Factory Teams, thing of the past?
Fri, Apr 02, 2010 - 6:03pm
Does anyone think that other manufacture's will follow Yamaha and cut their factory program, but lend support to several teams? If others follow suit, I think you will see MX/SX start to look like NASCAR. Teams will get support from the factories, but can get outside sponsors and hopefully grow the sport. I just wonder if Yamaha has saved money this year, and how their bike sales have been(common Steve you gotta know)?
Mon, Apr 12, 2010 - 1:38pm
#2
I agree, I think that the Factory teams as we knew knew them are a thing of the past, killed by the modern economy that actually generated them a few decades ago.
Factories will stay deeply involved in racing and strongly present in their "factory-support" teams but the full unit, a la HRC, is not part of the future. It is not needed neither, by none, and especially not by the factories themselves, as we can observe it in the MX World Championships.
Thu, May 06, 2010 - 12:49pm
#3
I think it will also give more riders the opportunity to have a better bike. You won't have that big gap that we do now between a factory bike and a privateer bike. Not that the gap is as big as it used to be in the two-stroke days, but there is still a definate gap.
I think it can only be good for the sport, more outside sponsors and hopefully larger purses and rider salaries. Afterall, these guys are putting their lives on the line for our entertainment. And no, I don't mean larger salaries for guys like Reed and Stewart, I'm talking more money across the board. If you can qualify for a main event, regardless if it's SX or MX, you should be able to make enough money, so that racing is your career not just your hobby.
I wouldn't be surprised if the factory based teams go away, with JGR Yamaha, L&M Yamaha, Yoshimura Suzuki, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, Geico Honda, etc. All these teams have factory support but they take some of the development in house. It should go this way.