Uppers and Downers from those who attended MXGP Charlotte

9/4/2016 6:06am
First upper goes to the track and facility workers who turned the place from a soggy, wet mess from Friday into a first class venue on Saturday.

Next upper goes to the magnitude of the track itself - They really brought some serious dirt in and avoided the "fair grounds race" feel, in my opinion at least. Taking them outside the stadium was a must, and was well designed. (Shoutout to TOM Z for the hospitality!!)

Also - The pit, excuse me, Paddock experience was awesome. Felt like it used to in the 90's - Easy to get around, easy to approach the teams and start convo with random who's whos of the industry.

Oh yea - USA boys showing up to ride = total upper!!!!

Only downer I can think of is the lack of passing opportunities / places to really make up time. ...and the AC crash. Total downer...

This race is on the calendar for next year, and there is no doubt I will be there again!!

Oh yea, getting to shake the hand of THE MAN is always an upper



^^the American Dream right there
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500guy
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9/4/2016 6:25am
What was attendance like was there a good crowd?
bgpn35
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9/4/2016 6:36am
Haha, that's my f150 in the background. The race was awesome and I thought the crowd was big. It was hard to tell how big because lots of people lined the fence
9/4/2016 6:40am
Peely, in the second pic above, I think the owner of the Yamaha is taking your used tires!
Ramrod
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9/4/2016 6:42am
Good report! I think it is great to have a usgp and good attendance by AMA riders.

It was cool to see 1 moto in sunlight and another under lights.

The Shop

DonM
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9/4/2016 6:46am
500guy wrote:
What was attendance like was there a good crowd?
The crowd wasn't bad. The lighting live looked sketchy seemed to have a lot of shadows and dark spots that didn't show up on the coverage...Cooper rounded the first turn 3rd from last...And re-watching the coverage confirmed what I though I saw on the start, typical Euro start tactic from Herlings that caused Webb's bad start....he came over on Webb and cut across to the right by about 20 ft to cut him off.
TXDirt
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9/4/2016 6:52am
Definite downer was rider count. Watching on TV and not see full gates definitely took away from the supposed prestige of the MXGP. For some reason the start of the race did have a fair grounds feel because of so few riders. Glad some great racing made up for the lack of full gates.
9/4/2016 6:59am Edited Date/Time 9/4/2016 7:00am
Yea, very small gates... I understand euro privateers not spending the money to come all the way over this late in the series; but I would've thought more Americans would've wanted to get on the gate; guys like Nathan LaPorte



Seeing all the shipping containers evey team had made me stop and think about allllllll the logistics involved in international racing. Mind blowing how many people it must take
TXDirt
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9/4/2016 7:32am
Who's rigs were the Europeans pitted out of? Did they use American KTM, Kawasaki, and Honda rigs?
FolkLoar
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9/4/2016 8:38am
TXDirt wrote:
Who's rigs were the Europeans pitted out of? Did they use American KTM, Kawasaki, and Honda rigs?
Yes, and Suzuki was using RCH rig.

Another highlight of the race for me was watching first practice and guys like AC and Herlings were going at it, and Forkner and Prado were too. You could tell that a few of these guys really wanted to test themselves against certain guys as they would look for them or wait on them in practice and then both sprint for a couple laps together to see which one could gain an advantage. I know it was only practice, but it was really fun to watch these guys that you never get to see go at it.
Ramrod
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9/4/2016 8:46am
If they would pay out prize money and made it worthwhile for the whole field then maybe you would fill the 40 gates and get way more privateers to race.
Bad Billy
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9/4/2016 8:47am
500guy wrote:
What was attendance like was there a good crowd?
This pic was taken right after opening ceremonies, as they were loading the gate for the first MX2 moto....



9/4/2016 8:54am
500guy wrote:
What was attendance like was there a good crowd?
Bad Billy wrote:
This pic was taken right after opening ceremonies, as they were loading the gate for the first MX2 moto.... [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/09/04/149877/s1200_mxgp.jpg[/img]
This pic was taken right after opening ceremonies, as they were loading the gate for the first MX2 moto....



