Cycles Real News

I've mentioned this before: In motocross, no rider ever, ever, ever speaks bad about his equipment, because A) he would get killed by his sponsors and B) even if he managed to get the words out in public, he would be called a whiner. But in road racing, which at the MotoGP level is much, much more popular than motocross, where teams have much, much, much more money and time invested, it's okay to say what you want. Last year Valentino Rossi went crazy on Michelin to anyone that would listen. I was shocked at first, but the more I dove into the road race media scene, the more insider info I found. Cycle News printed a whole bunch about exactly why Nicky Hayden's Honda sucked--it was slow, it wasn't designed for a rider his size, etc. How did anyone with a tape recorder ever get someone at Honda to admit their bike had a slow top speed?

Cycle News is a great source for this stuff. On the road racing side, they print drama, intrigue and inside gossip like you wouldn't believe if you're raised on motocross. Can you even imagine a whole column saying "Motocross Racer ____ told us his bike has terrible brakes? Or Motocross Racer ____ told us the team needs to do some more work to get more power--his bike is slow." That ain't gonna' happen!

But Cycle News is trying. The first few issues this year had some pretty deep stuff on supercross and motocross, including how teams are not happy about the possibility of international races on the SX schedule, and Ray Blank from American Honda says he's having a hard time believing in the AMA's whole "races are up for bid" process. This week, NPG honcho John Ayers spoke his side on how the National Promoters Group (NPG) is hoping that they get a chance to prove just how effective an organization they can be this summer, providing they win the AMA bid and get the right to promote the AMA/Toyota Motocross Championships. I don't get too much of the inside information here, because with knowledge comes responsiblity, and I'm not very responsible. But I can tell you that what Ayers said is true. The NPG is under the AMA at the Nationals. Yes, they own the tracks, but most every move is dictated by what the AMA told them. I've been here since 2001, and I've seen the bosses here in my office spend many stressful nights knowing the the races are in the hands of the AMA--sometimes that's good, and sometimes it's bad. This latest up for bid deal is just another in a long line. For the most part it usually works out in the end. I know the people behind the NPG are capable of much more, and I know this because other things that run through this office (GNCC and Loretta's) run very, very smoothly, and with unquestioned success. I think a lot of the industry gets that, too.

I would like to think that all of these big deals are just growing pains for the sport. Whatever does happen, these are exciting times. AMA bids are coming in soon, no one really knows what the AMA wants or what they may decide--it's like the season-ending cliffhanger. And that goes not just for motocross, but for superbike, dirt track and the rest. All of these series may look way different soon, and hopefully way better. Will it have a major impact on the racing on the track? Probably not. But people still like reading about this stuff anyway, because we're all just big fans of the sport, and we all want things to get bigger and better for everyone involved--and bigger and better requires changes. For example, I guarantee you no matter who gets to promote the Nationals in the future, there will be high-speed internet access at the track. That's good for everyone...unless you make Michelin tires for Valentino Rossi. Then you just wish everyone would shut up.