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Im not the only one who thinks working for peanuts is counter productive to the sport
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jan/100108-92-interview.htm
Today, you look at it, and you look at these kids that are 20, 18 years old - 25 years old - and there's no money. And they've got to go out here in a high-risk sport. They make it look easy, but the truth is, the sport's hard. It's hard, and it's very dangerous, and the money's not there, and a high-profile athlete is supposed to get paid for what he does, because obviously we can't do this for so many years.
It's kind of hard - like you said, it's hard - it doesn't weigh out right. Why should I come out here and risk my life for - obviously, the money is probably better than a 9-to-5 job, but I think in a 9-to-5 job, you've got a pretty slim chance of breaking your arm, or your leg, or this and that. It's hard, definitely, for me, to go out. I see guys now who are offering to ride for free, and this and that. That's just ... that does nothing for our sport. You don't see any guys in NASCAR or basketball, saying "I'll play for free. I'll drive for free." It's just not right. There's a reason why we are professionals and we get paid to do what we do. So people can come and enjoy our sport and see some professional racing.
Q Your situation is like that of, sadly, a lot of Americans today. You're obviously well qualified. You've proven yourself to have amazing capabilities to win, to go to the front. Yet you're contemplating unemployment.
A Yeah. And you know, sometimes, you would think "Well, you know what? Maybe I didn't really perform good enough, and this is the reason why I don't have a job." But that's obviously not the reason why people don't have jobs. It's definitely a tough situation. I'd like to finish my career. I'd like to, officially, I would like to race, and win more races. I'm not looking for a career out of it. I'm looking to come out and enjoy some racing again, and win. And then go out of the sport like a past champion should. Not just get pushed to the sidelines because there is no jobs.
Q Do you think that your amazing accomplishments in 2007 and 2008 - do you that some of that has somehow been forgotten? It's like people don't remember you were easily the third fastest guy in the Superbike championship in 2008. You finished in second place at Miller. On the podium a bunch of times. Do you think people have forgotten that?
A I think, in the past year, I think a lot of people's accomplishments have been forgotten. Just due to the big blow that everybody took. I think it just kind of wiped everybody's memory out of ... it's not only just the years that I've been racing. Years that have gone by, that have seen the sport grow. And I think all that has been ... you would probably agree with me. Everybody has just lost all the good history of the motorcycle racing. Now it seems like ... I don't know, it just seems really odd.
Obviously, ever since 2003 when I turned my career around, and we had a good run from 2003 all the way through 2008 on the Superbike - many people were agreeing with me that it seems like now I'm just finally coming into my element. Late coming into the sport, and the series, and so inexperienced, and it took me seven or eight years to finally find my wits about myself and figure out, "Okay, this is what really needs to happen. This is what you need to do." And then for it all to just come - it seems like, right as I just started to really get to the peak of my career where I'm just now getting a handle on it, and somebody just slapped a sledgehammer right back down into the ground, and it feels like I'm starting all over again.
Q Personally, what do you hold more responsible for the state of the championship right now - DMG or the economy?
A The economy's one thing, but you know, you see, still, people moving along. I live right here in the heart of NASCAR. I see the guys here around town. A lot of people have gotten laid off in NASCAR. Definitely not only just our sport is hurt. Everybody's sport is hurt. But those guys seem to still keep moving along. They didn't really change a lot of rules. They didn't lose big major sponsors. They just kind of had to adapt to the times that we've got to deal with right now. I think with our organization getting taken over, and the rules getting changed, and the whole series up in the air, and then rules just being changed on the fly every weekend, you lost all the people that did support us over the years, kind of lose interest in it. And I think that, obviously with that, people didn't want to spend the money. They didn't want to travel. If you give them opportunities to go - not go see a good race, then those guys that do have the money that want to spend to come see some enjoyable racing, to maybe get their mind off the bad economy - they don't have any good racing to come see. So those guys are going to stay home.
We saw what happened to our series in attendance this year. It definitely hurt. It's bad. It's really, really bad. The worst I've ever seen it.
Q The Fontana incident which resulted in your suspension. You've had almost a year since it happened. Has it gone down any easier? It was a flashpoint, and a lot of people look at it as a prime example of the bully attitude of DMG.
A Yeah, I don't think I've really even still got that ... I don't even think I've really swallowed that yet still. I still feel like it's hung up in my throat. I had to do what I had to do for the situation, so we could continue racing. For me, it was so we could continue racing with Kawasaki and maybe win the championship, and that was the reason why I did what I did. Did I feel like I was out of place, and out of line? My side, no, I didn't. But I had to go do what I had to do for my employer. I still don't agree with the whole thing.
Q The most amazing thing, I think, is, there were people who were standing there - multiple people who were standing there - who never heard you say a word.
A Yeah. Well, I mean, I'm the one that actually got blamed for it, and I know what I said. Like I said, it's still very hard for me to swallow that. But it's in the past. Hopefully we can move on, and everybody can resume back to normal and go racing.
Q If these DMG guys called you and said, "How do we fix our series? How do we fix our championship?", what would you tell them?
A Well, I'd say, one, you know how people back up computers? Back up files and information? That would be my one first goal, direction to tell them. All you have to do is just back up your files. Put this series back to where we were. And then, maybe get some input from these guys around here. "What do you think we need to do?" There's plenty of people with many good ideas and information. All you've got to do is look around. Look around at the series that are running around you, that are doing well, and just imitate it.
And another thing. You've got to respect the people that have fed this sport for so many years. The Japanese. Obviously, this is an American country and an American sport, but the truth of the (matter) is, the Japanese have fed this sport for years, the manufacturers, and supported all of us, and give us all jobs, and that's one thing, you've got to respect those guys too. They need to embrace the manufacturers and move forward.
