mx track profitability

mxpunk
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mxpunk
Edited Date/Time 1/26/2012 6:58am
I've always wanted to have my own MX track as a business but i've heard its not profitable at all and you'd be lucky to break even.

Essentially...most who own MX tracks do it as a labor of love.

Is it possible to have a profitable moto track? I'd love to open up a new track in NJ but I think i'd have a better chance of murdering someone, admitting to it and getting away with it then i would have opening a track in NJ.
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EvanR127
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EvanR127 10/6/2011 9:04pm
10/6/2011 9:04pm
If you already own the land and some equipment and have a lot of riders within 2 hour driving distance then yes very profitable.

I believe a successful track will have between 80-150 riders per day x $20 each.
Dirtysmile56 10/6/2011 9:06pm
10/6/2011 9:06pm
Build it and they will come.
mxpunk
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mxpunk 10/6/2011 9:08pm
10/6/2011 9:08pm Edited Date/Time 10/6/2011 9:11pm
EvanR127 wrote:
If you already own the land and some equipment and have a lot of riders within 2 hour driving distance then yes very profitable. I believe...
If you already own the land and some equipment and have a lot of riders within 2 hour driving distance then yes very profitable.

I believe a successful track will have between 80-150 riders per day x $20 each.
80-150 riders ...only in SoCal!

When i had a bike i think Etowns practice track would get 100 riders a day for the first two weekends it opened in the spring. hmmm

a good track isnt hard to make but ive been to other parts of the country and have seen some garbage ass tracks.

albany MX in oregon comes to mind. lol
EvanR127
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EvanR127 10/6/2011 9:56pm
10/6/2011 9:56pm Edited Date/Time 10/6/2011 9:57pm
There are about two groups of people per day (ie. average person stays 4 hours). Unless you have only one track you should be able to get close to those numbers.

To determine around how many riders per day u can get. How many tracks within 3 hours of you are there and how busy are they?

If you only got 2 or less and they're slow, your location is going to suck.

The Shop

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Dirtysmile56 10/6/2011 10:26pm
10/6/2011 10:26pm
mxpunk wrote:
80-150 riders ...only in SoCal! When i had a bike i think Etowns practice track would get 100 riders a day for the first two weekends...
80-150 riders ...only in SoCal!

When i had a bike i think Etowns practice track would get 100 riders a day for the first two weekends it opened in the spring. hmmm

a good track isnt hard to make but ive been to other parts of the country and have seen some garbage ass tracks.

albany MX in oregon comes to mind. lol
Funny you noticed how bad Albany is all the way from NJ Smile I noticed as well from 2 hours away. I think they get pretty good turnouts too.
YZBooster
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YZBooster 10/6/2011 10:50pm
10/6/2011 10:50pm
EvanR127 wrote:
If you already own the land and some equipment and have a lot of riders within 2 hour driving distance then yes very profitable. I believe...
If you already own the land and some equipment and have a lot of riders within 2 hour driving distance then yes very profitable.

I believe a successful track will have between 80-150 riders per day x $20 each.
1st, get that land and the equipment...Sad
mxracer732
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mxracer732 10/7/2011 4:26am
10/7/2011 4:26am
I just opened CountyLine MX in Bolton,NC ( www.countylinemx.net ). We haved owned the land for years & had equipment and still I don't expect to ever recover what we've spent, but I do enjoy it.
Highsider
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Highsider 10/7/2011 4:49am
10/7/2011 4:49am
mxracer732 wrote:
I just opened CountyLine MX in Bolton,NC ( www.countylinemx.net ). We haved owned the land for years & had equipment and still I don't expect to...
I just opened CountyLine MX in Bolton,NC ( www.countylinemx.net ). We haved owned the land for years & had equipment and still I don't expect to ever recover what we've spent, but I do enjoy it.
There is your answer.
4mxonly
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4mxonly 10/7/2011 6:06am
10/7/2011 6:06am
Just like any business, there is no single perfect formula or strategy. I've seen tracks/promoters who have been both successful and failures in motocross. One thing is for sure; you'll need a solid analysis of your external environment, a good business plan, and an idea of how you can leverage those two things to maximize your internal capacities. From there, it's all about marketing a good product (especially for a new track). Other than that, always keep this old adage in mind "if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail".
mx196
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mx196 10/7/2011 6:21am
10/7/2011 6:21am
Alot of the tracks usually start as a private track that isnt open to the public. Than eventually there tamed down for the less skilled riders so it's safe for the public, of course there will be a couple people who get hurt though thats just cause shit happens. There are a few private tracks in the Northeast that Iv ridden that are very very fun, but the jumps are way to dangerous for the general public. Its just a matter of if you want it for yourself and some buddies or everyone.
mxpunk
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mxpunk 10/7/2011 7:02am
10/7/2011 7:02am
mxpunk wrote:
80-150 riders ...only in SoCal! When i had a bike i think Etowns practice track would get 100 riders a day for the first two weekends...
80-150 riders ...only in SoCal!

