I should be excited about the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas at the new Circuit of the Americas track near Austin, Texas, next month. A few years ago I would have bet big money against the possibility of the United States having three MotoGP rounds in 2013. By all accounts the track is a great design. It would be nice to see a MotoGP race on a proper road circuit, instead of the unsatisfying, dodgy track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where I usually go each year. It would also be a great excuse for a long motorcycle trip.
Kevin Schwantz
I should be excited, but I’m not. In fact, sending ticket money to the COTA management at this point would feel sleazy, after the way they’ve treated Kevin Schwantz.
In summary, for those who don’t know the back story: Last year, Schwantz sued COTA, accusing them of squeezing him out of the deal to get a MotoGP round. Lawsuits are a common feature of business deals, and although Schwantz has a much better reputation than the people running COTA, there’s two sides to every dispute and that alone wouldn’t lead me to boycott COTA.
But the COTA management showed another level of pettiness when it had its security officers remove Schwantz from the premises during the recent MotoGP test, despite the fact that he had a legitimate credential from one, if not two, of the teams participating in the test.
I’m willing to let a court sort out the lawsuit claims, but kicking a former world champion out of your racetrack, a man who has put his life into promoting and improving the sport and coaching and counseling young riders, is behavior befitting a snotty and petulant 2-year-old, not someone who supposedly wants to be in the motorsports business. And that’s what has me really pissed off.
It simply comes down to this: If Kevin Schwantz isn’t good enough to be allowed to enter the hallowed grounds of the Circuit of the Americas, then it’s very clear I’m not, either, so I won’t be sending them any of my money for tickets.
If you feel the same way I do and want to let COTA know, you can tell them via their online contact form. And in the interest of fair play, if you think I’m full of it, you can tell me.
