ya ive seen the incremental improvements to FC. but seriously, their product still looks like a beta. for 20k, i bet i could find 1-2 other guys and put together a better website in 2 months. AMA should have made that sort of initial investment (bigger actually) and had a better product by now. ill have to watch the interview to see if the CEO gets it or not.
I don't think he does. Lock mentioned having more pre-recorded content as filler during down time or red flags. Every track will have a jumbotron in 2016 to keep the people in the stands occupied and informed during these down times. He used an example of a 40 minute delay for a red flag and having nothing to fill the time. Its a good example but I'm guessing most people went to get a beer or were staring at their smartphone during that time rather than wanting to watch repetitive ads on a jumbotron. I'd prefer to see them expand the already-good AMA Pro FT app to offer video and pre-recorded content so the fans have several options to choose from during intermissions/track prep or red flags. People already have screens right in their hands. Use them.
everyone said the same thing about the RC390 Cup. the 16yr olds are already racing 600 in regional clubs, so why would they buy another bike to downsize. yet that grid was full and the talent out from was pretty good. winning on a RC390 was better exposure than even a top 10 in Superstock600. i bet the same would be true for a GNC3 class.
I don't think this is really comparable. A 150 on a mile or half mile? They wouldn't even get sideways one entrances or exits. They would be pinned the entire lap. Nothing to learn about corner entry or exit. It would not be a compelling class. Most of these kids would barely fit on a 150. Even the CRF150R is a small bike for an adult.
The KTM class filled a need on many levels:
- A 600 is probably too much bike for most of 14-15-16 year olds. John Ulrich argued this several times on the WERA BBS. (A 450 isn't too much for this age group as we see in FT and SX/AX/MX all over the country.)
- The KTM was significantly cheaper to run (upfront cost, easier on tires, engine tune) and build than a 600.
- Due to the rules, all the RC Cup bikes looked the same so they were clearly different than 600s for spectators.
- MotoAmerica needed more classes over the course of a long weekend. Combined Superbike/1000stk, 600ss and 600stk doesn't take up much time even with two races.
A GNC3 class would squeeze an already tight schedule for practice, heats, LCQs and Mains.
the youngest person in GNC1 to score points was born in '94. so even if a local kid is fast on a 450, they obviously didnt cut it w/ the big boys. the youngest kid with a profile to score points in GNC2 was born in '99 and he won a race. prob not worth it for him to step down to GNC3, but it could benefit a lot of other riders. of course, i had to look all these names up. i didnt know them off hand which is mostly my point. i have no idea who the "up and comers" are. compare that to Moto3 riders. even if u didnt follow the class, u prob heard of Fenati or Vinales before they were 17 yrs old.
I'm not sure who these riders you reference are. Davis Fisher, who won the GNC2 championship and a bunch of the races was only 17 last season (turned 18 in November). He wasn't the youngest but he's representative of who's fast in GNC2.
GNC1 racer Dominic Colindres was born in 1994 and he was on the podium at Peoria, won a heat race at Springfield and Las Vegas and made a bunch of mains all while helping develop the new Yamaha. I'd say he was more than able to cut it with the big boys as he beat many experienced racers and a few past GNC1 national champs.
at this point, it doesnt matter. AMA doesnt promote their current riders well enough. asking them to promote a whole new class would prob just make the situation worse. if AMA wants FT to relevant, their top riders need to be moto-household names. right now, their riders only get great exposure if they race with Marc Marquez which is sad.
I'd argue that AMA has done a good job of exploiting the Marc Marquez connection. They've paid for the live streaming in the U.S for three years in a row and even supported the idea of an international indoor short track series. I'm not sure any racing series could imagine better exposure than to have the MotoGP media talking about Marquez vs. Your Series' top rider for a couple of weeks. More people around the world know who Brad Baker and Jared Mees are than know who Josh Hayes or Cameron Beaubier are. Of course, I'd prefer to see more promotion at home but I don't know how one would determine that Baker is more of a household name that Hayes in the U.S. or vice versa. I'd love to see either racer on a Wheaties box like Ryan Dungey but thats a long way off.
Not sure that means anything though.
