| Author | Message | ||
     Xlcr |
Well, it's over, many interesting things happened, and those who made predictions were for the most part proved wrong. First and most important was the meltdown of the AMA. While the struggle over the legality of the Buell XBRR was what triggered the restructuring, it was not the root cause. There have been a number of issues building over the years, some obvious to concerned racers and fans, others buried deep in the corridors of the AMA that few of us outsiders will ever know about. The status of the Buell may have been the least straw on the pile, but it was the one the broke the camel's back. So now we have a revamped AMA. Whether it will be better or worse is still in doubt. Heads have continued to roll since the changes were first announced, and opinions vary from David Edwards' fears that they may be throwing the baby out with the bath water all the way to Chris Carr's remark that, "Sometimes you just have to keep flushing until everything goes down". I think we should all just wait and see how the new arrangement works, since at this stage we have little choice in the matter anyway. You never know, it may just turn out to be an improvement. Next is the clear improvement in the Daytona 200. Compared to last year, when nobody cared, there was a tremendous amount of interest in the 200 this year, for several reasons. For starters, as a plot the change from, "I wonder how many seconds DuHamel will win by" to, "Yamaha challenges Honda for the race, with Buell lurking as the much protested longshot dark horse in the background" was obviously a huge improvement. It brought fans to the track and to their TVs. I read several posts from people who had cable hooked up just so they could see it. And though I and the rest of the Buell fans were disappointed, the race was by no means boring, and the prophets were confounded by events, as neither of the pre-race favorites won. DuHamel's uncharacteristic late crash added plenty of drama to the closing stages. Hopefully, the 200 is on it's way back to greatness as North America's most famous road race. Finally, there is the Buell effort. I made no predictions about the outcome of this race, other than cautioning those who did make them. Until another tragicomic pit stop, MCWilliams was looking good, but it's clear that the Buells still have a ways to go to survive 200 miles. However, I don't think it will be all that much of a problem the rest of the season, as the rest of the races are sprints, and I still think that the Buells now have sufficient horsepower, and merely need development. I still believe they will win one before the season is out. As I see it, their main problem is to develop competitive riders. Mike Hale and Mile Ciccotto will finish the season, and as the rest of the 50 bikes appear, I'm sure we will see several private efforts also. The other RRs will likely go on to become contenders in various lesser and overseas racing series. Harley seems to have learned something from their VR1000 debacle. They will never spend as much as the Japanese, but hopefully Erik's determination will be matched by the money to keep the development cycle going this time. Finally, what does all of this mean for the future? Well, the best thing that can happen is for new AMA to bring excitement and energy back to American racing. Some good things got started this weekend. Superstock and Supersport showed less factory effort this weekend as Kawasaki and Yamaha began to invest more effort in Superbike and FX. Next year rumor has Yamaha moving their R1s to Superbike, and if Kawasaki can be persuaded to move their 600 team over to FX the original intent of the current rules can be salvaged. I certainly hope this happens, leaving the two 'stock' classes for the private teams. Perhaps the lure of a victory in a revitalized 200 will be enough to bring them over. Some have suggested creating a new BOTT series as a place for twins to race. I am strongly against that. Sure, it would be better than NO place for them to race. But I remember well what happened when the first BOTT was canceled. As a sop to the twins, they created the 750 fours/1000 twins rule. At the time NO one, and I mean NO one, thought that twins would ever be competitive under those rules, but that was before the Ducati 851, and the 888, and finally, the 916. That wouldn't have happened without the closure of the BOTT. I believe that in the end, a separate twins class is a form of segregation that inhibits the development of twins, and also allows the Japanese to dominate the other more prestigious classes. Competition improves the breed. The current FX rules resulted from the old AMA's cancellation of the troubled Thunderbike series, leaving most non-Japanese designs with nowhere to race. The air-cooled engine rule was an attempt to make up for it. I believe that before the season is over the Buells will be there, and I'm hoping that the 'new' AMA will see their way free to allow the Triumph 675. Perhaps the recovering prestige of the 200 and the low-cost dealer racing model shown by Buell will be enough to bring Triumph in. Guzzi would be a nice addition too, there was one MGS/01 in the support races this year, and finally, it wouldn't be that much trouble for the Ducati factory team to double up on 749Rs in FX if they saw it as important enough. All of that would give us great professional team racing in Superbike and FX, and two great privateer classes in Supersport and Superstock, just as originally intended. I can't help thinking everyone on every level would benefit if all of this came to pass. It can happen. Cross your fingers. | ||
| Eexb |
XLCR, EXCELLENT post - glad to see a Bueller with a realistic & POSITIVE outlook !!! EE | ||
| Diablobrian |
clear, concise points......you sir are obviously lost. This is badweb. conjecture and negative propaganda are the stock and trade here!  Seriously, good post. You are obviously not just a fan, but a devotee of the sport. | ||
| Pwest |
Our FX class is about the same as world supersport without the aircooled twins, and from watching that Im not sure even the 749r could be competitive in AMA against the I4s. I hope the Buells do well this year but I dont think they can win. I think they need a top rider to do the job, not saying anything against any buell racer. I think top 5s is doable. I hope im wrong. Do you think the XBRR will be protested and what will be the outcome? | ||
| Pupu |
