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was this BobbyM's big news?
I told you guys, changes are coming and many you'll hate
Said that long ago
What is needed is better, quicker TV coverage and to have the series promoted more to bring in new fans and hopefully keep them interested once they're there. I don't want to pay that kind of admission money to be on the grounds 90 minutes and have everything be over. Part of the fun of the nationals is being out in that heat all day and seeing what riders are best prepared to deal with the heat, changing terrain, and the time spent on the track. Only being out for one moto will not require nearly the fitness level as having to ride two motos like that within a few hours. Maybe Saturday day races would be the answer--it would be far easier to televise it next day instead of waiting a week, and people that are less interested might be more willing to make a longer drive if they have an extra day to get home.
AMA, or whoever is making this decision, please do not go to a one moto format.
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can I still say that?
disclaimer= **lite hearted jab**
You'll need to open your mind to new ideas, and IMO, two longer motos with a stop is better than one single moto without a stop.
Single moto without a stop will essentially be a sprint race
Like SX
P
We already see the fitness level of the various riders at 30 +2 laps, we know who is srong and who is not,ger motos will create a bigger gap. . Timed qualifying was a good step, moving amateurs to Sunday and Pros to Sat is the next step. More fans come out for Sat race vs Sun race and as mentioned, TV would work smoother with the extra day.
Every track is completely different and would have a different fuel consumption rate, and not even close to enough time to work out where the right (and safe!) times to pit would be.
In a car, you coast to a stop. In a bike, you stall on the face of a jump.
Big difference......
I also think attendance would be up with a Saturday race.
Longer motos are a no go as per previous comments.
The 3 - 20 could be interesting. One problem with the current format is one guy typically checks out and the second half of the race is kind of boring. Heck, make it a circus. Two x 25 minute motos for each class and a 10 minute dash for cash at the end of the day for the top 5 from each class...
This is the fundamental problem: To attract the mainstream, moto needs to be TV-friendly and masses-friendly. USA TV friendly, that is. Cricket is wildly popular on TV in parts of Europe, too, Bob. That doesn't mean squat for what it would do here. I also would not conclude that their failure there would necessarily be repeated here. You don't know until you try it.
TV friendly means being able to present the entire competition in 44 minutes or less so it can be economically slotted on the schedule. It also means really 'dumbed' down, as in 'no-math-required' for Joe Blow to understand who won the freaking race, which is what you have now with a two moto format. One moto, one checkered flag, one winner.
Of course, this completely flies in the face of tradition, too, and is bound to piss a lot of people off. But realize the sport has been beating itself against the TV wall for DECADES with no appreciable penetration into the non-riding audience. And that's where you have to make headway if you want it to grow. Unfortunately for the traditionalists, changes will have to be accepted to get there.
Baseball games go by innings, not a clock.
Football times are somewhat easier to estimate, but still not an exact science by any stretch of the imagination. Same with basketball, hockey, etc.
NASCAR races don't generally fit into a 44 minute slot, either.
The deal is, MX really isn't a "made for TV" sport. And there is nothing wrong with that at all. Participation was pretty high in 1978 without TV........
minimum 2 riders per bike
2 3/4 hours race length
must have pit stop in first 45 minutes, but each rider must go at least 30 minutes to score points
spec fuel with a maximum allowable amount for the race distance
spec tires
The downside is that ultimately you will suffer at the grassroots level. Am's will follow the pro's and local MX will go to qualifiers and a main. No one will want to race locally and attendance will suffer where it matters most. Bike sales will fall and tracks will close. Aftermarket and gear guys will stop selling and drop out and then we are left with only an elite few that can participate. Can someone say NASCAR?
I say keep motocross for the core fans and let the idiots have SX.
Pit Row
the reason mx is in the tank isnt the format. its in the tank because the superstars dont race it (mind you the real fan doesnt care if reed etc skip the outdoors).
ive said it twice i'll say it a million times more, the talent in this sport is just spread too thin. thats the problem. three different series, six different classes.
- your world championship isnt the premier series
- your hardcore fans & media think a national mx series is
- and yet stupidcross is packaged as the premier series
- all the while 250f class is a deeper field than the big bikes with big sponsor/factory backed teams that belong in the premier class. they have the budgets but why would they if they get more coverage in what should be a feeder class.
thats the problem right there. this sport is going in too many damn directions. theirs no continuity.
S
Moto is coming at it from the other end. There is NO popularity to speak beyond those that ride. We want some of that. We NEED some of that.
Right now, moto has to pay its way onto TV. You need it to progress to the other way around. You do that in small, baby, steps.
Other than that stuff, it sucks.
A rising tide floats all boats.
We don't need to be huge. You know? Moto has been around and will always be around but we don't need it to be NASCAR huge. You have to support the grass roots to continue the sport. Not everything has to be big and cost millions.
Let's face it, we have had TV coverage lately that has been better than anything else in years and what is happening at the local level? It's not all about TV.
Maybe I am naive, but I seriously thought when I was driving to the Movie Theater to see 199 Lives it would be sold out and I wouldn't get in, it was dead, the next night was much better, but I really thought Travis had crossed over with all his appearances on late night TV etc...
It just shows we have a long way to go and need to start getting more exposure, I still think LN needs to take advantage of all those celebrities who come to SX, US, People all those rags need stories for their weekly shit, we need to get MX/SX out there. Brad Pitt went to MotoGP two years ago and it was all over the AP wire, we need that.
S
I do agree that the riders need to be paid more. It's pathetic what they get paid now. With that said, what kind of profits are clear channel / Live Nation and everybody else taking? If they are making money (not just creative accounting), the riders deserve their share. Similar to like other pro sports. If everyone is losing money, then you have to face the facts that the dollars aren't there and something else needs to be done.
Amateur development programs? Example?
S
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