Peoria Reflection

There are a few strands to this post.

1. The proposed AMA rule changes for 2016 and my personal thoughts on them.

2. Yesterday's thrilling race in Peoria. 

3. A comment Sideburn reader Randon left overnight. 

First the rule changes. You can read more here and here, but in the briefest terms, AMA Pro Racing (the governing body of dirt track's Grand National Championship) is stopping the GNC1 class (the Experts as they were called) from racing 450 singles, instead making them race their twin-cylinder bikes at all tracks including short tracks and TTs. There are lots of differing opinions on this, but read the comments in the links above and leave more here if you want to debate. I am loving reading the comments and opposing thoughts on this. 

Yesterday's race was the last Peoria TT contested by 450 GNC1 bikes for, as Wiles very cleverly put it, at least one year. It was a great race to end an era with. 

Now Randon's comment, cut and pasted... 

A while back you said the Peoria TT was a "shit motocross race." 
I can't disagree more. You have it absolutely backwards. Motocross is a shit Peoria TT. 
Today was evidence of that. Watching Mees chase Wiles for 25 laps was an absolute pleasure. I will always cherish knowing I was there. I love you. I have each issue on my shelf, except Sideburn #1. You have done a lot to promote flat track world wide, but I have been pissed about this since you said it.

Yesterday, I (Gary, Sideburn editor) watched six hours of Peoria coverage on a window smaller than a postcard on a computer screen. You can believe me when I say I'm a big fan of all the modern racing and I'm not looking at it through rose-coloured glasses because I wasn't watching the racing when Aldana et al were involved. However, I like to think I know a bit about the sport and the characters involved. I didn't need telling it was a big deal Coolbeth didn't make the main. I knew it was poignant that one racer who normally runs 7 chose 69 instead. I knew that when the cameras were concentrating on race at the front that it was almost equally important to the season-long battle that Bryan Smith finished 11th. I know all that, because I try and watch every race if I can. But flat track needs more than people like me. It needs people who don't know a single thing about flat track to turn up or tune in to their local race. 

I wasn't at the race yesterday but a few things stuck out. Chris Carr (who knows a bit about Peoria and the sport in general) repeatedly commented that this was the closest race Wiles had ever had in 11 straight wins at Peoria. So, it was a good one. 

Secondly, the crowd looked a bit thin and, just from the glimpses I got, mainly of an older generation. I have no problem with an older generation and their money is as good for the sport as anyone's but it's indicative a withering, ageing fanbase.

The entry for the expert class was very small. In 2010, 47 riders posted times in Expert (GNC1 qualifying). In 2015, 26 GNC riders posted a qualifying time. Are 450 DTX bikes bringing more money or riders into the sport? From that scrap of evidence, you'd have to say no. So, if that's the case perhaps you try something else. Right? If the entries aren't healthy, concentrate on something that brings more money and interest to the cream of riders (like MotoGP does), rather than trying to make it a democratic sport lots of people can enter. The grassroots will do that and the cream will rise to the top. 

Now, my comment about Peoria being a crappy MX race. This is not my take on the race, but my clumsy attempt at describing what the person on the street, the non-expert sees. It was headline-grabbing to stir thought and emotion. It worked in Randon's case.

Look back at my posts and I've never doubted the quality of DTX racing, but this ISN'T about racing. This is about marketing the sport to secure its future. This is about USPs (unique selling points) and, of course, there are are forgettable twin races sometimes. 

There are too many sports and pastimes all looking for spectator and sponsor dollars. Show a photo or clip of Henry Wiles going over the Peoria jump to anyone and it looks like MX. No one can argue that. It has NO USP. Randon, you are an expert, you can see the nuance and detail. But to survive, AMA Pro Racing has decided to stop worrying about the fans it has now and chase the fans and sponsors it doesn't currently have. Running twins at Peoria is not going to lose any current fans or spectators, but it has the chance to attract a lot more simply because it will be unique. Of course, this will only happen if it can get the message out and market itself well.

Also, I want to add that the Peoria club and the racers do a great job to put on a race and even though there were some crashes, the hold-ups and injuries were minimal, thanks to air fences etc. People who love the sport respond with emotion when they read their favourite race called a crappy MX race, but I still believe AMA Pro Racing are looking at (or at least for) the bigger picture and revolutions always put someone's nose out of joint. 

Please feel free to leave a comment on this. If, for whatever reason, you can't leave a comment and really want to, you can email us dirt @ sideburnmagazine.com and I'll cut and paste your email into the comments section. G