Dennis Noyes's avatar
Author:
Dennis Noyes
Login For More
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
SPEEDtv.com Store
DVD: David Jefferies Story
The David Jefferies Story is a reminder of the much loved and much missed Yorkshireman.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Man-Made Thunder
The book examines the sport of stock car racing through the eyes and ears of the men behind the wheel and the wrenches.
Our Price: $49.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Unisex Sandwich Cap
Unisex Velcro back hat with SPEED logo on front. PINKS logo embroidered on left and PAO logo on right. One size fits all.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Speedway T-shirt
Men's 6 oz. 100% Cotton Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. SPEED logo imprinted on the front center chest.
Our Price: $24.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Ferrari Red Classic Hat
100% cotton twill. Ferrari shield embroidered on front, piping on the peak and Ferrari logo embroidered on back strap adjuster.
Our Price: $30.00 ($27.00 Member)
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
AMA SBK: Which Way, AMA? Part 4 (With a Correction)
Written by: Dennis Noyes   
01/13/2008
Borrego Springs, CA
 
Yamaha USA's Eric Bostrom (Photo: Brian J Nelson) ยป More Photos

NOTE: In the original text I mistakenly stated that Ducati ran with Michelin in 2005, when in fact they were on Dunlop that year. The text has been corrected by inserting the following two changes in the appropriate places:

Dunlop fought off a serious Michelin challenge in AMA Superbike in 2004 when Eric Bostrom and Neil Hodgson led a Ducati-Michelin attack and have since reconsolidated their total dominance in the series. In fact Ducati won only one race that season with Michelin and switched to Dunlop in 2005. Apologies to Dunlop, whose domination in AMA SBK has been total since Eric Bostrom scored that lone Michelin win at Pikes Peak in 2005.

Although they have competition from Pirelli in other classes, Dunlop has not been beaten in AMA Superbike since Pikes Peak 2004 when Bostrom won aboard a Michelin-shod Ducati.

DN

Today we look at one of the most contentious issues in motorcycle road racing. The imposition of a single-tire system in World Superbike, announced in July of 2003, so angered the four Japanese manufactures that the MSMA ordered their members to pull out of the series in 2004. Three years later in the fall of 2007, the threat of a single-tire rule in MotoGP divided the Grand Prix paddock into two angry bands. And now, after the surprising decision by the MCRCB (promoters of the British Superbike Championship) to appoint Pirelli as single-tire supplier for the next three seasons, there is talk that the AMA is discussing the possibility of inviting tire companies to bid for exclusive rights in the future.

As is usually the case, there are strong differences of opinion with factory teams deploring the idea and some satellite teams, both currently on Dunlops and on Pirellis, supporting it, although officially the AMA has never acknowledged that such a thing is even contemplated.

This is one of the matters that will be decided only after the AMA finally selects a new promoter for their professional roadracing property. The catastrophic arguments against control tire racing that caused a crisis of confidence in the future of World Superbike have been disproved, and the successful implementation of the system in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship shows that Pirelli's experience in controlling equitable tire distribution, perfected in World Superbike, is relatively easy to apply to a national series. But there is not only strong opposition to a single-tire system among top AMA teams, there are also contracts between some of these teams and Dunlop that could make any attempt to oblige the use of tires by another manufacturer very complicated legally.

Nowadays
the only promoter-organizers of professional roadracing championships anywhere in the world that are not at least considering a single-tire rule are those who have already made the change from an open tire war scenario to a control tire arrangement. And if you look at automobile racing, starting with quarter mile dirt track and going all the way up to Formula 1, you will find that, from the Hoosiers on WoO sprint cars to the Bridgestones on F1 cars, tire choice is not about brand but about "soft, medium or hard."

Some observers believe that in the near future all major motorsports championships will be run under single-tire rules while others believe that one of the principal underlying reasons for motorcycle racing in the development of new tire technology (the counter argument is that such work can be done by development teams working at private test facilities).

One of the best arguments for keeping tire wars alive was made to me by Dunlop Motorcycle Racing Manager Dave Watkins, the man responsible for design and development of racing tires: "There is really no better way to develop new compounds and concepts for road tires than in racing. You can have a development team with professional riders testing, but the riders won't run to the true limits unless they are racing and you can't ask an employee to take such risks. Tire companies need to compete in order to improve the product that we sell."

However, in order to stay in the racing game under open regulations a tire manufacturer has to be competitive, something that Dunlop have not been able to do in MotoGP. Having now lost, at least for 2008, their MotoGP development window, the venerable Anglo-Japanese brand have also been voted of the island in their 'home' British Superbike championship.

This means that Dunlop will now be concentrating even more on the AMA and Spanish championships -- the AMA series because of the output of the bikes, perhaps reaching 220 horse power like WSBK machines, and Spain because the circuits are excellent and safe, unlike the majority of the AMA venues and because Michelin still back top teams against the Dunlop teams there (Dunlop won in 2007, but Michelin riders were second and third, and Dunlop Spain is about to contract the team, Laglisse Yamaha, that gave Michelin their best results last season).

I remember both Dave Watkins and Jeremy Ferguson, Manager of International Motorsports for Dunlop since 1985, telling me that they would do all they could to avoid losing the bidding for the British Superbike series. Now they will fight even harder to keep their place in the remaining top Superbike championship.
Page 1 of 8
Next Page »
1 2 3 > Last »