The level of talent you have now and Phoenix Racing Honda supporting it certainly seems the best in my eyes. I would like to get it in the fall before Supercross season. Obviously you weren’t able to make that happen. It would be best if there was only one. In my mind there is a market to make this thing killer for everyone.
One thing we did was we moved our pro day to Friday. We will be live on MAV[TV] from January. So we really did it with the fans in mind. You can watch the series on Friday so you don’t compete with Supercross. They don’t overlap. So that was a strategic move that we made as a group, saying we’re going to try to make this thing a standalone game that doesn’t clash with Supercross. Even if we are one on the same weekend, you don’t have to choose one or the other. We know we’re not Supercross. We don’t try to be. I think when Arenacross was at its best there were people who left Supercross towards the end of their careers and quit it. When these guys started out in Arenacross and that intersection there I think the racing was at its best. I really think if we can prove the concept of this fan based event with fan interaction, I’m optimistic that we can prove the concept and pull out some of the guys who are still racing and want to make a living. If we can prove the concept with arenacross and get them there, it will be exciting.
Some of the concepts you talk about are really cool, really interesting. Is this app out yet or when can people get this app?
It will be out before January. We are currently in the test phase. The staff downloaded it and we’re working through it, just kind of fine tuning. It will be released ahead of the January 6 event in Colorado.
Kris Keefer: I met Robby at a regional before Loretta and I didn’t know anything about it. Then he was my neighbor at Loretta, and then I found out he bought the show and started the show. I didn’t ask you that while we were parked next to you. What made you do it? Why did you want to create and realize all this?
I ask myself every day now. It’s funny. My son became interested in horseback riding again. That got me back into the sport a few years ago. We were on our way home from a race. My wife looked at the payout and said, “That’s all these guys race for?” She said, “Was it like that when you raced?” I said no.” I kind of explained to her what it used to be was and how far it’s gone. She said to me, ‘You have to do something about it.’ So that planted the idea, and then over the next few months I just developed that plan in my head and put it on paper. I did involved some partners. Jack was interested in doing something and Wayne is a business partner that I’ve had in other ventures in the past. He has a background in music. So we kind of all bonded. That really motivated us. All to see these guys train, work so hard and not really have a place to go outside of Supercross and grappling with the budgets and everything they’ve been dealing with, I just see a need and a void that needs to be filled. So that was the motivation and the way it came about. We will see. I think if the industry gets behind it again and the fanbase connects with the event, I think it will take off. If not, we try 100 percent to make sure that happens.
How was the industry support for you? Again, we are post-COVID. That Companies I speak to have seen sales drop. They are no longer where they used to be. That’s okay because we were booming for a while. So how has the support been from the industry and your partners and such?
The support is good. It’s not great. I think with everything that’s new in this industry, as you know, everyone wants to see if you’re going to deliver. I think this is our exam year. I think we deliver. Guys who got in for the first few rounds are like, ‘Wow, it’s back.’ Even just the level of production and everything we’re bringing is really back to how it used to be. I am confident. Sponsors, I think there were many who were just watching and there have already been a few who have reached out to us and will probably get involved before January. So that was kind of an answer. I think next year it will just keep growing. There’s a lot of excitement. People want that. They just wanted to know if we’re living up to our side that we’re telling people.
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