2008 Red Bud AMA National
Karoline and I decided to once again travel to Red Bud for the 2008 AMA National Motocross despite my complaints from last year. Complaints that we not resolved. As with last year, the PA system is useless. Drunken young guys with megaphones that wander up and ask your wife to show there tits. In fact the drunkeness has taken on a whole new persona.
This year it was $35.00 each to get in and $20.00 to park on the back side of the track. (Big mistake!) Getting out the place was a 3 hour ordeal. As per the new AMA, seeing riders, bikes is a pay for deal. No pit access or viewing anywhere unless you dropped another $20.00 per person for the three hour tour.
They once again brought out vintage riders and it was awesome to see Mike Harwig included. Unfortunately they were no where to be found before or after their run around the track. Its time the promoter took at look at what Yamaha has done with roadracings Weekend of Champions and bring these guys out to the crowd. You would think some of the fixes to these problems were rocket science, and yet are not. It's 2008 and we are still waiting for someone with a clue to step up and take an almost awesome event and and finish the job so we can come out for the weekend and really enjoy the whole deal.
As far as the racing. Ya that's what we endured all of this stupidity for.
The track was as always, perfect. Red Bud is simply an awesome layout that offers the ultimate motocross challenge! the track is well prepared and sits within an awesome setting.
James "Bubba" Stewart is the absolute no question KING of the Mountain. He has no peer, everyone else is chasing him and they are a long ways back. Unbelievable rider!
You have to give props to Mike Alessi who despite some early stumbles in his career, has stepped up to the plate and he brings his game every time he is on the track. So much so that he is the hole shot king this year and he does give Bubba someone to race for the first five or six laps of every race. You do get the impression that Bubba is just playing around because mid moto he just takes off and is on his own with Alessi holding down second and everyone else a long, long ways back fighting for third, forth and fifth.
Mike had a massive crash in the second moto (CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO) Amazingly he survived and was interviewed on Speed TV saying he will be back on the track in a couple of weeks. Absolutely amazing that he was not killed. Get well Mike!
One thing that I have to say is that Bubba is the true racer. He is well matured now and his riding is just super smooth. Now if a little real competition comes along, we'll see how well he handles the pressure. Again, if that ever happens during his tenure in the sport. Super nice kid who deserves everything hes gained in his short career. Thumbs up Bubba!
In the Lites class Ryan Villapoto is the carbon copy of Stewart and simply leaves everyone in his wake. Here's hoping that he can challenge Stewart next year when he hits the 450 class. He definitely has the nads and the skill.
Cannard is trying hard to step up and he has the potential, the right attitude and the team. If he can continue to improve , he'll be there. Jason Lawrence proved that being stupid can and will get you banned from the sport. Not sure what he did but an AMA press release said he is banned for the year for something he did in the Buchanan area. And this is the Supercross Lites West Champion. DOH.
Josh Grant and Nick Wey to other enigmas. Should be fast, they are kind of fast (when they feel like being fast), well actually when compared to Alessi and Stewart, they are just another rider in the pack. Tim Ferry is probably the third best rider in the class. Old man Ferry is fast enough tocome from behind in most of the races and beatall but Alessi and Stewart.
Josh Hill. Looked like he had the stuff, maybe not. Dungey, not on par with Villapoto or Cannard, Nico Izzy gets most improved award. Now if the Michigander can just work on his speed...... Maybe the Michigan Mafia will have another championship rider. Andrew Short, another guy who has it, then he doesn't and you kind of forget about him.
One thing that really needs to happen across AMA racing is an incentive based payout from the factories to the podium. There are to many guys who don't give it their all when they get massive up front contracts. Incentive based contracts with minimum salaries would change that problem.
So the question is whether or not we can tolerate another commercial filled, NO PA, crap parking situation next year. The racing is top notch, Red Bud is in the top 5 of the best motocross tracks in America. Hopefully Davey Coombs and Racer X can resolve some of the downsides to attending the race..
Once again, overall we had a good time. But along with many others, there are things that a track of this caliber needs to do! (and I repeat the complaints from last year) .
(1). The PA system SUCKS! it's useless! The fact that the PA only covers the infield area make it impossible to know what is going on at other parts of the track.
This is an AMA problem.
(1). As with Stupidcross we now get the in your face advertising. Constant reminders about sunglasses, energy drinks (which in reality are not good for people who race and they only real goal is to get your kids hooked on caffeine). It's getting old and after a while it makes you want to NOT BUY products from these companies. The idiot marketers can't seem to find a reasonable ground that makes sense and makes you want to support them.
(2). What about a autographs. Are you kidding. That is just about out of the question. First you have to get a pit pass. Riders are completely out of view the entire day. The pit viewing is from 9:00 AM - 11:00. The cost is $20.00 per person. The line to get a pass was miles long and still miles long at 10:00 AM.
To top it off there were specific times the riders signed.
I realize now how awesome, how cool it was in the old days where rubbing shoulders with say Joel Robert or Roger DeCoster was. Them days are long gone.
T. Shirts were 25 dollars. Now I have some experience here having produced a few shirts in my time and 25 dollars is insane. Another way to price families out of the event.
To get into the event we paid $35.00 each, another $20.00 to park on the backside of the track. When you throw in gas, food and hotel this is an expensive weekend for two. I feel for the families of 3 or more.
One thing is for sure. Someone is milking the shit out of our pocketbooks at these races. Either the riders (all of them) are getting a backdoor kickback or they are just plain stupid. Carmichael's winning purse was 3 grand. And the privateers, they get little, while I'm sure Monster was piling in the dough.
The racing was great, the BS fee's suck as do the constant media BS.
Oh ya and for those of you in Michigan hoping to see Supercross next year.... To bad we no longer have one.As well the awesome Supermoto round at Waterford Hills is gone. Neither event will be replaced in our area and Supermoto has all but landed on its face. Good job by the AMA and the promoters.
We are off to MPR Raceway for a day of karting and next weekend the AMA Supermoto (NOT) comes back to Michigan.