Yea but it was like a football game or most other major sports event; all the butts aren't in the seats until just after things really get started. That being said, I think the grandstands were MAYBE half full at its peak? I felt like attendance could've been higher, but those that were there were mostly serious fans and the crowd sure came to life to cheer on the American riders. As I mentioned earlier, the crowds were at a very comfortable level. Not all elbows and assholes like the pits at say ATL SX
RangerLee
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9/4/2016 9:17am
This picture does not do the amount of seats justice. There are over 93,000 seats at that raceway, more than double what you find at Anaheim (45,050). The center sections looked packed, the real number is the amount of tickets scanned coming in, because that stadium can be half full and still have more spectators then a SX event or an AMA National here (averaging 20,000)
MXMattii
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9/4/2016 9:24am
MONSTER ENERGY MXGP OF AMERICAS – QUICK FACTS
Weekend Crowd Attendance: 15,500

Source: MXGP.com
Bearuno
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9/4/2016 9:27am
93,000 seats in the Super Speedway might be it (that's what you blokes call the Nascar type tracks, isn't it?) - not that Dirt Track Speedway.
Bad Billy
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9/4/2016 9:29am
RangerLee wrote:
This picture does not do the amount of seats justice. There are over 93,000 seats at that raceway, more than double what you find at Anaheim...
This picture does not do the amount of seats justice. There are over 93,000 seats at that raceway, more than double what you find at Anaheim (45,050). The center sections looked packed, the real number is the amount of tickets scanned coming in, because that stadium can be half full and still have more spectators then a SX event or an AMA National here (averaging 20,000)
You're referring to the Charlotte Motor Speedway (the asphalt track.) This event was at "The Dirt Track," which states online:

The Dirt Track at Charlotte is a 0.4 miles (0.64 km) clay oval located across Highway 29 from the quad-oval speedway. The stadium-style facility, built in 2000, has nearly 14,000 seats and plays host to Dirt Late Models, Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Monster Trucks and the prestigious World of Outlaws World Finals.
9/4/2016 9:30am
RangerLee wrote:
This picture does not do the amount of seats justice. There are over 93,000 seats at that raceway, more than double what you find at Anaheim...
This picture does not do the amount of seats justice. There are over 93,000 seats at that raceway, more than double what you find at Anaheim (45,050). The center sections looked packed, the real number is the amount of tickets scanned coming in, because that stadium can be half full and still have more spectators then a SX event or an AMA National here (averaging 20,000)
No sir.. You're talking about the NASCAR track. This race was held next door at the Dirt Track. Seating capacity of only 14,000.
MXMattii
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9/4/2016 9:37am
MXMattii wrote:
MONSTER ENERGY MXGP OF AMERICAS – QUICK FACTS
Weekend Crowd Attendance: 15,500

Source: MXGP.com


After reading that there are only 14.000 seats the weekend crowd attendance from YS are making a lot of sense, Uh?!
500guy
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9/4/2016 9:53am
MXMattii wrote:
MONSTER ENERGY MXGP OF AMERICAS – QUICK FACTS
Weekend Crowd Attendance: 15,500

Source: MXGP.com
We all know they count everyone twice including workers .
Xeno
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9/4/2016 9:55am
...and counting all the critters that live under the grandstands.
RangerLee
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9/4/2016 9:59am
RangerLee wrote:
This picture does not do the amount of seats justice. There are over 93,000 seats at that raceway, more than double what you find at Anaheim...
This picture does not do the amount of seats justice. There are over 93,000 seats at that raceway, more than double what you find at Anaheim (45,050). The center sections looked packed, the real number is the amount of tickets scanned coming in, because that stadium can be half full and still have more spectators then a SX event or an AMA National here (averaging 20,000)
No sir.. You're talking about the NASCAR track. This race was held next door at the Dirt Track. Seating capacity of only 14,000.
Ohh damn, so a bit less then the average AMA National event, but sounds pretty close to capacity.

I did think it would be like Daytona and set on the main raceway, so the Charlotte hosting a MXGP hype got me, just did not line up with reality (of it not being at the main raceway.)
DB125
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9/4/2016 10:22am Edited Date/Time 9/4/2016 10:35am
Uppers and Downers huh?
Samuel
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9/4/2016 10:52am
Haha, I was pretty excited to see this guy.

