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The idea was in the air... doesn't seem like it's gonna happen.
He pulled out in 98 due to injury, 99 was the first year that SX only was the intention.
They raced Glen Helen in '99 and '00 so I was being kind saying '01
This!
Plenty of fans say “riders deserve bigger pay!” Kenny has found bigger pay and chosen to take it.
And plenty of fans say “there are too many races in a season” Kenny has chosen six WSX rounds over the full US outdoors.
Fans still not happy… WTF?
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Damn, huge news. I'm kinda bummed to not watch him outdoors anymore. I guess he doesn't feel like he has anything to prove there anymore. On the other hand it's gonna be so sick to see him live this year. Also great to have him around for a couple more years in general.
What kind of money did they throw at him? Must have been a lot when if he agreed to race there 3 years. Gotta be a nice feeling traveling through the world and making bank!
Agreed with everything but the amateurish bullshit ding. He did it because it is the ride he could get that pays the most.
Negotiating leverage.
To me, WSX is a good thing for the riders so I have to support it. Not good for us that love the Nationals though. But it is what it is.
He's making bank racing what amounts to a minor league series . More power to him .
Amateurish wasn’t supposed to be an insult, just a comparison to SX, WSX and MXGP. Compare TV and Online coverage, pit experience and so on. Not just for the casual fans, but also for companies as potential sponsors. The nationals have fallen behind.
As far as WSX hiring a rider and cutting out the teams. Kenny will still be riding for one of the official teams I am assuming like last year. So maybe it helps the teams out and a team can get Keny just based off the bike( and what they can pay him is not a factor) they can build for him. If that is the case than I could see the teams being happy or at least not mad about it. Hepp is one of the WSX teams already, and Firepower Honda was when he did them last year.
Or will whatever team he rides for be on the hook for paying what was negotiated to get Kenny there? I can't remember if Eli rode for one of the teams last year or if it was the wildcat exception they have for a single round . I think that it was the wildcard thing. I could see Teams being upset if Kenny shows up with his own deal and not being a part of one of the teams that were promised to be the only teams allowed in. That would go against the rules they had though wouldn't it?
I'm bummed that Kenny is most likely not going to be at many rounds of the outdoors this year. I was thinking that maybe he could keep gaining strength and speed and be back fighting for winns outdoors . He has been on a great upwards trend these past few weeks. Maybe since Kenny has yet to win an AMA SX title in the big bike class he feels like he has more to proove in SX and the 2 450 outdoor titles make him less hungry for the outdoors?
WSX : “Just say you’re committed for 3 years so the house of cards doesn’t fall”
Nationals will have to pay more. Once the fans that buy stuff stop coming and buying, they will figure it out.
Pit Row
You do realize 17 only lost the championship by 4 points right?
I think you missed my point. I'm not knocking Joey but you being his dad whats your opinion on a series footing the bill for a premier rider like Kenny? Is Joey getting any money from the series other than the purse and Rick Ware money?
I wouldn’t know. More competition is always better and for a top tier guy like Ken to commit it’s good for the series
I also believe the 3 and the 94 got money from the series last year.
They did. I think the teams aren't spending the money like the promoters anticipated on riders and has taken it into their own hands buying talent for the series. The Tomac thing was cool. It was just for one race and didn't really mean much as far as the Championship was concerned.
Purchasing talent for a single team of the riders choosing is just a little odd to me. Hopefully RWR is treating Joey well. He deserves it. I'm certain he would be racking up some podiums at this point in SX and MX could have gone well as well with another fill in ride with all the injuries.
And I think that is more impressive finishing close to Kenny , than winning the title without any AMA SX winning riders in the series for the entire thing. The more top riders that sign up, the more respect the racers who do well in the series will get.. And the more teams will have to pay riders or risk them going back to AMA stuff.
Maybe by 25 he can get a button?
Maybe I'm overthinking this , or have been exposed to ,too much printer ink fumes this past week. But Is Kenny being paid for the commitment? Or is this more of a hollow deal that is more PR and less of a contract like what happens with a team? Kenny could have come out and said that he is committing to racing AMA SX and Outdoors for another 3 years and that wouldn't mean he was being paid a giant amount by the series to commit to it.
What if its just a mutually beneficial way of getting WSX some PR, and getting the word out that Kenny wants to keep racing for a couple more years and that he wants to go WSX and AMA SX racing. Maybe they paid him to do the press conference and commit. But a team will still have to sign him for him to get the big money. It would be interesting to know the details of the deal. Since WSX operates so differently it might not be the big money deal people are thinking. And just be a way of getting some more publicity for both parties . But then again, my hands are still stained pink and blue from working on my printer so it's surely soaked in and reached my brain by now. I'm going to get some fresh air now.....
Teams going to be sending sprinter vans to outdoors races instead of the whole shebang semi setup. Can't blame Kenny for not wanting to race every weekend in 80-90° weather honestly. Go live it up with the kids and wife. Sucks for fans but hopefully 250's will be sweet.
My understanding is that teams and I am sure top riders are paid to participate, a bit like LIV taking on the PGA in golf, but - so far - with less drama and at a few orders of magnitude less $$. Buying talent absolutely is what a new series has to do to get traction if it want to be on par with the existing top series. Whether it is sustainable is another question, but that's what promoters sign up for.
You can't compare this to LIV. The teams themselves bought into this series by purchasing the license. The teams then get paid back from the series as well. It was the promoters intention for the teams to use that to purchase talent and equipment as well as source sponsor dollars.
LIV is literally contracting all of their talent. So far WSX is only contracting Kenny for a team of his choosing that purchased a license from them. The rest of the teams are contracting the other riders not WSX. LIV is not a team driven sport. It's an individual sport.
"Sounds to me like he wants his cake and eat it too....there should be some sort of stipulation where if you're healthy you also need to qualify through the nationals too."
Sounds like a professional athlete maximizing his income, do you criticize other people who move companies for more pay?
Post a reply to: Ken Roczen commits to WSX for the next three years..