SOBE SPONSORS NOTHING FOR WEEKS

Sobe, a drink company, wanted to sponsor Jeremy McGrath. But, McGrath got a better offer from Bud Light and passed on the high-dollar Sobe sponsorship. Thanks to the amount of money Sobe was offering, Team Suzuki was more than willing to take on the Sobe deal. At the start of the 2002 season, all was rosy between Sobe and Suzuki. Even though Kevin Windham was riding poorly, Travis Pastrana looked like gang busters in the 250 class. Sobe was happy.

WINDHAM BREAKS HIS LEG

When Kevin Windham broke his leg, and Team Suzuki went from two riders to one, Sobe could still console themselves with the fact that Travis had the largest youth following in the sport.
Then, Travis started to feel ill. First. Team Suzuki claimed it was the flu, then a sinus problem, then tonsillitis. As the season progressed, Travis started pulling out off races after a couple of laps. At Daytona he appeared to pass out. Since Daytona, Travis has been a no-show. And, last week Team Suzuki announced that Travis would not race again until the 250 Nationals start at Glen Helen on May 12.
Sobe has spent the second half of the AMA Supercross season sponsoring a team that doesn’t exist. Under the terms of the Sobe sponsorship, Sobe can demand a kickback of their sponsorship money, if the team doesn’t field a rider. In the beginning, Sobe wasn’t too concerned. They assumed that Travis’ sinus surgery would heal and he’d be back in the saddle. Then, when Team Suzuki said they were canceling the tonsil surgery until after the season was over, Sobe had hopes of getting a rider on the track. That plan was scuttled and Travis decided to have his tonsils removed–and sit out the rest of the Supercross series.

FLU, SINUS AND TONSIL TALK

While all the flu/sinus/tonsil talk is going on, Team Suzuki, according to team manager Roger DeCoster, insisted that Travis go visit a neurologist of their choosing. It’s not that they didn’t trust the doctor’s releases that Travis was giving them, but they wanted to evaluate their multi-million dollar investment. Many pit pundits don’t believe that Travis’ problems stem from the flu/sinus/tonsil scenario, but are instead Post-Concussion Syndrome (which could have been caused by the numerous concussions that Travis suffered last year). Suzuki wanted Travis to see their doctor to make sure. The outcome of those tests, or whether Suzuki even prevailed in getting the tests done, is unknown.

WHAT IS SOBE TO DO?

Insiders report that Sobe has the right to request a $50,000 payment every time Team Suzuki does not field a team. After the first few n-show weekends, Suzuki said that they agreed to put a Sobe sticker kit into selected models of entry-level off-road bikes that they sold. The sticker kit was in lieu of paying any money to Sobe.
How long will Sobe accept this offer? The number of entry-level units sold does not equal the attendance at a single race or the lost publicity that can never be regained.
What would you do? What should Sobe do? What if Travis’ medical problems stop him to completing the 250 Nationals? Sobe is a sponsor without a team.