Attendance did seem weak, but I don't think the stands were less than half full at its peak. There were people lining the fence too, so the stands would have looked a lot more full if people would have stayed in their seats. I went and lined the fence for a while.
It didn't seem like anybody had a clue who Covington was. Everyone was cheering for Webb and forkner each lap, but I was the lone guy cheering for Covington in my section. As the lone American running the series, I wanted to show my appreciation for his effort. People were looking at me like I was doing something wrong when I'd yell for Covington.
flatout111
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9/4/2016 11:28am
I grow so tired of everyone bagging on this event. I'll never get to go over seas. This was my chance to finally meet TC222, HerlIngs, Paulin and all the other stars. I thought the place was VERY close to capacity when the racing was going. That pic posted above is absolutely misleading. I thought it was a great event with an excellent crowd and lots of enthusiasm. The track could have been more technical but that was about my only complaint. Thumbs up to the speedway and especially to the MXGP organizers for bringing pro motocross to NC!! I'll be posting a ton of pics a bit later.
jamma10
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9/4/2016 11:29am Edited Date/Time 9/4/2016 12:48pm
500guy wrote:
What was attendance like was there a good crowd?
DonM wrote:
The crowd wasn't bad. The lighting live looked sketchy seemed to have a lot of shadows and dark spots that didn't show up on the coverage...Cooper...
The crowd wasn't bad. The lighting live looked sketchy seemed to have a lot of shadows and dark spots that didn't show up on the coverage...Cooper rounded the first turn 3rd from last...And re-watching the coverage confirmed what I though I saw on the start, typical Euro start tactic from Herlings that caused Webb's bad start....he came over on Webb and cut across to the right by about 20 ft to cut him off.
Dom, watch that start again. Forkner (accidentally) veers accross into Herlings, Herlings is forced off line and ends up cutting across Webbs path. It's at 2.12 in this highlights video;

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9/4/2016 12:22pm
RangerLee wrote:
Ohh damn, so a bit less then the average AMA National event, but sounds pretty close to capacity. I did think it would be like Daytona...
Ohh damn, so a bit less then the average AMA National event, but sounds pretty close to capacity.

I did think it would be like Daytona and set on the main raceway, so the Charlotte hosting a MXGP hype got me, just did not line up with reality (of it not being at the main raceway.)
Want to know what's really ironic? Supercross used to come to Charlotte (last one was '98) and they held it in the main speedway on the infield of the front stretch, just like Daytona. So it was pretty mind blowing when it was announced they were hosting a European GP race inside the dirt track.

Here's a view of the size of the NASCAR speedway compared to the Dirt Track:


9/4/2016 12:25pm
DB125 wrote:
Uppers and Downers huh?
Listening to the new show right now while doing yard work - Refreshed my podcast playlist thinking "no way episode 22 is up yet..." then BINGO!!! Thank you sir
9/4/2016 12:28pm Edited Date/Time 9/4/2016 12:30pm
Oh yea - another downer would be the clueless dude doing the announcing. Did they seriously not have a meeting to go over how to pronounce riders names?? "Antonio Cary-oli" ??? It was like the motocross version of that Key & Peele substitute teacher skit..

Roman "Fev" ??? Is Fevre actually pronounced "Fev"?? Really thought it was pronounced Fev-ra
BB67
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9/4/2016 12:42pm
Samuel wrote:
Haha, I was pretty excited to see this guy.[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/09/04/149884/s1200_20160903_173914.jpg[/img] Attendance did seem weak, but I don't think the stands were less than half full at its...
Haha, I was pretty excited to see this guy.

