work 10 hours a day for 20 a day? can you cover your bills with that? no. so, main wrench, 40~60k a year. Practice bike guy, 500~1000 a week.
Ok, so, bikes are bought, parts are bought (and i bet you money im low on the parts bill, Akit and service on it weekly isnt cheap), we can get them to the races.
Ok, pay entry for 17 rounds, there is 3~4k
Airfare. (right about here is where some fucktard fires up his keyboard and puts on his mxa face to tell us how real men did it, to them i say, yeah, and real men couldnt operate at the level these guys do today using their methods back then, period) So, you have $400 a week for yourself. If wife goes, another $400. Mechanic, $400. Ok, unless wife is your team manager, you have noone in the tower and to take care of things, so there is another $400 a week. 1 week, shit, 1600 in air alone! 3 hotel rooms, 2 minimum. ok, fri sat night, $150 a night, 2 rooms, 300 x 17 weeks.. 5100 + air 27200 = 32300
got to eat at the races, 200
insurance, got to have it, for racers (and us) its not if, its when. there is a 1000 a month. plus, insurance in case you get hurt BAD bad, death and dismemberment insurance, the kind that pays if you cant walk again, or cant ever ride again, or dont ever wake up again. they look at your profession, get ready, so, call that 5000 a month. now youre saying woah woah, bullshit. ask around. 25k vs 17 weeks racing, and 5 days a week pound laps on a sx track.....
speaking of which, 20k to have one built, and it has to be maintained. Then rebuilt once a month, at least. So lets average it, call it, 30k a month x 5 months. well, thats 150,000 for SX.... only.
So, where are we now? Real close to a mil. And thats SX only. Then outdoors hit. You dont spend as much on having tracks built and rebuilt. But double the driver and mechanics part, do the same for airfare but times 12 weeks, insurance and special insurance is still running, and entry, food, .... oops, forgot rental car/s.
1.2 mil, they are going as budget as you can and still doing what you have to do to be a top 5 hopeful guy, even top 10.
We often think in terms relative to us. if we could live the dream, we would do ANYTHING it took! We would. Well, thats a wish and a prayer, this is reaility for these guys and to play at that level and give yourself the tools to remotely compete at the top of that level, 7 figures. easy.
Pit Row
Coors Supercross,Camel Supercross Series ,Coors Extra Gold Super Challenge.
From my understanding,the promoters ended up pushing them out of the sport because they wanted a cleaner/healthier image for the sport,go figure. Even some of the Euro GP Teams had sponsors like Chesterfield (Trampas Parker & the late Donny Schmit both rode for a Chesterfield sponsored team back in the early 90's).
Then MC I believe brought brought Bud Light to his team as a the title sponsor.
Would love to see more mainstream companies get involved,I know Jagermeister was getting involved a couple years back or so also.
like i said before....target audience. bathroom fixture companies are going to throw sponsorship money at a series who's fans don't shower. at least thats the image it seems. i dont know how to "right" that wrong, but it surely exists.
It's not very hard to comprehend...
My point was that we had beer & cig sponsors involved in the sport, then the "promoters ended up pushing them out of the sport,for a cleaner/healthier image ",they didn't just pull out themselves. MC brought on board a beer sponsor later on...but for the most part, none of those type of companies in this day & age will even touch the sport.
I think bringing in any type of mainstream sponsor is good for the sport,not pushing them away to try to evolve into a certain type of image. Neckcar seems to be pretty open to sponsorships.
All tobacco advertising and sponsorship on television has been banned within the European Union since 1991 under the Television Without Frontiers Directive (1989).
This ban was extended by the Tobacco Advertising Directive, which took effect in July 2005 to cover other forms of media such as the internet, print media, radio, and sports event like F1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_advertising
The European Union and World Health Organization (WHO) have both specified that the advertising and promotion of alcohol needs to be controlled. In September 2005, the WHO Euro Region adopted a Framework for Alcohol Policy for the Region. This has 5 ethical principles which includes "All children and adolescents have the right to grow up in an environment protected from the negative consequences of alcohol consumption and, to the extent possible, from the promotion of alcoholic beverages" [1]. Cross-border television advertising within the EU is regulated by the 1989 Television without Frontiers Directive.[3] Article 15 of this Directive sets out the restrictions on alcohol advertising
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_advertising
Obviously we would probably be only talking a relatively small amount (doubt we could foot the bill for Alessi!!!
In exchange the rider is expected to post regular updates on here, letting us know how training is going, or how the races went the previous weekend.
" Dowd's title sponsor for the weekend will be, MOTOTALK - By the people, for the people."
What would be neat to do is...
Raise some money to bring a guy like Russian Bobby over here for a AMA National on a FIM off weekend.
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