MxLarge Story
Mitch Payton interview - Rule Changes and USGP
Interview Thursday 26th May 2011 By Geoff Meyer
Mitch Payton the owner of Pro-Circuit and team owner of the Pro-Circuit Kawasaki team is a funny guy. He might look like the most serious guy in the World and you hear a lot of stories about him being an angry guy, but the Mitch Payton I have met a few times is actually a really funny, friendly guy.
I sat down with Mitch at the Grand Prix of United States and asked him about the rule changes for exhaust and fuel in 2012. The American exhaust pipe genius was happy to see change, but also worried that the change might have a negative vibe for the sport.
He also talked about a possible USA versus FIM battle in future years, a battle we all want and one that FIM/Youthstream and the AMA/MXSports might be interested in working out.
MXlarge: Mitch thanks for your time. Can you give me your opinion on the new rule changed that will happen at the 2011 Motocross of Nations?
Payton: I understand next year the FIM are going to adopt the AMA fuel standard and the AMA will adopt the FIM noise limit. In my mind the fuel thing is a bit odd, because the fuel we run is really expensive, but it is what it is. The noise thing, I agree what they are trying to do with trying to get the noise level down, but I also think if they are not careful for professional racing, like a World Championship series or an AMA Championship, which is our top level thing, I don’t think it makes for as much excitement sitting on the side and watching. You know like Formula One, or Nascar of MotoGP (huge noise levels). I don’t want people to think that the bikes are going slower or are boring. I don’t want people thinking it’s like a bunch of Enduro bikes or duelsport bikes running around. I listened to the bikes at Glen Helen for the GP and they seemed so slow (Payton meant because of the noise not the speed of the riders).
MXlarge: So what would you think would be a good direction?
Payton: I think we need to be busy with the local riders the amateurs; they really need to follow the rules. In the states I know the big amateur races and the quads those bikes are still really loud, more so than at a GP.
MXlarge: How could you keep that at a good level?
Payton: I think they could do some quick checks on the bikes, like if somebody sounds loud then bring them in an check them. Maybe there is a possibility that we can work on a uniformed diameter that we get all the outlets to work on it. Like having everyone having 38mm or 36mm or whatever and it’s something they can check easily. I don’t know if that would make it quiet enough, but for the amateurs I think that would help.
MXlarge: As a guy who makes exhausts, what is the difficulty for you with the new change?
Payton: It’s more difficult to make something really quiet that performs well. It is easy to make it quiet, but when you start making it really quiet; the easy way is to lose power. The riders are always looking for an advantage and we are looking for an advantage, so if you work on the engine and the exhaust, you don’t want to lose anything. Also if you start choking down the exhaust too much then you gain engine heat and you can have kids blowing head gaskets more often and other problems. More so for the fans, I just want it to be exciting.
MXlarge: They said they will bring it in at the Motocross of Nations in France, what do you think of that?
Payton: It’s not big a problem we do it every year and you need to do some testing before hand. Or they can just run what they have been running. We go to the des Nations every year and we run MA-1 which is the FIM legal fuel, and we have learnt in the past couple of years to adjust to the bike and also we work on the sound. The sound is the harder of the two. It’s difficult to make something run really well and pass the level we need from the FIM.
MXlarge: Would this ever jeopardize the US team coming for the MXoN?
Payton: No, I don’t think so, in the past five years we have all been committed to the des Nations. I mean Roger is committed, I am committed and all the riders are excited about that event again. It’s important we participate in that event and take our part.
MXlarge: The USGP, how can we help make it grow?
Payton: Yes, I mean the Glen Helen track is an amazing track and they way they make it function it’s a great set-up. It’s a difficult time for the riders. I mean our 450cc guys are just done with 17 rounds up and down, hard fought and nobody tested outdoors because they all wanted to win the Supercross. Then we have one weekend off and we start the outdoors. If anyone came to the GP and crashed and got hurt, then they start the series that their teams pay them for injured, so that is a difficult thing. Maybe if it was at the end of the season, just before the Motocross of Nations, that might work, or be better. What I suggested and what I would like to see is see this event (USGP) be an FIM World Championship and then take a National where the AMA riders get their Championship points and pool them all together. The best GP riders and the best AMA riders together, then you would have something like a des nations and I think you would have like 30, 0000 people at that race, both promoters would win. Everyone needs to lay down the politics and do something good for the sport and it would bring in a great crowd. The fans would like it, and I think the riders would like it.
Stanley Leroux Design
