Red Bull Rookies Please Return
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Shame on you KTM. While I know all of this hit the press awhile back, I felt compelled to voice my opinion on the Red Bull U.S. Rookies Cup program being cut. From what I understand the Bull and Sun was in for another year, but without bikes from KTM, there would be no way to go racing.
Good bye U.S. Rookies Cup. But for how long?
This time last year the series showed so much promise. And it delivered. Finally, there was a youth-based road racing series in the United States to showcase young talent on a professional level. Europe has had such programs for years and on this side of the pond amateur motocross racing is extremely strong. But for the first time road racing was getting its due.
If there only was a program like this when I was a grom…
I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to ride one of 125cc spec bikes for a story, running bar-to-bar with the kids at Barber Motorsports Park during a pre-season test. It was one of the highlights of my year. The kids were all awesome, showing tons of speed, talent, and even more heart. The story practically wrote itself. For this reason it was that much harder to swallow hearing news of the program ending.
Not to mention the racing was some of the best any AMA class had to offer. Remember that epic last-lap pass at Laguna Seca, the one which garnered SPEED’s Best Finish Award? And it was that good almost all year. I continually looked forward to following each and every round of the series, as I’m sure quite a few fans did.
We all know how bad the economy is right now and I’m sure KTM had plenty of justification to pull the plug, but I would have to think with a series of small cuts in other areas they could have made it work. I could be wrong, but why not ride last year’s bikes? Then one would only need to provide parts and support to make it work. Thankfully, three of our top riders were given spots in the MotoGP Rookies Cup Series (which is still happening), thus there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
The U.S. Rookies cup provided some of the best racing of any AMA class, getting the attention of many fans in the process.
I know how upset I was to hear the news,so one can only imagine how devastated the kids that were selected this year must feel? That would be a tough call to get, both for the kids and their parents. Here’s hoping things turn around and the series comes back soon. It’s quintessential for developing the talent of tomorrow and ensuring road racing continues to progress in America. Plus, it's damn good entertainment!
Post Tags: red bull rookies cup, youth road racing
