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I said I wasn’t going to respond, but I feel I have to because this is a good post, and I agree 100% with it.
However, I’m not saying a guaranteed 250, I’m saying if a guy can make every main, and get 20-22, he would get 250 in purse money, plus what they can raise on their own.
I said many of the guys, and Rodbell is not one of them. He is a badass and would love to see him get additional support to give it a full time effort.
Go look at the lap times for yourself in the mains and you will see too.
I think we are very close to saying the same thing, I just think it should start with the Teams and they can decide how to pay their riders. If the Teams are part of the game with revenue shares or a real Constructors championship where say Yamaha would get a million (or whatever amount) to win for the whole SMX series.....and they could give "X" to Star, Club, and other Teams on Yamahas that would be awesome. Teams also being able to promote themselves is huge.
That still doesn't help the guy in a pickup, but if he shows the ability and work ethic, one of those teams will hire him.
Thoughts?
I think your ideas are very good, and Mike Genova was trying to move teams towards that thinking.
But the industry bros mentality, where man friends and ex riders are all in positions of power and nobody is smart enough to think this way. Let’s be honest, Mike Genova, Tony Alessi, and Kevin Moranz could probably run most of the business side of this sport better than most of the people that are running it. I’ll put Larry Brookes in that group.
Everyone else in charge is literally an ex riders, or man friend with zero business experience.
But enough of that rant, I think the purse for 16-22 should be 14k.
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The National payout Ha, u could earn more on the night track racing a RM in 125,250 a,& 25a . Than going 2,2 in the National in 98 . Rejected my trailer then un rejected it. Uv is Real high I,m not supposed to b in the sun for aprox 2 weeks. I had a type of pre cancerous stuff burned off my face . I didn’t want to deal with skin graphs in the future which would be a pain in the azz. No tint on windows Sc. Is real sunny f ing 200 in the trk. 6 decades of exp I made nothing really since day 1 in Oct at .80 cpm as a ic . No money in this shit either . If I can make a 100 or 500 bucks racing a 125 . I think that’s pretty good . Trk is scary bad sooo much worse that riding wayy ovr your head.
when feld cant fill the 40 gates for the night show in each class they may do something,
at the moment, that's not an issue, so they wont,
A lot more people would pay 75 buck to see that than a race in which no factory riders showed up and the field was entirely made up of privateers.
In purse money or total income?
I’d rather watch a full field of privateers who go the same pace, than 12 factory riders.
This is an interesting point of view. Could you elaborate please?
I expected the consensus to be wanting to see the best and fastest. Do you feel the closer pace of the privateers would lead to better racing?
Yea but Lee stiffy (the worst commenter in the history of sports broadcasting) needs his money.
Field is charging privateers entry fees. It’s pathetic.
After the 5th time or so it’s not that interesting to see the same person win every race. There’s a reason the lcq is popular. A bunch of guys around the same speed fighting for a win. Watching someone with a 30 second lead isn’t that entertaining…
Yes, way better. Plus some of those guys are willing to smash to move up. It would be great racing.
Go watch arenacross, much better racing.
Forget about a riders union.
Never going to happen.
The contracted factory riders are never going to viod their contracts and get a reputation as a trouble maker by sitting out a race in solidarity so 15th - 22nd place guys get more purse money.
You would maybe have more luck convincing them to give 10% of their bonuses to a privateer fund in an effort to shame feld into paying more.
As far as what feld would do if only a full gate of riders showed up.
Simple
Open up the pits for autographs all afternoon and Move up timed qualifying to the night program.
Only put 5 riders out there at a time.
Stand on the top 10 times and run a lcq for the other guys
Add more futures events and some 50, 65, and 85 in the evening program.
Hell, they could bring in a monster truck to do some freestyle or some circus performers if they need to fill some time.
The show would go on.
If they did not have to worry about so many lappers track could be shortened and the 15 guys that are within 3 seconds of the same lap time would provide plenty of close racing.
Hell, when wsx finally dies a slow death and/or factories finally accept it does not make sense to fund teams, feld is probably going to just contract 20 riders and arrange transportation to a new 32 race series like they did with monster trucks.
250 class will be the local guys trying to impress the guy from feld in the broadcast booth with a clipboard, trying to get noticed to become one of the 20.
That is what i see in my crystal ball.
Tell me why not
I agree - the main need for Supercross is better/closer racing.
Didn't the AMA try something in the 80s that produced more winners, but had the top riders complaining about holeshot to win tracks?
A "level field" makes sport also interesting, combine this with some show elements and in fact you've the receipt of what the ADAC supercross races are doing. They don't spend big money on the biggest names like Paris. But the local teams sign decent riders and that creates for most of the times an interesting start field and that results in that they're sold out for three days!
I'd like to see some ADAC supercross. Can you recommend any YouTube links please?
Well, I feel you're probably in the minority here.
Pit Row
Hell yeah I,m a racing fan I want to see racing . Maybe a special class for factory riders only to keep the fan boys happy. And a privateer class for the racing fans , no 450,s allowed to make the racing better. I watched a few of these 10-12 yr old Sleepy hollow big 125 races . I think the money was quite a bit higher then. Every rider was at 100% every inch of the track. Probably the funniest pre gate drops I ever saw . Jimmy D says it’s gonna b like this he uses a 125 screaming sound & hands to . Then says I,ll take those big goofy legs out . Haha The other rider says no it’s gonna be like this,etc. some shirtless fat kid laughs .
Probably, but it doesn’t bother me
I love good racing, even if they’re not the fastest.
Rodbell sure makes it work
Not at all unless your a out of control fan boy . That has to see his special prepared rider . The masses Want Great racing sorry but the factory riders just don’t produce it. Time to hv a special class 4 them so they can get there hand up if they think the shadow of there bike may hv offended another. And make it a 5 lap race to get it over quick. Too much vanilla 18 Gallons I feel like a fat girl digging with my giant spoon into another gallon. It’s Time for Mx to b Mx again. It’s Time for racing .
Doesn't he have a full time job though? I heard he worked all week and then travelled to SX on the weekends.
Had to read this like 3 times to even start to understand what you're trying to say...
He doesn't even know what he is trying to say
If I read the words "sleepy hollow 125 races" one more time...
we're tryna argue about rider pay - not the 90s glory days when you dated some dudes mom and raced your 125
I wish people had this much smoke for Amazon, McDonalds, Walmart etc. The racers are the ones who are creating value and generating revenue for Feld and I believe they deserve a bigger slice of the pie but I find it funny that when your fellow neighbor who works for a company that is multipliers larger than FELD simply asks to make a livable wage in a warehouse or kitchen, people lose their shit.
Should the racers be paid the profits or should they be paid “market value?” I know which way America operates, like it or not…
Yep. The "value" of Amazon or MacDonald isn't even the workers. They're a cost center to facilitate the IP. In contrast, the riders are the entire locus of the whole fking dog and pony show. Not Diffy, not makeup to mud, not ktm junior challenge. Not Monster available at Kum'n'go. The riders.
Matthes rant on pulp "get better" is not mutually exclusive to nurturing a healthy sport. It's like when people say "just take a shit before you ride" if you deign to buy some nice parts for your bike. Yeah, you can do both?
We can't agree on what riders should make, but can we agree that the Riders should not have to pay entry fee or parking and they should be able to sell merch/branded items in the pits? That would go along way.
100%
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