[ST] Isle of Man

["Dave Smoot" <DSSmoot@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rich said  "Last night, TWT did an excellent piece on the Isle of Man from this year.  Too bad there wasn't good SPEED coverage.  There was some last year, but I didn't see squat this year.

Isle of Man is what it's all about.  It's the grass root of motorcycle road racing.  We shouldn't forget it, we should publicize it more than ever!"

I agree with your opinion of the IOM. In a word, breathtaking. However, we had a VERY heated debate with a gal who is basically a Fox PR department plant on Speed's message boards. All she can do is defend their policies in lock-step (figures), but you have to wonder...what does that gig pay? According to her, they chose not to air the excellent BBC produced highlight show that they have run the last three or four years. They threw those of us that give a crap a bone by doing a little feature on Greg's (worthless FN) Garage.  Once again, we are done in by the couch potato Nielson Families. The ratings for last year were so low (so she says), that they deemed it an event that the viewers would need to be "educated" as to what was going on. Can't waist the $$$ on that, now could we? Evidently, the Dakar Rally is close to suffering the same fate. One can only hope that the rumored switch of Speed to the NASCRAP (sorry, it does blow) Network actually gets done this winter. Then the re-launch of Speed with the Moto content we are all dreaming of (+F1, +WRC, +24hr Le Mans, +Etc) might just happen.
The one good thing in our favor is that the Motorcycle industry, and the public's general consciousness about all things Moto is growing. (i.e. X-games, MotoGP, etc.). If "they" can make money at it, "they" will come. Anyone catch Ben Bostrom winning the Supermoto race in the X-Games, or the super sick Flying Barrel role the kid did in the freestyle comp? Twisted, absolutely twisted. I thought the Pastrana Superman Scissor-kick, and the back flip were mind blowing and couldn't be topped. Somehow these guys just keep coming up with more outrageous stuff. How long will it be before they build a bike just for stunt/big air trick riding (ala trials bikes-but for big air)? Pretty cool, but I'm glad that I don't partake in that level of blind faith and ambition (read testosterone) anymore. You miss that one on the dirt, and it is going to hurt. Big time!

Later,
Dave Smoot
99 ST (still have to get to that ride report and the noise thing)

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