motoczysz inspiration in hi-def

motoszysz c1 - the black bike - takes a turn at lvms

If you’ve ever wanted to hurl after being ambushed by one American Chopper promo too many on the seriously misleading Discovery Channel, relief is at hand. Definitely at hand. On March 25, Discovery International airs Birth of a Racer, chronicling the Portland, Oregon based Team Motoczysz’ shoestring and a prayer entry into the extremely high altitude world of GP racing.

Can you say proprietary? New fork design. New front suspension. New swingarm design. New tranny. New – hold on now – inline, counter-rotating, triple-ohc four. Twenty patents, more on hold, all legit, all complete with that Homer Simpson “doh!” moment as in why hasn’t this been done before. And all from an operation that shares more inspirational dna with The World’s Fastest Indian than any factory team you’ve ever seen.

We caught the preview dvd and it’s as smart and polished in content and production as the American Chopper train wreck is embarassing and insulting. Would that we could wish for a like series as popular with the American at-large public as the latter. Sadly, that audience seems consistent with the 20-percent of the domestic population that in poll after poll affirms their faith in the sun revolving around the earth.

Here’s what was wrong with the Team Czysz info-mentary: the director rotated the 3D graphics used throughout the piece to illustrate feature after feature too quickly. I would have preferred a long, lingering view of the various mechanical breakthroughs the project brings to the table because, if the target was gearheads, this gang of savvy upstarts has enough tech going on for the next ten seasons.

This team, knowing out of the gate they couldn’t compete dollar for dollar, instead chooses American ingenuity and originality as their ante. Hi-def makes their story dead-on perfecto.

P.S. –  Sharp-eyed marketers will note how efficiently motoczysz promos their sponsors by making full use of brand stickers on their racing suits, and wearing that apparal on camera as often as possible. No crappy blown-up business card banners hanging sloppily on shop walls here: it’s all good.