When i had a bike i think Etowns practice track would get 100 riders a day for the first two weekends it opened in the spring. hmmm

a good track isnt hard to make but ive been to other parts of the country and have seen some garbage ass tracks.

albany MX in oregon comes to mind. lol
Dirtysmile56 wrote:
Funny you noticed how bad Albany is all the way from NJ :) I noticed as well from 2 hours away. I think they get pretty...
Funny you noticed how bad Albany is all the way from NJ Smile I noticed as well from 2 hours away. I think they get pretty good turnouts too.
thanks guys

yeah dude, i used to go to oregon state university and albany was the closet mx track...the dirt looked alright but he track looked pretty narrow, i wasnt impressed because i grew up riding englishtown.
Mr. Info
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Mr. Info 10/7/2011 7:33am
10/7/2011 7:33am
Maybe in a market where there are 1 to none in the way of tracks. Look at Socal for example, at least 11 tracks and 9 are within a hour of each other and several have a membership feel to make a quick cash flow and then still charge there members to ride and some have spectator fees even on practice days. They have staff and equipment daily cost and then you have break down cost. You have water cost if no well and if you have a well then you have to deal with dry seasons and electricity and pump failures. Then Insurance cost and then the Lawyer you have to keep on retainer to deal with injury or death lawsuits even though you have them sign a release waiver. Cost to put on races and ads to bring people in and them days lost to weather. What person in their right mind would look at this as a money making business and open a track. You have to assume all the liabilty as people who come in holld you at fault for anything that goes wrong even though they know the risk. Sounds like fun to me.
Dirtysmile56 10/7/2011 7:42am
10/7/2011 7:42am
mxpunk wrote:
thanks guys yeah dude, i used to go to oregon state university and albany was the closet mx track...the dirt looked alright but he track looked...
thanks guys

yeah dude, i used to go to oregon state university and albany was the closet mx track...the dirt looked alright but he track looked pretty narrow, i wasnt impressed because i grew up riding englishtown.
It sounds like you may have never ridden Albany, in it's defense it has it's moments. The dirt is pretty good, but the prep is hit or miss at best. I grew up racing E-town as well (had my first race there in 1986) Definitely a 1st class operation. AS much as I miss the East Coast tracks I wouldn't trade the Northwest lifestyle for the mid Atlantic rat race .
Cook441
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Cook441 10/7/2011 8:27am
10/7/2011 8:27am Edited Date/Time 10/7/2011 8:36am
mxpunk wrote:
thanks guys yeah dude, i used to go to oregon state university and albany was the closet mx track...the dirt looked alright but he track looked...
thanks guys

yeah dude, i used to go to oregon state university and albany was the closet mx track...the dirt looked alright but he track looked pretty narrow, i wasnt impressed because i grew up riding englishtown.
Dirtysmile56 wrote:
It sounds like you may have never ridden Albany, in it's defense it has it's moments. The dirt is pretty good, but the prep is hit...
It sounds like you may have never ridden Albany, in it's defense it has it's moments. The dirt is pretty good, but the prep is hit or miss at best. I grew up racing E-town as well (had my first race there in 1986) Definitely a 1st class operation. AS much as I miss the East Coast tracks I wouldn't trade the Northwest lifestyle for the mid Atlantic rat race .
Yeah when I think of shitty tracks Albany doesnt really come to mind- They have an observation deck above the start (Pretty sweet) a game room for kids, some nice dirt ,right off I-5 etc- matter of fact the first time RV dropped my jaw from riding was at Albany- he was the only little guy (and only a hanfdful of pros) that was hitting a buck ten tripple step down on an 80 (it was sick, fork guard went blasting off on landuing)- I can think of some shitty tracks but Albany doesnt top that list (it's definately not a tradition mx track though with flowing terrain etc-)
jimmie
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jimmie 10/7/2011 8:30am
10/7/2011 8:30am Edited Date/Time 10/7/2011 8:34am
mxracer732 wrote:
I just opened CountyLine MX in Bolton,NC ( www.countylinemx.net ). We haved owned the land for years & had equipment and still I don't expect to...
I just opened CountyLine MX in Bolton,NC ( www.countylinemx.net ). We haved owned the land for years & had equipment and still I don't expect to ever recover what we've spent, but I do enjoy it.
Bless you.

