Well, I guess things never change because they have now shown how bizarre they manage their company by creating a mess for the AMA Motocross Program
Bonehead Move #1
I can't begin to even get into how ridiculously stupid and short-sighted it was to drop Pro-Circuit equipment off their bikes, and replace it with FMF. I have to admit I am a little biased as I think Mitch Payton is a legend but this is sheer stupidity. This also isn't a shot at FMF as I have great respect for their company; it's a shot a Mike Fisher himself. Here is his official quote from Steve Matthes' Pulp MX:
Ok, so now the pipe question that I’ve wanted to ask you about. Talk about the decision in switching from Pro Circuit to FMF exhaust systems.
Well, first of all Mitch runs the best Lites team that you can ever ask for. He’s perfect for us and we can’t possibly ask for any more from him. We were asking for something that…I don’t know exactly the details but he couldn’t do what we asked of him in time. I know he could’ve done it but it wasn’t happening. I’m not going to go into the details of that. Just to make sure, we have the highest respect for him and all that he’s done for the Lites team and also for us. He’s done a ton of stuff for our 450 program in years past. We basically peeled away from doing the same thing year after year and to make that happen we had to do this.
Are you kidding me? He couldn't do what? Are you really trying to tell us the owner of more Titles than anyone in the Lites class, with 30 plus years of experience, couldn't meet a timeline? You have to be kidding me.
Has this affected your relationship with Mitch? How’s the status of that these days?
Yeah, I think that Mitch is super emotional and wants to win at all costs. I’m sure he wishes he was still sponsoring our team at the level that he was at and…I have the highest respect for Mitch and there is no problem on my end at all.
This is insane. He thinks Mitch wishes he was still sponsoring our team at the level that he was? I guess he was so really torn up inside that he built a bike that got the holeshot in the main! I can't even begin to explain his backwards thinking.
I've read a lot in the forums and news sites about it and everyone say's it's money. It's not. It's all about saving face for the 450 program, plain and simple.
What happens when you're a hit? You get a little more elbow room and you get to carry a little bigger stick. Well, there's a guy running Kawasaki's 250 program and he carries a huge, huge stick. Let's face it, Mitch Payton and Pro Circuit is Kawasaki to almost every fan out there.
And
They
Hate
It.
Oh, they love the winning, but for some reason Kawasaki simply doesn't get it and they will do anything to control their own 450 program at any cost. Yamaha gets it; hey it's 2011, not 1985. James Stewart, arguably the best rider on the planet, is on a San Manuel bike, not a factory Yamaha. Joe Gibbs Racing has a great program for them, heck they even have their own parts on their bike. This was simply Mike Fisher and Kawasaki putting Mitch in his place and letting him know who the big boss really is.
What a bonehead move.
Right now, if I was running Honda's, KTM's, or Suzuki's programs I would be knocking down Mitch's door. For Honda, (and the MX industry) it would be huge, just colossal. Mitch has one thing they desperately need; a pipeline of talent. Forget about him having the best bikes in the 250 class, he has constantly gotten more out of cast offs, throw-away's, misfits, and developed more raw young talent than anyone. Period. This is what Honda needs right now, and if they had any sense, they would be all over him right now.
And on a great side note, Traxxas announces they are giving away 17 KX450F's at each round, and they all come with a Pro-Circuit exhaust and stickers. Awesome.
Bonehead move #2
This is a direct quote from Kenny Watson on the Pulp MX show talking about Kawasaki helping the team:
"They will not help us. They will not even give us a Spark plug. They do not think what we have to offer is worth it to them.
Our title Sponsor (Dodge Motorsports) offered the following in exchange for support":
1. At every NASCAR Race, the local Kawasaki dealer would be able to display Bikes, Four-wheelers, and Kawasaki products in the Dodge Motorsports area in the concourse.
2. We will use Kawasaki's in all of our TV commercials.
3. Every Kawasaki employee, at dealerships and the factory, will be eligible for friends and family pricing on all Dodge vehicles.
And they said it was still not worth it.
I think you have to wake up every morning and have a giant bowl of Moron Flakes to turn this down. Here are just a couple of reasons why:
1. With all due respect to Hart and Huntington, the number on reason to jump at this deal is to expose Kawasaki management to Dodge team owner Roger Penske. He has won the Indy 500 15 times, won the Daytona 500, won 3 Trans–am titles, 3 ALMS titles, a Nationwide series title, and runs a $16 billion dollar Corporation. They have a fountain of racing management knowledge before them and they squander it.
2. Hart and Huntington is probably the most unique team in the pits. They have an edge, an attitude, and an energy that would be great for any manufacturer to expose their brand to. They have a great upcoming MX program, a serious Off-road effort, and a great racer/manager/celebrity in Carey Hart.
3. Fiat controls 35% of Dodge. As of right now, Fiat is a deal with Yamaha to sponsor their MotoGP program. This deal was put in place because they could leverage Valentino Rossi's huge popularity in Italy. By working with Dodge Motorsports here, it opens the door to them with Fiat, and possible an alliance with them to return to MotoGP or develop a worthwhile World Superbike program.
Whatever the case may be, and even if I'm just a nut with a blog, I definitely think there are some poor decisions being made at Kawasaki these days. It's a shame.
