Husaberg.org Race Team?

Its good the hear that Jedi is thinking about how to promote the Husaberg brand through racing.We all know that it has been a tried and proven method to raise brand awareness and promote loyalty amongst the faithful.
To be successful at any endeavor the objectives have to be clear and attainable from the outset and supported with a solid plan. Although racing is fun it is also a business and requires funding to have any chance to fulfill the required objectives.
If the objective is to gain some favorable advertising copy then getting some results in high profile races is the course of action.If the objective is to get the Husaberg faithful involved and create a team atmosphere results are not as critical.
With the number of husabergs in use and available for sale each season it is unlikely the brand will get the attention of a high profile rider or sponsor.As such, it is unlikely that a full scale attempt to compete in any national series is practical at this time.Having said that I do believe that the brand could compete in certain selected higher profile events with good results.
I will be first to admit I know nothing of desert racing in any of its forms,but a great many Husabergs are used in this type of event,possibly because they have a certain advantage in this area.If this is the case it could be a cost effective way to break into the results.
Anyway thats my .02 cents,if I come across any revelations on my ceiling I will be pass them on. .....nsman

Just had a great idea Jedi,maybe you should give the dealer principals free demos for a year.....so we could race them......ah....maybe thats not such a great idea :lol:

Why not do something revolutionary, something never done before, and focus on the lower classes of racing? After all, that is where the greatest numbers are, with many people wanting to spend money on better equipment and technology, falsely believing that is the answer to success. All of these companies cater to the minority in the elite class, and neglect their largest customer base. The status quo is basically another form of aristocracy. Why not take the grassroots approach of being "the people's" company and support the lower classes? Since nobody does that, that would really catch people's attention.

I do not know how UHE is going to come up with that type of money, if a capitalist enterprise like BMG cannot afford it. The only people who could be counted on financially, are probably only the ones who donate to UHE each month, which is not a lot.

If this is supposed to be a husaberg.org team, I would much rather support one of us, someone from the site, like Fryguy, etc., and not some mercenary like Metzger and his ilk. With a limited budget, team support probably could only work by using volunteers from this site. Don't we already have a member here who competes in Baja on a Husaberg? Why don't we work with something like that, instead of starting from scratch?

Just a few facts.
Husaberg will never be a bike for "the peoples". Like it or not if you own one you are in a pretty exclusive club.
BMG will bring in less than 600 units for 06. How big should the racing budget be for a number that small (my guess is real close to zero, and as well as it probably should be). BMG will sell every bike it can lay hands on without so much as spending a dime on racing.
If there is to be a race team, it will and probably should come from us (the enthusiasts). Financial backing would be minimal at best but I am betting that volunterism would be fantastic.

Dirt track is a great venue. The only problem is that you are promoting the engine and engine only, Once you get past the powerplant, there are not alot of OEM parts left. It's great for getting the name out there, but it does not speak much about the bike itself.

With all this in mind. I am still interested in doing something like this. I think we would have to focus on something small and doable like the Endurocross. From there perhaps we could build up to something else

Just my very opinionated 2 cents, and as always.....I could be wrong.

Berger wrote...
"BMG will bring in less than 600 units for 06. How big should the racing budget be for a number that small (my guess is real close to zero, and as well as it probably should be). BMG will sell every bike it can lay hands on without so much as spending a dime on racing"

I would guess that BMG would prefer that # were closer to 6000 The stockholders of the parent company as well! The only, or perhaps I should say the most feasible way this can occur is with a race effort. Without it's racing heritage, I can't imagine anyone would have heard of Husaberg to begin with.

Now a small race team is cool and I am sure it would be fun, etc... But at the end of the day it won't make one bit of difference for BMG. No one cares if some privateer shows up on a Husey. But a true effort on the national level is news in and of itself! Can you imagine channel surfing and catching a glimpse of a Husey rider on the podium on Speed Channel?

For the record, I applaud BMG's efforts to make Husaberg a reputable business here in N.A. And I really have no stake/interest in their success. But since the Q is on the table... I guess I feel free to be a PITA :shock:

Again quoting Berger...
"Dirt track is a great venue. The only problem is that you are promoting the engine and engine only, Once you get past the powerplant, there are not alot of OEM parts left. It's great for getting the name out there, but it does not speak much about the bike itself."

