| Author | Message | ||
     Davet |
An air cooled pushrod twin competing against 600 supersport machines??? I gotta get me some of whatever you're smoking!!! I'm not even convinced the firebolt will be much quicker than the X1, if at all. | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Sometimes Erik Buell reminds me of Don Quijote (you know, fighting the windmills) If I ran the AMA PRO RACING I would: Tell HD: Make at least 500 street VR1000's next year, or go home! For the racing classes, I would borrow the basic WSBK category and racing structure, with some changes: For Superbikes: A. 2 Super Bike Races each weekend B. SuperPole type timed qualifying C. 1000cc limit for both V-Twins & 4 cylinder bikes. Adjust bike weights to keep the racing close. This eliminates the Formula X-treme class For SuperSports: A. Production based 600 inline fours, 750 desmo twins, 900 cc triples and 1000 cc pushrod air cooled models. B. MUST USE STOCK BODYWORK/BRAKES and commercially available "RACE KITS"! C. NO SUPERBIKE RIDERS ALLOWED IN SUPERSPORT! This would eliminate PRO THUNDER. Finally, I would keep the 750 supersport and 250 gp classes, as they are important "development" classes for the riders. So your typical AMA race weekend would have 5 main races (2 superbike, 1 supersport, 1 750 & 1 250 GP), with plenty of practice time, and the exiting "SuperPole" qualifying system for the Superbike. It could happen. | ||
| Blake |
What is wrong with the current 750 cc inline four and 1000 cc twin limitations? Racing is VERY competetive among the two classes. Though I like the weight assignments when it comes to touring cars; for motorcycles, I like the cc limitations. Weight affects handling and accelleration much more than top speed. The GSXR1000 and it's brothers/sisters would eat the 1000 cc twins for lunch at Daytona and Road Atlanta unless you added so much weight it would get ridiculous. Would you really want to allow 900 cc triples into the supersport class. Isn't a 900 cc triple a superbike spec? Jose, that said, I'd vote for you in a second if you ran for an AMA office. | ||
| Tripper |
An honest AMA officer??? hmmmmm... | ||
| Court |
I'd vote for you in a second if you ran for an AMA office. An honest AMA officer! | ||
| Dhutty |
MikeJ: All the figures I have for the contact patch are calculated with 195lb rider, 75F day and 70%humidity. Then my pencil broke, so I can't run your figures. Sorry I'm no help. David | ||
| Mikej |
Well, thanks for trying anyway David. I'm thinking that when the XB's do start showing up in the local dealerships here it should be about -7°F outside, and any patch calculations wouldn't be valid anyway. MikeJ (Wondering how the FireBolt will handle in the snow) | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Well, how about Yamaha pulling out of WSBK for precisely this reason, and Suzuki threatening to do the same? With the new Four Stroke GP rules, WSBK and AMA will have to do something about this, and letting the 4 cylinder bikes go up to 1000cc is the next logical step. There are ways (restrictor plates, added weight, gearing) to keep the racing close at most tracks.
Well, now that I think about it, you are right. I just want people to race Triumphs somewhere, and I forgot about the TT600. The AMA rules should ENCOURAGE, not RESTRICT, participation from all brands. For example, that's why I would make the rules so that only bike models and racing parts available to the general public are allowed in the Supersport class, so certain companies can't use twin carburated heads or fairings/belly pans that you and I can not buy from that manufacturer...... | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Now here's the right way to do it, and it's the AMA doing it! SuperTrackers integrate into Grand National Championship racing AMA Pro Racing announced today that the Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship series will make a much-anticipated transition in format, beginning with the 2002 race season as the SuperTracker Series is integrated into Grand National Championship racing. This integration plan first began to take shape in 1997. The dirt track community gathered together to develop a five-year plan that later became known as Project 2000, with the expressed goal of bringing more manufacturers and teams into dirt-track racing at the Grand National level. In January of 1999, the new class specifications and requirements were formalized, and the AMA SuperTrapp SuperTracker Series was launched. "At that time we made a three-year commitment to adhere to the existing standards for both the SuperTracker and Grand National series, and that has been fulfilled," said Merrill Vanderslice, AMA Pro Racing director of competition. "Many people have invested considerable amounts of planning, effort and expense over this time period, and these combined efforts have brought us to this point of transition. Now, we are right on schedule for the next step, one that had been discussed and planned from the outset. As we prepare to integrate the SuperTrackers into Grand National racing, it's clear to see that this move will indeed broaden the span of the premier level of flat track racing. In doing so, we are opening new opportunities to sponsors, we will expand our fan base and best of all, we will enhance the racing action for everybody." Harley-Davidson's purpose-built racer, the XR750, has long dominated the GNC class, although Honda found a significant degree of success in the 1980s as the company campaigned its own purpose-built race bike, the RS750. The SuperTracker Series, in contrast, employs machines based on production-built, four-stroke twin-cylinder engines displacing 900cc to 1250cc, depending on the method used for engine cooling and valve actuation. This displacement differential is designed to compensate for the engineering allowances inherent in production-based designs, as opposed to engines conceived on a drawing board specifically for track use. So far, Suzuki has been the most active newcomer, campaigning machines based on the TL1000 powerplant in SuperTrackers, as well as a modified SV650 in Grand National class competition. Ducati, Yamaha and Buell have also been involved, while other manufacturers continue to develop plans. "Everyone connected with both series is excited to begin competing handlebar-to-handlebar," enthused Vanderslice. "We've been monitoring lap times, top speeds and horsepower figures, and we will soon publish our findings so we can firm up the guidelines for a new, combined format that will be competitive, with as much parity as we can engineer into this newly expanded series." According to Vanderslice, a new set of Grand National class regulations will be drafted near the end of the 2001 dirt-track season, and AMA Pro Racing will seek input from teams and other members of the racing community before the new rules are finalized. "Naturally, down the road there will be a need for adjustments in regulations as machines advance along their development curves, but that's to be expected. Overall, we will witness the advent of a new and exciting chapter in dirt track competition, and the racing will be better than ever!" Here's an interesting tidbit: from the people I talked with at Hagerstown, the TL based bikes are powerful, bulletproof, nearly maintenance free, but they have a hard time "hooking up" because they are too powerful, while the Buells, displacing 1250cc, seem to "hook up" much better. It probably also has to do with the V-Angle, and the fact that the Buell pistons/rods are in the same plane. | ||
| Imonabuss |
Oh, and a pesky Buell is leading the Supertrackers class over the "bulletproof" TL1000's. BTW, the TL1000s are heavily factory backed through Yoshimura (and, yes, they do burn through parts), whereas the Buells that have been winning are totally dealer built. This is a cool class that is becoming very exciting. Cool, eh? Or do the Buells get bashed again by ourselves??? | ||
| Blake |
José: I'd say that maybe too much power, especially when at higher rpm on dirt just spins the rear wheel faster. The low revving, less powerful Buells with a wide and forgiving powerband are well suited to maintaining traction at the rear wheel on dirt. | ||
| Anonymous |
Here is a rumor to confirm or deny. There is an oil system problem with the Firebolt, and it needs to be reworked, and won't be coming out until late spring or early summer 2002. | ||
| Court |
To quote one of my favorite writers. | ||
| Tripper |
duh, so would that be a confirmation? You live your life between the lines don't ya. And not the road lines. | ||
| Aaron |
Anon: tell them to put a seal between the pressure and scavenge sections in the pump. |
