Features 5 Mar 2014

Cycle Central: 9

An all-access view of Australian road racing, presented by Alpinestars.

The rise and rise of Australian motorcycle road racing entering 2014 has been one of the stories of the ‘off-season’ in the industry domestically as we look toward next weekend’s opening round of the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship.

The Swann Series lead up has been one of the most positive in recent memory, probably the best I personally can think of since back in 2006 to 2008. There’s no doubt been high points along the way, but always balanced by a certain spread of negativity.

While the Swann Series is gaining steam as anticipation builds, the ‘other’ series is dwindling – big time. It makes you wonder when or if Motorcycling Australia or International Entertainment Group (IEG) is going to actually make some significant steps forward or if they’ll concede ‘defeat’ altogether.

Unfortunately for them and probably more fortunate for the sport itself, nobody seems all too concerned with politics right now. It’s all about the racing and I, like many others, am genuinely excited to witness the on-track activity.

Image: Alex Gobert.

Image: Alex Gobert.

And so, the Swann Series or ASC – whatever you want to call it – is where it’s at. And love it or hate it, having Wakefield Park as the season opener will make for one heck of a weekend. So many unknowns are hovering as we speak.

The track has awesome viewing potential and riders apart from a few apparent dangers seem to enjoy the challenging layout. If the weather’s anything like the official test day then it’ll be an event for the ages.

Organisers today released the entry lists with around 120 riders confirmed so far – 25 in both Superbike and 28 in Supersport – which bodes well for a thrilling weekend to come next week. Right now what the series promoters need to do is pick up the ball (which they have) and run with it.

Australian Road and Track Rider Promotions (ARTRP) are refining their strategies into the new season from what we understand when it comes to media and public relations, while the rest of their package you’d have to say is quite refined and consistently proven.

Late last year they started using a new designer, which has definitely modernised their presentation, and in my opinion that’s vital for a series’ success. It’s one of those minor necessities that if you work toward for each round, the rewards will come.

Add in the fact that the FX website is no longer flooded with negative comments on a weekly basis and the platform’s solid to start the season with. Even better, the ASC Facebook page is flowing with positive input more than anything.

So it’s shaping up to be a landmark year for many, one that we hope will further boost the sport into 2015 and beyond if we look into the longer term. For more of a background on the ASC as it approaches, click here to check out a feature we published yesterday.

That’s it for this week. Check out CycleOnline’s social media profiles for more updates and news from the domestic and international series. Just search ‘CycleOnline’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to follow us.

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