I am sure it was in 04 the rules were changed where teams were required to use oem chassis' This was an effort to attract more factory support..

how about the factory stating that it will hold practice days with a suspension and carburation tweaker on hand. "everyone can be a factory rider with husaberg".

knowing what i do now about suspensiona nd carburation i think some riders would be amazed! the team could charge for what it sold but offer it's information for free. kind of like a 'taster' as we call them in the UK.

so you're a clubman, you go practicing and you have people tell you to try a harder spring so they rip your forks out there and then and change them. you get charged a fair fee and the service is unique to husaberg.

they lose money but get a bit back as well. everyone is happy!

the offer could be in some series that the highest placed husaberg rider will get a 'factory (BMG) ride' the following season. again more people buy and use a husaberg BEFORE the investment is needed.

regards

Taffy

Always remember....KTM is not interested in competing with itself. Last I heard total Husaberg production was well below 6000 units. 1/2 that number is probably closer. It's a supply and demand issue. It doesnt matter how much you advertise or put into racing. They only make a limited number of machines, and each one will find a home. I really dont know if they would even entertain the idea of producing say 10,000 units. KTM does not count on Husaberg to pay the bills so to speak.

very well said berger; but lets race like wind till the end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

berger said:

Always remember....KTM is not interested in competing with itself. Last I heard total Husaberg production was well below 6000 units. 1/2 that number is probably closer. It's a supply and demand issue. It doesnt matter how much you advertise or put into racing. They only make a limited number of machines, and each one will find a home. I really dont know if they would even entertain the idea of producing say 10,000 units. KTM does not count on Husaberg to pay the bills so to speak.

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I have to say this is an interesting aproach to doing business... selling less bikes as oposed to more :twisted:

I bet the Board of Directors would be shocked to hear of this plan! FWIW, I'd be suprised if any of them would give a rat's arse what color the bikes are that are being sold. Investors just want the best return...

The board of directers is going to be held hostage till

We set up an assault to rip up vegas to reno that's what the

fe 650 is bread for no?

I'm all for it, though the reality of volunteerism sounds a lot more achieveable than a David and Goliath pro effort

Cheers,

Brett

this is bollocks!

husaberg have been overproducing for years and the resale value has been on the floor.

wise marketing says that the dealer needs to sell the bike for full retail and that the resale has to be very, very, very good. the first thing husaberg must do is regain consumer confidence in the resale value so selling all that you produce is a brilliant way of doing it!!!

hats off for producing too few machines!

regards

Taffy

Is there any thought of linking this project with the Dirt Rider web site challenge?
Not only would we build a bike....we are gonna race it!!

berger said:

Is there any thought of linking this project with the Dirt Rider web site challenge?
Not only would we build a bike....we are gonna race it!!

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That is the best idea on this topic yet! Apply, build it with BMG help and race it with Fry or boss in off road or sombody else in Supermoto or GNC. That sounds like a good and achievable plan with quite a bit of exposure.
Of course I personally would like to team with Dez and do the Vegas to Reno with one other old fart. We could be team Old Fat Guy.

What about using the same bike for supermoto and enduro.
It could show how versatile the bike really is.

Maybe it's a dumb idea??

kelsow said:

What about using the same bike for supermoto and enduro.
It could show how versatile the bike really is.

Maybe it's a dumb idea??

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If you saw some of my off track "excursions" last week you woulda thought I WAS riding in an enduro! 8O

Jedi,

I've been here a bit, and I'm glad to hear this finally coming from you. I have stuck around partly because of efforts that this whole thing will "take off" at some point.

You, I would assume, are in this thing for a while, you're vested. This gives you the advantage of working on a "legacy". It's kinda like building a baseball team that has been doing crappy, right? IMHO it would start relatively small. You guys did the 24 hour deal, and that ended with success. Because of this, I'm not surprised about your timing for this thread. You seem to be in a mental state to do a big race this year.

Start with one race this year, maybe two. Along the lines of what Daleo suggested. If you did this, it might make it easier to get one good rider to show up (since you're only askin for one measly race out of him/her).

The idea of other sponsers also makes things seem more feasible. Also, it commits you, since it isn't only you that takes the hit if you don't show. I also think it is bogus to say that KTM doesn't want to sell more Husabergs, does Honda not want to sell more Acura's??

Anyway, second year you bite off a bit more. After that, you would probably feel more comfortable doing the whole race support gig, and things would start to develop further. Though I am a fan of the desert and woods stuff, I also think the Supermoto idea is a great one to investigate.

Asking the group to support things financially is somewhat unrealistic. We are having a hard enough time to support this website (and in my case misc. shenanigans that people suggest others do). But, it is a good idea to get us on the same page. There are tons of dudes down around the Pheonix area, and you could get them to show up as fans, or as lower class riders, as Brendan suggested. There were 8 or so bikes at the Pheonix ride. If each one entered a desert race, plus the guys you bring, and all you did was pit together, that would be a cheap large advertisement.

I'll stop babbling.

-Parsko

RockyMt said:

If you saw some of my off track "excursions" last week you woulda thought I WAS riding in an enduro! 8O

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You neglected to mention Kenny Noyes hucking your bike. Was he trying to keep up with the eleven year old girl ? :lol: :lol: :lol: