in motogp and ama superbike, supersport etc. how do the racers get their numbers? do they just choose them or do they have to earn the ability to choose their number?

 

`grats on the most random and pointless question ever.

 

MotoGP should be obvious. You get to pick your number, unless you want number 1. There are 19 guys and only 6 of them have numbers less than 20. Im guessing the only guy that can run number 1 is Rossi. Unless MotoGP is like NASCAR where the teams purchase or are assigned unpurchased numbers and anyone can have any number providing they want to pay for it. Its no coicidence that Dale Jr runs number 8, his grandfathers number. That the one he wanted, so they went out and bought 8 from who ever owned it or got it from NASCAR if it was available. In which case if he wanted to, JL Cardosa could run number 1.

AMA, Mladin gets the Number 1 plate because he won last year. He can choose not to run the number 1 plate. If he loses to Spies this year, which I hope he does, he CAN NOT run the number 1 plate in AMA next year. Spies has the choice. This is of course providing that the road racing works like the SX and MX series.

Ricky Carmichael is an example of not running the number 1 plate. He has won Supercross and motorcross and had the right to run the number 1 plate if he chose to, but instead he and Fox have decided to try and make the # 4 his number like a NASCAR racer and market that way. I havent kept up with SX and MX so I dont know if he is still winning, but they took McGrath's number 1 plate away when Carmichael beat him.

I dont think you can run a number less than the position you would have finished. So Hayden couldnt run 69 in the AMA until he finished better than 69th. I dont think...

Other series assign you numbers. Local races and local series will assign you a number. And I think you can purchase numbers for a fee as well. I think.

A tthe end of the day numbers used to be there for the fans at the track and the corner workers so they could identify their favs or who crashed out. Same still goes today, except that NASCAR realized you can create merchandise with the numbers since they dont change with a popular driver and then make some bonus cash to fund your racing. Works great on lower and mid level racing to bring in some extra cash.

 

cool. thaks for clearing it up. i always wondered that. especially the carmichael thing and how like jeff gordon is always 24, or why rossi is always 46.