Went to the 200 last night

[webman]

WOW, what a dissappiontment. No real big names,teams,cool bikes and the only excitment was the race to the first pit stop. Just a LONG mostly boring supersport race. But the thing that was really earatating was that every minute 2 hours before the race the PA system was blaring about the
"Prestigeus running of the 69th Daytona 200" Like this race was still the most watched and important race in the world.
Without Superbikes anymore this race means nothing...

[banda]

I realized this morning that I had missed it on TV. I haven't missed a Daytona 200 in a decade. For a moment, I was upset - then I looked at the results and saw that there were only two guys in the whole race whose faces I might remember from previous seasons. I didn't feel so bad after that.

[thatkindasux]

i was there, thought it was a wera event tbh.


<no offense>

[Old Thumper]

Originally Posted by webman

No real big names,teams,cool bikes ...

And you didn't know this going in ?

Originally Posted by webman

...every minute 2 hours before the race the PA system was blaring about the "Prestigeus running of the 69th Daytona 200"

Same thing here in NH every June. They still have a race at NHMS called the "Loudon Classic".
It has literally been just another club race since the AMA stopped coming in 2002. The local TV station covers the "Big Race" and you can see there are maybe 50 people in the stands.

[RxRC]

Originally Posted by webman

WOW, what a dissappiontment. No real big names,teams,cool bikes and the only excitment was the race to the first pit stop. Just a LONG mostly boring supersport race. But the thing that was really earatating was that every minute 2 hours before the race the PA system was blaring about the
"Prestigeus running of the 69th Daytona 200" Like this race was still the most watched and important race in the world.
Without Superbikes anymore this race means nothing...

This forum is undulating wildly with Daytona excitement! Can you hear it?

[tonys10]

I caught the last 10 laps Friday night, pretty lame. Looked more like a winter testing session than a race. 49 degrees....that's the kind of weather I want to race in.....NOT. So it looks like all the motorcycle racing was done by Friday night???? Whatever happened to Saturday and Sunday racing?????? They may as well just compress all of the AMA racing into a couple of consecutive Tuesday nights between 11pm and 4 am and get the season done with before Easter....then that will give nascrap plenty of time in post production to make it all shiny and sparkly and have no content and show the races periodically whenever a Nascar race gets rained out or finishes early.

I remember when Daytona was a bit get together at a motorcycle hangout on a Sunday afternoon...no longer. Does anyone know what the logic is behind running everything during the week?

[Old Thumper]

Originally Posted by tonys10

Does anyone know what the logic is behind running everything during the week?

Ever seen a race that is run on Monday because Sunday was rained out? Typically only a handfull of spectators, and no TV coverage. Saturday was always Supercross day - no roadracing. Moving the finals to Friday gave them Sunday as a contingency plan in case Friday is rained out. Actually a good move IMO
I went in '92 & '94 and both times we were flying home on Monday, so if Sunday had been a rainout I would have been screwed.
BTW - Daytona is one of the tracks where AMA never raced in the rain in the last 20 years or so. Not sure about earlier years.

[Teufelhund]

Old Thumper is lying! 50 people in the stands for the Loudon Classic would be a record breaking attendance.

[BC999S]

Originally Posted by tonys10

Does anyone know what the logic is behind running everything during the week?

There is no logic involved - its being run by DMG.

They changed to a Saturday race a few years ago due to, as someone mentioned, a couple of Sunday rain-outs. And it was a good idea.

Night racing is a crap idea. Again, my opinion only.

I didn't watch the race. First time I've ever missed it. There's nothing to see.

Nothing against the guys racing now but to win the Daytona 200 these days and get your name in the same book with Scott Russell, DuHamel, Mladin, Lawson, Schwantz, and company is just wrong.

I did see the American Superbike race, though. 24 entrants. Run on a different course than the 200. Deservedly won by Zemke. I think it should be re-named the GSXR Cup as, except for Pegram and a couple of Yamahas, that's what made up the field.

Final comment: How does Greg White stay employed?

[Old Thumper]

Originally Posted by Teufelhund

Old Thumper is lying! 50 people in the stands for the Loudon Classic would be a record breaking attendance.

I said MAYBE 50

[SifuGR]

at least they didn't have a pace car causing incidents...
(like last year)...
There was enough carnage at the start to start up a new MC Junkyard!

And then, on the reStart........

Worst Jump start ever, and not penalized... If you saw it, don't say who it was, but if you didn't see it, Guess who could have clearly rolled the box and gotten away with it?
!!!