Suzuki and RCH Racing Conclude Partnership

bigmaico wrote:

Guy's: Correct me if I wrong, but didn't U.S. Suzuki loose several billion dollars on the Automobile side? Bean counters are looking hard at cutting cost...

Guy's:

Correct me if I wrong, but didn't U.S. Suzuki loose several billion dollars on the Automobile side?

Bean counters are looking hard at cutting cost to recoup some $$ somewhere.

DonM wrote:

It was Suzuki Japan not US Suzuki...

Bruce372 wrote:

Ok, I'll cast a wider net. Does anyone in this thread own a Suzuki?

Probably not many and maybe that's why Suzuki pulled the plug.?

DF313 wrote:

Please excuse my ignorance of the financial side of this sport, but it seems like high level teams can't make it work unless they have financial...

Please excuse my ignorance of the financial side of this sport, but it seems like high level teams can't make it work unless they have financial backing from some extremely wealthy source, like the bike manufacturers themselves, or somebody like JGR, or both. There's always conversation about how there's no money in it for privateers, there's huge pay gaps for winnings from 1st to 10th, to last and privateers will never have the financial resources to be competitive.

So my question is, and this is a real question, who or what needs to change to balance the sport out to a level where some of the smaller teams can see $$$ financial success? OR are they already, but they always want more? Sponsors need to help more? Bikes need to cost less? Top riders demanding too much salary? Is there a realistic simple solution to go in the right direction?

Katoomey wrote:

until the gates are missing competitors it's sort of hard for me to agree that there is even a problem. if privateers are already not making...

until the gates are missing competitors it's sort of hard for me to agree that there is even a problem.

if privateers are already not making any money and the satellite teams or private teams aren't making any money, and havn't been for a decade- what are we worried about? the privateers are still showing up to race.

you guys act like there is some competing market to encroach upon, or more market share to be had. There isn't. This is it. if you want to race motocross professionally, this is really all there is. There isn't any money in it because it has very little value to anyone outside of selling motorcycles and motorcycle gear. go ahead and compare it to other motorsports all you want. Then ask yourself why ping-pong doesn't have as much money as pro basketball. the answer is so simple, yet so hard to admit (if your into ping-pong)...people are just more interested in football, the how and why are irrelevant on their bank statements.

you guys can't have your communist cake and eat it like freedom fries too. I say that because how else do you pay someone more than they are worth and others less than they are worth? there's only so much money to go around...

DF313 wrote:

Please excuse my ignorance of the financial side of this sport, but it seems like high level teams can't make it work unless they have financial...

Please excuse my ignorance of the financial side of this sport, but it seems like high level teams can't make it work unless they have financial backing from some extremely wealthy source, like the bike manufacturers themselves, or somebody like JGR, or both. There's always conversation about how there's no money in it for privateers, there's huge pay gaps for winnings from 1st to 10th, to last and privateers will never have the financial resources to be competitive.

So my question is, and this is a real question, who or what needs to change to balance the sport out to a level where some of the smaller teams can see $$$ financial success? OR are they already, but they always want more? Sponsors need to help more? Bikes need to cost less? Top riders demanding too much salary? Is there a realistic simple solution to go in the right direction?

oshow wrote:

Feld isn't struggling.... I'd start there.

dadofagun wrote:

Agreed. Feld isn't hurting a damn bit..... I don't give a fuck what anyone says.

Bruce372 wrote:

Ok, I'll cast a wider net. Does anyone in this thread own a Suzuki?

Probably not many and maybe that's why Suzuki pulled the plug.?

malachi177 wrote:

I own 4. But that has nothing to do with why RCH is closing up shop. It was mentioned earlier that they almost didn't have a...

I own 4. But that has nothing to do with why RCH is closing up shop. It was mentioned earlier that they almost didn't have a team this year. They lost Kroc and Dodge , then never landed another title sponsor for $$$$$. Something is a brewing with Yellow and their new bike. It mentioned an announcement coming in the future.

Bruce372 wrote:

Ok, I'll cast a wider net. Does anyone in this thread own a Suzuki?

Probably not many and maybe that's why Suzuki pulled the plug.?

malachi177 wrote:

I own 4. But that has nothing to do with why RCH is closing up shop. It was mentioned earlier that they almost didn't have a...

