that was an opportunity for his sponsors to prove they could shoot at the big time. and i don't think they had it in them. times are hard and its a totally different ball game going from giving out a bike and some tyres etc and supporting a team like that for the season to one where you pro-actively go off testing to learn new things. to actually CHASE a good bike, a better bike.
you just don't see dealers able to invest that amount of money and then also to take advantage of any knowledge they gain on the sales floor by 'connecting the two'. DCR never connected SM development to sales and this would be a further example.
that bodes the question: do you support 4 'jolly good' riders and win the local championship and sell m,any new bikes? or
do you dump them and support one red hot international rider and hope for the same sales in a slightly more unconnected way? and that your success translates to a dealer in aberdeen selling two more and not you!
do you trust that every mod that the rider makes; you can turn into gold?
sure, the best grips can be 'handed over' and sold as a recommended product in the shop, but suspension work will be carried out off site and the knowledge - except for say spring changes - is still unknown even to the sponsor. injection information, even if you get it, you're hemmed in as a dealer from touching the bikes.
i spoke to a dealer last week who had had two sets of conicals break but isn't allowed to go to DVSK? he could lose his status? how ridiculous is that! so even when you learn some things you can't pass it on.
what they should do is perhaps consider a dealer supported team and not just a solus dealer based team.
the development work i do goes directly into the engines i prepare for my bike and the sidecarX team i support. that knowledge will be used in tomorrows customer engines. "as tested by ....."!
in ducatis darker days they not only had a dealer supported rider, they had an owners club (Ducati Owners Club GB) fund as well and for that steve wynn reported in three times that season on developments being carried out to the bike and dropped in a few appropriate "gems" to keep the natives happy.
the man we supported in 1981 and 1982? none other than tony rutter who won the 1981 world championship on a ducati 600 pantah based bike. he then carried on with works support in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985 to bring ducati their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th world titles!
not bad for an owners club and 4 dealers now was it! those that know their history of UK racing will know that this was about the 4th of many times steve wynne was shyte on from a great height by the factory! having produced rutter the factory dropped wynne.
and again those that know their bikes will know the name of the previous rider to rutter that the ducati factory had dumped out wynne over.... one mike hailwood!
regards
Taffy
