an interview with Jason Carlton
We caught up with Jason Carlton following the 1st round of the new Suzuki
national series, held at 3 Palms Extreme. We asked Jason to explain how the new
series came about, and the demise of the RM Cup:
Last year was the 10th and final Suzuki RM Cup which was held at Pleasure Valley Raceway in Johnstown, PA, September 18-19, 2004. I had raced the RM Cup back in 2001 when it was at Glen Helen Raceway, then as a Suzuki employee, (MX and Offroad Contingency Coordinator), I attended the final one. The goal of the RM Cup was to give back to the Suzuki customers by putting on a national caliber event, and fully catering to the families by means of the annual Suzuki BBQ on Saturday night, live music, free emergency parts assistance with our support trucks, and huge contingency payouts, ($135,000 guaranteed payout). Typically, the RM Cup was held around the time the new models are released so it gave the customers a chance to check them out as well, as we would bring the whole line out for display. The RM Cup was very original as no other manufacturer put on an event where it was only their brand that attended.
However, there are reasons why. Obviously the biggest reason is the money.
Between the contingency payout, the logistics, etc. after everything is said and
done, it cost Suzuki about $300,000 to put this single event on. Not to mention
it takes everyone in the Sports Promotion department away from their routine job
to focus on this event, setting contingency payouts, etc way behind. It really
came down to the fact that we were not staffed well enough to keep the RM Cup
going and we needed a change. With the entries growing to well over 800 riders,
something had to happen. When we announced that it would be the final RM Cup, we
got a lot of poor feedback and I found myself trying to explain to the customers
in a round about way that it was too difficult for us. This is when I started to
I realized then that the RM Cup kind of fell into just another amateur national where it was more of a serious race rather than an event where we can spend time with the customers, go riding with the customers and create a better, more intimate relationship with our customers. So my goal was to create a series that hit all 4 corners of the United States, joining up with pre-established, fairly large events, title sponsoring them and trying my hardest to create a “mini Loretta’s feel” with activities for all ages constantly going on. I wanted everyone who attended one of these races to leave the way I left Loretta’s last year, completely blown away at such an awesome experience. I talked to many people and researched as much as I possibly could to find the 4 ideal locations for the series. You know from 3 Palms that all the chosen locations are top level facilities run by top level promoters. It seemed like we could never please everybody with the RM Cup. Since it was one event a year and it rotated from east coast to west coast each year, one or the other side would be pissed off they couldn’t make it. We also felt that the money spent on the RM Cup wasn’t justifying enough bike sales, (which is obviously a big reason we do what we do).
Overall, this series provides a more efficient way to reach more customers
and potential customers than the RM Cup at a much more cost effective amount. It
gives back to our loyal Suzuki customers and shows the other brand customers
that Suzuki aggressively supports amateur racing in many ways. I have worked
hard at maintaining contact with all of the promoters involved with the series
and I believe this is what will make the series. We constantly share ideas via
email with everyone involved trying to better the series and increase the “fun
level” at each event. With the series now at its half way point, it is evident
that it has been an unbelievably successful change to the Suzuki amateur support
program. As you know, the Suzuki/MasterCraft Wakeboard expedition did not happen
in TX, but it will be happening at the final 2 rounds in TN and CA. That will be
a really cool activity for the riders to go and participate in. Besides that,
everyone loves the pitbike action and we have been getting constant props on the
Suzuki/Two Brothers Racing DR-Z110 Challenge. These events are to have fun at,
not just race, and so far I feel we have all done a great job with keeping this
in mind.
About Jason Carlton: I came to Suzuki in August of 2003 and worked in the Sports
Promotion department as the motocross and off road contingency coordinator under
Cole Gress. I am still a full time college student at Cal Poly Pomona studying
Mechanical Engineering and when the time came for me to take day classes,
Suzuki’s HR department wouldn’t let it happen. At that point I had been working
with Two Brothers Racing on joining the Suzuki series and they offered me a job
as their product development engineer. I started here in March of this year.
They told me I could still run the show on
the
series and use the job as an internship until I finish school. Now I have about
a year left and I will be done with school, getting my B.S. in Mechanical
Engineering. Two Brothers has been great and I have learned a ton working with
Joel Albrecht and Steve Drew, both in R&D/Product Development. My plans are to
work here after school for a few years and then move to TX. Emil already has a
spot for my RV on the property at 3 Palms till I get situated. I love it out
there and can’t wait for the day! My ultimate goal is to run my own business
designing product, etc. and make it possible for my future kids to race and
travel all over the US if they want.
