Moto GP gone from Laguna Seca / Mazda Raceway

[deathbug74]

is seca just expensive, or is it moto races in general? was looking at wsbk tix...general admissions in the $50+ range, depending on day.

scored a couple free tix to world toring car races recently at sonoma (/infineon/sears point). was researching in case we needed one for the little one...general admission more like $30.

 

[apexscott]

A little short sighted, isn't it? After all, that $800k they pay for licensing brings MILLIONS to the county. Normally I'm sure that's not a concern for a track owner but since the track owner is the county...

+1

 

[Deftone]

I see a lot of people looking for someone to blame; the AMA, SCRAMP and local residents. I'm looking straight at Dorna for attempting to turn motorcycle racing into a gazillion dollar enterprise like F1. Corporate suite-laden paddocks with limited access for regular fans, multi-million dollar sanction fees, exclusive broadcast packages, trackside signage blocking viewing areas, etc. Assen has already been hacked up and is no longer moto-only. How long will tracks like Laguna and Assen last against gleeming shopping malls like Indy and COTA? Dorna has also been steadily marginalizing WSBK. Not exclusive enough and perceived competition for MotoGP? What is the benefit to us fans and consumers? Nothing. Fewer races, more expense and less access. Thanks.

Well said, sir.

Let's just hope that WSB stays a while. It's better racing anyway.

I hope so.

I have a reserved camping site for both WSBK and MotoGP, I hope some good motorcycle racing comes to Laguna Seca in 2014.

Dorna and DMG both suck. Kenny Roberts should be running MotoGP.

 

[iamjr2]

That's an additional $800k for next year. The cost (mentioned in the article) to put on the GP is about $9M.

 

[TTTom]

What a weak schedule. Are they slowly going away on us? Sure doesn't look like enough races to finance a world class racetrack.

The official LS statement and 2014 Schedule includes WSBK: (for now)

2014 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Schedule

May 2-4 Tudor United SportsCar Championship
May 16-18 Ferrari Racing Days
August 8-10 Pre-Reunion
August 15-17 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
October 10-12 SCCA National Championship Runoffs
TBD Superbike World Championship

http://www.mazdaraceway.com/event-news/red-bull-us-grand-prix-statement

The rival American LeMans series and the Grand Am series have combined starting next year in the Tudor United series (which pretty much everyone thinks was a good thing for the quality of racing) so that's one race lost. Then of course MotoGP gone...

On the other hand it's a really huge deal to get the SCCA National Championship.

The only other series I can think of that would be a good fit would be the Indy car series, although the track is pretty narrow and hairy for open wheel cars. It's really a sports car track.

 

[Motorcycle RN]

It was too close to motogp,most folks shot their wad on that,especially out of towners.

Why I didn't go this year. I'll take the days off next year for WSBK. Moto GP can keep their overpriced, lame assed, processional racing.

Hopefully between the Rolex series, American LeMans, and other events plus track rentals Laguna Seca will soldier on.

 

[toshiro]

Crushed.

 

[Deftone]

Moto GP can keep their overpriced, lame assed, processional racing.

Dorna & Carmelo

 

[Archimedes]

Or the reality of the modern tactic of wringing every last dollar out of an entity and then casting it aside. As costs reach unsustainable levels, Dorna and the powers that be won't be hurt; they can dump racing and start the cycle again with some other sport. The racing community, tracks, promoters and fans will be left holding the bag.

Really? Is that happening in Formula 1? Nascar? Even Supercross? Last I checked all three of those series were flourishing, had great TV coverage, packed stadiums and were making bank. Strange that one of the common denominators is that they've all created a bigger, very professional, modern 'show' around the racing.

 

[Archimedes]

On a related topic, BEin sport needs to bring their own crew and production team to any future races here in the States if they want to build the brand. Watching Greg White during the Superpole broadcast sitting on a stool in the Laguna parking lot reading at a 6th grade level from a note pad was beyond awful. The cracked, oil soaked pavement and trash cans as a backdrop was priceless. I expect that from the DMG train wreck, but c'mon WSB?

