Honda Road Racerhead #51

Welcome to the penultimate Road Racerhead column of the year, in which we’ll capitalize on the dearth of road racing news by commenting on more general developments as we approach the New Year.

With AMA Pro Road Racing in what can only be described as an almost complete state of disarray (Kawasaki today added itself to the list of entities not taking part), much of American fans’ attention will likely be focused on world championship action next year, particularly Grand Prix racing and its four Americans: Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards, Ben Spies, and Moto2’s Kenny Noyes.

That’s right, Kenny Noyes. I know Americans don’t typically get too excited about Grand Prix racing’s support classes, but that’s in large part because there are so rarely Americans taking part. With all the interesting Moto2, however, Kenny’s certain to get some attention next year, as he goes down in history as the first American to take part in the class (hopefully he’ll be joined by others before the opener, but that doesn’t look likely so far). Being based in Spain, Kenny is particularly well-suited for Moto2, as he knows the European road racing world, is close to the tracks, and isn’t spoiled by high salaries.

Kenny’s Promoracing team (on which actor Antonio Banderas is a partner) tested this week at Almeria, working out the kinks on their Harris chassis. His teammate is Spaniard Joan Olive.

As a sidebar on the Moto2 topic, I’ve seen a lot of people calling shots at the new series because times of these prototype bikes at last week’s Valencia test were slower than those of the World Supersport machines. That’s fine, but just keep in mind that the Moto2 bikes are still extremely green, that they’re a long way from nailing down finale setups, and that many of them are running near-stock Honda CBR600RR engines with no electronics. I’m not saying they’ll be faster than their WSS counterparts by the time the two series visit their first common track (World SBK runs at Assen April 25, MotoGP June 26), but I don’t think it’s a given that they won’t be.

It’s a shame that Moto2 won’t run at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, which is at least so far not on the AMA Pro Road Racing schedule. One imagines Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca might be interested in adding Moto2 in the future, though they also have the option of creating their own support race, much as Miller Motorsports Park did this year with the Larry H. Miller Superbike Challenge supporting the World Superbike and World Supersport classes. In the meantime, Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be hosting Moto2’s American debut at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

Speaking of Americans in MotoGP, many are hoping that the series’ upcoming return to a 1,000cc will bode well for American racers. I spoke to Nicky last week (he’s now overseas on a Ducati promotional tour that included a stop in India to open a new dealership), and he can’t wait. Spies has told me he’s looking forward to it as well, and we all know Edwards has absolutely no trouble getting around the track on a big, loose liter bike (here’s hoping electronic rider aids are somehow kept to a minimum, though the max 81mm bore could help in that regard by reducing max revs and making such aids less vital). Between that format and Moto2, Grand Prix racing could well become a lot more comfortable for Yanks in the coming years.

The changes may also help usher in a return to U.S. team involvement. It’s a shame that Kenny Roberts won’t have a Moto2 presence next year, but www.motogpmatters.com spotted a blog this week by Michael Czysz, in which the MotoCzysz founder said, “I believe based on the rules that MotoCzysz could have an extremely competitive 81mm 4 cylinder motorcycle ready for the grid by 2012” (the company’s prototype has a bore of 82mm).

All this talk of Americans in MotoGP reminds me to mention last week’s trivia contest, in which (in light of Spies and Edwards teaming up at Tech3 next year) we asked readers to tell us the last time two American racers were in the same team in MotoGP. This one was surprisingly tricky, and only partially because many people tend to forget that Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins rode together at Rizla Suzuki from 2003 to 2005 for some reason. You see, there was also the 2007 season, during which both Roberts Jr. and his younger brother Kurtis Roberts rode the ill-fated KR212V for their father’s KR team. You might argue that the two never actually rode together at the same race, since Kurtis replaced Kenny partway through the season, but Kurtis actually rode Kenny’s back-up bike for three laps at the Mugello Grand Prix.

Still, we accepted either answer and drew our winners at random from those, and the two MotoGP Matters calendars go to Jevon Pinner of Durham, North Carolina; and Kirk Erlinger of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. (If you’re not a winner, you can still buy a calendar here.

