What if we combined road racing with a homegrown series featuring riders that are already the best in the world? Flat track racing has factory involvement, the best riders, a full-figured schedule and reliable fan participation. What if we went back to the past and named an overall Number 1 rider using the total points scored from each series? Road racing and flat track points were scored this way back in the 1970’s before the AMA debased the value of the #1 plate by splitting the championship into two. American road race wins need to become more valuable, more meaningful and with a tight overall championship on the line the top flat trackers would no longer be able to ignore asphalt. With so many more dirt events the best road racers would have to dabble in the dirt.
I know the existing sanctioning bodies would never come together on this series. It requires compromise and a desire to put the common good above fractured fiefdoms battling for fans. That’s why we need a third, Rotisserie League type Series that sponsors the new championship without actually being involved in sanctioning races.
This piggy backed, Lamprey League would tabulate the scores from both road racing and flat track events and award prize money accordingly. (Like the old Camel Pro championships) Freed from having any association with either of the race promoters or even needing their blessing, anyone with deep enough pockets could be a sponsor. Red Bull, Booze sellers, and cigarette makers even the web site Vice could jump on board. An entire Virtual Championship Series with its own advertising, racer interviews and social media platforms would run parallel and concurrent with the physical races.
With True #1 championship money on the line racers would switch back and forth between the two racing disciplines, all the while improving their ability on both surfaces and scoring virtual points. It’s a win for everybody involved and it’s a big win for whoever gets that unified #1 plate.
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