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Written by:
Kevin Krefting
06/25/2007 - 07:00 PM
West Union, IA
Michael Jordan (Photo: Brian J Nelson) » More Photos
Four years into his run as an AMA Superbike Championship team owner, legendary sportsman Michael Jordan finally emerged from the protection of private suites to meet with the series' press corps. In doing so, the Michael Jordan Motorsports team boss proved himself to be more than just a well-heeled owner/fan as might be suspected, but rather an involved and informed owner with very strong opinions concerning the sport and the direction he would like to see it go.
Hyperbole is next to impossible when describing a man who is literally one of the most famous figures on the planet. So exactly how did he end up becoming an AMA Superbike paddock regular in the first place?
Jordan explained that his initial foray into the sport was more by accident than anything. "Actually, I grew up riding dirt bikes but I had no ambition of getting into any kind of racing. Although I grew up watching NASCAR quite a bit, I never saw that as a business opportunity for me. I kind of got into this whole thing by mistake. I was riding on the streets one time and ran into a couple of friends and we started riding together. One of them had aspirations of riding in the AMA and he was such a good friend, I thought at least I could sponsor him and give him his dream and an opportunity to succeed. And once I got a taste of it, I was hooked.
"To say that I woke up one day and said I was going to get into the motorsports? No, it wasn't that way. It was kind of by mistake and I'm glad that I've gotten into this because I truly, truly enjoy the sport."
As the shine of just being involved has worn off, however, Jordan admits that the somewhat insular nature of top-level motorcycle racing has proven frustrating at times as he's worked hard to take his team towards his ultimate goal of winning Superbike titles.
He explained, "I always thought it was going to be difficult, but then again, I didn't think it was going to be this difficult. I'm starting to understand some of the political aspects within the sport -- the factories and the privateers and why there is such a difference. Obviously it's about the parts and about
"It's a different business. In my world of sports, if you've got the talent, you can compete. It's not about Nike or whoever giving you a pair of shoes; if you can play, you can play. This game here, it's about who can give you the most equipment that can allow you to at least have a better bike, and then up to that point it's about the riders and we have great riders.
"Our riders have probably made our bikes more competitive, along with Gemini and everybody, so that we can compete with the factory teams. Not on a consistent basis, obviously, because they are who they are and they've got a lot of tricks up there sleeves, and a lot of things they can do that we can't, but I don't think it's about the money. It's about being able to actually purchase and get the parts."
Jordan is not the only one who would like to see a more competitive and unpredictable Superbike series and the AMA is taking steps towards that vision by revising the regulations for 2009. With Superstock being eliminated and Superbike rules becoming more restrictive -- essentially an amalgamation of the two, the playing field could potentially be leveled considerably for factory, satellite, and private teams alike.
"Great -- I support that 100%," Jordan said of the upcoming rule changes. "Now guys like me, privateers, have a better chance of competing with the factories. It forces the factories to get in the same category with everybody else in the business. They'll probably have the better riders -- I'm pretty sure they can spend the money on getting the Mat Mladins, the Ben Spies, but that doesn't mean a Jake Holden shouldn't compete with them on certain things. I think it's great."
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