AMA NEW SCHEDULE

[synfinatic]

Sadly, I agree... the fat lady is warming up her windpipes for AMA Pro. There's been already talk that a few other smaller teams are leaving AMA Pro too. I wonder how many will be left come Daytona.

 

[firstbuell]

Gemini has roots with both EBRacing & MJMotorsports

mebbe the 2 fledgling US SBK teams will join up for tests & wild cards, to save expenses?

 

[clutchslip]

I don't think you'll have to wait much longer to find out. Things look bleak........ Maybe it can't exist without seven figure subsidies?

Good post.
There was more subsidizing than that, with the manufacturers involved. DMG killed any chance of getting US Honda money, etc. DMG theory was like Tony George and Indy cars. If the racing is cheaper and localized, the teams will come. Maybe, or maybe not. Racing is still expensive, and the lower the bar the lower the fan attendance. That seems to be consistent in the racing world, these days. And DMG misjudged how low the bar should go, for sure.

I was referring to the "Bay Area won't support 3 series"...... When in fact we fans wanted moto2 & moto3 or WSBK series.

But, the last WSBK weekend was relatively dead. You didn't even come when they split the race days. I mean, if someone like you isn't dedicated enough to pay for Sunday or Saturday with only one race, it doesn't seem like there is much hope for more racing in the bay area.

 

[stangmx13]

But, the last WSBK weekend was relatively dead. You didn't even come when they split the race days. I mean, if someone like you isn't dedicated enough to pay for Sunday or Saturday with only one race, it doesn't seem like there is much hope for more racing in the bay area.

ive always had huge issues w/ this for any pro series. IMO, its one of the first things that needs to change about AMA Pro. imagine going to a concert to see the headliner and halfway through the set, the band says "come back tmrw and buy another ticket". bullshit. DMG doesnt get how much its hurting the series to spread the top class racing out over 2 days.

US Roadracing is so deeply rooted in tradition at this point that its hurting the sport (here). Screw Daytona, rovals, Sat races, bad-ass monster SBKs, and Harleys. Get with the times and race at COTA all on Sunday w/ EVO rules.

 

[clutchslip]

Just another turd laid by the DMG programming folks, I say.

With both races on Sunday.
Do you think if Sunday tickets cost as much as Sunday AND Saturday combined, that they would sell more/less/same number of tickets?
Open question.

 

[stangmx13]

Just another turd laid by the DMG programming folks, I say.


Do you think if Sunday tickets cost as much as Sunday AND Saturday combined, that they would sell more/less/same number of tickets?
Open question.

not sure. i cant rem what i payed to go to Autoclub a few years ago. i probably would have paid 50% more to see more races, but not sure about double.

i bet tracks would have an easier time marketing and filling seats for Sunday only than try for both days.

 

[Ozymandias]

I didn't go to WSBK because of the 2 day schedule. Plans on Saturday so I couldn't attend thus only Sunday was free and I'll be damned if I was going to pay $75 or whatever plus gas and time to essentially watch 1 race.

 

[sidewazzz]

art

Good post.
There was more subsidizing than that, with the manufacturers involved. DMG killed any chance of getting US Honda money, etc. DMG theory was like Tony George and Indy cars. If the racing is cheaper and localized, the teams will come. Maybe, or maybe not. Racing is still expensive, and the lower the bar the lower the fan attendance. That seems to be consistent in the racing world, these days. And DMG misjudged how low the bar should go, for sure.

But, the last WSBK weekend was relatively dead. You didn't even come when they split the race days. I mean, if someone like you isn't dedicated enough to pay for Sunday or Saturday with only one race, it doesn't seem like there is much hope for more racing in the bay area.

Lol

I spend around $1500 to 2k every gp race weekend at laguna, so do my friends that come along. We even did an ama weekend after the takeover and blew around 1k each. That was the worst money I've ever spent on racing.

The problem with this last ama weekend deal was... spliting up the days for wsbk. Who the fuck in thier right mind thought of that great plan? Fact is wsbk races are both on sunday and for years fans have been screaming at ama to run double races on sunday but screams have been ignored.

What's funny is the same weekend of wsbk laguna I went and spent lots of my moneys else where. So did a lot of people I know.

 

[Archimedes]

On the brighter side, 2014 might be the first year in a while that the race teams don't outnumber the fans at Daytona.

 

[Ozymandias]

On the brighter side, 2014 might be the first year in a while that the race teams don't outnumber the fans at Daytona.

That's just wrong!!!

 

[Holeshot]

Just another turd laid by the DMG programming folks, I say.

With both races on Sunday.
Do you think if Sunday tickets cost as much as Sunday AND Saturday combined, that they would sell more/less/same number of tickets?
Open question.

No. The perceived value still doesn't exist. Without a "crowd", why go? It's more than just the racing, it's the entire show/ experience. Without many people there communally, the experience isn't the same.

They went the wrong way with ticket prices. They should have slashed ticket prices, or given a free Sat with Sun, etc. The problem with two days of watching moto races is, the winners are the same both days. DMG has been paralyzed and won't take some crazy ideas and put them into play; qualifiers for main event grids, heat races, Motos and not main events…anything to keep the racing close and a crap shoot on who will win.

No one wants to know who's going to win on any given day. But we already did know, almost every time.

 

[Ozymandias]

No. The perceived value still doesn't exist. Without a "crowd", why go? It's more than just the racing, it's the entire show/ experience. Without many people there communally, the experience isn't the same.

