We are to lose our coverage of BSB in favour of ....Nascar

[feejer222]

Nascar and speeway are to take over the Sky TV slot that our beloved British Superbikes have filled so well for years. The commentary was done by an excellent team of ex-racers who were knowledgable and accurate.

Our terrestrial station ITV4 will cover the BSB. They have had limited coverage for the last few years. It seemed that they went out of their way to find obscure people to commentate on it with next to no knowledge of what was going on. James Cracknel is the pit-lane guy (you know him....the ex-olympic rower). His commentary is funny if nothing else with one gaff after another.

Oh well. I certainly wont be watching Nascar. Maybe we will have to go out on the FJR a bit more than usual eh?

 

[uctofeej]

C'mon now, it's not so bad. There are advantags to having NASCAR. For example: I attended an Indy Racing League event in Atlanta Motor Speedway. Many NASCAR fans were on hand and they *all* kept pointing the proper direction as the cars passed by.

Maybe someday the superbikers will figure out NASCAR's simple formula for success and apply it so their ratings will skyrocket, too.

 

[twowheelnut]

As I keep pointing out time and time again, NASCAR sells and motorbike racing doesn't. What, a broadcaster is not supposed to make money?

 

[GunMD]

Next thing you know they'll be taking away your guns.

Oh, wait....

Never mind.

 

[uctofeej]

As I keep pointing out time and time again, NASCAR sells and motorbike racing doesn't. What, a broadcaster is not supposed to make money?

The stock-car boys just have a connection with the fan base that two-wheelers don't, at least not yet. The Hayden family is giving the motorbike racing crowd a bit of NASCAR. Kentucky accent, good ol' boys. Now if they could just run some moonshine...

 

[mdisher]

As I keep pointing out time and time again, NASCAR sells and motorbike racing doesn't. What, a broadcaster is not supposed to make money?

The stock-car boys just have a connection with the fan base that two-wheelers don't, at least not yet. The Hayden family is giving the motorbike racing crowd a bit of NASCAR. Kentucky accent, good ol' boys. Now if they could just run some moonshine...

Exactly... the average red-neck blue collar guy can relate to most of NASCAR's popular figures... Will be interesting to see this year with all the new blood in the sport.

Most fans can't pronounce most of the two-wheel riders names, or understand a word they say.

NASCAR, like Microsoft proves day in and day out, it's about marketing, not product quality.

 

[twowheelnut]

Exactly... the average red-neck blue collar guy can relate to most of NASCAR's popular figures...

Hey! Who you callin' 'red neck', boy?

 

[FZ/FJR Mike]

Boy? I know you said Roy!!!!!!!!!

 

[uctofeej]

Hey! Who you callin' 'red neck', boy? tongue.gif

Boy? I know you said Roy!!!!!!!!!

[Archie Bunker]

Aw, geez, Edith. Da NASCAR bumpkins are at it again.

[/Archie Bunker]

 

[feejer222]

A brand new circuit was built in the UK called Rockingham. It was aimed at kick starting Nascar style car racing championship over here. A huge oval with bankings and some flat un-interesting infield options. I believe the American Nascar championship even came here and did a round.

They ran a couple of rounds of the BSB there and the championship leader (Steve Hislop RIP), slid off and into one of the concrete walls and broke his ankle with only 1 race to go. He lost the championship because of the bad design that 'brand new purpose built' circuit.

Rockingham went into liquidation about 3 years ago and does not feature in any race programe that I know of now.

ROCKINGHAM

My point? Wouldn't you think the TV people would learn from that and recognise that we know absoloutley nothing about Nascar and I for one am not remotely interested in watching cars go round and round an oval. Sorry if I upset any Nascar fans but.....It looks pretty crap to me, but then so does any form of motor sport after watching bikes.

 

[uctofeej]

NASCAR might be able to improve motorcycle racing. NASCAR has plans -- they may have already started in some place -- to set up races to compete against AMA. They perceive AMA is blowing their chance to improve the sport with a bunch of stupid rules, so they want into the game. (I think I read this in Sport Rider mag a few months ago.) If that's true, having NASCAR in your backyard may not be a bad thing in the long run.

If they can make bike racing profitable -- and who knows how to do that better than them? -- they'll surely want to tackle the European market sooner rather than later.

 

[twowheelnut]

Hey! Who you callin' 'red neck', boy? tongue.gif

Boy? I know you said Roy!!!!!!!!!