the only protest i have seen so far was yamaha protesting the pace car, i think there were three protests by them and all were declined to to video proof that it did not affect the outcome. | ||
| Odinbueller |
Xlcr - AWESOME post! I have to agree, you have put a nice perspective on the Daytona 200 and where Buell & the AMA are heading. I'm just waiting for Court to get back and start putting the nay sayers in place  When I spoke to Court, the entire Buell & H-D contingent at the track were still extremely enthusiastic about the XBRR and what it can and will do for privateer racing. Though we may not have finished, let alone podiumed, Dan Hurda & the rest of the engineers down there extrapolated a great deal of data, and these improvements will be incorporated into the actual production models commencing next month. When Mutation_Racer and I were at Daytona for the ASRA/CCS event, the Buell garage was brimming with activity, and the XBRR was strong on the track, taking a Ducati 999 for the win in the SuperTwins race. I personally am still excited about the XBRR, though the pit stop incident needs to be looked into, as the ZTL2 front brake is still impressive, techniques need to be refined for front tire changes for next year's Daytona 200. Once that issue is resolved, we may well see a top 10 finish next year. We have an XBRR on order, and our racer is eager to get on it, though it is considerable more powerful than our existing XB12R raced bike (also have the de-tuning kit on order!). We will campaign the XBRR through the ASRA/CCS circuit to the best of our ability, and share whatever data we gather with Buell to make the XBRR as competitive as possible. As far as the AMA, I think that a shakeup is in due order. Perhaps this whole thing will put the "America" back into the AMA. We can only hope... Chris | ||
| Cataract2 |
When Erik came to Nick's house last night (how cool is that? How many riders on Honhamzukaki can say that they met the man in charge of it all for their bikes?) you could tell that while he was bummed about the bikes not finishing he was still upbeat about the whole deal. He explained to us what went wrong and how they were going to work to fix it. This is what makes a good leader. Even when things go wrong you still pick up the pieces and move forward. Plus, I got a signed shirt out of this. I'm not washing it, it's going into a frame. I just wish I got a second shirt (Buell Racing) and got him to sign it so I could wear that one around. Ah well, maybe next time. Also want him to sign my City X. (Since we all know that's his favorite.  ) | ||
| Court |
Nick: I'm collecting and writing my thoughts at this moment. I'll be posting them later. You guys are on to something here. They naysayers have had their 24 hours. I've got nothing but positive things to say and if that offends them so be it. Daytona was a HUGE SUCCESS. Court  | ||
| Aeholton |
When will the shirts like the one Erik's wearing be available for sale? DaveS? | ||
| Curtyd |
Did you here that the track allowed FREE TENT camping to race ticket holders in the infield? I was there Friday nite and Saturday for the 200 in my "yella" XB9S sport touring rig, very compact with tent, pad, sleeping bag, snacks, water, personal stereo, toiletries and all the necessities. Tank bag, Aerostitch, and waterproof duffle strapped tight on the pillion platform was all it took. Lunch of fried chicken and okra at Hampton's on Mason between races. Great short weekend, besides food, water and assorted sundries it costs 25 bucks for a stadium ticket and gas R/T from Orlando. Probably had about a 100 dollar weekend. Met some nice Beemer folks at the track. Still lusting after the new Yammie FZ1, 150 hp and 440 lbs. YIPPEEE.. (Message edited by CURTYD on March 12, 2006) | ||
| Southern Marine |
I had an awesome time. I got a chance to meet some famous Buellers. Erik, the man himself, Court, Blake, Vegas(Nick), Sammie, EBear (thanks for the help with the tent), M1Combat, Rich (thanks for the ride), and this list can go on and on. Blake hooked me up with Steve in the Pits and I was able to make it down there to see the garage, the work, the bikes, take photos, be introduced to some awesome people (Thanks Court). This was my first big Buell event and it will be remembered forever. Not only did I get to see and meet fellow BadWebbers/Buellers, but I got to see the the racers, talk to them, see the RR, even got a piece of the bike to give to Nick who had Erik sign it for him. We were walking around with these beautiful "Buell Racing" shirts on and not once did I see anything like that from the other brands. I had people ask me if we were part of Buell, was even mistaken for being one of the racers (yea, unbelievable huh? ) The RR and the racers were doing a great, no, outstanding job. Yes it was disappointing, at the time, that they did not finish the race; but for me, it was beyond exhilarating to be a part of this event. I leave the 2006 Daytona 200 taking with me the experience of a lifetime that will not be forgotten. | ||
| Diablobrian |
I want to know where I can get one of those Buell Racing shirts. Whomever has them can PM me (please) I have been surprised at how much of the sour grapes attitude I have seen here (on other threads). Come on guys the program is in it's infancy. Give them some time and a little slack. Racing is not a game of absolutes, at any level. As I've stated elsewhere, the Honda AMA team will probably spend more on expendable items (ie fuel, tires) this season than Buell will on it's whole program. This is just the beginning, and they were running top 10 at the premier AMA motorcycle race. That definitely an accomplishment for a few guys out of East Troy. (Message edited by diablobrian on March 12, 2006) | ||
| Court |
Ahhh....yes . . . our very own Badweb Marine meets the famous "man in the yellow shirt". You'll recall, when i shot this picture, I told you "you don't know who this guy is, but later you'll thank me for the picture". One of the most amazing folks ever to park a brain at Buell and as absolutely smart and genuine as Erik. One of the many reasons for extreme optimism!  | ||
| Lucas70374 |
yea I would like to know where I can get one of those BUELL RACE SHIRTS to. PM me to | ||
| Cataract2 |
Man Court, you had to get a pic with me looking pissed in it didn't you? | ||
| Court |
I thought you looked "intently focused and deep in thought". | ||
| Cataract2 |
That's my happy face.  God, looking closer I never realized how much my hair line has receeded... (Message edited by cataract2 on March 13, 2006) |
