By Dean Adams
Nobody really knows what the future holds for motorcycle racing. A lot of people, most with a vested interest in using motorcycles as the anchor for their racing business–manufacturers, sanctioning bodies, suppliers etc–hope that the month of May will turn the COVID-19 situation around globally and racing will resume.
Maybe it will.
Many motorcycle manufacturers have furloughed workers–globally–and are talking internally about how when their operation comes out of this that it will be a much, much leaner company. Where does racing fall in that scenario? Well, manufacturers will be examining and re-thinking any expense that does not truly translate into sales. Does MotoGP racing sell sport bikes or motorcycles of any kind? Of course we inherently believe that it does, but the damage done to companies around the globe by this crisis will inevitably bring a whole new level of bean-counter focus on racing.
The CPA oversight might not be the worst of a recovered world when it comes to racing. Will local, state and federal-level governments allow a sholder-to-shoulder, hot and sweaty mass of humanity to congregate beside racetracks in the future, with no vaccine in sight for at least 18 months? Assuredly stakeholders will say all is well, probably right up until it isn’t.
