Re: Odds 'n' ends, part II
- From: Mark N <menusbaum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:58:30 -0700
Mark N wrote:
Mark N wrote:
Well, a week has passed since the last rounds, and not much has
happened.
Then there was the DMG announcement at Laguna yesterday, which ended up mostly just being about the schedule. It includes everyone from this year, so one can infer from that there will be no MIC series next year and there will be a compromise with the OEMs that will keep them in it.
Another week, and total silence. The logic of this sordid affair suggest
this is a good sign, as if things were falling apart again it would be
all over the press. Edmondson promised details on various things in the
next week or so, so if we're in the same position a week from now, it
starts to look not so good.
The week ends, and still nothing. Even RRW's Ulrich has stopped posting his caustic attacks on Honda's Blank, the last one now 12 days ago. The only news I've seen was Abrams' column in CN this week, talking about the Laguna press conference. That column was typically (and rightfully) critical of Edmondson, but it did include a few new additions to the very incomplete picture:
- No dyno for Daytona SB, "which may be rebranded 'Formula USA', a reminder of another failed series".
- Genuine SB (FSB for now) is back, which everyone pretty much knew had to be part of any package that the factories would underwrite.
- There are/were two class packages being discussed, one with FSB, ASB, DSB and Sportbike. FSB may use any of the rules packages previously bandied about.
- The second has only one literbike class, which is what the Japanese factories favor, but SB would be dumbed down, the mentioned stock components required being forks and swing arms, and no alternate gear ratios. And stock pistons and con rods, and Abrams echoes the BSB experiences on that.
- He makes it sound like electronics may have to be stock as well, which creates issues when bikes like the 1098R are allowed into the class (that bike including a race kit as part of the stock package).
- The suggestion is that Sportbike will be limited to riders from age 16 to 21, and the notion seems to be something like a Red Bull Rookies graduate program.
Based on this thin gruel, one can assume there is still a fight over the SB concept, the Japanese factories wanting a real SB class and no competing 1000cc class (basically the scheduled AMA '09 changes), while DMG would seem to want either a notably dumbed-down SB or the addition of ASB. This may be because they still don't believe in a prototype-like SB class, or maybe it has to do with commitments made to Ducati, maybe Yamaha, maybe KTM, for a simpler, cheaper literbike class.
And Sportbike seems ill-conceived, unless Rog has some sponsor out there to foot the bill. Otherwise it's just too restricted, it should be open to anyone who has insufficient experience to be considered a pro capable of competing in FSB or DSB, and what does age have to do with that?
And then there's DSB, where the removal of the dyno creates real issues. No idea what they do with that, where that one goes, and that's Rog's centerpiece, scheduled to go off under the lights in March, five months away.
One hopes that these guys are on the phones on a daily basis, hammering out the basic concept and then the critical details. But given the total silence, maybe Rog decided to jump on his Harley and go on another vacation instead...
.
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