I own 4. But that has nothing to do with why RCH is closing up shop. It was mentioned earlier that they almost didn't have a team this year. They lost Kroc and Dodge , then never landed another title sponsor for $$$$$. Something is a brewing with Yellow and their new bike. It mentioned an announcement coming in the future.

Bruce372 wrote:

I've got 2 and they are great bikes but we are in the minority. I feel that if more people bought them there would be more...

I've got 2 and they are great bikes but we are in the minority. I feel that if more people bought them there would be more teams?

NorCal 50+ wrote:

I tried poking into Feld's profits one time on the Internet- like you would with a normal company that reports to SEC etc. I couldn't find...

I tried poking into Feld's profits one time on the Internet- like you would with a normal company that reports to SEC etc.
I couldn't find a single digit of financial information from the company itself. Total black box. Maybe somebody else is better at it.

avidchimp wrote:

Privately held company. No need to report to the SEC.

slowgti wrote:

It's a hard sell to corporate folks when you can't even sell your own t-shirts at the largest events this sport has.

slowgti wrote:

It's a hard sell to corporate folks when you can't even sell your own t-shirts at the largest events this sport has.

philG wrote:

This... there is no way for teams to make a buck of their own. Why cant i buy an Eli Tomac Tee at the races??? Its...

This... there is no way for teams to make a buck of their own. Why cant i buy an Eli Tomac Tee at the races??? Its dumb as a box of rocks... just generic shit . This is why gear companies do so many limited edition kits, because they arent allowed to make $1 on a shirt at the track.

NorCal 50+ wrote:

I tried poking into Feld's profits one time on the Internet- like you would with a normal company that reports to SEC etc. I couldn't find...

I tried poking into Feld's profits one time on the Internet- like you would with a normal company that reports to SEC etc.
I couldn't find a single digit of financial information from the company itself. Total black box. Maybe somebody else is better at it.

avidchimp wrote:

Privately held company. No need to report to the SEC.

NorCal 50+ wrote:

I know they are private, but you would think there are some public disclosures somewhere. I looked around, but saw nothing about their earnings.

GREENKX wrote:

RCH only got to the top because a guy named K Rockson [Excuse spelling ] It was all downhill once he left?

avidchimp wrote:

Privately held company. No need to report to the SEC.

NorCal 50+ wrote:

I know they are private, but you would think there are some public disclosures somewhere. I looked around, but saw nothing about their earnings.

tcallahan707 wrote:

Do you know anyone who owns a private company? Do they broadcast their financial statements to the interweb?

RonJon wrote:

Definitely a smart business move by RCH. I believe they hoped to land someone with a huge draw by May to help shop to potential title...

Definitely a smart business move by RCH. I believe they hoped to land someone with a huge draw by May to help shop to potential title sponsors for 18. Its not worth blowing another couple million dollars for another building year with no title contender. Wouldn't it be funny to see Ride365/Seven become the new factory team

DF313 wrote:

Please excuse my ignorance of the financial side of this sport, but it seems like high level teams can't make it work unless they have financial...

Please excuse my ignorance of the financial side of this sport, but it seems like high level teams can't make it work unless they have financial backing from some extremely wealthy source, like the bike manufacturers themselves, or somebody like JGR, or both. There's always conversation about how there's no money in it for privateers, there's huge pay gaps for winnings from 1st to 10th, to last and privateers will never have the financial resources to be competitive.

So my question is, and this is a real question, who or what needs to change to balance the sport out to a level where some of the smaller teams can see $$$ financial success? OR are they already, but they always want more? Sponsors need to help more? Bikes need to cost less? Top riders demanding too much salary? Is there a realistic simple solution to go in the right direction?

Kanewel433 wrote:

I think you asked the right question, but the problem is that the AMA, the Coombs, and manufacturers seem to have forgotten that this sport originated...

I think you asked the right question, but the problem is that the AMA, the Coombs, and manufacturers seem to have forgotten that this sport originated amongst blue collar families, on medium to low level wages where the grandpa bought the bike, and the dad wrenched on it, while the son practiced in the yard. You might argue that the same could be said for standard ball sports who have successful pro-leagues, but you have to remember moto isn't a school subsidized activity like football/baseball/etc.