Attendance did seem weak, but I don't think the stands were less than half full at its peak. There were people lining the fence too, so the stands would have looked a lot more full if people would have stayed in their seats. I went and lined the fence for a while.
It didn't seem like anybody had a clue who Covington was. Everyone was cheering for Webb and forkner each lap, but I was the lone guy cheering for Covington in my section. As the lone American running the series, I wanted to show my appreciation for his effort. People were looking at me like I was doing something wrong when I'd yell for Covington.
This guy dont even surf. The surf board is only used as a ramp to get the bike on the roof.
olds cool
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9/4/2016 12:57pm
The picture above of the sparsely populated stands was the turn 1 end of the oval. At the time that photo was taken, I was at the extreme other end of the stands, at the top of the turn 4 end. Looking over the crowd from my perch, the end shown in the pic, turn 1, was the only section that looked that empty. Sure there were empty spots here and there but nothing like depicted in turn 1. In fact, it was pretty dense in the middle section. As stated already, there were plenty of people lining the fence. Also lots of people perusing the "paddock". There was a fairly large area along the oval turn 1 and 2 section that was grass and shaded by the permanent billboards that a lot of the folks with the teams used as a vantage point that had a lot of the common folk with pit passes using to stay out of the sun. I watched a good bit of practice from there. I have been to a lot of Panthers games through the years and that stadium always looks half empty until the 2nd quarter or there abouts and those games are typically sold out. It wasn't 2007 MXdN Budds Creek by any stretch but it was a bigger crowd than I expected.

Getting back to the intent of this thread, I'll chime in with my uppers and downers:

Uppers: I'll admit it wasn't the most scenic venue for such a high profile event as a GP but I too thought the track crew did a great job of track prep after the previous day's monsoon. Canceling Friday's activities was the right decision, IMO. The track was challenging looking without any sketchy gaps to huck. Didn't look too "supercrossy" given what the builders had to work with. The biggest compliment I can give the track is that it provided some great action. Pit accessibility was awesome. Like somebody else said, it was like the old days at the Nats. Crowded at times but that's why the teams' tents have their barriers. It sucks to go to a pro race now and pay for a pit pass that is only good for a small portion of the day. I hope somebody from Feld and MX Sports were there and took note. I chuckled under my breath every time the track announcer would pump the upcoming NHRA event next door at the drag strip and mentioned "ALL KIDS UNDER 13 GET IN FREE AND EVERY TICKET IS A PIT PASS". Yes, I meant to capitalize that.Wink Speedway personnel and security were polite and courteous. They actually acted like they were glad to have us there, unlike some other races I have been to. Rider performance wise, I was impressed with Covington in the 250 class and Coldenhoff in the 450's. Tip of the hat to both of those guys. The duel between JH, Coop and Fork was as good as anything I've witnessed in a long time. Too bad Fork had the bobble in the 1st Moto with Coop already halfway up his tailpipe. I think things would have worked out a little differently had that not happened, but it is what it is and has been hashed out adnauseum in 13 zillion threads here already. I'm sure it stoked the fire in Webb's belly a little hotter for that romp we sawthrough the field we saw in Moto 2. In the four fiddy class the racing in the pack from 3rd back through 10th-12th was awesome.

Downers: AC's crash is a no brainier. Poor kid. What else can you say? Track wise, I think it would help next year (if they do this again) to bring in some greenery kind of like they do at Daytona with the temporary palm trees and such. Maybe some patches of sod or AstroTurf here and there or decorate the sides of the jumps that face the grand stand for some color. Too much red dirt for the casual spectator. Lighting could have been better in a few corners where the signage created shadows for the riders. My preference of course would be to move this event across the street to the speedway and let them real donut right. Pit situation would be like Daytona where even the lowliest privateer would have a space to use under roof with lighting. Would have liked to have heard some rider interviews over the PA system. If they did, I missed them. Could be a GP thing? I understand the deal of having the podium presentation on top of the structure behind the starting gate that they use at every GP but IMO that does not work well at all in a venue like this where the fans in the stands can hardly see the stage from that distance. Very impersonal. Put a flat bed trailer up by the front stretch wall for a stage that the peeps that bought the tickets can see a face of the guys they just cheered for for God's sake. And interview the podium guys over the PA system!!! And last but not least, it was awkward when they cut the National Anthem short during the 250 podium ceremony. We have a GP on US soil, won by an American and they cut the National Anthem short. WTF? Do they do this at every GP??? Made me feel discriminated against and disenfranchised. I might go out and start a riot or something. Should have gone and looted that euro t-shirt stand down in front of the JGR rig. American Riders Matter!!!

All in all, 'twas a good time. Any race of this magnitude in under an hour from the house is alright by me.Cool Wish I could have met some of you guys there. Maybe we can organize a meet and greet next year like what Hillbilly did at Muddy Creek next year!Smile

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