Some other good guesses we received were: John Kocinski and Doug Chandler in 1994 with Cagiva, Wayne Rainey and Kocinski in ’91 with Roberts/Marlboro Yamaha, and Randy Mamola and Mike Baldwin in 1987 with Lucky Strike Yamaha, and Kenny Roberts and Eddie Lawson in 1983 with Marlboro Yamaha.

A ways up, I mentioned Miller Motorsports, which next year will host its annual World Superbike round for the third time, on Memorial Day—that’s right, not just Memorial Day Weekend, but actual Memorial Day. I’ll admit that I was scratching my head when I first saw the schedule, as I couldn’t see much logic in the decision (interestingly, the date is exactly the same as last year’s—May 31—but just a day later in the week). Even holiday weekends can be tough—just ask Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, which has quickly abandoned its July 4 Weekend date after a one-year experiment—and a Monday race seemed even more risky. (Though British Superbike regularly schedules Monday races, and has three scheduled for the 2010 season: the opener at Brands Hatch on April 5—Easter Weekend Monday; Round 3 at Oulton Park on Monday, May 3; and Round 9 at Cadwell Park on Monday, August 30).

However, after a lunch meeting last week last week with Miller Motorsports Park’s Bryan Miller (son of the late Larry H. Miller) and Brian Devir, I can see that the move makes sense. While bringing in fans from out of the area is always important, the key for this event’s success in terms of attendance is to attract fans from nearby Salt Lake City. Fortunately, the people who run MMP know SLC like few others, and for next year, they’re getting serious about drawing its residents out to Toole. They’re pulling down the division between the racetrack and the other properties in their impressive, $3 billion portfolio (it includes the NBA’s Utah Jazz, Minor Leage Baseball’s Salt Lake Bees, radio-station KFAN Sports Radio AM1130, television-station, television-station KJZZ 14, Energy Solutions Arena (home of the Jazz), All-Star Catering, Fanzz sports apparel stores, the Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres, and more. That should open up some huge promotional horsepower for the event.

Now, what about that Monday date? In part due to Utah’s high percentage of Mormons, getting people to attend a motorsports event on a Sunday is a tough ask, because of the strict observance of the Sabbath in the Church of Latter-day Saints (even Larry H. Miller stayed home on Sunday during World SBK’s first visit to MMP last year, though he did eventually show up when his excitement became too big to contain). Granted, a Monday race date would be the kiss of death in most American markets, but there’s not exactly a ton of entertainment competition in the Beehive State (camping will probably be number one on the list that weekend). The date provides the track an opportunity to make a final promotional push through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend, both in town and at the facility. They’ve got some big plans on how to do that.

Miller will host the race at least through 2010, and the bottom line is that the track wants to make it the biggest even in Utah. To do that, they’re going with a fan-focused approach that gives spectators the respect they deserve. It’s nice to see the event being taken so seriously by Bryan, CEO Greg Miller, and their team. I think that despite the fact that Ben Spies is moving on to MotoGP, the strategy will result in the event’s biggest year yet. I also think it’s a great way to honor the memory and legacy of Larry H. Miller, who passed away shortly before this year’s event. For more information, keep an eye on www.sbkusa.com.

Speaking of Spies, he was named Rider of the Year in this week’s issue of Cycle News (good choice, Paul Carruthers and Co.; now get back to training for Boston). Be sure to go here by Sunday to cast your vote for him as Rookie of the Year in Speed’s annual Performance Awards. Other road racers on the ballot include Valentino Rossi for Best Finish, Jorge Lorenzo for Best Comeback, and Spies and Nori Haga for Best Rivalry. (Spies is also up for the Andretti Trophy Performer of the Year award, but that’s voted on by a panel.)

Finally, let’s close this out on a high note, with Yamaha’s video tribute to “King” Kenny Roberts’ exhibition return to the Indy Mile on the incredible Yamaha TZ750 dirt tracker. I was lucky enough to be there (for the return, not the original 1975 race), and I had tears in my eyes; I did again watching this video. I thought Don Emde put it best when he said, “How often is intermission better than the main event?” but then I thought Randy Mamola topped him with, “Imagine this with traction control.”

No, thanks!

And finally, congratulations to my wife, Viviana Pezzera, who today became a doctor when she submitted her dissertation in Italian Literature at UCLA. Hey, someone in the family had to get the brains….