Kawasaki has just announced that it will be leaving the AMA Pro Racing series. Citing the economy as it core reason for leaving the American racing series, Kawasaki says it hopes to return to road racing when the economic conditions in the United States allow the company to do so. For the DMG & AMA, this is the second manufacturer that has withdrawn from the now beleaguered racing series, and just a continuation of the momentum that has become AMA Pro Racing’s downward spiral.
Kawasaki’s move is another black-eye for the DMG which has seen the series’s biggest star, Mat Mladin, leave under its watch, along with three manufacturers who will not be returning for the 2010 season (Honda, Buell, and now Kawasaki). Buell of course has ceased to exist as a manufacturer, and Honda and Kawasaki have both left under the auspices of the economy, with links to the DMG’s management of AMA Pro Racing occurring only in side-room chatter.
With prize many greatly reduced for the 2010 season, leaving privateers virtually no incentive to race other than for the pure love of the sport, and with Yamaha recently booted out of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship Series, which is also run by the DMG’s Colin Fraser, this latest news prompts us to officially start the Death Watch on when the AMA will finally give DMG the axe, and begin rebuilding what’s left of American road racing.
Happy Birthday Jesus, sorry your American motorcycle racing is so lame.
Kawasaki’s Press Release:
KAWASAKI MOTORS CORP., U.S.A. SUSPENDS ROAD RACING FOR 2010 SEASON
IRVINE, Calif. (Dec. 18, 2009) ? Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. announced the company will not participate in the AMA Pro Racing road racing series in 2010.
“While we’ve always considered road racing an integral part of our sportbike development process, the realities of the current economic situation dictate the temporary suspension of our U.S. road racing activities,” said Bruce Stjernstrom, marketing director.
Kawasaki’s long history of successful road racing includes 20 AMA series championships. Among the many champions who have worn the Kawasaki lime green racing leathers are Reg Pridmore, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Miguel Duhamel, Scott Russell, Doug Chandler, Eric Bostrom and more recently Tommy Hayden and Roger Hayden.
“We expect to see eventual improvements in the general economic condition and Kawasaki will reevaluate its road racing position as we monitor those issues,” said Stjernstrom.
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RT @Asphalt_Rubber: BREAKING: Kawasaki Quits AMA Pro Racing – http://bit.ly/552rPI #motorcycle <– This is not good. First Honda, now Kawi.
In nature, when the forest becomes too lush, too dense, and overgrown with too much growth & deviation, something amazing happens: lightning strikes, causing fire & destruction, which cleanses all the overgrowth & weak growth. This leaves a nearly clean slate for the strongest of flora to return to it’s vigor, and let the strongest survive & thrive. This is what is happening to the AMA, to our economy, and eventually, to mankind. I just hope the AMA can shed this diseased bark (DMG) before it dies from it. Then EVERYTHING will be privateer/amateur racing (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). Mankind has a little ways to go yet.
Joseph Schumpeter had a similar theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction)
BREAKING: Kawasaki Quits AMA Pro Racing http://bit.ly/8JbaF8
The Daytona race has been in a downward spiral for several years, with spotty TV broadcasting, and then this years race with wacky rules and strange classes. Even the advertising in Cycle World was bad, it was hard to find the channel and time slots; which should’ve been in bold letters at the top. Duh. Pity that Kawasaki is leaving. They’ve been an excellent host at Sears Point (Infineon), and clearly spent a lot of money in so doing. All the rules changes (800cc or 1,000cc?….Twin or Four?) have left the casual watcher confused and with the sport ill-defined. Compound this with confusion between World Superbike and F1, and you’ve got a situation not unlike when Indy Car split into the IRL and the Champ Series. Both parts lost, Champ Car disappeared, and not IRL drivers are bailing for NASCAR, with Danica being the latest. These motorsports need to condense a bit. Too diverse for the viewing public.
BREAKING: Kawasaki Quits AMA Pro Racing: Harley-Davidson is issuing a recall on its 2009 & 2010 touring lin.. http://bit.ly/4TgwFe
RT @Asphalt_Rubber BREAKING: Kawasaki Quits AMA Pro Racing – http://bit.ly/552rPI #motorcycle
BREAKING: Kawasaki Quits AMA Pro Racing – http://bit.ly/552rPI #motorcycle
This may be what DMG wants. If they can get rid of all the factory teams they can create a series based around private teams. They can pay start money instead of prize money to build grids, dick with the rules to create parity, use homologated parts lists so everyone has equal access, and hopefully end up with close racing. I don’t think it will work, mind you, but they can try.
If they had live coverage with a reliable TV partner showing (artificially) close racing, DMG and the teams might have a better chance to attract sponsors, or DMG could twist some Grand Am arms to help out. Ideally, the result would be a show every Sunday afternoon with a bunch of pretty bikes (who care who makes them or how big the motors are?) running in tight formation with lots of passing. This is a show that is easier to sell to non-motorcyclist race fans. You don’t need to be a fan of a particular manufacturer or engine configuration to enjoy the shiny two-wheelers banging fairings on the back straight at Road Atlanta.
And that is what DMG has been chasing since they took over from the AMA, the non-motorcyclist race fan. They don’t give a shit if all of us moto-geeks watch anymore, hence the delayed Saturday time slot night boondoggle and trying to create classes based on performance instead of engine size. There aren’t enough of us for them to make real money and they’d probably be happy if we all shut up and went away. Then they could create their equalized class to sell to the masses. The big manufacturers won’t be on board with that because it doesn’t guarantee them the exposure they want, so from DMG’s point of view losing the factory Kawasaki and Honda teams is actually a step in the right direction.
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: BREAKING: Kawasaki Quits AMA Pro Racing – http://bit.ly/552rPI #motorcycle