 

[kevin 714]

3 Rounds IS too many usa rounds, no doubt. its just indy that should have gone, not the laguna. n(tho laguna didnt do itself any favors by being a great rack with shitty faciltiies)
meanwhile they are expanding motogp into south america next year, which is a great move. probably have 19-20 races next year

 

[stangmx13]

I see a lot of people looking for someone to blame; the AMA, SCRAMP and local residents. I'm looking straight at Dorna for attempting to turn motorcycle racing into a gazillion dollar enterprise like F1. Corporate suite-laden paddocks with limited access for regular fans, multi-million dollar sanction fees, exclusive broadcast packages, trackside signage blocking viewing areas, etc. Assen has already been hacked up and is no longer moto-only. How long will tracks like Laguna and Assen last against gleeming shopping malls like Indy and COTA? Dorna has also been steadily marginalizing WSBK. Not exclusive enough and perceived competition for MotoGP? What is the benefit to us fans and consumers? Nothing. Fewer races, more expense and less access. Thanks.

obviously u r upset about losing Laguna. but do you really think that removing a race in US and 1 or 2 in Spain then adding rounds in South American and elsewhere in the world (not in Europe) is actually bad for the sport? there arent going to be fewer races, just less in the US. drop the weakest venues in favor for better ones... sounds like sound business practices to me. Indy attendance is comparable to Laguna, so im not surprised that Dorna went the other direction given the level of funding Indy has received.

GP could only hope to be like F1, a sport where u can pack a venue for 200$ a ticket, where companies are lining up to provide sponsorship and teams actually make $$, where you can get a city like Austin to build a world-class venue (that track wouldnt exist without the promise of F1). even the entire team structure on F1 is more sustainable than what we have in GP, which is why GP is moving that way and has been for more than a few years.

Dorna isnt marginalizing WSBK. the series accomplished that w/ smaller grids and huge expenses long before Dorna was given the reigns by Bridgeport. really, if it werent for Dorna, WSBK probably wouldnt be racing at Laguna anyway. Dorna brought over onboard cameras, improved the camera angles around the track, and i hear is even working towards a subscription feed like GP. all of those things benefit fans.

 

[kevin 714]

^ that

theres actually going to be MORE races next year

 

[Map8]

Really? Is that happening in Formula 1? Nascar? Even Supercross? Last I checked all three of those series were flourishing, had great TV coverage, packed stadiums and were making bank. Strange that one of the common denominators is that they've all created a bigger, very professional, modern 'show' around the racing.

Formula 1 is auto manufacturer money. The entire motorcycle industry is just a tiny fraction of what the auto industry makes. NASCAR has seen declining attendance for the last several years but will probably rebound with the economy.

Supercross is not as healthy as you think. Only a handful of riders are getting paid in Supercross and a big chunk of every field is locals, which is very different from the models of F1, NASCAR or MotoGP. Proposed Tobacco-like regulation of the Energy Drink industry could send Supercross into a tailspin.

 

[Climber]

obviously u r upset about losing Laguna. but do you really think that removing a race in US and 1 or 2 in Spain then adding rounds in South American and elsewhere in the world (not in Europe) is actually bad for the sport? there arent going to be fewer races, just less in the US. drop the weakest venues in favor for better ones... sounds like sound business practices to me. Indy attendance is comparable to Laguna, so im not surprised that Dorna went the other direction given the level of funding Indy has received.

GP could only hope to be like F1, a sport where u can pack a venue for 200$ a ticket, where companies are lining up to provide sponsorship and teams actually make $$, where you can get a city like Austin to build a world-class venue (that track wouldnt exist without the promise of F1). even the entire team structure on F1 is more sustainable than what we have in GP, which is why GP is moving that way and has been for more than a few years.

Dorna isnt marginalizing WSBK. the series accomplished that w/ smaller grids and huge expenses long before Dorna was given the reigns by Bridgeport. really, if it werent for Dorna, WSBK probably wouldnt be racing at Laguna anyway. Dorna brought over onboard cameras, improved the camera angles around the track, and i hear is even working towards a subscription feed like GP. all of those things benefit fans.

F1 is a fucking joke! Bernie is setting up races in countries where they have to pay the people to fill up the stands...seriously! The only requirement is that they have to pay Bernie's fee. Meanwhile, they have moved the racing away from the biggest groups of racing fans.