ENDS
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http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jan/100108-92-interview.htm
Today, you look at it, and you look at these kids that are 20, 18 years old - 25 years old - and there's no money. And they've got to go out here in a high-risk sport. They make it look easy, but the truth is, the sport's hard. It's hard, and it's very dangerous, and the money's not there, and a high-profile athlete is supposed to get paid for what he does, because obviously we can't do this for so many years.
It's kind of hard - like you said, it's hard - it doesn't weigh out right. Why should I come out here and risk my life for - obviously, the money is probably better than a 9-to-5 job, but I think in a 9-to-5 job, you've got a pretty slim chance of breaking your arm, or your leg, or this and that. It's hard, definitely, for me, to go out. I see guys now who are offering to ride for free, and this and that. That's just ... that does nothing for our sport. You don't see any guys in NASCAR or basketball, saying "I'll play for free. I'll drive for free." It's just not right. There's a reason why we are professionals and we get paid to do what we do. So people can come and enjoy our sport and see some professional racing.
Q Your situation is like that of, sadly, a lot of Americans today. You're obviously well qualified. You've proven yourself to have amazing capabilities to win, to go to the front. Yet you're contemplating unemployment.
A Yeah. And you know, sometimes, you would think "Well, you know what? Maybe I didn't really perform good enough, and this is the reason why I don't have a job." But that's obviously not the reason why people don't have jobs. It's definitely a tough situation. I'd like to finish my career. I'd like to, officially, I would like to race, and win more races. I'm not looking for a career out of it. I'm looking to come out and enjoy some racing again, and win. And then go out of the sport like a past champion should. Not just get pushed to the sidelines because there is no jobs.
Q Do you think that your amazing accomplishments in 2007 and 2008 - do you that some of that has somehow been forgotten? It's like people don't remember you were easily the third fastest guy in the Superbike championship in 2008. You finished in second place at Miller. On the podium a bunch of times. Do you think people have forgotten that?
A I think, in the past year, I think a lot of people's accomplishments have been forgotten. Just due to the big blow that everybody took. I think it just kind of wiped everybody's memory out of ... it's not only just the years that I've been racing. Years that have gone by, that have seen the sport grow. And I think all that has been ... you would probably agree with me. Everybody has just lost all the good history of the motorcycle racing. Now it seems like ... I don't know, it just seems really odd.
Obviously, ever since 2003 when I turned my career around, and we had a good run from 2003 all the way through 2008 on the Superbike - many people were agreeing with me that it seems like now I'm just finally coming into my element. Late coming into the sport, and the series, and so inexperienced, and it took me seven or eight years to finally find my wits about myself and figure out, "Okay, this is what really needs to happen. This is what you need to do." And then for it all to just come - it seems like, right as I just started to really get to the peak of my career where I'm just now getting a handle on it, and somebody just slapped a sledgehammer right back down into the ground, and it feels like I'm starting all over again.
Q Personally, what do you hold more responsible for the state of the championship right now - DMG or the economy?
A The economy's one thing, but you know, you see, still, people moving along. I live right here in the heart of NASCAR. I see the guys here around town. A lot of people have gotten laid off in NASCAR. Definitely not only just our sport is hurt. Everybody's sport is hurt. But those guys seem to still keep moving along. They didn't really change a lot of rules. They didn't lose big major sponsors. They just kind of had to adapt to the times that we've got to deal with right now. I think with our organization getting taken over, and the rules getting changed, and the whole series up in the air, and then rules just being changed on the fly every weekend, you lost all the people that did support us over the years, kind of lose interest in it. And I think that, obviously with that, people didn't want to spend the money. They didn't want to travel. If you give them opportunities to go - not go see a good race, then those guys that do have the money that want to spend to come see some enjoyable racing, to maybe get their mind off the bad economy - they don't have any good racing to come see. So those guys are going to stay home.
We saw what happened to our series in attendance this year. It definitely hurt. It's bad. It's really, really bad. The worst I've ever seen it.
Q The Fontana incident which resulted in your suspension. You've had almost a year since it happened. Has it gone down any easier? It was a flashpoint, and a lot of people look at it as a prime example of the bully attitude of DMG.
A Yeah, I don't think I've really even still got that ... I don't even think I've really swallowed that yet still. I still feel like it's hung up in my throat. I had to do what I had to do for the situation, so we could continue racing. For me, it was so we could continue racing with Kawasaki and maybe win the championship, and that was the reason why I did what I did. Did I feel like I was out of place, and out of line? My side, no, I didn't. But I had to go do what I had to do for my employer. I still don't agree with the whole thing.
Q The most amazing thing, I think, is, there were people who were standing there - multiple people who were standing there - who never heard you say a word.
A Yeah. Well, I mean, I'm the one that actually got blamed for it, and I know what I said. Like I said, it's still very hard for me to swallow that. But it's in the past. Hopefully we can move on, and everybody can resume back to normal and go racing.
Q If these DMG guys called you and said, "How do we fix our series? How do we fix our championship?", what would you tell them?
A Well, I'd say, one, you know how people back up computers? Back up files and information? That would be my one first goal, direction to tell them. All you have to do is just back up your files. Put this series back to where we were. And then, maybe get some input from these guys around here. "What do you think we need to do?" There's plenty of people with many good ideas and information. All you've got to do is look around. Look around at the series that are running around you, that are doing well, and just imitate it.
And another thing. You've got to respect the people that have fed this sport for so many years. The Japanese. Obviously, this is an American country and an American sport, but the truth of the (matter) is, the Japanese have fed this sport for years, the manufacturers, and supported all of us, and give us all jobs, and that's one thing, you've got to respect those guys too. They need to embrace the manufacturers and move forward.
ENDS
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