2010 National Supermoto Series

[ChitownSumo730]

http://supermotoonline.com/2010%20Kuhlenkamp%201.20.html

Pro Supermoto National Series Update from Ed Kuhlenkamp
Y.O.U need to become a "Supermoto Evangelist!"

2010.1.20 Advance, North Carolina:

Steps are being taken to make sure that there will be a six-round national series for professional Supermoto riders to compete in for 2010. The series is planned to start in June and run through October. At this point AMA is not involved, but who knows if that will change. There will be amateur days tied to the professional races but the focus is building professional race events that draw fans and interest in the sport of Supermoto, local promoters will coordinate the amateur races and open practices.

The primary criterion for selecting race locations will be motorcycle sales. The top 15 states for motorcycle sales are all candidates for race events. The only way we will consider states outside of the top 15 would be if a big sponsor wants host a race in another state and can promote it locally. The current states planned for races include; California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan. Race dates are in the process of being confirmed and media partners are being signed up to promote the series. So far Supermoto people have shown that they are willing to do what they can to support a national series, which is great, but to go forward with the series we are going to need a little more help.

Most importantly, we are going to need sponsors who are willing to support the series at this critical time. I realize this is not the best economy to be looking for sponsors, but if all of us want a series to happen then we will have to come up with the sponsorships. A race series requires many things but sponsors are instrumental to its overall success.

All of us that are supermoto enthusiasts have to quickly learn to become Supermoto evangelists. Supermoto evangelists are going to be vital to the future of our sport. In order for our sport to succeed we have to increase our numbers, that means more fans at the races, and people who buy Supermoto bikes and stuff. So instead of simply riding Supermoto by yourself or reading about Supermoto, or just going to the races with one friend, you have to do everything in your power to encourage all the people you know to start learning about Supermoto racing, and maybe even try riding a Supermoto bike. Make sure they plan to attend a national race event, or a club race. Email motorcycle manufacturers that make Supermoto street bikes and ask them to support your sport, and while you are at it, email all the accessory companies too. To grow our sport we will have to build a voice and it has to be loud. Groups that make noise get heard and get support - I can’t make it any simpler than that.

I have yet to hear anyone say they do not love Supermoto once they have experienced it, so it should not be too hard to get people to give it a try for an afternoon. I am very confident that they will enjoy the experience and hopefully they will become the next Supermoto evangelist.
Some pro riders and teams have already been in touch with me about racing in 2010 but if you have not, then please email me. I would like to know who is planning to race the series and be able to communicate with all of you once the final details are in place. I encourage all of you to find ways to save money by teaming up with other riders to share expenses. All pro riders are welcome, but teams are going to be very important to the future of our sport, so you might as well start creating one and saving some money while you are at it.

The final thing that I am going to ask for is for some Supermoto evangelist (or two) with graphics skills and web development skills to lend a hand to get a web site launched in the next couple of weeks. The web site will be a hub to promote all things related to Supermoto including clubs, local races, schools, media and series sponsors. While this would be a non-paying gig initially it will ultimately be something that is paid for once we have the funds.

Keep the faith and go out and convert some people to the Supermoto way of life. Peace.

[Witman527]

This is good news with the AMA going south fast on the pro level it will be good to see options like this.
I for one would go to RA for a race. I wonder if Wisco is in the top 15 for sales of new units?

[bh321]

I wonder if Wisco is in the top 15 for sales of new units?

I would guess no
especially if they're only counting moto only, and not ATVs and Snowmobiles

the top 15 sales states thing is kind of silly anyway. Pro SM has zero impact on motorcycle sales. Plan the pro races where the local series are currently the strongest.

CO
FL/GA
WI
MI
CA/NV
PN/NJ/NY
OK/TX

[bh321]

anyone else read the 3-part interview on RRW w/ Rob Dingman? He talked briefly about pro supermoto. said SM and flat track netted six figure losses for the AMA on an annual basis. ouch

[ChitownSumo730]

anyone else read the 3-part interview on RRW w/ Rob Dingman? He talked briefly about pro supermoto. said SM and flat track netted six figure losses for the AMA on an annual basis. ouch

Thats because they have their heads up their behinds on two very marketable motorcycle sports. I love roadracing, but when your there in person you can only really see a few corners at a time and have to wait for the riders to come around. Not that great for spectating, except for a few tracks that run the ovals and the infields. While Flat track and Supermoto both run close to the viewing area and you can watch a whole race from your seat. Flat track is American Racing, and deserves to be on the top level of American Pro Motorcycle Racing Scene.

[ChitownSumo730]

New Update, some good things but not really 100% positive news.

http://supermotoonline.com/2010%20Pro%20Update%202.3.html

More progress was made since the last update. The request for web and graphic support was met immediately and I want to thank John Sears, and Drew Stoerrle of Crush Grafix Racing for their help. Thanks to them we will have a new site, collateral marketing materials and logo by next week that we can show to potential sponsors and promote to fans. I also want to thank Harry Hoffman, of Supermoto Engineering and Motorsports Imaging who has offered to help sponsor the series and help with photography for the web site. I also want to thank Dennis Anderson for all his support and his commitment to our sport.

The supermoto site is being designed to be fan friendly and get the word out about the national series, the teams and riders, the regional clubs and supermoto schools around the country. It will be a great central destination that will drive traffic to all the local supermoto efforts that are currently in place.

I have heard from a number of pro riders that they are interested in racing this year, which is good news. One idea that was suggested was to split the series into three east rounds and three west rounds with a final shootout somewhere in the middle of the country. This idea helps the teams that are finding it difficult to raise enough funds to race a national series. Teams could race in their region and then the top riders/teams would be eligible to race at the shootout round. I would like to hear feedback from all of you as to whether you like this idea or not. I think it could create some interesting drama and rivalries which would be a good draw for fans.

Conversations with potential sponsors are ongoing and there is some interest in the series. The response to my sponsorhip request in the last update was less than encouraging though. Things are tight, but I am hoping that we can come up with the money to pay a reasonable purse at each event along with the associated expenses for organizing the series. The plan is to continue with the push to get sponsors. When we have enough sponsor commitments for a series we will announce the dates and locations. I am not going to announce any dates until we have the sponsor commitments because the last thing we want to do is announce dates and have to keep changing them. I would rather wait to launch the series in 2011 then do it halfway this year. That said, if there are one-off events that the sponsors I am talking with want to support, then that could be another solution to support the sport in this transitional year.

In the end, supermoto is going to thrive only if we can generate sales - that means ticket sales, bike sales and accessory/sponsor product sales. Racing requires sponsors and sponsors require sales in order to funnel a percentage of their profits back into the sport that is benefiting their business. It is a fairly simple formula. If we as a sport can generate enough interest and buzz about what we are doing that it drives motorcycle and accessory sales as well as ticket sales, then the rest of the racing business will fall into place and we as fans can enjoy bigger events and more exposure.

Keep the faith and think sponsors.