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• I started this thread because of what I perceived to be unacceptable apathy
regarding this issue. I was pissed at my MX brothers!
• A little research lead me to 22 WWLP.com where I found the following quote,
“Pittello told 22News the track needed a big financial investment to keep it on the
national level, but was willing to do it."
• I drew, what I believe, is a reasonable conclusion from the above quote. That is,
MX Sports is requiring the Pittello’s to invest heavily in the facility.
• Others have suggested that I am making things up.
• The principal of MX Sports has stated that MX Sports demanded nothing from
the Legion. Of utmost importance, HE DID NOT SAY that nothing was demanded from
the Pittello’s.
• No objective journalistic investigation and report exists regarding this issue.
• I’m satisfied that, at least, that the 'love fest" has been put aside for some tough questioning.
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Now that said, is MX Sports in it to make money? Hell yes. Profit is not a dirty word.
But I really do believe DC loves MX, and is doing whats best for the sport and it's future.
I've been into moto for many years,
and I never thought I'd be watching the Nats live in hi def.
And I'm all for tradition to a point. But some tracks needed to go. Although it would've been nice to see Southwick stay on the schedule. But things change, no biggy. Hopefully DC will find a better place for the event.
As for the picture above from the Legion Post 338.. does someone not know how to use a camera phone or something??
We went to that race every year.
And although we always had a blast, it was outdoor SX.
Zero natural terrain.
* DC is a business man. An ambitious business man. One of his goals (maybe his #1 goal) is to maximize profits and to grow his business year after year. No problem so far....Greed is one of the cornerstones of American capitalism.
Stay with me here...
* I think we can all agree that the moto community is not growing year after year. The overall dollars spent on this sport, from the bikes sold, to the gear to the SX tickets, MX tickets, to the t-shirts / energy drinks etc.etc.etc. That overall "pie" is not growing in any significant way.
* So, if DC wants to see his slice of the "pie" get larger each year, that means someone else's piece gets smaller. How do you make that happen?
Open your eyes people. What entity / entities are increasing their slice?
Are the riders increasing their slice?
Are the teams increasing their slice?
Are the track promoters increasing their slice?
I'm not saying he's wrong - he's paid for the right to run this series and he's going to run it the way he wants. He stands to lose the most financially if he destroys the series and he stands to gain the most by his decisions.
So, he's not wrong, but there's an awful lot of us who don't like the direction this series is going. I would like to see a little less greed and a little more investment into the overall health of the sport.
The Legion say's it's looking for a new person to lease and Operate the track, But realistically without the National it won't be worth the current price let alone an increase.
If you were at the track this morning, it was an open ride day, and Diane and Ralph were in the booth signing up riders. She was fielding plenty of well wishes, and explaining to anyone who asked what the deal was. Basically, their lease was up, and the Legion wanted to take their annual rent from $20,000 to $100,000. They also keep the money from beer sales and concessions. She also said that the issue is not with MX Sports or DC. They had an open offer of three more years with the National, as long as they could work out their lease agreement.
I asked Ralph about the issue of upgrades, and he told me that upgrades are part of doing business, and that people want nicer facilities. He also said that MX Sports has been flexible about upgrades (like the tunnel under the track before the finish line) that the Asterisk crew uses. MX Sports had asked for that previously, and let it slide for a bit after one of Southwick's rainy years when they had low attendance and couldn't afford to make the changes.
Meanwhile, if you were exiting the track, you'd find these.
There may be racing at the track, but if there is, it'll be with new promoters. If I was guessing, it looks to me like they're trying to force the Pitello's out, thinking that they could take the National for themselves.
Both Ralph and Diane are clearly bummed by the situation. But Ralph said it'll really hit on October 30th, they run the last NESC race at Southwick.
Info much appreciated.
Pit Row
After reading through all this, this one sentence explains everything and puts all the puzzle pieces in to places.
Take that and add DC's quote:
"I don't even know who they are, so how in the hell could I make a demand? They never even came out to introduce themselves, and I was out there working on the track since Thursday. "
Are you kidding me? Here is the man who has the juice to give the Legion the national and no one even says hello?
Knowing what I know now, I'd say they Legion, and the Legion alone, is the culprit in this fiasco.
EDIT:
I have serious doubt that the Legion could put on a race. It seems that the Pittello's have probably put up with alot of BS out of the Legion for years. Legion members, sensing an opportunity, want to grab all the cash for themselves.
I'm thinking it's a grave error to discount and under estimate the expertise of the Pitello's. They make it look easy.
You Bozo's simply haven't been paying attention.
You're fired.
Post a reply to: The Truth - Last Southwick National