CruzBay Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Just want to mention that AMA roadraces will take place at Virginia International Raceway immediately after the UnRally. VIR is located just east on Danville VA, on the VA/NC border. About 200 miles from Little Switzerland. This year, veteran Larry Pegram will be racing a S1000RR in Superbike competition. Should be a good show. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Haven't been to an AMA superbike race since they stopped racing in Loudon NH. Sounds like we need a curvy route up to the VIR! Pat Link to comment
TEWKS Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Superbikes & BBQ in Danville, very cool! This is looking good! Pat Link to comment
Fubar Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Superbikes & BBQ in Danville, very cool! This is looking good! :thumbsup:Pat That BBQ looks really good. Road trip possiblity? How far is Martinsville? On to Google maps! 4 hours one way, 180 miles. A bit much I suspect. Link to comment
CruzBay Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share Posted July 11, 2011 Reportedly, VIR today cancelled the AMA roadrace event. Not rescheduled either. Link to comment
racer7 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 This is confirmed as cancelled for this year. I got VIRs media mailing notification today and AMA has posted theirs. AMA is trying to blame VIR for the cancellation notice- its likely a contract / costs issue of some sort but personally I'd bet AMA Racing is at least as responsible. I've been at VIR well over 100 weekends and know that of all tracks around, they are among the very best at setting a complex schedule early in the year and sticking to it (unlike Summit Point, for example). Too bad- its a darn site better track to watch bike racing than Daytona. I see no replacement event yet on the VIR website but the website doesn't even show the cancellation yet- maybe by Tues or Wed. Link to comment
OldBMWMaster Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I am betting it is attendance. I went to the Championship Cup Series race there on June 18-20 and was shocked at the low attendance. I was in a camping area suited for 400 and there were less than 20 people there. Two BMW teams were there,Bob's BMW and Manhattan BMW; they finished 1 & 2 on Saturday. I have been going to VIR since 1974 and they are a class act. But where are the old crowds? The truth is that this economy is beginning to hurt people who have been untouched in past recessions. Link to comment
racer7 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 VIR has now stated their reasons. In a press release sent only after AMA Racing tried to lay all the blame for cancellation on VIR, they pointed out that despite repeated requests AMA Racing only sent their new proposed contract to VIR in June. The contract obviously had some critical different features than the in previous years and they were unable to agree on a contract suitable to both parties so VIR cancelled the race once the time got so close that race promotion was not really feasible. I think the only reason it didn't get cancelled sooner is that VIR has always been very loyal to its steady customers, holding a slot in the track schedule for them each year despite opportunities to rent to others. I wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of other event scheduled in the slot though it may be just a club event. VIR is among the most highly sought tracks to rent in the country- great track with good facilities for sports car and bike racing. It is not the cheapest track to rent however. Other websites have noted that AMA Racing will now not meet its contract with Speed that calls for it to supply 10 racing events unless it adds another. It should be no secret to anyone that AMA has made a total mess of motorcycle racing is the US to the extent that folks from other countries no longer have much interest in competing here. For years they diddled rules so antique Harleys could be competitive while technology was leaving them behind. With the new ownership, the continue to use Daytona, a track not even remotely suited to motorcycles - who wants to watch a parade of bikes on banking? Etc...I couldn't even tell you when AMA road racing events are scheduled or where any more- I watch World Superbike and Moto GP by preference. And AMA Supercross is like NASCAR- made for TV boring though the TV camera crews covering it do a good job. Link to comment
racer7 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Note- The cancelled AMA race had been scheduled on the VIR North course as always. That time slot has now been rented to NESBA, a track day group for motorcyclists. Link to comment
BMW_Ken Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Maybe VIR is not totally blameless in this. Article by John Ulrich. Link to comment
racer7 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 The Ulrich article raises some interesting points. Certainly track managment has changed in the past couple years and I suspect most of the regulars preferred the earlier management- still VIR has been very accomodating for its regular club and amateur users despite the increasing pro/tv event usage (GrandAm, NASCAR team tests, car manufacurer launches and test sessions, etc etc) so there has got to be a bit more to this than just a profit motive. Yes, VIRs promo efforts when done by themselves haven't been the most adept but the track still turns down many rental requests. Folks can try getting a date there and see for themselves if they doubt that (note that they wasted no time filling the slot with a regular customer) The track location by itself somewhat limits spectator attendance - its not close to any large city and available hotels in short distance won't support anything approaching even a small NASCAR event crowd (the Matinsville NASCAR race fills Danville plus a whole lot of other stuff within 60-70 miles of the track). So the potential gate receipts are always going to be limited by that though the grounds are large enough for any conceivable number of spectators. Would be amusing to see the legal documents to see who's pushing the truth a little (I have a hard time seeing this becoming a big issue with AMA Racing but who knows- folks seem to like to employ lawyers these days) but its really too bad the bike race there got cancelled- its a fun track for a bike race with a mix of some interesting turns, several prime passing spots (and some sneaky ones if you know the track really well), a fast front straight and a nice variety of viewing locations- plus you can generally wander the pits pretty freely for closeup looks at your favorites. BTW, anyone know if race bikes have ever run the Full Course there? I'd love to see how they behave in the uphill esses (and the speed they radar at T10) - my cars get extremely light on the verge of airborne at T8 and one needs to avoid too early steering inputs before weight comes back on the front- wonder what it would be like on a bike with the need to get into T9 after a possible launch. The track has always enjoyed strong support from VA state legislators for the business it has brought to the Danville area. The state did some road work near the track and supported it in other ways when it reopened. A few years ago a large group of legislators stopped there on an annual "team building" float trip down the Dan River and I was one of the instructors who took them out for hot laps. They told us quite clearly about the input they had from local businesses about the $ brought to the area by the track and thought they had made a smart investment supporting it. Its hard to imagine the track behaving in a way that might damage that kind of support- its not easy to come by. Link to comment
Bluestrada Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Just so you all know... Tha AMA races at VIR have been CANCELED! BlueStrada Link to comment
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