 

[Map8]

obviously u r upset about losing Laguna. but do you really think that removing a race in US and 1 or 2 in Spain then adding rounds in South American and elsewhere in the world (not in Europe) is actually bad for the sport? there arent going to be fewer races, just less in the US. drop the weakest venues in favor for better ones... sounds like sound business practices to me. Indy attendance is comparable to Laguna, so im not surprised that Dorna went the other direction given the level of funding Indy has received.

GP could only hope to be like F1, a sport where u can pack a venue for 200$ a ticket, where companies are lining up to provide sponsorship and teams actually make $$, where you can get a city like Austin to build a world-class venue (that track wouldnt exist without the promise of F1). even the entire team structure on F1 is more sustainable than what we have in GP, which is why GP is moving that way and has been for more than a few years.

Dorna isnt marginalizing WSBK. the series accomplished that w/ smaller grids and huge expenses long before Dorna was given the reigns by Bridgeport. really, if it werent for Dorna, WSBK probably wouldnt be racing at Laguna anyway. Dorna brought over onboard cameras, improved the camera angles around the track, and i hear is even working towards a subscription feed like GP. all of those things benefit fans.

Fewer races in the U.S right now and likely fewer races in the future as more tracks can't afford Dorna's fees. As I stated in other posts, the F1 or NFL model will not be good for the sport, IMO. The motorcycle market is not a $200 a ticket market in the US or around the globe. The moto market will always be smaller with far less funding and less ability to attract sponsors.

Yes Dorna is marginalizing WSBK. What are they doing to bring money into the series or increase grids? Its clear they want manufacturers in GP and a bunch of poorly supported privateer teams in WSBK. Are any riders making any more money? Are they best riders attracted to the series? Ezpeleta lying about teams using 34 engines to get his way? Doesn't seem like Dorna is making an effort to improve anything?

The big picture is a more corporate approach to control every aspect of MotoGP hasn't improved the product for consumers. Dorna has a hand in deciding which manufacuteres compete, which riders get seats and even which satellite teams get which particlar levels of support. Look at the problems MotoGP is facing:
- Does anyone think really think the Honda / Yamaha dominance will end anytime soon? The grid is haves and havenots and what is Dorna doing about that?
- That other teams will suddenly spend $40 or $50 million to compete?
- The majority of the grid across all MotoGP classes is paying or bringing money for rides. Riding for free? How is that good for the sport? How does that attract riders?
- Only tracks with public subsidies can get races?

This are the long-term trends and thats what we should be concerned about.

TL/DR version: Money is only flowing to one entity. That is a problem.

 

[Caddywumpus]

Yamaha and Honda have the best riders, hands down. They pay top dollar for top tallent. Can Ducati Compete?

Yes they can.

If they stop fucking up and admit what they have been doing does not work, and adapt backwards.

 

[nicebloke]

The argument that the $800k increase would be offset by the impact on the local economy is the same one that many sporting events use to justify their existence. Unfortunately it has been proved to be in wrong in most cases where the event is held in a location that attracts visitors for other reasons.

Monterey is a tourist destination, and on any given weekend in the summer, hotel occupancy is pretty good, as is expenditure in restaurants and on buying merchandise. The additional tax revenue from the insane hotel rates would in no way offset the $800k the county would need to find to keep MotoGP in the region. If a room is normally $200 per night, and on MotoGP it is $350, the county makes an extra $20-25 per night. However, they're losing tax revenue in that everyone leaves town during the day to go to the track and isn't eating lunch and buying tourist crap.

In the past, attendance was 120,000 for the weekend but Gill stated it was down this year, so if total attendance was more like 100,000 and let's say 30% of those folks are staying in hotels you would get a total of around 20,000 room nights. That's only around $400k of additional hotel tax revenue.

This is the pattern that you see in places like London when they hosted the Olympics - you just trade a regular tourist for a sports-related visitor and gain no extra revenue.

In this case, the reason that the event is going away is because the promoter can't afford the sanctioning fees, and blame for that lies squarely with Dorna. Having three races certainly impacts attendance at Laguna, but that all might be irrelevant if the fees are too much even with excellent attendance.

 

[sidewazzz]

Just a side note... It's figured that the past few years 15-20 % of tickets were counterfeit for the gp event. As in Laguna not make money on.

 

[Caddywumpus]

Not this past year. We revamped the ticket process, they all get scanned.