DC, PLEASE bring back the large number plates

I thought maybe GuyB would chime in on page one, and let everyone know that the big numbers were good, and that would be the end of that.

I'm all for sponsor placement, but even I have trouble deciphering who is who, or what sponsor is being represented, so it's a lose lose.

small number plates


big number plates


i'd say stick with the small number plates

its accurate enough, ask my wife if thats of interest to you?
i certainly wouldn't be the first man to run 8"




numbers...
http://www.n-style.com/...ore/Products/Pros-8-(Black)__NxB.aspx

and geez,you seem kind of sensitive?

the thread basically is about ease of recognizing riders on the track..????

few stood out better this year than Ivans big #9.
muddy, not muddy , what have you?
i doubt there's much debate about that?

and can anyone REALLY read the current sponser logos on the side plates,
while the bikes in action?
if not,which seems apparent, then put the largest number possible on for the race itself..

while getting more exposer for sponsers is an awesome idea and was worth a try..
noone can see the little logos anyway during the race,,,
making the riders difficult for the fans at the event ,or on TV ,to keep track of during the event, is NOT a good idea.

the fact there is even *debate* is whats funny.

its about as silly as having a pop up ad ,that covers the submit button on a internet forum.

NOT a good idea if you want people to read and participate.

just sayin'

your right AJ, there is no debate, on tv, its not hard to identify the riders at all because they are TELLING you who it is on the screen.

There is not 1 legitimate reason to have the side plate just for numbers that outweights the better reasons not to use it all for numbers. period.
There are SEVERAL legitimate reasons to use that space for sponsors.

No mud, no problem at the track telling who is who, side numbers or not.
Mud, since mx bikes have had numbers, difficult at best to tell who is who regardless of side numbers. period.

And Aj, it doesnt matter if you can read the logos, what matters is that teams and riders are earning money and continuing racing because they had a place for those logos.. THAT matters. No place for them, no sponsor money, no sponsor money, no race effort, no race effort, no races, no races, no sport, no tv, no growth.

I must watch too much moto because I can tell the rider by the bike brand and narrow it down by riding style.

I'd say most of us can. Still frustrating when You're not sure. But whatever, this is such a minor detail to me, that I'm indifferent. Whatever's best for the sport.

born2argue
The anouncers do a great job,, and its been a great crew this year.
however i still like to watch riders they are not specifically commenting
directly about,,is that hard to imagine?
and even knowing the riders and teams well, there are times it was hard to distinguish, whe ni nthe past it wasn't, and that is silly.



opinions differ,,
but your opinion of *legitimate reasons *is a bit weird at least to me.

ONE VERY legitimate reason to run large enough numbers ,on the NUMBER PLATE<
that are big enough to be actually read during a race,
is ,
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
drum roll please..:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;

so you CAN actually READ them.
get past that one please.
it is a NUMBER plate.

when the logos overdide being able to read the number,
then screw it, lets take the number off altogether,
it is just taking away more sponsor area.it isnt named a LOGO plate.??

as far as using the rationalization that you cant read the numvber in a mud race.
why the heck do you think side plates are even on a bike?
or that riders , per the rules the last few decades, where required to run them and a jesrsey number? in a certain SIZE and clear font.
(try putting 2 inch numbers on your jersy in a pro AMA race..?)


and why not? i mean that extra jersey space could be used for sponsors?
th efront and sleeves be damned ,lets use the back too!


your argument is that regardles if you can even read the little logos
the teams gets paid..(a good thing)
i can tell you quite assuradly that no team made much extra off this"space", this year
and if fans cant red the logo, or identify the teams riders ,
the VALUE of the space is low., and will remain that way.

i cant believe i have to point this out,
but it
IS important wether a fan can read the logo,
and its important the fan ca ntell who the rider is.

trust me, i totally *get* that more sponsors,more exposer , are good for the sport,
we used to run a national and SX team for several years

a decent compromise was offered up.
you insisting no compromise is needed is silly.

until you can prove that any team made something worthwhile off this "new "logo " area,
i'd say its been a wash since it wasnt a hit with fans l..
and ultimately that will dictate this anyway.

your mud race argument is as silly as ive seen here,
and thats saying something!! congrats!
there couldnt be a better exmaple of when the numbers need to be as large and as clear as possible.

As a past and possible future sponsor of SX and nats teams,,
who has negotiated outside sponsor deals and completely
understands the importance of being able to sell every inch of real estate on the rider
and bike, actual experience at whatthe space is worth.

i'm still saying that the rear number plates should have numbers large enough to be easily distinguished during the race
(logos on there is ok?,as long as you can READ the number)

as mentioned
in the pits you could have anything you want..on the bike,
and those staiic shots ,and pit xposer to fans ,
when the logo canbe recognized, is when its of any valiue t othe spondsorr anyway

I think subway , pepsi,coke, or any other sponsor i approched would understand this,
and also understand the importance (to the sponsor)
of the sponsored TEAMS rider being easily recognized when on the track..
and handle that compromise well.
regardless if a few posters on vital drive do not ...


and despite wanting every square inch of real esate ,, for their logos,
they are much more open minded,than most here,,can you believe it?





ultimately it isnt that big of deal..
but when an easy compromise could benefit both? why not?
or why not look into other ways to improve it?
afterall the change was made in the first place, to try and improve things,,
and i'm certain DC, and crew ,are fine tuning and tweeking all these things..

Possible solution: keep the side plates the way they are and make it mandatory for riders to run their numbers (large numbers) on both sides of their helmets, and make a minimum size required for the back of the jersey/chest protector.

