| Author | Message | ||||||||||||||
     Libnosis |
I have always wondered which one of these divisions has the best talent. Me thinks there are awesome riders in both. I would still like to see the top five in each go head to head, sort of like a playoff or something. What do yall think? lib | ||||||||||||||
| Davegess |
I'd like to see the AMA go back to count road races, miles, short tracks and TT's toward thenation title. Ain't gonna happen but it would be cool. Add in a Motocrouse and you would really see who was the best all arond rider. A IROC style series with all the top names would be also cool. I gotta think with the new 4 stroke MotoGP that the top guys will be riding there pretty quickly. Of course if I am really in the mood for dreaming how about The top 5 from each series as well as the top guys from Britian and other series around the world run the Isle of Man TT course? Dave | ||||||||||||||
| Blake |
World has more of the best, Moto GP is sucking away even more, AMA racing seems to be dying a slow and ugly death. They are certainly not the smartest group of promoters and race organizers the world has ever seen. They didnt' seem to care about rider safety (the whole RRW air fence deal), they don't seem to care about promoting industry-wide competition (only UJM's in SS, now finally they allow the Duc 748's), they don't care about American Motorcycles (dropped Pro Thunder). The FIM on the other hand seems to have their act totally together and are taking no prisoners. I'm a Formula USA racing fan now. I see a lot more enthusiasm and excitement in that arena. | ||||||||||||||
| Gravedigger |
This year World Superbike definately!!! The AMA has great riders in Hayden, Mladin, and Eric Bostrom. These guys really don't hold a candle to the talent pool in the WSB this year. Edwards, Bayliss, Hodgson, Haga, or Ben Bostrom. This is bound to change next year with Hayden and Bayliss going to GP. Maybe someone will compete with Rossi then. I can't wait to see Eric Bostrom tearing up the AMA next year since his ride with Ducati in WSB is gone. And nobody knows where Edwards will be racing next year but I can't imagine him not being in WSB to defend his title. Did anyone else see that final race between Edwards and Bayliss???? Must have been the best finall lap I've seen in a race in the last few years!!! Keith | ||||||||||||||
| José_Quiñones |
If you like more than one rider, brand and bike type being competitive, AMA has been the best. Best series for gearheads: GP Best riding/passing/fighting for position: WSBK Best race format: WSBK with the Superpole, Formula USA/WSBK for two Superbike races on the same day. Best rules: Formula USA for their Dyno based rules. They have also started the "DirtTrack/RoadRace Grand National Championship" this year which should grow and become very popular. Finally it's home of the Buell Lightning Spec Series and allows the Firebolt in the 600 class. Best racing series without TV exposure: Formula USA. Best race to go see live: any dirt track race you can get to! GP is and will become more dominant in the next few years, as manufacturers go nuts with interesting bikes that they don't have to spend money making street versions of and pull the best riders from the other series. At the same time, WSBK and AMA will struggle with rules to keep them "production based" and competitive. Right now WSBK is like the old AMA "Battle of the Twins" on steroids. Someone convice Tony George to bring GP to Indianapolis on the F1 course, that would rock! Blake,
AMA internal surveys showed the RACE FANS didn't care about Pro Thunder, it placed LAST among the classes watched, which is why they dropped the class. I guess not enough Buell fans go to the AMA races. They don't go to the FUSA races either, but neither does anybody else, which is a shame. | ||||||||||||||
| Libnosis |
Dave - I like the IROC idea. All on identical bikes. They could change the flavor of bike every year. Great idea! Keith - I would never say Hayden and company couldn't hold a candle. He whipped his brothers on the dirt! If Bayliss goes to GP, Edwards will have no one to race with. That will make WSBK very boring to watch. I think those two are head and shoulders above the rest in WSBK. I think you meant Ben. He didn't have a good year. OT I always root for homeboy Jamie Hacking and nearby homey Aaron Yates. I hope Jamie has a ride for 2003. I think his contract is up with the Saduki folks. lib | ||||||||||||||
| Blake |
Aren't Hacking and Yates both Brits? Saw Hacking flapping a Brit flag on the podium last year. | ||||||||||||||
| Gravedigger |
Libnosis, You are right about WSBK next year. This year you couldn;t beat the competition there. There will be some major changes in WSBK next year. Bayliss is gone to GP which will leave a void. Edwards is rumored to be returning with Ducati but I haven;t heard that it is confirmed yet. Eric Bostrom is headed to the AMA. 3 of the top 5 ranked racers may not be in WSBK next year. I think there is even questions of whether Haga will be in GP. The talent will probably be is GP next year the way it looks. Bayliss, Rossi, Hayden, and possibly more. I do think Hayden is a great racer! Maybe I should restate that quote. I am a fan of Haydens and think its awesome he got an international ride. I had the opportunity to see him race on dirt last year at the springfield mile. Right now he doesn;t hold a candle to these guys. With a little more time and experience he is going to be a major force. I think he just needs a little more time against the top ranked international racers to step to the next level. Yes I did mean Ben Bostrom. ooops He is going to be extremely hard to beat after the level of competition he was used to in WSBK. Keith | ||||||||||||||