They went the wrong way with ticket prices. They should have slashed ticket prices, or given a free Sat with Sun, etc. The problem with two days of watching moto races is, the winners are the same both days. DMG has been paralyzed and won't take some crazy ideas and put them into play; qualifiers for main event grids, heat races, Motos and not main events…anything to keep the racing close and a crap shoot on who will win.

No one wants to know who's going to win on any given day. But we already did know, almost every time.

Their first several attempts really didn't do them any favors. I would imagine they are afraid to do anything simply out of fear that it will be that final nail in the coffin. Ironically, doing nothing will most likely also be the final nail in the coffin.

Too bad they already know it all about how to have a successful race series or they might reach out to clubs for ideas. Perhaps including one that recently had a very successful LARGE increase in membership. Considering that's the core of the fan base right there.

 

[synfinatic]

DMG has been paralyzed and won't take some crazy ideas and put them into play;

Oh come on... DMG did plenty of crazy ideas! Rolling starts, safety car, pissing off Honda, etc. Can't imagine why it didn't work out for them.

 

[stangmx13]

IMO, free online DVR is their only successful crazy idea. AMA Pro needs 5 more of those to get anywhere close to being a viable racing series.

 

[clutchslip]

I spend around $1500 to 2k every gp race weekend at laguna, so do my friends that come along.....
What's funny is the same weekend of wsbk laguna I went and spent lots of my moneys else where. So did a lot of people I know.

You are just reiterating my point. If you aren't going to spend money on a motorcycle event because it changes to two days, then most people will back out for much smaller reasons. Most ticket sales for these kinds of events are in advance. The change for WSBK was made late. If two races were run on Sunday, attendance wasn't going up triple or quadruple. And that is what was needed to make it a good showing.

Motorcycle racing is expensive per viewing hour. Imagine paying $80 just for entry to see only the MotoGP race for forty minutes. Strippers are cheaper than that in most parts of the world, I tell ya' what. Laguna MotoGP attendance died after the heat stroke and other logistic problems, DESPITE Nicky winning. American fans are fickle, make no mistake about it. And we have plenty of ways to spend our "excess dough", like the Niners, Giants, etc.

You need to bring it, bring it big, and bring it as cheap as possible, or zoom, zoom, it's just another SCCA Miata parade that no-one but the mechanics and wives/husbands will see.

 

[stangmx13]

id pay $80 for a GP Sunday at COTA w/ all 3 classes. thats all day entertainment, not just a 40min race. hell, Disneyland is the same price. Laguna is a diff story because of the bullshit w/ AMA. really, it should be pretty obvious by now that AMA as the support class isnt helping attendance for world class events.

right now, AMA cant produce a show thats more entertaining than more standard sporting events that only last a few hours. i can buy a ticket to a hockey game for $25 and be more entertained than a whole day at Autoclub. its not because the game itself is more entertaining, its the atmosphere. everyone at a hockey game is into it where as the last AMA event i went to felt dead. no vendors, no big screens, couldnt hear the announcers, few fans... all crap. so by that standard, i wont pay more than $25 a ticket for an AMA event and it seems that the rest of the fans havent been either.

im actually not surprised right now that AMA doesnt have a schedule together. what track would want to pay them to race there if they already know they wont be able to sell tickets. someone needs to lose $$ because the product is bad... it better not be the tracks, teams, or racers. if DMG isnt operating at a loss right now, they are just sucking the series dry.

 

[sidewazzz]

Ticket prices are nothing when poeple want to be entertained. The problem is when the people in charge keep fucking with entertainment that works it turns people off. Had it been a double race Sunday I would have plopped down cash and camped in the trailor all weekend.

Had laguna brought moto2 & 3 SELLOUT! !! Lets not forget laguna has lost tons of money by doing a shitty job at ticket sales as in not tracking them as in being proactive against counterfeit as in as its figured to have lost 30percent to counterfeit as in being off in attendance numbers by 30percent.

 

[Holeshot]

The promoter doesn't set the ticket prices, the tracks do. The promoter is paid to "bring the show" usually. The issue of TV rights have muddied those economics.

 

[Beauregard]

WSBK at Sonoma would be the fucking awesome.

 

[clutchslip]

Ticket prices are nothing when poeple want to be entertained. The problem is when the people in charge keep fucking with entertainment that works it turns people off. Had it been a double race Sunday I would have plopped down cash and camped in the trailor all weekend.

Had laguna brought moto2 & 3 SELLOUT! !! Lets not forget laguna has lost tons of money by doing a shitty job at ticket sales as in not tracking them as in being proactive against counterfeit as in as its figured to have lost 30percent to counterfeit as in being off in attendance numbers by 30percent.

Maybe in YOUR world, but in the real world, people make choices on how they spend their money. There are lots of cheaper ways to be entertained than a motorcycle race. Prices do matter.

They matter to me. I took JUST tickets and parking for COTA, because the VIP packages were outrageous to me. They started at $850. F' me. Would you pay that? I always do some VIP at Laguna - for one half the price.

I don't know Laguna's contract arrangements, but the reason that the 125s and 250s didn't originally come back to Laguna was because it was against California law to race the two-strokes. Moto2 started in '10, and in '12 Moto3 started. They may have to come together, and Laguna may have already had '13 contracted out. I don't know. There are other issues, but don't assume that SCRAMP left out those classes because they wanted to do so.

WSBK at Sonoma would be the fucking awesome.

That is not likely to happen. The track is barely safe enough for AFM. And even a stock liter bike is starting to get stupid out there. I like the track, but a WSBK guy would be shifting like three, maybe four, times an entire lap.