Why did you quit racing MX?

Titan1
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Titan1 10/31/2011 11:12am
10/31/2011 11:12am
I stopped racing MX because I started racing Desert. I tried desert racing because the fear of getting hurt (coming up short, getting landed on, etc) was more powerful than the fun factor of MX.

With Desert Racing...I pay $50 to ride what ends up being an organized trail ride where I don't have to stop and wait for my buddies and I get to pass people. Totally worth it! Plus, way safer (when you ride as slow as me at least). Smile

Anyway, I'm like a lot of you...with a wife and three kids and a mortgage...I can't justify the potential risk of moto, and I like desert racing just as much if not more.
7I3N
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7I3N 10/31/2011 11:18am
10/31/2011 11:18am
Titan1 wrote:
I stopped racing MX because I started racing Desert. I tried desert racing because the fear of getting hurt (coming up short, getting landed on, etc)...
I stopped racing MX because I started racing Desert. I tried desert racing because the fear of getting hurt (coming up short, getting landed on, etc) was more powerful than the fun factor of MX.

With Desert Racing...I pay $50 to ride what ends up being an organized trail ride where I don't have to stop and wait for my buddies and I get to pass people. Totally worth it! Plus, way safer (when you ride as slow as me at least). Smile

Anyway, I'm like a lot of you...with a wife and three kids and a mortgage...I can't justify the potential risk of moto, and I like desert racing just as much if not more.
I agree. I just wish someone would invent x-ray goggles that can see through dust. Laughing
Camp332
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Camp332 10/31/2011 11:21am
10/31/2011 11:21am
Quiting is overrated bro... go do it!

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peelout
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peelout 10/31/2011 11:34am
10/31/2011 11:34am Edited Date/Time 10/31/2011 11:36am
raced hard for 10 years until i got my AMA license and a week before my first national at Washougal i wadded and broke my collarbone then a couple months later i tore my spleen in half and had it removed. took a face plant a year later and smashed my face and almost broke my neck and was brought back to life on the way to the hospital. never been the same since. i still race locally (maybe 2-3 per year) and sign up for the +25A class, but taking it too seriously and trying to make something out of it is in the rear view mirror.
went to school and earned a degree and have a great career and a mortgage, breaking my face isn't worth the risk anymore.
NV825
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NV825 10/31/2011 11:38am
10/31/2011 11:38am
I realized I can pay less to be able to ride a lot more on a practice day than pay more and ride less on a race day. I'll still race once every half a year though depending on the track.
Motocross83 10/31/2011 12:16pm
10/31/2011 12:16pm Edited Date/Time 10/31/2011 12:20pm
I gradually raced less and less until 2006 when I started full time college and then went on to Uni for my degree.

The funny thing is, that even on the amateur level (I mean the average weekend warrior amateur level most of us are probably at or reach) people take it bloody seriously. They're "comparatively" fit and fast. And really regardless of the level, it's hard to keep up with it if you have a load of other crap going on in your life. You lose bike time and then very quickly fitness. To be honest you have to take it at least a little bit seriously otherwise you're going to turn out results less than your expectations. And who wants to do that?

MX by nature is a competitive sport where even the most useless squid (Brandon's first race Smile ) wants to do as well as he can. It's in every riders nature - I don't care how much someone says they don't really care etc, we ALL have a certain level of expectation. Until I have the time to build myself back up to my personal best, I rather stay on the sidelines and limit my bike time to a professional practice rider than depress myself at the races.
eThug
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eThug 10/31/2011 12:24pm
10/31/2011 12:24pm
at the local level, i think bike time is more important than fitness..unless you ride with national level intermediate riders.

time seems to be everyones constraint...damn real world!!
wildbill
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wildbill 10/31/2011 12:26pm
10/31/2011 12:26pm
damm, Peel glad you're okay. fuggin' practice for shougal did me in too. I'd just turned 40 and was going to put a hurting on the old dogs in the oldtimers at the am nats. New kid in the class...lol! Didn't make it.

Glad you can still ride. I can on a smooth trail, but don't because wfo is all I ever learned and the shoulder can't handle it.
Titan1
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Titan1 10/31/2011 12:36pm
10/31/2011 12:36pm
Titan1 wrote:
I stopped racing MX because I started racing Desert. I tried desert racing because the fear of getting hurt (coming up short, getting landed on, etc)...
I stopped racing MX because I started racing Desert. I tried desert racing because the fear of getting hurt (coming up short, getting landed on, etc) was more powerful than the fun factor of MX.

With Desert Racing...I pay $50 to ride what ends up being an organized trail ride where I don't have to stop and wait for my buddies and I get to pass people. Totally worth it! Plus, way safer (when you ride as slow as me at least). Smile

Anyway, I'm like a lot of you...with a wife and three kids and a mortgage...I can't justify the potential risk of moto, and I like desert racing just as much if not more.
7I3N wrote:
I agree. I just wish someone would invent x-ray goggles that can see through dust. Laughing
Ain't that the truth! You ain't seen dust till you start in last place at a desert race.

