…that there was a round of the Australian Superbike Championship on this weekend? Come on, there must be at least one of you.
Chances are that, unless you are associated with a team or someone who rides in it, of are a member of the ASBK group on Facebook, you wouldn’t have even known. I know that Channel 7 broadcast the V8 races but I don’t know, because I don’t watch the telecasts, if they showed the bikes as well, but the chances are, they didn’t.
The apparent invisibility of what is Australia’s premier domestic racing series is cause for great concern. Most enthusiasts will know that the MotoGp and the WSBK are held at PI in March and October, but I wonder how many know what the state of play is in the ASBK?
If you are a member on Facebook you can follow the ASBK well with two groups catering for the series.
https://www.facebook.com/AustralianSuperbikes
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=74928678970
Of the two the first one is by far the biggest with over 2000 members, the second with around 400 members, and herein is a snapshot of why we are in the dark as to the state of our own racing.
In the last 10 years, Australian road racing has been held to ransom by a political squabble that has blunted both party’s ability to promote the sport as it should be promoted. On the one hand is the “establishment”, headed up by Motorcycling Australia and on the other one private individual who has set up his own series at the expense of the mainstream promotion. This has led to a breakdown in confidence in the health of road racing in Australia and uncertainty from sponsors and competitors as to which series they should support. In a country as small as ours with a fan and supporter base as small as it is, any dilution in the mix can only lead to the sport’s decline. And this is what has happened.
Where the rubber hits the road the racing is still excellent, as it always has been, but in terms of the sport making an impact and being recognised as a mainstream sport, we are no further ahead than what we were 30 years ago. In fact, some would say that we have gone backwards. Certainly in terms of crowd numbers at the track we have most definitely done so.
If this sport is to grow and prosper and gain a public profile that people outside the sport will actually recognise and begin to accept, the in-fighting and greed has to stop and the major parties have to get together and work on promoting the sport for the sport’s benefit not the interests of small groups or individuals.
*gets down off soapbox*
BTW, if you do want to know the results, the always reliable Computime web site has all the details.
In O/S news, Jorge Martinez has announced that his complete team WILL be going to Japan in October for the MotoGp meet so the teams seem to be gradually falling into line with what the FIM wants.
As discussed previously, it seems that the Japanese manufacturers are pulling their horns in for 2012 with the news that the 2012 Honda Fireblade will be just a cosmetic make-over of the 2011 with the “possible” addition of the DCT dual clutch system off the VFR1200. The global economy will have to pick up a LOT more before we see a rash of new, technologically advanced models, I’m afraid.
And, from the sublime to the possibly ridiculous, this…
Finally, what kind of motorcyclists are you? I think the cartoonist missed a few here, but it’s funny anyway.
jeffb says
Hi Phil. Just letting you know that the ASBK was televised live as part of the weekend’s coverage of the V8 Supercars. They also did a round at Symons Plains(spelling?) Tassie earlier in the year. There might have been other joint rounds, but I watched both of those. Hope this coverage might lead to more prime time coverage (and live?) over the next few years.
Phil Hall says
Fair enough, Jeff, thanks for that. I must confess to not taking too much of an interest in what’s happening on TV these days.