| Xgecko |
Latest news Blake no motors over 600cc allowed in Supersport. Duc 748s can only race in 750SS...just like Buells. The AMA is just lazy. | ||||||||||||||
| José_Quiñones |
Aaron Yates was born and raised in Georgia. Hacking has lived there so long he considers it "home". He's riding with Yamaha next year. Interestingly, Yamaha will not have a Superbike team next year, only 600 and FormulaXtreme. So in AMA Superbike, it will be Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and a bunch of privateers next year. WSBK will be Aprilia, Ducati maybe Petronas (Foggy's team), Honda and Suzuki and the rest are privateers. Only Suzuki will have an inline 4, foggy will have a triple. Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha are all in GP next year. Inline Triples and Fours, V-Fours and V-Fives, oh my! | ||||||||||||||
| Rick_A |
World Superbike seems to have better rules...the Ducs are always struggling in AMA. I just like hearing/seeing those ducs. MotoGP is interesting and good racing, but I'd rather watch races with bikes that are production based. I'd rather watch F-USA racing over anything else. | ||||||||||||||
| Aaron |
FWIW ... I seem to remember that When AMA and WSBK ran together at Laguna, the AMA guys were faster. Not sure what the rule differences are though. | ||||||||||||||
| Blacksix |
I think they were turning faster laps as well. Damn good race. I watch WSBK any chance I get. Although I think Bayliss is fantastic and I really like the Ducati team...I have to root for Team Texas. IMO Honda screwed Edwards by not giving him a shot at GP. The man won Suzuka for chris' sakes. How do you give the premiere slot to a relatively untested Hayden? He's a natural cycle-pilot and he's proven it time and time again state-side but does he really have the experience? Isn't Proton running GP this year? Fantasy Racing anyone? How about an Edwards/Bostrom team running Buells at GP? | ||||||||||||||
| Blake |
I heard a rumor somewhere that Colin will be on a Honda GP RCV211 next year after all. Stay tuned. The WSB guys cleaned up at Laguna Seca this year and last year. Back in 2000 when BBoz and Goshow were running the Ducs for Vance and Hines they whupped up on the WSB boys at Laguna Seca. Duc made a big mistake taking the factory team away from Vance and Hines. | ||||||||||||||
| Rall |
Nickey Haden is young but he is very experenced. He has been racing bikes for 17 years. AMA 600 chanpion- AMA superbike champion........He even won 4 AMA dirt track races this year and came in 9th in the points race. America has not seen this kind of talent since Kenney Roberts Sr. Honda did not want to lose him to Yamaha. Which offered him a ride in MotoGP next year. Nickey sighned a 4.2 million contract for two years with Honda to ride MotoGP. I may be a little bit byised since he lives only 30 miles from me.  But I think he will do very well in Europe! Mark | ||||||||||||||
| Rocketman |
Ok, just to put the cat amongst the pidgeons...... Steve Hislop has just won the British Super Bike title last weekend. He's been trying for 7 years. An enormously talented racer, TT winner etc etc, and a racer of world class stature, but he's not on the world stage, he rides a production 998 Ducati. It's 40 horses down on power, and 40 kilos heavier, than Rossis RCV V5 , yet on Saturday's first qualifying session on the GP circuit at Donnington Park , Hislop scorched around the 2.5 mile circuit in 1:31.45. Rossis pole lap for the British GP was 1:31.56. Hislops lap was no fluke either, he ran a 1:31.46 in free practice too . Hislop reckoned with carbon brakes he could have gone another two tenths quicker !!!!! The thing is, Britain is full, and I mean full, of Steve Hislops. Just watch any of the BSB rounds. Hislop, Emmet, Reynolds, Crawford, Rutter and more, each and everyone of them capable of world, rather than just national level, racing, and you know, I rather suspect this to be similar for lots of other countries and their racers too. One thing's for certain though, it's to our benefit. Rocket | ||||||||||||||
| Crusty |
Personally, I think the AMA does a great job at putting on races. The air fence thing sounded like the AMA didn't care about the riders safety; but in reality, they were spending the money on other, less flashy safety measures. I noticed that the air fence didn't stop Anthony Gobert from breaking his leg - the leg that hit the air fence is the one that broke, his other leg went under it. Formula USA is a second rate series, with a second rate attitude. After the AMA dropped Louden (for rider safety concerns) Formula USA jumped right in and took the event. They didn't come up with any additional safety measures, but they had a "National". Actually, they did have a new safety measure for the top riders - none of them were there to get hurt. The bottom line is that I'll travel a thousand miles to see an AMA national, but I won't travel a hundred miles to watch Formula USA. Oh, Nicky Hayden WILL be a world champion. | ||||||||||||||