Dude riding your track on the You Tube video is flat hauling butt. Nice.
Cook441
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Cook441 10/7/2011 8:35am
10/7/2011 8:35am
Also I don't know what it's like in other states but In WA it seems no matter how many acres you have it's practically impossible to get the permit to take it from private to commericial- I know a few people that have dropped 50K or morwe only to find out that it aint gonna happen- Do some research before you move -dirt around0-
mxpunk
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mxpunk 10/7/2011 8:45am
10/7/2011 8:45am
mxpunk wrote:
thanks guys yeah dude, i used to go to oregon state university and albany was the closet mx track...the dirt looked alright but he track looked...
thanks guys

yeah dude, i used to go to oregon state university and albany was the closet mx track...the dirt looked alright but he track looked pretty narrow, i wasnt impressed because i grew up riding englishtown.
Dirtysmile56 wrote:
It sounds like you may have never ridden Albany, in it's defense it has it's moments. The dirt is pretty good, but the prep is hit...
It sounds like you may have never ridden Albany, in it's defense it has it's moments. The dirt is pretty good, but the prep is hit or miss at best. I grew up racing E-town as well (had my first race there in 1986) Definitely a 1st class operation. AS much as I miss the East Coast tracks I wouldn't trade the Northwest lifestyle for the mid Atlantic rat race .
nope, never rode it, i was just going off what it looked like.

guessing you're a jersey guy??

I love portland but i wasnt too hot on the rest of the state..not much opportunity as far as jobs goes.
Sondy132001
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Sondy132001 10/7/2011 8:56am
10/7/2011 8:56am
Hey I have no idea where it is but there is a thread on Vital that lists costs etc that a lot of people contributed to, search for it and read it ! Good stuff on there.

S

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Dirtysmile56 10/7/2011 9:03am
10/7/2011 9:03am
mxpunk wrote:
nope, never rode it, i was just going off what it looked like. guessing you're a jersey guy?? I love portland but i wasnt too hot...
nope, never rode it, i was just going off what it looked like.

guessing you're a jersey guy??

I love portland but i wasnt too hot on the rest of the state..not much opportunity as far as jobs goes.
No, I'm from Pa Valley Forge King of Prussia area. We've lived in Central Oregon (Bend) for about 12 years now. I still get back East once in a while. Did you get to ride Mnt View MX in Sandy when you were here? That place is pretty fun, nothing like E town but everytime you ride there you feel like a hero. The Hewitt family was trying to sell this place for a few years and no one ever stepped up. I don't think it's a hge moneymaker but they live there also so it's not bad for a backyard business.

http://www.mtnviewmx.com/ourpark.php


Rooster
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Rooster 10/7/2011 9:17am
10/7/2011 9:17am
Step 1: Buy the land and the equipment.

Step 2: ???????

Step 3: Profit!
mxpunk
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mxpunk 10/7/2011 9:19am
10/7/2011 9:19am
ROoster, i feel you...everytime i used to ride etown i was always like...this place is so awesome...good layout and primo dirt.

having good dirt is almost as important as the layout/obstacles IMO ....or i just really dont like hard pack!
mxracer732
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mxracer732 10/7/2011 2:29pm
10/7/2011 2:29pm
mxracer732 wrote:
I just opened CountyLine MX in Bolton,NC ( www.countylinemx.net ). We haved owned the land for years & had equipment and still I don't expect to...
I just opened CountyLine MX in Bolton,NC ( www.countylinemx.net ). We haved owned the land for years & had equipment and still I don't expect to ever recover what we've spent, but I do enjoy it.
jimmie wrote:
Bless you. Dude riding your track on the You Tube video is flat hauling butt. Nice.
Bless you.

Dude riding your track on the You Tube video is flat hauling butt. Nice.
Yes he's hauling & smooth to watch.
Walter
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Walter 10/7/2011 5:47pm
10/7/2011 5:47pm
I went down this road some years ago. Some good advice in this thread for you. I have two things to add.

Be prepared for more costs than you first think you will face...and the fact they are there on good and bad attendance days. A good business plan can save you a lot of unexpected heartache.

Be prepared to have about 25% of your customer base always unhappy with something you are doing. Develop a thick skin and be consistent.
StevieTimes
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StevieTimes 10/7/2011 6:40pm
10/7/2011 6:40pm
Rooster wrote:
Step 1: Buy the land and the equipment.

Step 2: ???????

Step 3: Profit!
woah woah woah WOAH dude...

Step 2= collect underpants!

Step 3 then would be ????????

and you are correct, this formula would then definitely result in:

Step 4: Profit!
mxpunk
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mxpunk 10/7/2011 6:44pm
10/7/2011 6:44pm
anyone got tips on how to do this with no money? Wink

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