PittRace Crazy for MotoAmerica

The racing was chaotic and crazy at Pittsburgh International Speedway this weekend, with crashes, red flags, and photo-finishes characterizing the championship series in all classes.
Saturday saw questionable conditions on the track due to adverse weather, and when the racing got underway, all bets were off as to who could master the track. In Superbike, Georgia’s own Josh Herrin battled to the front, and held the lead to the checkered against the Texan Garrett Gerloff and South African Mathew Scholtz. This was Herrin’s first win in five years, and the 2013 AMA Superbike champ commented, “I was on the podium when I suddenly realized this was my first Superbike win in five years! That’s a huge deal for me. I just put my head down and went for it.” Points leader Cameron Beaubier and 2017 champ Toni Elias struggled in the wet-to-dry track conditions, coming up 5th and 4th, respectively.

 In Supersport, Frenchman Valentin Debise snatched the Saturday win from Hayden Gillim and Bryce Prince, while class leader JD Beach struggled in the changing conditions, and finished an uncharacteristic 4th, one of the few times he is ever off the podium.
French Canadian and current points leader Alex Dumas took his seventh win of the season in Junior Cup, in a chaotic race that was red-flagged twice due to crashes.
The Twins Cup race was mastered by Jason Madama, taking his third podium of the season, in a near photo-finish run to the flag. Twins had also seen a series of crashes, with a red flag restart as well.
What a day.

 Sunday saw the return of an epic last-lap battle between protagonists Toni Elias and Cameron Beaubier, as the two swapped the lead and some paint until the checkered flag. Elias squeaked out the win by a mere .046 of a second over Beaubier, another definite photo-finish. Elias dedicated his win to the late Brian Drebber, beloved MotoAmerica race announcer, who died tragically on Thursday in a motorcycle accident, on his way to catch a flight to PittRace for the weekend.
JD Beach jumped back to the top of the podium Sunday in Supersport, in yet another red-flag shortened race for the weekend. With a 98-point lead over Hayden Gillim, Valentin Debise, and the rest of the field, and two race rounds to go, Beach looks to sew up the championship at New Jersey September 7-9. After the win, Beach quipped, “I’m not too sure that would have happened if we would have gone the full race distance, but sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.”
Alex Dumas did the double in Junior Cup, after battling Renzo Ferreira until Ferreira crashed out of the race, as did Ashton Yates. Young Dumas holds a 64-point lead in the 300-400cc championship standings.

 Stock 1000 ran on Sunday, and Andrew Lee took his second win of the season, after claiming victory at Sonoma. Again, the class saw red-flags flying, and Lee took the win in yet another shortened sprint to the finish.
Whew, what a wild weekend. Stay tuned for more info on the two remaining rounds, New Jersey and Barber, and make plans now to join Born to Ride at Barber Motorsports Park for the climactic final round of the 2018 season, September 21-23.
Tickets- MotoAmerica.com
Race highlights- BeIN Sports USA on Youtube
Race reports- BorntoRide.com

Rob Brooks

 

2018- The State of American Motorcycling

 

Much has been written and discussed in recent years about the apparent decline of motorcycling in America. Sales have been down over the last decade or so. Baby Boomers are beginning to age out of riding, and yet their children, the Millennials, aren’t flocking into dealerships as previous generations did. Harley Davidson has posted quarterly sales declines for about a year and a half, and most other major brands, domestic and import, have felt the pinch of decreased showroom traffic. Much hand-wringing has ensued as a result, with some bemoaning the future death of our sport- riding replaced with driverless automobiles and highways, Uber and Lyft- style services becoming the norm, and expanded rapid transit forcing motorcycling into some impending extinction.

In the past year, further evidence of motorcycling’s slow slide was said to observed in the sudden death of Victory Motorcycles, an announcement that shocked us all. Polaris’ reasons were actually understandable, as they chose to focus R&D and marketing on the legendary Indian brand. EBR (Erik Buell Racing) shut down operations, again, which was not as surprising. Even MV Augusta, the boutique Italian sportbike brand, has found itself in and out of bankruptcy the past few years. And yet, Triumph has posted record U.S. sales in 2016 and 2017, with the reimagining and reengineering of their Bonneville line. As I’ve stated before, they seem to have their finger on the pulse of the American rider, young and old.

Industry insiders and outsiders agree that more can be done to grow motorcycle riding in America. Robert Pandya started the “Give a Shift” Initiative, a forum to discuss the health and future of the Powersports industry. AMA has been generating dialogue over effectively passing our sport on to the next generations. And the big brands are showing signs of awakening, realizing that slapping some fresh paint and accessories on old models won’t bring in flocks of new riders. New and revived brands are positioning themselves to grab market share, such as Royal Enfield, Hyosung, Ural, Husqvarna, even Janus (built in Goshen, Indiana) among others, all building appealing machines for the next generation.

I’ve given this some thought myself, and would like to offer some suggestions from my observations- for the industry, and for us as passionate riders.

To the Motorcycle Industry:

We are not in the 1980s anymore. Gone are the days of assuming “If you build it, they will come” (apologies to “Field of Dreams”) or “race on Sunday, sell on Monday.” I remember in my youth when everyone from Harley to Honda advertized on TV, in magazines and newspapers, and even on billboards. Just marketing in motorcycle publications won’t cut it- you’re “preaching to the choir” so to speak. Go grab the attention of potential riders, like you used to in decades past.

Build bikes that are approachable, appealing, and affordable to new or returning riders. There’s a reason Indian sells so many Scouts and Scout 60s. They aren’t huge, heavy and intimidating, they aren’t the price of a small car, and they evoke a nostalgia younger generations want to connect with. They are but one example. Harley’s Iron 88 is a big seller, the entire Triumph Bonneville line moves well as do Ducati’s Scrambler models and BMW’s RnineT offerings, not to mention the Japanese “Big Four” with cool, retro-styled bikes, all under 1000cc and many under $10,000. Build more of those, market them, and future generations will walk through your doors.

To the Riders of America:

There are many reasons we ride. We talk about these among ourselves, in our riding groups, and across the moto-media we interact with. But when was the last time we invited someone to visit a local shop or dealership with us? Or attend a bike night or rally event with us? Or volunteered to attend a motorcycle safety course together? A new Lightspeed Data study cited in Powersports Business revealed that in 2017, Millennials comprised 36% of all bike sales, new and used, at an average of $8500 per bike, with Generation X riders not far behind. That is promising, but we must “keep the throttle pinned” by discussing and demonstrating our wonderful world of motorcycling at every opportunity. Millennials will ride, Gen Xers are returning to the fold, and the emerging Gen Z (18-under) can catch the fever as well. Let’s be contagious.
May the future of motorcycling in America be bright.