[Archie Bunker]

Aw, geez, Edith. Da NASCAR bumpkins are at it again.

[/Archie Bunker]

Stifle it, Meathead.

NASCAR is spreading out for sure. I believe they have or had a bid in for NHRA, which as you know, has a division for motorcycles, too.

 

[donaldb]

NASCAR'S entry into 2 wheel racing will undoubtably require:

1. Carborator engines

2. Restrictor plates

3. Soft walls

4. Goodyear tyres

5. Whiney crybaby riders, ie. Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson want-a-be's

6. Bike sponsorships by: Crown Royal and Jim Beam

7. 70,000 Drunk fans leaving the facility on busa's

And...............best of all: Announced by Jr. Johnson and Darryl Waltrip! :blink:

 

[mdisher]

NASCAR'S entry into 2 wheel racing will undoubtably require:
3. Soft walls (or bigger landing areas)

5. Whiney crybaby riders, ie. Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson want-a-be's

6. Bike sponsorships by: Crown Royal and Jim Beam

7. 70,000 Drunk fans leaving the facility on busa's

Quite honestly that list isn't all that different from any SuperBike, AMA, or any other race I've been too. Nascar sponsers are probably more diverse than those in MotoGP. Each have their share of whiny drivers and lame announcers. Each includes a boat load of lit up fans. I don't think the Busa will be a requirement. Both leagues have changed tracks for more safety.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big NASCAR fan, but I don't really see any differences in the list you made

 

[feejer222]

Update. ITV who only started showing BSB 2 years ago are also pulling out, which leaves us with occasional showings on Eurosport, usually 2 weeks behind the event and with 2nd rate commentators.

LINK

 

[squeezer]

NASCAR might be able to improve motorcycle racing. NASCAR has plans -- they may have already started in some place -- to set up races to compete against AMA. They perceive AMA is blowing their chance to improve the sport with a bunch of stupid rules, so they want into the game. (I think I read this in Sport Rider mag a few months ago.) If that's true, having NASCAR in your backyard may not be a bad thing in the long run.
If they can make bike racing profitable -- and who knows how to do that better than them? -- they'll surely want to tackle the European market sooner rather than later.

I think that Moto-ST endurance racing series last summer was a NASCAR gig. So they've already started.

But seriously, feejer222, if you want to get out ahead of the curve and apply the NASCAR racing model to bike racing in Europe before they do, here's what you do:

Get a bunch of low tech, steel tube frames and stick a carbureted engine in them. Then run them in circles for 2 or 3 hours. Yeah, the bikes will be slower than they need to be, but if you use a spec tire that is not quite up to the task you can still have a few good crashes. That's important. Otherwise, people will say the race was boring.

Now, this first 2 or 3 hours is really just an attrition/qualifying run but do it anyway because you can sell a lot of hotdogs at that track and show commercials on TV. After that time's up, you pretty much bring everything to a halt. You take everyone who hasn't broken or fallen a lap behind, line them up again, and then run them in circles for a 10 to 20 mile sprint race to determine the winner.

Hell, who wouldn't want to watch that 30 weekends a year? In fact, I think I'll put my FJR on Cycletrader now. I know I'll be busy! :clapping:

Oh... oops... almost forgot: Make sure you put some headlight shaped stickers on the front of the fairing. That way the fans won't notice that they're all the same bike.

 

[kiteman11]

Gotta say......Hearing many of these comments, many of you have no clue as to what racing is all about. You make fun of racing you don't understand. I have been involved in road racing,drag racing,

circle track/ stock car racing, and motorcycle road racing. No real racers complain about other forms of motorsport. Real racers just look at each version of the product and understand that it's all about speed,courage,teamwork,money, and raw ability. Nascar racing, just as F1,Indy,SCCA,ALMS,AMA,WKA,etc. is a fantastic product that involves real racers. Just try to understand what the sport is, respect that it's different from what you prefer, and know that Nascar probably influences what ever racing series you prefer. Don't be so ******* pretentious.

 

[squeezer]

Oh, take your chill pill. If we didn't tease each other about sports, they'd lose half their point. I'm a Cubs fan. We rag on White Sox fans. Then they rag on us. Then we buy each other a beer.

 

[Bluebullet]

Yeah watching Nascar is just as exciting as watching Golf, and Poker