| Blake |
I'd not complain about how the AMA "puts on races" though you will find plenty of racers who will. I still recall the ambulance on the track at Road Atlanta that was nearly the end of Matt Mladin. Unbelievable. I'd much rather see a FUSA Supersport race with six different marks represented than the AMA's contingent of four virtually identical UJM repliracers. | ||||||||||||||
| Rick_A |
Yes, that's exactly what I'm talkin' about. I'd rather see more grassroots racing with bikes more akin to what people ride in the general populace, and something other than the newest and greatest from Japan or Italy...and if they televised the Lightning Series...a field of gorgeous S1's, X1's, and M2's...I'd be in heaven  | ||||||||||||||
| X1glider |
I have my doubts about the airfence. It seems like an appendage could get caught in it and be twisted or broken. The CMRA has a bunch of sections of it and someone got hurt at Texas World Speed way in August. The CMRA seems to care about rider safety and the volunteers who work the track seem to care too. Possibly it's better that way because the volunteers might have a personal stake in it, like their better half or friend is racing, so safety is taken personally. Yeah, grassroots local racing is exciting to me just because it's easier to identify with. I can't identify with a guy on a 225 HP Honda V-5. | ||||||||||||||
| Blake |
If my choice is between concrete or air fence... I'll take the air fence please. Geez, it's not fool-proof protection against any and all injury. Same as a helmet, it's just another layer of safety equipment. | ||||||||||||||
| Java |
I'm with Blake and Rick. FUSA rules are designed for the grass roots racer, and make for a more interesting mix of bikes. At the AMA race at Road Atlanta this year, A guy named Rojas entered Supersport on a 600TT Triumph. It made my whole weekend, rooting for that godawful metallic-lime-green bike to pass SOMEBODY and come in "not last". I still can't get over how excited I was to see an "unexpected" bike in a race. If FUSA would come to Atlanta, I'd pay AT LEAST as much to watch them run. | ||||||||||||||
| Java |
Oh, and Rocket; we see absolutly no BSB on tv over here, but your man Hodgson kicked some World butt this year! | ||||||||||||||
| Rocketman |
Yes he did, but remember also when he and Chris Walker were 'wild card' entries for the Brands Hatch WSB rounds, three seasons back, when both of them were battling for the BSB title. Hodgson on a Ducati, Walker on a Suzuki, and they were the guys to beat ! The BSB title, that year, was decided at the last round, last race (two races per meet') of the season. Try Duke Marketing on the Isle of Man if you're interested in seeing BSB videos. It's damn near as fast as WSB but our British tracks are awesome for the most, and very diverse. Great great racing. If you can acquire the correct video format, try to get the 1999 and 2000 season reviews. Blake, AMA Superbike or World Superbike, Who's better?. Try and stay on topic please Air fences indeed !!! Rocket | ||||||||||||||
| Blake |
That's a silly question. WSBK is the best of the best. The Texas Tornado BAYBEE!! Rocket, Remember, "Don't Mess With Texas!"  | ||||||||||||||
| Libnosis |
Just got back from Myrtle Beach, SC. Damn it was hot! Lots of silicon. Only saw three Buells. I digress.
Are you kidding? Have you ever heard either one of them being interviewed? They're as country as last week's fatback.
That may be so, but he still comes home (Greer, SC) to see his folks. They come to bike night alot on Mondays. I'm glad he has a ride for next year. Let me see if I got this straight?
lib | ||||||||||||||
| Blake |
Lib, Hacking is a British citizen. I was surprised to learn that too, since I had heard him speak. He grew up in America. | ||||||||||||||
| Rocketman |
Blake you should remember that your Texan Tornado buddy has his Honda bikes built by hand in England. In fact, in Lincolnshire, which is about 50 miles from my home town. There see, that's not to painful is it. There's more English to Texas than even you know Rocket | ||||||||||||||
| Libnosis |
Blake, I'll be damn! Learn something new ever day. | ||||||||||||||
| Blake |
Lib, Yeah, I'm still trying to believe it myself. When he beat Mladin last year, I was thinking "Finally! An American rider wins an AMA SBK race!" Then I see Hacking on the podium waving a British flag a fan had given him. The Speedvision commentator then explained that Hacking (and I thought Yates too) are British citizens. I guess I was mistaken about Yates though. Rocket, Y'all do know racing. | ||||||||||||||
| Rocketman |
Funny thing me mentioning Steve Hislop the other day, MCN has a double page feature on him this week. I must be good Some of his contemporaries reckon he's the fastest guy on a bike alive today, just had a career run of bad luck, or at least on the 'world stage ' he did , so it seems. 11 TT wins and 2 BSB titles under his belt ain't bad though. Rocket | ||||||||||||||
| Blake |
Would those "contemporaries" be the guys he beat in BSB?  | ||||||||||||||
| Rocketman |
No Blake, guys like Rossi who he rode against in Euro 250's ! Rocket |
