Mancuso likes to use the supercross banquet to announce the series' priorities and struggles, and usually some news bits. This time Mancuso confirmed that Orlando was off the schedule, and Minneapolis back on it.
Just some notes:
Mancuso's talk: The real message was that the future of supercross is global, and there is going to be just one series championship. Expect things to pick up after next year on the globalization part. He didn't go into specifics, but this comes just after a couple of days of talking with the FIM's Wolfgang SRB, who was in town.
Banquet Opens: "Hey, I'm a global sponsor, I want a global series..."
Peter Adderton's Intro: Peter Adderton, CEO of Amp'd Mobile, actually spoke first at the banquet opening and pretty much said as an international company and series sponsor, he would like to see an international series.
"Nice weather!" The FIM's motocross commission president Wolfgang SRB and AMA's new president Robert Dingman.
Wolfgang's visit: Wolfgang SRB wasn't revealing exactly why he was in town and just joked about casinos, but it was pretty easy. The supercross agreement that created the second FIM trophy runs out in 2009. It's only a matter of time before that idea gets scrapped, and the series doesn't want to walk away from the global market. There were a lot of meetings last weekend before the banquet.
AMA Included: Also in town and walking the pits with SRB, the AMA's new president, Robert Dingman. He also wasn't revealing anything about the meetings, but his presence indicates it's heavy duty (like globalization).
Pit Buzz: A few things kicking around...One is Vancouver and it's moon dirt get dropped and Toronto just becomes part of one series, near Detroit in the schedule. Then everyone gets December off again.
After 2008, anything goes. There has been for quite a while rumors of Amp'd Mobile Supercross in Japan and Australia, and looking to new markets in Asia.
