1down5up
03-06-2009, 03:40 PM
Weeks before the US Round of the World Superbike championship at Miller Motorsports Park, all the photojournalists covering the AMA "Superbike" races at Infineon asked each other, "Are you going to World Superbike at Miller?" For those fortunate enough to be accredited, the "World Supers" at Miller is quickly becoming one of the most enjoyable and rewarding events to cover on the motorcycle calendar.
Why? Well, for starters, Miller Motorsports Park is arguably one of the finest roadracing facilities in North America. With a first class track designed by Alan Wilson, that the riders love to ride, superb garages and media accommodations, and a professional, well-managed staff, what's not to like? The Miller facility gets better every year, and with some actual grass growing now in the alkaline Utah soil, prettier every year, too. The photographers greet each other during the ritual Friday pit lane session with smiles and good vibes. Everyone's excited; World Superbike has come to town... and the pit lane is abuzz:
"Have you seen the new Aprilia? Wow! It's gorgeous ..."
"Yeah, it sure is, but Shakey Byrne's Ducati 1198 is beautiful too."
"Check out the garage for the BMWs. Classic Teutonic approach to everything"
"Hacking's Kawi is stunning."
It's not explicitly articulated, but it's something everyone knows: World Superbike is cool.
But there's something else, too, that contributes to why everyone loves this series so much. World Superbike has class, it has atmosphere, and it has a distinctly European sensibility. The fact that it is promoted by an Italian organization, and many of the teams are based in Italy, means that World Superbike brings with it a panache that most production Superbike series can only dream of.
I don't know anyone who follows motorcycle roadracing that doesn't love World Superbike.
Everything is on a higher level, and done with loads of style, in the way that only the Italians can bring to doing something. The bikes and their liveries are more beautiful, the riders leathers and helmets more spectacular, the girls more stunning.
The racing format, with production Superbikes using unleaded fuel and a spec tire, an exciting three-stage Superpole for qualifying, and the premier class running not one, but two races on Sunday, just flat works. I don't know anyone who follows motorcycle roadracing that doesn't love World Superbike.
The racing, as anyone who follows 'Soup knows, is fantastic. Unlike MotoGP, where there is typically one dominant rider at any given round, you never know what is going to happen at a World Superbike race. Ben Spies, who has taken the series by storm, with seven consecutive poles and five victories, may win one race convincingly, only to suffer an unpredictable mechanical DNF in the other race. Nitro Nori Haga, who could have been renamed "Mr Consistency" this season, crashed out of the race Monza after a bird hit him in the shoulder at top speed. Riders like Max Neukirchner, Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam, and sometimes, even Jakob Smrz, can throw a wrench completely into the works. The racers are friendly with each other off the track, too. While the level of competition is very high during the races, Nori Haga recently made a sushi dinner for Ben Spies, his biggest competition, after a race weekend.
All the way down the field, riders are tradin' paint, banging fairings, and generally having a grand time racing each other. This is a series where you can have four riders running abreast into a corner at Monza, someone backing it in to that crazy fast turn one at Philip Island, or making that incredible, unbelievable pass that Spies made as Assen.
Motorcycle roadracing just doesn't get any better than this.
MotoGP may have the big money, the big name riders, and the Grand Prix cachet, but World Superbike gets you screaming at the telly.
ENDS
with better racing and and track time and with bike anyone can own and ride i think wsbk wins the battle of the championships
what do you think ?????????
Why? Well, for starters, Miller Motorsports Park is arguably one of the finest roadracing facilities in North America. With a first class track designed by Alan Wilson, that the riders love to ride, superb garages and media accommodations, and a professional, well-managed staff, what's not to like? The Miller facility gets better every year, and with some actual grass growing now in the alkaline Utah soil, prettier every year, too. The photographers greet each other during the ritual Friday pit lane session with smiles and good vibes. Everyone's excited; World Superbike has come to town... and the pit lane is abuzz:
"Have you seen the new Aprilia? Wow! It's gorgeous ..."
"Yeah, it sure is, but Shakey Byrne's Ducati 1198 is beautiful too."
"Check out the garage for the BMWs. Classic Teutonic approach to everything"
"Hacking's Kawi is stunning."
It's not explicitly articulated, but it's something everyone knows: World Superbike is cool.
But there's something else, too, that contributes to why everyone loves this series so much. World Superbike has class, it has atmosphere, and it has a distinctly European sensibility. The fact that it is promoted by an Italian organization, and many of the teams are based in Italy, means that World Superbike brings with it a panache that most production Superbike series can only dream of.
I don't know anyone who follows motorcycle roadracing that doesn't love World Superbike.
Everything is on a higher level, and done with loads of style, in the way that only the Italians can bring to doing something. The bikes and their liveries are more beautiful, the riders leathers and helmets more spectacular, the girls more stunning.
The racing format, with production Superbikes using unleaded fuel and a spec tire, an exciting three-stage Superpole for qualifying, and the premier class running not one, but two races on Sunday, just flat works. I don't know anyone who follows motorcycle roadracing that doesn't love World Superbike.
The racing, as anyone who follows 'Soup knows, is fantastic. Unlike MotoGP, where there is typically one dominant rider at any given round, you never know what is going to happen at a World Superbike race. Ben Spies, who has taken the series by storm, with seven consecutive poles and five victories, may win one race convincingly, only to suffer an unpredictable mechanical DNF in the other race. Nitro Nori Haga, who could have been renamed "Mr Consistency" this season, crashed out of the race Monza after a bird hit him in the shoulder at top speed. Riders like Max Neukirchner, Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam, and sometimes, even Jakob Smrz, can throw a wrench completely into the works. The racers are friendly with each other off the track, too. While the level of competition is very high during the races, Nori Haga recently made a sushi dinner for Ben Spies, his biggest competition, after a race weekend.
All the way down the field, riders are tradin' paint, banging fairings, and generally having a grand time racing each other. This is a series where you can have four riders running abreast into a corner at Monza, someone backing it in to that crazy fast turn one at Philip Island, or making that incredible, unbelievable pass that Spies made as Assen.
Motorcycle roadracing just doesn't get any better than this.
MotoGP may have the big money, the big name riders, and the Grand Prix cachet, but World Superbike gets you screaming at the telly.
ENDS
with better racing and and track time and with bike anyone can own and ride i think wsbk wins the battle of the championships
what do you think ?????????