Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

From a letter sent to SPEED TV personality Greg White and copied to Roadracingworld.com, via e-mail:

We just finished arguably one of the biggest MC weekends of the year. And the best “2-Wheel Tuesday” has for us is a MotoGP 125 race and Euro motocross?

Is Speed actually TRYING to drive viewership down here? Hey, if it’s gonna be “All NASCAR, all the time,” fine. But have the decency to drop your broadcast rights altogether so that some broadcaster who actually GETS it, and understands the consumer dollars we as a community represent, can step to the fore and give us what we want.

That would be relatively complete (and occasionally LIVE) coverage of *ALL* facets of the sport. Understanding that light T&A appeals to many not very well, compared to good camera angles and knowledgeable commentary and a willingness to properly pronounce riders’ names. (Miguel _who_?)

Dispiritedly yours,

Peter Lindquist
Mill Valley, California



And now, more reader e-mails related to SPEED coverage of motorcycle road racing:

I totally agree with Peter Lindquist of California regarding Two-Wheel Tuesday’s coverage of this past weekend’s racing events.

That show has gone from something I looked forward to every week (last year) to something I could care less about. I will watch “Bike Week,” and once that segment is over Two Wheel Tuesday is over for me.

I think the 4 people on the planet that gave a rat’s ass about MotoGP 125 could have suffered through any of the Laguna Seca races with the rest of the racing planet.

The new format is working great, Greg; along with the Umbrella Girls why don’t you eat hot wings, and drink beer on the show?

Bill Taylor
Orlando, Florida



I was satisfied with the Laguna coverage–not ecstatic, but content. I felt the races that were aired were well prepared although it disappoints me that the other races were not broadcast. I’m not sure why they don’t run the races at a later time slot allowing myself and a majority of other fans to tape/Tivo the events. This way we are not interrupting the precious NASCAR coverage which is run so often I’m surprised their fans aren’t sick of it. I guess if I did spend billions on securing the TV rights to the NASCAR series I would want to run them every chance I could.

My suggestion is, NASCAR needs its own channel, this way Speed would be free to broadcast the remainder of the other forms of racing including our motorcycle coverage. My other suggestion involves mounting huge plastic slabs to the motorcycle bodywork enabling sponsors to broadly display their home cleaners/detergents/wares to a captive audience.

I’m still waiting for the re-air of the AMA Road America Races. Even though I was there, and I set the Tivo for all covered races, I ended up with only half the events. I was hoping to catch them on the following TWT but instead I had to watch the ’84 KFC 500 NASCAR race.

I hope that Speed will listen to our concerns and make the correct adjustments to the programming line-up. One day a week guys, that’s all we need (this excludes the live weekend events). I’m sure there is enough two-wheel coverage to fill a day. How about showing reruns of the Daytona AMA events? How about presenting the motorcycle coverage in a format that will attract more people to the sport and potential sponsors? How about more events like the Nicky Hayden-Michael Andretti swap? Except do this with a NASCAR personality, I know Kyle Petty has his cross country ride for charity, there must be other drivers out there? Do most people realize the excitement of the sport? Motorcycle racers, myself included, do not a have a sixty point roll bar protecting our bodies nor do we have crumple zones or foam filled gas tanks. Motorcycle racing is still just as pure as the day it was started. I feel the audience is out there and it is up to us to make Speed aware of our existence. If you pay for something and you’re not happy with the product, you complain, last time I checked my cable bill, Speed was included in the price.

Ben Clauss
CCS MW #174
Chicago, Illinois




After watching this weekend’s WSB races at Laguna, my wife (a UK native) would have to say that it’s almost worthless watching them. (Let me mention I thought I had died and gone to heaven while in the UK, being able to watch the whole frickin’ race live AND uninterrupted). They cut to commercials at such frequency that it’s more of a highlight race coverage show. Then, after you’ve come back to live action, they don’t even show you what you missed. This would be more understandable during a “live” situation but even race #2 that was on at 9:00 p.m. was the same. I think I’m gonna tape ’em (& check Roadracing World for results) from now on so I don’t have to sit thru commercial after commercial. It might relieve some of the maddening frustration from my life. Boycott Speed…I say! Let our voices be heard! Why don’t they sell the coverage to someone who gives a damn?

Darick Pash
CMRA #123
Abilene, Texas

(Editorial Note: Those commercials you don’t want them to run pay for what coverage motorcycle racing does get on TV.)




Reading Mr. Anastasiou’s email about SpeedTV’s coverage of the weekend, I have to say I couldn’t agree more.

First I want to say that the coverage that did make it to air was very good; Sadowski and Polen were great with their information. They did show AMA Superbike on Saturday which was also great. Showing Superstock is an iffy proposition since it is basically 98%-one brand of motorcycle with two Kawasakis included. What I can’t understand is for the past two years, by far, the closest Championship in AMA road racing has been Formula Xtreme–with the points Championship race coming down to the very last race: Whoever leads the final round has been crowned Champion.

Furthermore, if you look at what sportbikes are bought in the U.S. market they are made up of two main groups: 600s and 1000s. I can’t imagine the ‘race on sunday sell on monday’ expression counts for anything else better than it does for these bikes. There aren’t a bunch of RRs, GSXRs, and R1s all over the landscape just because. You mean to tell me the factories involved couldn’t shell out a little bit of money to have their bikes displayed during these events as well?

Showing the Supersport races seems to be a given to Speed, Superbike is shown because it is the top level of racing which is fine, too, but how is it not a given to show the FX races as they are:

1) streetbike based so folks can cheer on thier own brand just like Supersport
2) they are basically all privateers but with a very high level of ridership-many just off Superbike level talent
3) it is very tight racing just like Supersport so you can have passes and drama throughout the race
4) if you want to build a fan base based on riders, this class has the pilots that WILL end up on Superbikes in the near future. Not to mention Hopper’s ascent from FX to GPs.

