FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I need to commend Michael Lock for quite possibly the most objective and reasonable response to the current state of premiere motorcycle road racing in the U.S. It makes me feel a bit more confident about the future of our sport when I see a serious player/manufacturer so reasonably assess the situation and genuinely support the direction. Good or bad it is what we have to work with and it will eventually sort itself out. And, quite rightly, the issue of speed and rider safety has to my mind only been brought up by Mr. Lock. While the other voices seem to have only been concerned with what will happen to their teams and marketing plans – Michael Lock is looking to the future and how the infrastructure of the race venues will affect concerns of safety. It seems to me a good point to note again as Mr. Lock did how pitiful the track situation is in relation to the size of the sportbike market in the U.S. As a note – I raced at Mid-Ohio on the weekend and albeit much slower times than the Superbike class – the track surface was exceptional if not a bit slippery due to the ALMS and Indy cars on it the previous weekend. That was until the rain started and eight riders promptly went down and the class decided to not race. That was compounded by a bike leaving oil on 3/4’s of the track’s racing line on Sunday morning – making the first class out decide to opt out of racing as it was too slick again. Jay Springsteen and Doug Polen — when asked suggested it was slick but OK and the same for everyone. I agreed and they and I did well in our classes but combine that with 200-hp Superbikes and I cannot see how that track could ever support modern Superbikes with any level of comfortable rider safety rain OR dry. It is the same for everyone – danger as well as grip and put two riders beside each other fighting for position and you find the racing line gets pretty small when the surface is so suspect. Dean de St. Croix Waterdown, Ontario, Canada Another reader chimes in… FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I wanted to chime in here, too. The Michael Lock interview offered the most thoughtful and productive thinking we have yet to read from anybody in the sport so far. He grasps the opportunity and is looking to shape it positively. He is not only thinking about Ducati, but the entire sportbike industry and the job of promoting it. Congratulations to Ducati for finding this smart leader. I hope DMG consults Mr. Lock regularly, and I hope Ducati North America can field teams in each class. Our sport will be better for it. Bob Holcomb Boston, Massachusetts