Lets look at some indicators. The motorcycle market is continuing its 14-year trend of sales growth. For the fourth-consecutive year, more than one million new units were sold in 2006.
This is important for two reasons. Bike sales drive marketing budgets for the motorcycle makers, and these sales fund racing programs as a key element of their marketing mix. Also with U.S. motorcycling becoming more generally accepted, greater numbers of Americans have become more pre-disposed to watch or attend a motorcycle race, as evidenced by the growing popularity of Supercross over the past few years.
Many older U.S. roadracing facilities have updated their racetracks to be better suited for motorcycle racing. In a previous era, the largest event at these tracks was their CART race (now Champ Car and IRL), which produced much of the annual operating budget and profit for the facility. In current times, the largest (and most profitable) event at these pure roadrace courses is likely to be their Superbike event.
Additionally in the last few years, a couple of new, state-of-the-art, world-class roadrace facilities have been built. Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL and Miller Motorsports Park outside of Salt Lake City have racetracks and facilities that are on par with the best in the world.
In recent months, Indianapolis Motor Speedway has announced it’s desire to host a MotoGP event, which given the gravity in the motorsports universe that IMS has, a 2008 motorcycle race here could in fact be the tipping point for motorcycle roadracing in the U.S.
But, there’s more. This past weekend, Barber Motorsports announced that they were exploring the possibility of hosting a World Superbike event at their facility in 2008. If the Indy and Barber races come to be, the U.S. will be home to three rounds of world championship motorcycle racing.
Prior to the 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, MotoGP had not visited the U.S. since 1994. And while World Superbike enjoyed a great run of successful events (at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca), this championship has not visited the U.S. since 2004. This convergence of market forces and events may help motorcycle racing turn that corner to general awareness and acceptance that we have been long waiting for.
May 17, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Good points. It kind of makes you wonder what will happen with Miller Motorsports Park. It is potentially the biggest and best track in the United States, and will surely bring great WBSK/MotoGP racing if an event was ever held there. I felt there was some great AMA racing last year there. Hopefully that’s just the beginning.
Cheers.
May 18, 2007 at 1:10 am
Agree, but in addition to great racing, Miller has to draw a great crowd. The event has to be profitable for the facility, and I don’t think it can be profitable there now. The “if you build it they will come” strategy will not work in a market as remote as Salt Lake. There has to be some very creative promoting and packages to draw the crowd in from other markets.
Indy and Barber are surrounded by some of the strongest motorcycle populations in the country. We’ll see some record breaking crowds there, and hopefully some great racing.
May 28, 2007 at 5:32 am
Why It Matters…
The argument that NASCAR was legitimized by racing at the Brickyard has merit but how much it really influenced the rise NASCAR is a bit hard to quantify. I have watched NASCAR races off and on over the past 30 years and it was a lot more interesting in the old days when the race cars were based on production cars and racers settled their differences in the pit. Since the change to “spec” cars and the courting of big-money sponsors the whole thing has gotten too homogenized. It doesn’t matter what manufacturer’s name is on the car, they are all the same cars with different paint jobs. The sponsors keep a tight leash and muzzle on the drivers and crew so the emotional element of winning or losing is gone. This will be NASCAR’s undoing. According to published reports attendance at races and TV viewership is down 10% this year. High fuel prices may account for attendance declines but not for viewership.
This brings up another interesting argument regarding sponsorship. In motorcycle racing the motorcycles are production-based bikes or manufacturer purpose-built race bikes. The manufacturers have a vested interest in being competitive. The old adage “what wins on Sunday sells on Monday” still applies. Even purpose built MotoGP bikes are a test bed for future technology that trickles down to the production bikes within a few years.
Since NASCAR went to spec cars 20+ years ago fans know the make & model on the track has not one nut or bolt in common with the model on the showroom floor This was pointed out in an editorial in either Road and Track or Car Driver a few years ago. The editorial had to do with manufacturers, GM, Ford and Chrysler, questioning their continued support of NASCAR because they were not seeing any increases in sales despite the sponsorship, tie ins and promotions.
The notion you “can” buy what you see on the racetrack is a strong marketing tool and promotes brand loyalty and this is what makes motorcycle road racing different. Trying to impose the NASCAR model on motorcycle road racing is a bad idea. If you think about it a NASCAR is a fast aerodynamic billboard. The heart and soul (competition between manufacturers and personalities of the drivers) left the sport years ago.