All riders should be required to wipe their front number plates of mud while in the air.

If the sponsors want more visibility then they should fund a team. Require all sponsored bikes run sponsor colors, in addition to the riders gear.

This worked out OK for Jeff Glass.

the side plates are one way..
at the moment , it doesnt seem to be all that effective,, but whatever?

and there's lots of ways to addrees more logo area?

one of the most creative recently,
was the palm area of the glove.

Target gets more exposer in dungeys hand during an interview..
than any logo on the bike..??
or someone holding up a can of energy drink.

granted, it works "only" because he is being interviewed.
but that was a nice creative use of "space"
and a good example of marketing idea..and effective use of availible "rental" space

.

In today's team oriented Motocross, there doesn't seem to be much room for individuality. There are ways of making your rider stand out while still also retaining the team look.




Rossi is a good example. Same bike color as his teammate, but he also has something unique (neon yellow). This is what is needed in MX too. Different helmet designs would already be a step in the right direction in a team with 5 riders looking exactly the same.

AJ, the reason your not "getting it" is because your looking at this situation as a spectating fan at the track. A good reason, in and of itself, for YOU and a few thousand spectators that are hardcore about their moto watching.

But this isnt about addressing a problem from a personal viewing ease at the track. This is about helping the teams and riders do what is neccesary to continue to race. And the #1 thing is takes to race is money. You can have talent in spades. You can have heart like no other. You can have fitness to shame anyone else out there. But if you dont have the cash to actually fund the race effort, all the above wont make a hill of beans. Now there is a flaw you might think to that point... if you have the speed, heart, fitness, then someone will pick you up and you wont need the cash, they will take care of equipment, travel, ect. Yeah, which means THEY have to find the cash now!!!

I truely do hate to say this, but it is a sacrafice we as fans have to be willing to make, if it eases teams and riders to fund their racing, we HAVE to accept certain things we dont like while watching a race at the track. Like side numbers when the space on the bike is highly limited and highly prized. Its that simple.

Rider jerseys, ect... already have mass amounts of signage on these. Where is there left to sell? Front fender, sold. Shrouds, sold. Rear fender, sold. Airbox, sold, SEAT, sold. Fork legs, and fork guards, sold. Hell, they are putting signage on the radiator deflectors, UNDER the front and rear fenders!!! And here is a HUGE, relatrively speaking, amount of plastic, in prime location when the cameras shoot from the side that is used for..... 1, 2, or 3 numbers... when anyone on tv KNOWS who it is even if they didnt even have side number plates to begin with! Plus, lets not forget how this whole tread started, "DC, bring back side numbers because in the mud it was impossible to tell....". in the mud, even when they had numbers on the side it was impossible to tell!!!!!

Now is not the time to start wanting things how they were, when a small consession can be made to how it was and greatly increase how things will be. And we as hardcore fans of a VERY niche sport should nut up, and support something that can help our niche sport become more mainstream.

Why is it so important to keep Hondas red, Yamahas blue, ect.

Purple Power's race bike? purple with yellow & white.. instant brand association.
Castrol -- kelly green, orange & white..
Shell Oil --- gold & red

sure they may only field one rider but that rider (assuming the TV crew shows racing behind the top 5) gains instant brand recognition for everyone watching.

Instead they put tiny stickers on the side panels thinking that somehow adds value for sponsors. If we can't tell what the tiny stickers say when the bike is sitting still for a photograph (see Searles bike) how do they think we're going to see them on a motocross track?

you're not giving up the ability. There is a giant number plate on the front, there even bigger letters on the back of a jersey, and you see a GEICO honda, you have just elimiated 36 possibilities of who it could be, if you cant tell who it is at that point by riding style alone, since your speaking as a hardcore mx fan, then I question your core'ness.

Teams have the resources to create them huh? Ok, how? So teams should go into the plastic business, create dies ect and create them. Sure, how much does it cost? And whos going to pay for it when its tough as hell to get any money coming in now?

I swear, you guys live in a vacume. You think a team has a fast rider, so money magically appears so they can use it dont you? How much do they have to pay that rider, how much does it cost to send the truck, airfare, hotel, food, rental, testing, parts, the bikes themselves, mechanics, driver... if you are fast, money for that just appears. Someone has to fork up to pay for it, and its rare someone puts up significant amounts just to support the sport. It happens, but not alot.

Value of a little sticker is nothing because you cant read it.... go tell that to the teams that are making money off that exact selling of space in ANY sport and have been for decades.

The more some of you argue, the more obvious it is that you want the sport to grow, but you dont want to change a thing to let it grow, and keep it like it is, but its apparent you have no true knowledge of how the marketing world works.

The facts prove themselves. nuff said.

born2- im looking at i tfrom both perspectives. . ????
just dont agree with your opinion.

the number plae currently has smal numbers that cant be read during the race, and smal logos that can tbe identifid during the race,,

currently its almost valueless for either.!!!
so actually you are the one being resistant to change

if it has great value,please show some facts. as in facts of dollar value some sponsor has paid per square inch of that area.


and please note the back of the riders jersey would be of equal value .. and by your argument logos there would outweight the importance of iD'ing the rider so stop contradicting your own argument, and lets put some BIG logos there??? ..


or ive a great idea!
lets put small numbers that during the event you really cant read on the back of the jersey, and some small logos that you cant read either during the race.. but they will have great value in the pits and in static shots..


seriuosly - it would be better to ditch the numbers altogether , and get logos on there you can identify..
or use the number plate, for numbers , ones that identify the rider.

and now ive debated this as much as dave or nerd.... so i'm out.