Originally Posted by aussiemidgetfan But the question remains and it's one I've asked in Australia many times. Do we really want to sell out the sport and turn it into entertainment (i.e. appeal to the lowest common denominater) or do we want to entertain with the sport? Showmanship is ok as long as you don't modify the sport to force the showmanship. Supercross does all of these things, and USAC has done similar things too-the artificial removal of lapped competitors is the most recent. It doesn't always work either, NASCAR crowds are down despite artifice like the twin row restarts, "lucky dog" and Green White Chequered finishes. Essentially NASCAR has become entertainment at the expense of the sport-the competition is buggered around with by artificial changes to the race order which bring in unfairness that just doesn't exist in unmodified sports.

I don't think they've sold out the sport, I think they've enhanced it and brought it to the people with supercross. Obviously they're doing it right and have done so for years. The racing was great, all they've done is add a festive, fun build up and they keep the show moving along. Truly a PROFESSIONALLY ran show. For my money much better to have only sat for 3 hours to see a whole show with almost no down town. As said before, LARGE amount of kids and also younger people, the types of people we need to rebuild open wheel racings fan base. Another thing that impressed me was how far people came and considered this their "local" race, we talked to people from Tenn. who claimed this as THEIR race. Truly an event that still maintains it's identity as a race.

[767]

Usac's problem is they have no story lines that appeal to the fans. Right now there are no big rivalrys. Weather real or made up. In the past you have 1 or 2 young guys tring to knock the old vet off the top. Now you have a majority of young guys. Its a story line if an older guys wins. Young guys brought money to the sport and the spots for the veteran drivers dried up. When the young guys came into the sport, USAC did a terrible job promoting these guys. Fans do not want to set there and watch a guy win, then say who is that? Check out the new show on history channel called MADHOUSE. Its about Modified drivers in North Carolina (Bowman Gray Stadium). Basically you have some major rivallry there. The place is just about sold out in every show. When those fans walk through the gate, they know who they are routing for. Something lost at tracks these days. When I go to an open wheel race, i see fans wearing a drivers shirt, and they might clap during intro or give a yell in victory lane, but that is it. The hard core fan yelling every lap and yawing with the group next to them is gone. Watch the show, then tell me you did not see that at most short tracks 10-15 years ago. Today you do not see much and if a fight breaks out it is normally over alcohol not cheering for drivers. Create some big rivalrys and see what happens. When did Nascar get popular? Remember Gordon VS Earnheart (spelling). After that big #3 left the track, rateing have dropped ever since. The thing about this rivalry, even if one of these drivers was not your favorite, you still picked a side. This is how you tie entertainment to racing. Going back to supercross you always have a few guys that they turn into the big rivalry. In th Past Stewart vs Reed. Before that Carmicheal vs Stewart. This year its Villapoto vs Dungy (I think). The interductions are awsome. Would not take much for a few short tracks to do something like this. Good way to put the focus on a few top drivers. (KEY word FEW). Not everyone can be in the spotlight.

[Blackduce]

Is all the above why they have TV and we don't?

Lynn

[AERO410SCJA]

You can not Boo drivers in Indiana or you have 3 pages ON HERE saying"HOW CAN ANYONE DISLIKE DAVE DARLAND"

Attendance at that super cross event is like attendance at the Chilly bowl,go to weekly motocross event and the only ones in the stands are friends and family of the riders.

---------- Post added at 02:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:53 PM ----------

Originally Posted by usac fan guess motorcycle riders don't need dri-bars.

[c47]

Originally Posted by AERO410SCJA Attendance at that super cross event is like attendance at the Chilly bowl,go to weekly motocross event and the only ones in the stands are friends and family of the riders.[COLOR="Black"]

very well stated aero.
another point is that supercross is VERY appealing to the gen-x folks.
look at the turnout for any of the x-games, ect.
promoters need to find a way to market their shows to the 16-25 year old crowd.
getting a brand like MONSTER or RED BULL involved would be a huge step in the right direction because they already have that age group targeted and are making tons of money off them.
think about it....how many 16 year olds know what lucas oil is all about? ask the same question about monster or red bull and they will tell you how many cans they drink a day.......

[Charles Nungester]

Uh, could be a bunch of motor heads have CABIN FEVER and need a outlet.

Cincy used to have arenacross and it drew a good crowd (8-10,000) Good racing too for a hockey rink sized track.

Marketing is SUPERCROSS's Key along with a good product they pack em in and probably pay peanuts save maybe top five.

As far as Racing Competitive, NO STOCK 450 is going to touch em. Not even close, Theres probably 30-40 grand more in parts and research on them factory bikes than what you can get off the floor.

Yeah, you can ride mini Bikes as a kid, A ton of us did, You can also run Quarters and Karts. I've seen some guys come straight from the Kart to the Sprinter and do well, One of them almost won LBurg championship last year and I think it was only his second full season.

One big thing with Supercross, Not many rainouts and theres only what? 10-15 a year? Matter of fact, The neatest one I seen was Daytona durring the thunderstorm. One guy actually stood on his bike and jumped up and down on it till it sunk after he went down.

[jdull99]

This year is good proof racing is ok without a couple of the biggest stars. Many concerned with state of affairs in WI midget racing should keep this in mind...Indy race was awesome, even without Reed and Stewart!

Jason Dull
815 494 6002
jdull99@hotmail.com
jasondull.com (For all the Racing News)

[T&A Racing]

Originally Posted by c47 very well stated aero. another point is that supercross is VERY appealing to the gen-x folks. look at the turnout for any of the x-games, ect. promoters need to find a way to market their shows to the 16-25 year old crowd. getting a brand like MONSTER or RED BULL involved would be a huge step in the right direction because they already have that age group targeted and are making tons of money off them. think about it....how many 16 year olds know what lucas oil is all about? ask the same question about monster or red bull and they will tell you how many cans they drink a day.......

I can understand your perception, but I have to respectfully disagree. You are probably very correct but I don't think the gen x is as big of an attendance as you might think. You would be surprised how many people were amateur or semi-professional MXr's in the 70-90's that still follow the sport. They are often a primary reason for the gen X crowd interest. Mom and Dad directly or indirectly influenced them and Mom and Dad pay the bills for there racing and entertainment.

I agree with Aero a lot. However, IMO, I don't put most of Indiana or USAC's sprint and midget racers on the same level as a regular weekend Motocross racers in Indiana which is mostly amateur status riders. The sprint divisions, I consider closer to professional racers or division.

[AERO410SCJA]

You just stayed retired little buddy

I am 46 years old and like Supercross but I'm not a huge fan, in fact I hadn't been in about 10 years. My main point is/was the fact that for BIG events promoters need to step it up a bit. If you're going to have a big money race or special event then make it a SHOW not just a race. It's not hard to get a color guard to carry the flag(s), it's not hard or that expensive to buy a few extra flags to have carried in by the drivers, it's not hard to pump up the moment by playing a song that fires people up. I know most tracks can't do the videos thing BUT they can do a big introduction. Yes we need to get more of the youth out and get them wanting more but you also need to make the long time fans want to come back because they know they've been to something big. If you're going to do it, do it right and that includes running the races on time, with little or no delays. Supercross has 2, count em' 2 classes, I don't need to watch 4-5 classes of cars. Yes I know the promoter is counting on the back gate BUT if he puts on a great show/race then his front gate will pay the bills. How many times have you gone to a "big race" and felt like it was just a normal race, make it special and make it feel like a big event and we will let everyone know how awesome it was.