The foundation, the roots, the heritage is mostly lost in a turbulent sea of marketing jargon and bullshit. The riders aren't allowed to have personalities because they're too busy regurgitating their sponsors names as if we couldn't see them blatantly embossed on every inch of their gear/bike. The brands come out with a new $10K bike every year, and that doesn't allow the previous year's model to depreciate enough for it to make sense for the average Joe to purchase either year, which means privateers severely disadvantaged on the older bikes.

What needs to change, in my opinion, are these 2 main things, and I'd like to hear what everyone thinks.

1 - Manufacturers need to build a bike and keep that model in production for 3-5 years, much like car manufacturers. They will get better ROI on their R&D as well as machinery to build the bikes, and will allow for second hand sales prices to depreciate.

2 - More focus needs to be placed on durability of the bikes to reduce the operating costs and replacement parts. The fact that a 250F motor from PC won't last more than 10 hours before needing a full rebuild is preposterous. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't F1 require that the car uses the same engine all season long? Maybe they're allowed 2?

Energy drinks are the main item keeping this sport afloat. We need to take our eggs out of that one basket and find a plan b but sponsors are only willing to put their money into a team if they feel they're getting enough spotlight. The bikes have such limited ad space on them that there isn't a ton of room to put easily identifiable logos.

Falcon wrote:

01101101 01101001 01100011 01110010 01101111 01110011 01101111 01100110 01110100

Just thinking out loud here...not really sure about anything...

wsc96 wrote:

There are only 10 types of people in this world. Those who understand binary and those that don't?

GREENKX wrote:

RCH only got to the top because a guy named K Rockson [Excuse spelling ] It was all downhill once he left?

Brownstone322 wrote:

Refresh my memory. The old Rockstar/Makita Suzuki managed by Decoster was what team officially? Was that the last in-house Suzuki factory operation?

NorCal 50+ wrote:

I tried poking into Feld's profits one time on the Internet- like you would with a normal company that reports to SEC etc. I couldn't find...

I tried poking into Feld's profits one time on the Internet- like you would with a normal company that reports to SEC etc.
I couldn't find a single digit of financial information from the company itself. Total black box. Maybe somebody else is better at it.

GREENKX wrote:

RCH only got to the top because a guy named K Rockson [Excuse spelling ] It was all downhill once he left?

2WheelsForTheMasses wrote:

I guess you could say the same thing about KTM and Dungey

Use you're head bro!

GREENKX wrote:

RCH only got to the top because a guy named K Rockson [Excuse spelling ] It was all downhill once he left?

2WheelsForTheMasses wrote:

I guess you could say the same thing about KTM and Dungey

Use you're head bro!

tcannon521 wrote:

Your...

GD2 wrote:

Brea, Calif, (July 27, 2017) – Suzuki Motor of America, Inc., (SMAI) and RCH Racing today announced the mutual decision to conclude their partnership agreement at...

Brea, Calif, (July 27, 2017) – Suzuki Motor of America, Inc., (SMAI) and RCH Racing today announced the mutual decision to conclude their partnership agreement at the end of the 2017 AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross championship series.

“It’s been a privilege to work with such a driven group of individuals and Suzuki is very appreciative of the hard work and efforts the team has put forth culminating in the 2016 AMA Pro Motocross Championship”, said Kerry Graeber, Suzuki’s Vice President, MC/ATV Sales and Marketing. “The team and Suzuki achieved their respective goals of winning a championship and it’s gratifying to conclude this partnership successfully.”

“As defending AMA Pro Motocross Champions, it’s tough to get to the point where plans evolve and tough business decisions must be made,” said RCH team co-owner Ricky Carmichael. “My partner Carey Hart and I are very proud of our guys and grateful we were able to achieve the success we did as a team. I am also personally looking forward to continuing my long relationship with Suzuki in another capacity as we wind down RCH.”

Carmichael will continue his role as Suzuki Brand Ambassador representing the company, hosting the Camp Carmichael event for Suzuki’s amateur racers, as well as working with Suzuki’s Racing programs and assisting with future product development.

Suzuki will announce further plans for its 2018 Supercross and Motocross Racing efforts in the coming weeks.

Flatliner wrote:

Teams come and go all the time, just the nature of the sport.

Yot, Plano Honda, chapparal, bills pipes ..... long list.

Falcon wrote:

01101101 01101001 01100011 01110010 01101111 01110011 01101111 01100110 01110100

Just thinking out loud here...not really sure about anything...

wsc96 wrote:

There are only 10 types of people in this world. Those who understand binary and those that don't?