How to promote MotoGP and motorcycle road racing in the US. Well, since Speedvision was high-jacked by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation in 2001 with the intent of making the channel a 24-hour NASCAR network most other forms of motorsports have paid the price. What happened to World Rally? Isle of Man TT coverage? Why do I have to watch road races at noon on Tuesday or at 2AM on Wednesday? If sponsors are worried about the popularity of DVRs they should ask the broadcasters why they can’t air the races in a reasonable time slot.
The irony is Speed TV doesn’t even air the NASCAR races!
Maybe it is time for a motorcycle channel. Maybe one of the ESPN channels would pick up the races or at least broadcast the feeds from around the world. Maybe the feeds could be routed to the internet and let iTunes handle the distribution and subscription fees instead of a different memberships to each race series.
Getting the racers involved would go a long way in building the kind of grassroots approach that I feel is needed. Promotions and appearances at motorcycle dealerships, motorcycle shows, track days and availability at the racetrack to sign autographs would go far in hooking fans. Another great idea tried at Barber Motorsports Park a few years ago as well as in Europe is to have a race bike set up for a passenger. Take the local media out for a ride behind a retired or current racer and let them see what it is all about. The two-up bike is great for charity fund raisers too.
Motorcycle road racing is exciting and competitive and if it could get the right exposure it would grow. No rain delays because they race in the rain which means more predictability for live broadcasts. Multiple 45 minute races for easy packaging for delayed broadcast or to purchase as a download. I wish you the best in getting a MotoGP race at Indy. I will be first in line for tickets.
July 8, 2007 at 7:49 pm
I have been a fan of motorcycle roadracing for many years. I first became hooked on this sport when I attended the 1976 National Championship AMA races at Loudon here in NH. Back then the races were held at Bryer Motorsports Park. What a spectacle! The racing was exciting, athletic, daring and amazing. NH had a long history of hosting the Laconia / Loudon motorcycle week and fans came from all over the east. It was great. Bryer was bought by the Bahres and was turned into NH International Speedway, an oval surrounded by concrete walls and specializing in stock car racing. Barhre loves the cars and now has a couple of NASCAR races, but the high quality motorcycle racing is history because the track is not adequate for the top level of motorcycle roadracing. If Bahre had a mind to do it , NHIS could create a state of the art motorcycle roadracing track (which would be great for sports cars). There is plenty of real estate. I would like to see the roadracing part of the track expand away from the concrete encased oval using the natural topography of the property and allowing fans more access. The sad thing is NHIS a perfect location for this kind of racing and could be a model for the sport, but the Bahres would have to want this. I think a big opportunity is being missed.
July 12, 2007 at 12:22 am
I raced at the old Bryer in AMA Nationals in the mid-to-late ’80s. While horribly rough, the layout was fantastic and it drew great crowds.
I saw bikes go into the lake and the rowdy fans throw matches at the split gas tank of a crashed bike (Miles Baldwin’s 500, I think). It had character and was just a complete-repave and a-few-moved-walls away from being a top notch circuit.
The new circuit has none of this character and the safety is very poor. It is a shame. It would be hard to reclaim the days of the old Laconia.
November 15, 2007 at 4:41 am
Viewership numbers, sponsors, advertising dollars it was not always the center of the race conversation or fan-base equation. It was about the racing, the machines, the personalities and if you were into it, you were really INTO it. Roger DeCoster, Malcolm Smith, Kenny Roberts, and a long list to follow up to Ben Bostrom Nicky, Valentino, and the new MotoGP World Champion, Casey Stoner. America can make or break these personalities regardless of what their skill or winning records are on the track.
ALL those who are into 2-wheeled motor sport, either as an enthusiast or a business, have to work hard to create the ground swell of interest in racing and motorcycling at the local level. One rider at a time. We can not wait for money to fall out of the boardrooms of the likely suspects that sponsor these events to pay to promote it. The buzz has to start on the streets first. Then maybe . . .
The fact that DUCATI has won the 2007 Championship, and the historic Indianapolis MotoGP is 10-months away, the climate and ramp-up time is perfect for every dealer (non-Ducati as well) to educate their customers on what this is – World Class Motorcycle Racing – here in Middle-America.
It may not change the US culture overnight but, with more Americans buying bikes and more of these consumers expanding their horizon beyond the tiresome remake models of American rebellion nostalgia, motorcycling has great potential to draw fans first, avid followers, then a possible tipping point in the cultural and perception of motorcycles.
