Thank you OR!!

[jbot]

he means well. some of the "well meaning" just get lost in translation.

[SAMBUSA]

If any of our local "racing experts" chime in, its pretty much guaranteed.

I'm pretty bad at fucking up a thread but there a some threads that it shoudn't be done in.

[InyaAzz]

^ This

[Moto-Brian]

How about this...if you don't like it, don't go! This is a thread about how GREAT it was last weekend. If you want to throw a childish hissy fit about how it sucks so bad, take it to your own thread. There are enough people here that enjoyed themself and don't need your negativity.

Justin-

I made a comment and then we had responses that I continued to respond to. It's a public forum, buddy. Relax.

I made some legit comments and they are backed up with info that OEMs and marketing departments are concerned with. I applaud that in your personal opinion it was a great weekend, but on a business level, it was well below years past and that makes it tough to garnish future vendors and OEMs to attend. There needs to be a change.

If you feel it was perfectly fine and the attendance was great and the flow of business and interest was stellar, so be it. Just answer me one question... Why were there not more people there and why were there over 75% - 90% less vendors and OEMs?

[Moto-Brian]

+1

Here we go again, Ben... I am talking on a business level from a company point of view. Even a racer/spectator point of view at times... You guys sat in a camp ground (that was very much less populated than years past) and drank beer and watched motorcycles run around. If you had a great time, fabulous.

The ideas about why it was less attended, why vendors were literally in single % numbers vs. years past is what I am referring to. Not the quality of the time you personally had. I had a great time, too. I saw friends I haven't seen in years, met with friends we only see at races, and met friends that are back from things like the military, etc. It was a great time.

The racing sucked - this is my opinion much like you saying it was great. I am a racer that looks at things differently and seeing 16 vs 30 superbikes is worrisome. It is also something others look at and worry about. As Tommy stated in a press conference... Racing with the AMA is better than it was in 2009. However, they need more factory support. Nuff said...

[Casper]

Brian, here we go again is right. This was a thread from Cycle Search in their sponsor forum thanking Ohio Riders. I posted saying it was a great weekend. You went off on a tangent. Let it go amigo. We all had fun.

[35RFTW]

Justin-

I made a comment and then we had responses that I continued to respond to. It's a public forum, buddy. Relax.

I made some legit comments and they are backed up with info that OEMs and marketing departments are concerned with. I applaud that in your personal opinion it was a great weekend, but on a business level, it was well below years past and that makes it tough to garnish future vendors and OEMs to attend. There needs to be a change.

If you feel it was perfectly fine and the attendance was great and the flow of business and interest was stellar, so be it. Just answer me one question... Why were there not more people there and why were there over 75% - 90% less vendors and OEMs?

I am a vendor there as I have been for four years. I have seen vendors come and go. The only OEM that wasn't there this year that was there last year was Ducati. There might have been 10 less vendors this year than last. It seems like more because a couple of them took up decent space. Just to name a couple, California Superbike Shcool, Hinds, Rider Insurance, and scorpion helmets. People/vendors are not making it to the race because of the lack of extra money. It has nothing to do with DMG/AMA/Mid-Ohio running the weekend. Same with racers. OEMS have pulled out due to budget cuts. Racing is awesome, but I would much rather turn a profit in a business than spend money racing. We go because it gets our name out. Are all of those people going to shop with us because we were the only dealership there? No, but they at least now have heard of us and hopefully a decent impression of who they would deal with in ordering a part or purchasing a bike. Where was STT? This would be prime crowd for that business, yet no one in sight from that company. Bottom line, we had a great time as we do every year. Instead of complaining about it being so bad, why not think of ways to make it better. I like to think the burgers I cook should draw a crowd right? lol J/K. Maybe not, but people at least know I wanted to make the weekend better, if only by a small degree. Thats it...I'm done.

[EagleCock]

I agree with Brian 100%

[Moto-Brian]

I am a vendor there as I have been for four years. I have seen vendors come and go. The only OEM that wasn't there this year that was there last year was Ducati. There might have been 10 less vendors this year than last. It seems like more because a couple of them took up decent space. Just to name a couple, California Superbike Shcool, Hinds, Rider Insurance, and scorpion helmets. People/vendors are not making it to the race because of the lack of extra money. It has nothing to do with DMG/AMA/Mid-Ohio running the weekend. Same with racers. OEMS have pulled out due to budget cuts. Racing is awesome, but I would much rather turn a profit in a business than spend money racing. We go because it gets our name out. Are all of those people going to shop with us because we were the only dealership there? No, but they at least now have heard of us and hopefully a decent impression of who they would deal with in ordering a part or purchasing a bike. Where was STT? This would be prime crowd for that business, yet no one in sight from that company. Bottom line, we had a great time as we do every year. Instead of complaining about it being so bad, why not think of ways to make it better. I like to think the burgers I cook should draw a crowd right? lol J/K. Maybe not, but people at least know I wanted to make the weekend better, if only by a small degree. Thats it...I'm done.

Well, if there the last four years, you'd know there used to be Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha and KTM. We were the only ones... The vendor row used to be not only the area you were in, but also to teh east. It was shoulder to shoulder...

Shops like Pony, Hinds, Comp Access., you guys, a few dealers vending from other states, etc. Add in that No Fear used to come, Arai, Scorpion, No-Mar, Race Girl, Photo image vendors, Misc gypsy style vendors, etc., etc.,... All not there with exception to you and Pony.

I also never stated anything as being fault of Mid-Ohio. The fact is that 2009 was the year it really fell. This year was worse - you even acknowledge that fact.

The deal is simple - more spectators, more selling. More selling, more allowance from budgets to come to events. You guys are local. I know for Scorpion and other distributors/manufacturers, this year at AMA events is too much cost for return received... The amount of money required to setup, rent the space, pay the employees, fuel for travel, hotels, food, etc are all higher than the return they have been getting.

The OEMs are the same way. They do not sell at these events, but it is a show that says people are not buying motorcycles right now. Don't even ask what Honda was down vs. 2009 and then vs 2008, 2007, etc. The idea is that their budgets cannot justify being there or anywhere, in fact.

I bring all this up to try and promote things to think about. What can YOU do to get it better? Saying it was fine is ok to do, but based on your expenses, what was the return? How much did you sell? Giving exposure is tough to put a price tag on, but it certainly is a helpful thing.

I think local folks are sure to benefit from being there. I know Wally sold a good amount of KTM casual and accessories. Enough to make the weekend profitable - even if by a slight margin...

I hope you have a good return, but please understand what I am getting at. The racing needs to be better. OEMs need to be included and come to events. If people aren't willing to come, why should they, right? What can be done to get more fans in this tough economy? What can we do to make the racing more like it used o be? Like WSBK? Like MotoGP? examples would be good. Don't let my comments cloud what is being said. I am asking...