So what will we hear at Laguna?

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=34277

If one assumes where there is smoke there is fire, then we should hear
some sort of OEM-DMG compromise at Laguna or shortly thereafter. If
you throw in what the promoters have been saying as well, then I think
that'll mean retention of at least some of the existing classes for at
least one more year; I don't see how DMG gets all the horses into the
corral without that concession.

So what would that look like? A SB class, of course, and that might be
any of the three possibilities - current AMA, '09 proposed AMA, or
WSB. WSB seems the least likely, given that the Euro OEMs that
obviously prefer that aren't even going to be racing in it. If this is
a one-year truce, then existing rules are most likely, and WSB almost
certain for 2010. But if they want to extend beyond next year, then
the proposed rules move to the front of the line, because they reduce
costs some and Yamaha will most likely want that (as the most
testicularly-challenged Japanese OEM).

Next up is SSport, which all of the Japanese OEMs must want, including
Yamaha. ASB/SStock is likely to be jettisoned, because DMG only has
proposed it as a way to bleed participation off of the hated FSB and
then to fill out the schedule with FSB dropped, and only Suzuki seems
to be supporting retention of SStock, which is logical given their
penetration and success currently.

FX is mostly Honda's baby, and that only stays if DMG concedes DSB,
which seems very unlikely to me. So a reasonable compromise would be
to run DSB under whatever rules DMG wants, also run SSport for the
Japanese OEMs, with supported teams also running in DSB. That leaves
the American and European OEMs out in the cold with their literbikes
if they don't run SB, but they have DSB still. And it gives DMG their
shot at making this class concept work.

I really don't see DMG conceding the dyno/scale limitations in DSB in
order to get the OEMs to run their 600s there, because it really ruins
their concept and it makes running the bigger stuff almost impossible.
And would the OEMs want to showcase their 600s agains 900-1000 twins?
So that route seems unlikely.

The really tough stuff starts to hit when they get to weekend
schedule, purse, television, spec tires, unobtainium, etc. SSport
would obviously have only one race, SB would need to be the feature to
get the OEMs to sign off, but DMG is unlikely to bury their DSB. So
maybe DSB and SB on Saturday and SB, DSB and SSp on Sunday, which is
the same five-race schedule as used now.

SB won't include any of the "approved parts list" stuff, of course,
but spec tires might just be a concession they'd make, particularly if
the partner ends up being Dunlop. SSp is likely the same, although
it's conceivable that a concession on homologated parts might be made,
in part to allow class crossover between SSp and DSB. DSB will have
all that spec racing crap, of course, and DMG may not be willing to
concede anything in order to encourage crossover, which they may not
really want anyway.

My bet is current SB and SSp rules with competitive tires, ASB/SSt and
FX dumped, DSB as already proposed, and doubleheaders for both SB and
DSB, biggest purse in DSB and none in SSp, all pro licenses, one year
only. Then they start all over again...

 

I already heard that there was mumbling about removing the HP cap for
the 600's. So, you're thinking that they'll do this for a SSport clone,
but not DSB?

That will give us Moto-ST, DSB, SSport and SBike?

Honda will be SOL in the 600's (though obviously they did well this year
in SSport), but if they get an '08 or '09 SBike package, and '08/'09
SSport package and DMG get its DSB and ST -- that's sounds like a decent
compromise to me. There's certainly no room at all for an FX in the line
up -- no one wants to see 3 600 classes.

Regards,

Will Hartung

 

What's up with Yamaha America? Did they spend all their marketing money
on Laguna?

 

I especially liked this bit.

--
“We don’t want that,†said American Honda Senior Vice President
Ray Blank, explaining that American Honda had no source for World
Superbikes because there were no factory bikes in World Superbike, that
American Honda had been self-developing Superbikes for years and
couldn’t build anything to World Superbike spec

 

Forgive and forget?!?! Wow, the forget part they've got down pat, the
forgive, who gives a shit?
You're just incredible, or more accurately, uncredible. From everything
I've heard and know it's hard not to believe Blank's anything but a
thief and not just the regular grab it and run creep, a sneak thief,
the absolute worst kind. He (I'm told with Suzuki's help) orchestrated
the theft of Edmundson's property and got him removed from AMA and if
that wasn't bad/low enough, he then openly bragged that Roger couldn't
do anything about it! And to top it all off, as well as being the
really sad part, that left us(the AMA), not Honda/Zuki, holding the bag
when Roger did do something about it. Blank seems to exhibit's a couple
of the same quality's you do, he's a bullshit liar that doesn't care
about real racing, he's (and Honda) are only here to sell their shit
and nothing more and I'm fairly certain that if your boi Bush hadn't
completely sacked our economy DMG would've stood firm on their eat shit
and die attitude, though I'd imagine that's only been put on the back
burner for now..


As far as RRW goes, they are the *only publication* doing anything
beyond reprinting press releases and have become the de facto source of
unbiased Road-Racing info in this country and one only hopes they
someday see fit to branch out to other types of 2 wheeled racing, as CN
continues to wilt. Carruthers and Adams had better be paying attention,
though I imagine it's difficult with their heads so far up OEM's
asses...

 

Translation: If it's not Daytona-related, **** 'em.

Translation: If you aren't for All Things Daytona, you have no
credibility.

Translation: I read somewhere, or I just made it up...

Translation: You call me a liar, I'll call you a liar. Doesn't matter
that I am and you're not. Because I AM a liar.

Translation: Factory racing isn't real racing, it's just marketing.

Translation: DMG is in racing only because they love racers and they
love race fans. (Even though they want racers to race under very
dangerous conditions and they're destroying pretty much everything
that fans go to see.) Making money is only secondary, a mere byproduct
of their selflessness...

Translation: Once the economy gets better they're gonna screw
EVERYONE!

Translation: "Unbiased" means unquestionably pro-Daytona/France/DMG. I
know I used to say I was sceptical about anyone who has a stake in the
action and outcome, but once they started attacking the enemies of
DMG, they became a national treasure again. You know, like when they
used to shamelessly attack the AMA all the time...

Translation: CN has committed the unforgivable sin of actually trying
to view the Japanese OEMs as having any value in racing beyond just
supplying bikes and financing. What the hell are they thinking??