Ideally, through all of this momentum created around racing, there can be an elevated awareness in the importance of skills development and safety required to be a motorcyclist. With a heightened appreciation for the sport and those who are expert at it, I believe that could only help everyone and probably save a few lives in the process since 40+ males are doubling their fatality rate in the last 2 years. Another thread but, related.
Overlay on top of that, continued rising fuel costs, there could be more Americans who may ‘slowly’ consider choosing 2-wheels for transport not just sport, recreation, or to convey their rebel statement. This will be a slow transition, but I see a few more little bikes, commuting around Boston than before. I like that a lot.
Finally, motorcycling in Europe, the birthplace for todays’ premier class MotoGP racing, was founded as a cornerstone of their society and culture. Racing brought people together. The WWII post-war trauma in Europe of no fuel, no factories, and a shattered society was the convergence of social, economic, and transportation need like no other in history. And, compared to America, the 2-wheeled transport and the motorcycle was seen, used, and integrated into European culture in a way that became a social center, a community activity, and a shared sport of nations.
America’s courtship with 2-wheels during the same period was reserved for rebels, outcast, outlaws, or law enforcement. It is no surprise that 50-years later, we are wondering why more people, and more companies are not embracing motorcycling racing as a mainstream sport and social activity where they would want to put money behind it. Those executives drive cars to work – not motorcycles. Another clue, more decision maker executives who love motorcycles well, just follow the money. Remember Forbes and the attention he brought to the sport – not for winning but, for loving it, living it, and spending a lot to tell about it and do it. Michael Jordon, Jay Leno . . . who else can we enlist in the cause?
We respect, I offer anyone in screen-shot reach of this post, an invite to the Inaugural Indianapolis MotoGP in September 2008. Details at http://www.VivaDUCATI.com. best regards. John M. Rossi.
March 12, 2008 at 3:05 pm
While I am not a marketer or promotions expert, I do have opinion on the subject. First, The new DMG deal will realign all broadcasting platforms by the 2010. The current deals with Speed TV will either be renegotiated or cancelled and moved.
Here’s the “If I were DMG” deal I would make: I’d go staight to ABC/ESPN and make the deal to broadcast all racing live with re-broadcast in mid-week. Speed has lost it’s core motorcycle enthusiast because they have no continuity in broadcast of their motorcycle racing content. ABC/ESPN can split the core content between three broadcast networks just like they broadcast the X Games. DMG may sell off (or lease) series rights for the series that they may not want to have daily control over, but it would be foolish not to bargin TV rights as a package deal of some type. Because some series will not have the same audience participation as others (Superbike vs Flat Track for expample) the contracts for broadcast can be very flexible. The draw, however, is the Superbike series and if marketed like the Sprint/Nationwide series you could easily use up a weekend of broadcast time covering the different disciplines without repeating anything.
So, what’s next? Track promotions. You gotta fill the seats in order to get real TV coverage. DMG will help the individual track promotors with this because they will have the marketing skills needed for such a task. It will take time. My guess- 2010 will see the first of many changes in TV coverage. I suspect that Live Nation will renegotiate with DMG this year to head off any problems and the Supercross/Arenacross series will get better time slots for TV in the process. Flat Track will be run by the IMDA (rumors, but credible) and there will need to be good funding. Working with DMG, IMDA will re-build the fan base, add tracks and be in fine shape by the 2010 season. If they land a TV deal you will see the attendance grow and the sport will enjoy a resurgence. The Moto ST series will merge into the AMA Superbike series and will get a new name. On the bright side, ST will become the endurance series that everyone wants to see because it already has great racer participation. Question is: how do you broadcast an endurance race? I’d suspect with a highlight type of show.
There are many aspects that have to be addressed in broadcasting, but the most important aspect is finding a suitable partner. Fox/SpeedTV has become NASCAR TV. Fine. VS doen’t have enough market share to grow the sport fast enough. You could go to a cable network and hope for the best, but in the end ABC/ESPN would be the best overall deal because exposure is not an issue with them. Audience will be, but that can be overcome.
April 18, 2008 at 12:42 am
Hey Hardcard,
Since DMG is intent on killing off AMA roadracing (I mean, who’s going to pay to watch horsepower-restricted motorcycle racing?), where’s your proposal to the manufacturers to start a new series that factories & spectators will continue to support?
April 25, 2008 at 2:13 pm
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Apr/080424-0912sa.htm
Oppurtunity knocking. Anyone home?