Except for only a chosen grand few (Mat, Miguel) every young gun in AMA (plus Nicky Hayden) has cut his teeth in FX racing when it came time to test his big horsepower talents.

It seem to me that Speed is really taking a “take what we give you” attitude with motorcycle racing coverage and its fans, knowing there is no other outlet to get race coverage. I am not a fan of NASCAR but I respect the coverage it gets, but I wonder if those viewers have to put up with the constant commercials about racing that isn’t NASCAR the way bike fans do? I also wonder, like Mr. Anastasiou, how Speed TV can complain about ratings for repeats of bike races and NOT show races they cover and do not show even remotely close to the dates of the races. We will see the entire FX season some time in the fall and winter when it doesnt really matter. Related to repeats, Speed explains how their showing repeats of races during the day and night on Tuesdays have very low viewership (I watch because I work nights) but I wonder what the numbers are for these pitiful 1984 Daytona 500 race programs they show for 2 to 4 hours during those same afternoons before they show bikes? It can’t be any better…can it?

Patrick Lawrence
NESBA #508
Alexandria, Virginia



I’d like to add another comment on SPEED’s motorcycle racing coverage.

Alex Anastasiou lamented that the AMA Superbike race wasn’t aired on Sunday. In SPEED’s defense, that race was aired on Saturday.

But I have to agree with Mr. Anastasiou that SPEED could have put more action on the air. They’ve whined that race repeats don’t get any ratings, justifiably so. Yet they show repeats of other shows when there’s prefectly good racing to be seen for the first time.

I haven’t seen a Superstock race since Daytona. Superstock is even more competitive than Supersport and is often the best action of the weekend. This latest race came down to the last turn on the last lap, with a margin 0.028 seconds. I’d bet that race would have had me on the edge of the couch from the green flag to the checkers. Why do I have to read about it on the internet? Why not get these races on the air?

Kevin Daniels
McDonough, Georgia





Can tough-guy motorcycle racers cry any more about not getting to see every race known to motorcycling?

I’m a racer, and I love to watch racing on TV. In addition I am also smart enough to know that motorcycles make a huge sucking noise in the bank accounts of speed executives, and I am happy to have what they give us. Maybe all this bellyaching would be better directed towards getting Xanadu back in the theaters…the chances of getting what they want are about the same.

As long as Speed shows anything, it is better than nothing.

Mark Novak
Houston, Texas



First let me say that I am not a racer, but I am a rider and I have followed bike coverage since before Code and Winters stepped up to bring motorcycle racing to television. I have followed Seals and Fedorek and Burks and all the other entrepreneurs that have struggled to give us motorcycle TV.

Unfortunately it is all about money. It’s about the cameraman that works 2 days a week trying to support a family, it’s about a Producer that has hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in equipment to produce the programing. It’s about the programing executive that answers to a higher authority. It’s about the manufacturers that have to build “Da Bomb” every new season, just to stay in the game. Money, money, money!

Indeed, it would be nice for Suzuki or Honda or any of the others to sponsor coverage of a race with no commercial interruptions. But then, what would they get for their money?

One other thing, the comments about the broadcast team were interesting. I find Drebber’s excited delivery both genuine and knowledgeable. Sadoski may have been a pain in the behind to some within the racing community at one time, but as a broadcaster he is head and shoulders above most “experts” that are foisted on the viewing public. The commentary from Polen was interesting for a short while, but he mumbled into the microphone, denigrated the rest of his broadcast team and he stepped on the lines of Sadowski and Drebber numerous times. I for one would have been happy if he had kept his participation to the usual two minutes reserved for great veterans. I don’t work in television, I just watch it.

Thanks to everyone at Roadracing World for the great work in bringing us racing journalism.

Lloyd Horton
Atlanta, Georgia



What is Speed TV’s motive ? Is this their way of trying to let us down easy? These are questions that I continue to ask myself and others, and nobody seems to have the answers. Quite frankly, I am appalled at Speed TV’s actions over the recent months, as I am sure are many others. I can specifically remember Speed TV having representatives showing up to the Laguna Seca World Superbike races to ask for our (Race Fans) support in getting our local cable stations to provide access to Speed. There’s no doubt that this generated phone calls & letters which helped influence many cable stations into signing contracts with Speed. So I ask you, did Speed just use us to help expand their network into what it is today?

I understand that Speed is in business to make a profit and they may see a larger return from NASCAR sponsors through advertisement, but it seems like there should be plenty of viewing time for both. If Speed TV chooses to reduce their motorcycle coverage to a minimum, than I would ask that they relinquish their rights to these events & go about their business. Better yet, maybe AMA and WSB need to step in & terminate their contracts with Speed & sign a contract with a station that is interested in promoting our sport.

Craig Ayers
AFM #106
Lodi, California


MOTO X from Italy! A 125cc race that happened a month ago! This is what Speed calls new programming? Please tell me we are in some kind of time warp. I understand they do not want to have re-airs, but when they air the races most people want to see it is when most people are at work.

It was the biggest weekend for U.S. road racing and they show programs from a month ago? Where did the Supersport race go? Where did the Formula X race go? Does Speed really think that their viewers want to see a bunch of foreign riders that even the most avid of enthusiast hardly know about?

Greg White is doing a fantastic job with Greg’s garage–it is great concept–but how can they make such a huge mistake with the programming they have decided to put on the air?

This was a huge blunder on the part of Speed’s programming director.

Michael Elias
Mid-Atlantic #195
Freehold, New Jersey