Dallas AMA Supermoto feedback <LONG>

Hmmmm. I haven't even seen this mentioned here, so I thought I'd share
some observations for any of you that thought about going but didn't.
It will be broadcast on the OLN network on 11/13 if you want to catch
it...

Supermoto is a combination of dirt and road racing. 450-650cc 4-stroke
motocross/enduro bikes are used (450cc seemed to be the biggest class).
KTM seems to have the lion's share of the bike market, with Honda's
CRF450 in second. There were a few Yamaha's, Suzuki's, and a lone
Kawasaki (rebadged DRZ).

All you need is suspension changes, gearing, and road tires and you're
good. Roll on the throttle and slid the ass out on the corners like
dirt track, jump like motocross, and with asphalt straights and turns
like road race. ABC "Wide World of Sports" covered a similar series
back in the early 80's I believe.

The track was in the Reunion Arena parking lot, backed up to I-30. It
started off on road with a straight, then a tight turn, then a straight
ending with a metal diamond plate jump. Another corner, straight,
couple corners, then dirt. Dirt jumps, some berms & corners, a few
whoops, and back onto the road section with a couple tight turns dumping
back onto the start/finish area.

FWIW, my personal observations:

Pros:
-All the silly multi-surface, double line, double jumps, 4-stroke, road
tire, power wheelie fun I could take in a day.

-Got to watch some really talented racers that haven't been in the
limelight in years.

-Got to see my childhood hero Jeff Ward whip on the youngsters.

-Got to see a lapped Grant Langston (I think he went down in the first
corner) run through the pack and almost unlap himself. He really hung
with Wardy.

-Wife got to see her hero Jeremy McGrath get spanked by Wardy.

-Bonus treat of some freestyle antics from the master, Mike Metzger.

-Very cool to be able to wander all around the track and watch from many
different vantage points. Much more intimate, not as sterile as the
Dallas Supercross.

-Very cool to get within a few feet of the bikes as they passed.

-You could carry in lawn chairs. We had no clue tho', and it would have
been nice.

-Decent port-a-crappers.


Cons:
-Parking was $10. We rode the train, but our friends drove.

-"Security" was a joke. 2 lines of folks at the gate, neither had staff
over 19, and they all looked like they had partied way too late the
night before. One line was using a metal detector wand and had every
person empty their pockets and turn on/off cell phones. The other line
of folks just walked on in. I guess one line was for terrorists, thugs,
and all around bad guys. I opted for the "No thanks, I'm a good guy"
line. My wife was in the other line and had her purse searched. I
could have walked in with a thermonuclear device under one arm, SAM
under the other, and plague vials in my pocket. Yep, secure alright.

-No event program. I knew who many of the pro racers were by name, but
would like to have known who the small guys were too. Would have been
nice to know everybody's number too.

-We paid an extra $10 each ($40 total) for "Grandstand" seating when
ordering our tickets, only to find out nobody was checking tickets.
Anyone could sit there. No biggie as there was maybe 40-50 folks in the
stands (signs said they hold 800+), but I'd sure like my extra
$10/ticket back.

-No shade over "Grandstands". Very little elsewhere as the whole area
was open. After about 2-3, there was shade on the side of some
trailers, but you had to be in the pits (and pay extra).

-"Grandstands" were just crappy wooden bleachers. To me, "Grandstand"
implies something with shaded cover. Bleachers are open. Bah!

-The mains were cut from 24 to 20 laps, with no reason given. Well, no
reason we could hear anyway.

-Announcers couldn't be heard over the blaring music most of the time.

-Asshat announcers couldn't be bothered to close the mics when the bikes
went by their stand. The roar of almost 20 open exhaust 4-strokes
played over an already too loud PA was deafening, even with ear plugs.

-Got raped for another $10 ($40 total) to enter the pits and chat with
some racer folks we knew. This really sucked as we figured that would
be included in the "super-duper" hose-job tickets we had already
purchased. I really felt bad for the kids whose parents I overheard
saying they can go watch McGrath's crew service his bike because they
couldn't afford the extra $60 (2 adults and 4 kids).

-Market to a wider demographic for crying out loud. Why can't they
realize we're not all pierced, tattooed, underwear hanging out, baggy
jeans & knit cap wearing 18 year olds? My wife and I are 31, both ride,
own 5 bikes, and love any 2-wheeled racing. The couple with us are in
their 40's-50's, have multiple bikes, and dig all racing too. Hello????

-Very poor job advertising the race. I probably talked to a dozen of my
racing/riding buddies, none had even heard of the event coming to
Dallas. I work with a local daily FM talk show, and they would have
loved to have some of the racers on their show last week (they've had
Seth Enslow, Deegan, and Hart on before). They never even got a press
release or anything. I know most of this NG are too busy polishing the
chrome off their cruisers, but christ, I figured there would have been
some discussion here too.

-Other than Audrey having her Moto Liberty tent, the AMA swag trailer,
and 2 display bikes from a local KTM dealer, no vendors or displays to
speak of (save for the huge KTM trailer & their roped off pit area).
Really, they should have invited every bike shop in town to come down
and setup a tent or something. For free. At least the vast expanse of
the area wouldn't have been so vacant.

All in all, we had fun. But, it seemed a crappy value and very under
attended, so I wonder if it will hit Dallas again.

Jeff

 

LOL.... Jeff, my man... welcome to the world of the "Patriot Act"..

As much as I enjoy watching those wizardly bike handlers perform, it is
always nice to at least be able to identify them..

Maybe the sponsor's did show a profit for the event..

I'm with you on that one.. BTW.. was there any provisions for the biker's
who rode there.. Restricted parking or parking in the vast lots available
around Reunion.. Those places are total disaster with cages historically
backing into or otherwise slamming parked motorcycles..

Quite a contrasting distraction, I can imagine..

I suppose that would account for the low turnout.. (partly).. For my part,
those events are mostly over-hyped and over priced..

Seems like the crowds attracted to those events are getting younger every
year, Jeff... Or, perhaps you and I are just getting "older".. Whoops.. I
hope your wife isn't reading over your shoulders... My apologies to you,
Ma'am..

Why didn't you initiate the discussion, Jeff.. Our chrome is most important
and we must maintain our image.. Many of us do post regularly on this
newsgroup, as busy as we are in maintaining the investments in our bikes..
Your enthusiasm for the racing sport is commendable, but if you didn't
initiate a post to advertise the event, don't bitch at me about it.. With
your knowledge of it, you should be responsible enough to post something
about it.. (big ol' smile)

We should all hope so, Jeffrey.. Many of us do enjoy the expert and artistic
bike handling that goes with this type event.. Next time, I will hold you
personally responsible to make us all aware, by posting on this group...Glad
you had a good time and sorry I missed it...

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

Maybe the sponsor's did show a profit for the event..

Not sure the turnout was enough, at any price, for a profit.

I looked for "bike only" parking, but didn't see any. We walked through
the parking lot to our friends' car, and there were a few bikes parked
in regualr car spots. A few were aso parked in other misc. areas.

Hell, I didn't know about it until early last week when I was told we
were going. I only browse Usenet on the weekends mostly.

Hmmm. Ok. Um, next April 17th is the Dallas Supercross. It's both a
THQ World Supercross GP event and an AMA Supercross Series event.
Always fun!

Jeff