i think dieter's proven that there is a market for "premium" road events. hell, just look at the crowds battenkilled pulled a few years ago. however, he's also proven that when people pay more they expect a higher quality event. people's frustration with dieter's events doesn't necessarily seem to stem from the price but more from the fact that people feel the event was not worth it for one reason or another (see: catskills tt times). if people pay a premium over an "average" event they expect a premium experience, not a sub par one. personally, i've never had an outright negative experience at one of dieter's events, which is why I continue to do them.