Aussie SuperX

[Graeme M]

Just reading about the SuperX that Chad Reed is involved in promoting, and it sounds pretty ummm different. But they have a good TV package, US style tracks, good prizemoney and some decent riders. So, will it work?

It may not be traditional, but I think it will. It's the kind of made for TV event that young people will like. I think.

Will I like it? Up to a point. I prefer racing the way it always has been, but I'm willing to watch the new formats with an open mind. I can only hope though that it is highly successful, it could really help MX/SX in Australia. Whaddya reckon?

[Maico31]

I'm sure it will work. Reed has several other high profile US based aussies riding and maybe a yank or 2 as well. Should make for some great racing and pull some big crowds.

[firko]

Bottom line....I couldn't give a rats arse for supercross. I'm just not interested. It's funny how our perspectives change as we get older. Back in the 70's I worked for American pioneer supercross promoter Mike Goodwin and got totally involved in the hype and pizazz. Upon my return to OZ I helped Bob Leisk (Jeffs Dad) with his Supercross event at Penrith Park and helped with the marketing on a number of early supercross meetings. I loved the concept.

Today, I find the sport contrived and boring. Showbiz has taken over from racecraft, I find the whole package is too formulated towards entertainment as opposed to being an actual sporting competition. Don't get me wrong, I admire and respect the talent and dedication guys like Chad, Ricky and Bubba posess, it's just that I now find it all so boring.
I was also a great touring car racing fan as well but I reckon that in the bid to create perfect parity beetween Holden and Ford, the organisers have sucked the soul out of the sport. I haven't watched a V8 race or a supercross all year.

[Wombat]

I haven't seen any info on Chad or Super X Graeme; where are you looking pls?
I went back through my posts to find this bit I wrote nearly a year ago - is the SX proposal anything like this:

I saw an interview with the Supercross Promotor the other night (MXTV on the Aurora channel - Tue nights at 8.00pm Qld time).
He says many Promotors have been burned financially in their attempts at Supercross in Australia.
In his own words "Supercross is nowhere" in this Country; it hasn't grabbed the Aussie public at all.
He had a few concepts and his vision is to see Supercross promoted as 'entertainment' more so than 'motorsport'.
He believes 'man on man' races would be exiting - that's two people in the race.
Races in general would be much shorter; consisting of only a few laps.
This would raise the intensity of both the competitors and the crowd.
He noted 'Crusty Demons' as a good example of what stadium crowds like to see.
This concept has taken off and Supercross can and should follow this lead.
He went on to say Chad Reed would return to OZ in the next few years and Chad is also keen to lift the profile of the sport in this Country.
He believes Chad would smoke the field in the first season but the locals would rise to the challenge and lift their game over the following seasons.
History shows that certainly worked when the Europeans raced in the U.S. all those years ago.
The Americans lifted their game and look at them now.
He had some good ideas and they were all 'outside the box'.
Supercross has about fifty too many jumps and fifty too many corners for my liking.
It's not my cup of tea (I'm a traditionalist) but I can see my young bloke would love it.  

[Graeme M]

Yeah, I agree generally, and I think Firko summed it up. It is generally pretty boring - to me - but it is the kind of packaged spectacle today's young kids love and probably will appeal to Joe Average if it's sold like Crusties or even Gladiator (erkkk...).

As for info, the interview was in the latest DA. But of course they have a website.

http://superx.com.au/home/

[AjayVMX]

From what I have heard, the new Super-X series is going to be REAL Supercross and not Arenacross, which is the type of Supercross that has been inflicted on us mostly in the last 10 years or so.

What is "real" Supercross?  Well, bigger venues with decent sized tracks and reasonable numbers of bike on the starting gate.   The fact that the Sydney round is at Parramatta Stadium and not Acer Arena speaks volumes to me on what we may be likely to see:  Racing where the start is not the be all end all and decent tracks with room for people to race each other as well as impress us with their skills and timing. 

Personally, this is the first Supercross Series that I have been remotely interested in going to in many years and if I have no other commitments, I'll be there at Parramatta for sure.

[E74]

At $99 a seat, including one for my 3 year old to watch a bike race?, sit on a plastic seat in the freezing farkin cold in the middle of what might as well be Lebanon...Fark That!!

[magoo]

I'll be at Parramatta for sure, I reckon it would be fun to do the Melbourne and Brissy rounds as well. These large scale events deserve to be supported. I reckon there is the potential to be nearly, but not quite, as good as the old Superbowl of Motocross events that were held at the old Showground. Fast outdoors Supercross tracks rather than the indoor rubbish we've seen over the last 10 years or so should be spectacular.

[090]

Wouldn't miss it for the world. Gotta get behind it .

[Rosco400]

When is Parramatta happening or link to website, do we know if othe major towns are being taken in

[AjayVMX]

Web site http://superx.com.au/home/

[VMX247]

Our whole club is going and taken a real big bus and picken up other members on the way to the big smoke of Perth(2hrs)and havin a hoot of a time doin it..

[mxmaniac]

I would be at every round if possible.. to see good live racing, In our own back yard with a bit of odd ball style racing to keep the mind boggled for a bit will be great! 
Value for money if you take into account how much ya can pay to go see a shit movie for an hour and eat too much pop corn and drink too much coke
 We get foxtel at crazy monthly cost to watch american mx/sx which is pretty much won before its run with Bubba Stewart in the outdoors now!  I want "our" sport of choice to reach them sort of levels in Australia so we can ditch Flamin Foxtel and watch repeats after going to the event on local Tv for FAARK all!! 
  I might brake another shoulder around October when it starts so i can try get to all the rounds without havin to worry about friggin ground hog day work.

[elsie 125]

 could  have a round in canberra also, at bruce stadium, wait and see

[vmx42]

Yeah I'll probably front up to have a look. Gotta try to support these things.

To me the reason Supercross has become a bit ho-hum is that all the tracks and obstacles are the same. Most of the tracks are manicured surfaces, jumps are the mandated size and distance apart, and all those damn bowl turns - ad nauseum. It all focusses on the jumping ability of the rider. The good guys are faster in the corners and the whoops and that is it - no variety.

The older supercross races were all different, different layouts, different surfaces, different jumps. Today it is a bit like motocross in a skate park. I have the same problem with the Freestyle stuff. Bloody clever, unbelieveably brave, but once you have seen it a few times it is all the same [and don't mention the tattos or body piercing] - I get a bigger thrill seeing a racer throw a huge whip off a tabletop whilst chasing the rider in front of him than I do seeing another backflip. Give me a huge bermshot any day [and you don't see those at a modern supercross] but when the tracks are so technical that PRECISON WINS OVER HEART then you end up with a boring show [read procession]. Lose some of the bigger jumps and use track obstacles and surfaces that reward the adventurous not the most precise - it is really supposed to be INDOOR MOTOCROSS afterall. The current tracks don't let riders really hang it out - if you do all you will see is the inside of the ambulance - BORING!

And lastly, you sit there all night and the main event is over in 12 to 15 minutes. And if you have had the misfortune of going to the Acer Arena then the last train left 10 minutes before the show is over.  Lets have a timed race [say 25 minutes] and not just 20 laps of a tiny 40 second track

Good luck to the Chadster, but make it a great show. And I don't mean laser light shows, fireworks, big arse dancing girls [do you want fries with that] or rider parades in useless oversize US trucks [NEWSFLASH: they don't make true event atmosphere!!!!!]. Lets see some tracks that encourage and reward great racing, throw in the occasional upset result and get the crowd on their feet [for more than 12 minutes] - now that would be worth paying for.
VMX42