Hangtown entry list smallest ever for a National opener?

Husky360
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Husky360
What do you think is the biggest reason(s) there were so few entries? The economy from what I read is doing much better in the US so is it the cost of the motorcycles and maintaining them especially in Formula 1 I mean the 250 class.
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RD757
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RD757 5/21/2017 1:01pm
5/21/2017 1:01pm
It may have been a small turn out but the west coast rounds seem to always be significantly smaller compared to the eastern rounds in terms of racer attendance. I wouldn't be surprised to see at least twenty or thirty more riders in each class come high point.
731chopper
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731chopper 5/21/2017 2:24pm
5/21/2017 2:24pm
Motorcycle sales are still way off what they were 10 years ago so I'd say the motorcycle economy is still not great.
jmx411
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jmx411 5/21/2017 2:54pm
5/21/2017 2:54pm
Plus harder to get a pro license now correct?
pmshortt2
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pmshortt2 5/21/2017 3:06pm
5/21/2017 3:06pm
Cost to maintain these 4 strokes. Imagine how many entrys there would be if there was a 125 class Whistling

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Phillip_Lamb
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Phillip_Lamb 5/21/2017 3:15pm
5/21/2017 3:15pm
entries at MX races are down all over, at least in CA, a local shop who supported the Dodge AM national back in 2014 mentioned how the event barely drew a full pro gate, when in prior years they had to have qualifiers fro pros.

I have to assume its a variety of issues, no races around here have purses, pro racing hasn't increased their payout in years, bike only cost more to build and maintain. Its hard for a kid to grow from minis all the way to pro's today without factory support
Xeno
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Xeno 5/21/2017 3:19pm
5/21/2017 3:19pm
Don't forget entitlement issues
oilman400
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oilman400 5/21/2017 3:32pm
5/21/2017 3:32pm
Husky360 wrote:
What do you think is the biggest reason(s) there were so few entries? The economy from what I read is doing much better in the US...
What do you think is the biggest reason(s) there were so few entries? The economy from what I read is doing much better in the US so is it the cost of the motorcycles and maintaining them especially in Formula 1 I mean the 250 class.
Fake news, "Economy doing good" everything these days are getting more expensive!
MXMattii
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MXMattii 5/21/2017 4:03pm
5/21/2017 4:03pm
I posted this in a other topic.

It seems very logic that the 250 hasn't that much of entrees. I'm close to someone who owned a satellite MX2 team here in Europe and developing a competitive bike for outdoors is very expensive, and if I see those very fast US tracks I guess that being privateer on a pretty much stock 250 won't do justice to your skill. So I wouldn't enter either.

A pretty much stock 450 on the other hand can be competitive if you have a good pilot on it, but that starts to become hard too with the ECU story. But in recent history we saw Clément Desalle, Kyle Regal, Weston Peick do great things on pretty much stock, private bikes in US Nationals.

Also because making a fast bike is harder, read more expensive, then a good handling bike for Supercross/Arenacross lots of 250 teams are doing only AX or SX West or SX East. And again that makes that lots of those riders just don't ride outdoors, or race somewhere else like Canada, Australia and even the European series.
honda907
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honda907 5/21/2017 4:48pm
5/21/2017 4:48pm
Phillip_Lamb wrote:
entries at MX races are down all over, at least in CA, a local shop who supported the Dodge AM national back in 2014 mentioned how...
entries at MX races are down all over, at least in CA, a local shop who supported the Dodge AM national back in 2014 mentioned how the event barely drew a full pro gate, when in prior years they had to have qualifiers fro pros.

I have to assume its a variety of issues, no races around here have purses, pro racing hasn't increased their payout in years, bike only cost more to build and maintain. Its hard for a kid to grow from minis all the way to pro's today without factory support
From the TV show, it looks as if spectator attendance was down significantly for the opener. I wasn't there, but on TV there was a lot of "open fence" around the track.

Hoping I saw something that wasn't there........
Old&New
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Old&New 5/21/2017 5:32pm
5/21/2017 5:32pm
Attendance and participation will increase when the series moves to moto country - midwest/east coast. Same reason they moved the USGP and next years USA MXdN. California is not the epicenter of motocross in American anymore.
NATEP231
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NATEP231 5/21/2017 6:49pm
5/21/2017 6:49pm
I noticed how they used supercross on TV at tthe beginning of the show. Something feld would never do for the outdoors. Also made me wonder how Fox let NBC use the video from supercross. The sport is not getting better. The prices are not helping anyone. Remember when they all used the fuel prices driving up the cost of everything then fuel drops and no one goes back on their prices? Or how many 20 year old kids can afford to go buy a $9000 bike for a sport that has pros expire before 30? Or afford the vehicle to get them there? And gear, tires, food, the non stop raising of race entry fees. Something has got to give and it's looking like it is the riders wallets that are starting to show. People can't afford to do this anymore. It happened before in the 80s and will happen again. I still don't understand why the pro riders have to pay a entry fee at all, aren't they the entertainment? why are they paying to put on their own show?
langhammx
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langhammx 5/21/2017 6:59pm
5/21/2017 6:59pm
731chopper wrote:
Motorcycle sales are still way off what they were 10 years ago so I'd say the motorcycle economy is still not great.
Just about every person that I know in the motorcycle industry that owns a business, has been way down on their income. There are a few exceptions, but the majority of this industry is HURTING in general.

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