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Can someone explain the point of these individual numbers that the riders now use in GRand Prix Meetings? I can't for the life of me see what purpose they serve - it can't be for any kind of identification as they are way too small to be seen from the terraces, so what was wrong with numbering the riders from 1-16 as used to be the case?

 

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28 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

Pure merchandise and marketing identity

Absolutely. Same as it has been in other motorsports (remember, Barry Sheene was No. 7), and of course, what has happened to football in recent years.

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11 minutes ago, topaz325 said:

Off topic a little but it said in the SS this week that GP  earnings for Zmazlik was $74k and he was the top earner , thought it would be far more than that?

And quite possibly little if any profit from that directly

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5 hours ago, brianbuck said:

Can someone explain the point of these individual numbers that the riders now use in GRand Prix Meetings? I can't for the life of me see what purpose they serve - it can't be for any kind of identification as they are way too small to be seen from the terraces, so what was wrong with numbering the riders from 1-16 as used to be the case?

 

You're right, I was in the pub recently and I happened to mention this and the place broke down in hysterics.

They couldn't believe there was a sport where a competitor kept the same number all season. What a tinspot sport it must be was the general observation. Some swore they would never watch or attend any event where a competitor/athlete has the same number all season long.

Name another sport that does it was the most common question asked.. in between the laughter that is!

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34 minutes ago, Baldyman said:

All other forms of motorsports. 

Think that's the point Bwitcher is making. 

Some motor sports the rider/driver have the same number all there career. 

Number 44 is another well known merchandising number

I said that hours ago....

In American sport, teams actually "retire" a number that was used by legends.

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7 hours ago, Baldyman said:

Selling merch by being known by number associated with you works. Just ask probably the world's best known sports number 46. 

The numbers aren't unique. I believe Tommy Bridewell is a number 46 motorcycle racer. Obviously not the most famous one. 

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8 hours ago, RobMcCaffery said:

I'm waiting for someone to ask Jason Doyle why he chose his racing number. 

 

Another motorcycle racer (James Whitham) who had the same number said he originally chose it because he fell off a lot and the number appears the same upside down. 

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9 hours ago, RobMcCaffery said:

I'm waiting for someone to ask Jason Doyle why he chose his racing number. 

 

Jason Doyle’s Racing number was originally 43, but he couldn’t use it when he got in the GPs as Darcy already had it. Similarly Dudek was 69 and had to change it to 692 as Doyle had 69 in the GPs first.

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Other sports may not be numbers..... Snooker it’s names....  “Hurricane “,  “Rocket”,   “Whirlwind”.    Other sports, apart from numbers, it is colours to a massive extent...... in MotoGP Yellow is synonymous with Valentino Rossi, Red with Marq Marquez. Combine the yellow colour with 46, the orange with 93, and at the GP’s you see a sea of yellow46 flags, hats, jackets, banners, and orange93 similar products ..... all in the tens of thousands. Jorge Lorenzo is 99, Andrea Dovitsiozo is 04..... the list goes on....... they are all big money spinners, massive. The new popular number to watch in Moto GP is 20 - Fabio Quartararro - just see how that number goes massive in the next few years.

Back to speedway, those who watched the under 21 world championship from Pardubice last Friday.... did you not notice sections of the crowd were wearing clothing in the same colours as their idol - Bartosz Smektala, - and they stood out.  Smektala will be in the senior world championship sometime soon, The money machine is already working hard.

 

Edited by OveFundinFan
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