World Champion Kevin Schwantz participated in a panel discussion with moto-journalists this morning to promote the upcoming AIMExpo motorcycle show in Orlando, Florida Oct. 16-19. As contractors worked to remodel his home in Austin, Texas, Schwantz offered his opinions on a wide variety of issues concerning motorcycling and motorcycle road racing. Below are the first of his thoughts:
On the takeover of U.S. motorcycle road racing by MotoAmerica and three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey:
“We’d all, as motorcycle aficionados, have to expect whatever the new group does that it would have to be better than DMG because I don’t know that you could do anything any worse. I have tons of respect for Wayne Rainey, the group he has assembled – he’s working with Chuck (Aksland) and bunch of the other guys … It’s not going to happen overnight. He’s got a big job ahead of him. But I’ve seen the guy compete when I thought I had him by the throat, and I thought no way, no chance he’s going to show up at a Grand Prix, and to my surprise he’d be there every weekend. This is going to be something that Wayne’s going to take to heart, just like he did racing. He’s going to want to turn American road racing into what it used to be – and that is the place that MotoGP and Moto2 and Moto3 teams and World Superbike and World Supersport are looking for their next up and coming young talent. I know we’ve still got that group of kids in America. That group is always evolving, the 15- and 16-year-olds that need to be getting on, that need to be going overseas. If Wayne can put a series together and a TV package together that meets the standards that everybody is so accustomed to, I think the fans will come back to it, the television will get the coverage that we need. As media, you guys have done everything that you possibly can to try to help DMG, but at the same time, um, I don’t know the perfect description for it, but – I’m glad Wayne’s doing what he’s doing.”
The changes to the classes and structure that would benefit U.S. road racing:
“Maybe we need some classes that are manufacturer-specific. Maybe there’s a certain manufacturer out there that builds a certain bike that suits that group of kids that we need to get a look at younger than 16 when they can get their professional license, or right at 16. We’ve done everything with 600s that we can. We’ve got Daytona SportBike, we’ve got SuperSport, you can only stay in a class for a certain amount of time.
“What it (U.S. road racing) needs more than anything is manufacturer support. I think DMG had done a good enough job of stepping on enough toes that the manufacturers just weren’t excited. That’s the most polite way I can make it – stepping on toes, or kicking them somewhere! The manufacturers have to get involved. How did I get to Europe? I got to Europe because I raced for American Suzuki and Suzuki Japan said, hey, that kid, when he’s done with his contract with you guys – or maybe a year before – we’re going to take him. We want him on our Grand Prix bike. But you have to have the manufacturers there to be able to get the communication internationally, to be able to get the kids the proper channel to get overseas. Whether it’s doing a few wild cards one season, or whether it’s just going over and spending an entire season over there, whether it’s chasing British Superbike, World Superbike or MotoGP – you’ve got to have some support from someone. Financially, it’s not an easy step to take. Had I not had Suzuki support, I doubt I could have made that jump, that’s for sure.”
On whether professional road racing can exist without direct manufacturer support:
“(Manufacturer support)’s got to be out there. Whether it’s grass-roots, whether it’s – WERA’s got a good TV package together, and we used to call that grass-roots! – you’ve got to have contingency packages out there. That’s how you get started. That’s how you’re able to go racing, to take some of that money that maybe you earned as an amateur and then you can go try to do a few professional races and dabble in it and then you can go to a sponsor and say, ‘Hey look, I’ve only been playing at this (amateur) level, I went and stepped up, went to the deeper end of the swimming pool a few times and we’re not bad. I think if we do this full-time I think it’s a value to you as a sponsor.’ I don’t think it does. What we’ve seen over the past four or five years is that there’s not many manufacturers playing.”
On allowing multi-manufacturer involvement in the currently Honda engine-only Moto2 category as a way of restoring interest and excitement to the class:
“I couldn’t agree with you more. The exciting thing about Moto2 is in 2016 it’s opened up to all entrants. They’ve got one more season of Honda and then it’s four-stroke, a certain number of cylinders, but it is going to be open to other manufacturers. I think that’ll get some of that excitement back that maybe Moto2 is losing a little bit of right now.”
On Moto3’s Jack Miller skipping Moto2 and going straight to MotoGP with LCR Honda on a production Honda racebike:
“I think it’s awesome. I’ve always felt like that if riding the big bikes is what you want to do, don’t bother with Moto2. The class structure is going to change in another year. Go get on what you can get on. It’s difficult to make that jump. People – manufacturers, team owners – need to see something special in a kid to give him that opportunity. And I think Jack has proven his worth. I hope he doesn’t prove me wrong, but I think that the sooner Jack gets on a MotoGP bike, the sooner he’s going to learn the ins-and-outs of riding one, and the faster he’s going to find his way to the front.
“I think it’s going to take a year to learn. He’s going to LCR Honda, where Cal Crutchlow will be, so he’ll have someone good to base his results off of. He’ll have someone to maybe go ask some questions of. I’m not sure how much Cal’s going to want to help Jack, because I think Jack’s going to be up there pretty quick! It’s a tough position as a senior rider in a team. You’re being told, ‘Help this kid everywhere you can,’ and you think, ‘I’m going to help him, all right. I’m going to take him out Saturday night and forget him at the bar!’ Actually the first teammate that I had that really gave me any grief on the track was (Alex Barros) and the next thing I knew he was gone, and then (Daryl) Beattie showed up, and when Beattie beat me in the wet in Japan, I said, ‘You know what? It’s your turn. You can have this team – I’m done.'”
More to follow.
To see the entire video conference, go to: http://youtu.be/JwXC815IZMw?t=9s