MotorStorm (PS3): Where have all the drivers gone?

With the somewhat recent revealing of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift i decided to get back into playing the original MotorStorm online. The game in general was a blasty-blast afterall, even if it was a little bare feature-wise. The only problem with my little revival is the online MotorStorm community seems pretty bare these days (and why are all the players on the west coast?). I get that it was a while ago at this point the game released, but the graphics still hold up pretty well and the overall arcadey, over-the-top off-road racing isn't any less fun now. Maybe everyone else just needs a little more time for those Pacific Rift screens and videos to start the same itch it they did for me. One can hope...