You gonna do the Rhino Rally this year???
peelout
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peelout 10/31/2011 12:50pm
10/31/2011 12:50pm
wildbill wrote:
damm, Peel glad you're okay. fuggin' practice for shougal did me in too. I'd just turned 40 and was going to put a hurting on the...
damm, Peel glad you're okay. fuggin' practice for shougal did me in too. I'd just turned 40 and was going to put a hurting on the old dogs in the oldtimers at the am nats. New kid in the class...lol! Didn't make it.

Glad you can still ride. I can on a smooth trail, but don't because wfo is all I ever learned and the shoulder can't handle it.
thanks for the kind words, just part of the sport. we did about 300 miles of the Baja a few years ago and that was unreal. that kind of thing makes me love riding a motorcycle.
Racer92
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Racer92 10/31/2011 12:57pm
10/31/2011 12:57pm
Grew up riding MX at Rio Bravo in the 70s. Nowadays the big jumps are stupid. MX is about rough terrain, corners, braking, off cambers, beating the stopwatch. Not whether you want to risk being able to walk, or break both wrists so you can brag about what stupid jump you cleared.

Hare scrambles only, please.
wilcom121
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wilcom121 10/31/2011 1:06pm
10/31/2011 1:06pm
after 3 years and a 1.8 gpa at community college I figured it was time to stop chasing the dream and invest a little more in my future.
bradmx421 10/31/2011 1:10pm
10/31/2011 1:10pm
Broke my neck in "97, snapped femur couple years later, snapped tib and fib a few after that....

.....right leg, has 3 rods(tib/fib/femur), doctors say with just the right fall over i could be paralyzed or worse. i can never stop riding...i will be the first to admit i have slowed down and im not as aggresive on the bike. but i cant ever imagine life without riding my bikes....RIDE or DIE, RIDE HARD
7I3N
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7I3N 10/31/2011 1:17pm
10/31/2011 1:17pm
Titan1 wrote:
I stopped racing MX because I started racing Desert. I tried desert racing because the fear of getting hurt (coming up short, getting landed on, etc)...
I stopped racing MX because I started racing Desert. I tried desert racing because the fear of getting hurt (coming up short, getting landed on, etc) was more powerful than the fun factor of MX.

With Desert Racing...I pay $50 to ride what ends up being an organized trail ride where I don't have to stop and wait for my buddies and I get to pass people. Totally worth it! Plus, way safer (when you ride as slow as me at least). Smile

Anyway, I'm like a lot of you...with a wife and three kids and a mortgage...I can't justify the potential risk of moto, and I like desert racing just as much if not more.
7I3N wrote:
I agree. I just wish someone would invent x-ray goggles that can see through dust. Laughing
Titan1 wrote:
Ain't that the truth! You ain't seen dust till you start in last place at a desert race. You gonna do the Rhino Rally this year...
Ain't that the truth! You ain't seen dust till you start in last place at a desert race.

You gonna do the Rhino Rally this year???
If my bike and body are both still functional come race time. Smile
MotoX109
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MotoX109 10/31/2011 1:19pm
10/31/2011 1:19pm
Tbteam wrote:
Which time?
So true. Whether it's an injury, money, girl, etc. Right now I'm 27 and trying to really focus on the $$$. Racing motocross, while my absolute favorite thing in the world, needs to take a back seat. The amount of money I put into even casual racing and practicing is insane. Until I can afford to buy a brand new bike every year or two....I'm on a time out. {Insert sad face here}
Adam43
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Adam43 10/31/2011 1:29pm
10/31/2011 1:29pm
I used to race 20+ times a season. Now it's more like 7-9. Everything is so much pricier than it used to be. Also, as you get faster, you obviously tear up the bike more and you're less inclined to race with thrashed equipment.

Winter forces me to quit for about 6 months every year. It makes a difference - gives the body time to heal up, and of course fall completely out of shape again too. But it recharges the batteries.

I probably shouldn't still be racing. I'm going to grad school, doing it all on my own, and would do well to just focus on that. MX is a huge drain on cash, and it would be a disaster to get seriously hurt. Still, it's such a huge part of who I am that I don't think I could ever let it go completely.
Bulldog
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Bulldog 10/31/2011 1:31pm
10/31/2011 1:31pm
Started in 1974. Joined the service in the early 80's which put a halt to motocross for about 3 years. Then a broken knee. Out for five years. Back into it heavy for another three years and then my wife suggested woods racing and I never looked back. Instead of 2-15 minute motos and 4+ hours in between them, I found a better return on the dollar for my entry fee. Depending on where my sons and I race it is 2-3 hours straight. Motocross is a great sport. I love it but in our area mx is hurting badly while the offroad community is thriving.

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7I3N
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7I3N 10/31/2011 1:58pm
10/31/2011 1:58pm
Titan1 wrote:
Ain't that the truth! You ain't seen dust till you start in last place at a desert race. You gonna do the Rhino Rally this year...
Ain't that the truth! You ain't seen dust till you start in last place at a desert race.

You gonna do the Rhino Rally this year???
How about you? You coming down again?

Rumor has it they’re gonna run Dutchman’s on the second loop again this year. Evil
Titan1
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Titan1 10/31/2011 2:09pm
10/31/2011 2:09pm
Titan1 wrote:
Ain't that the truth! You ain't seen dust till you start in last place at a desert race. You gonna do the Rhino Rally this year...
Ain't that the truth! You ain't seen dust till you start in last place at a desert race.

You gonna do the Rhino Rally this year???
7I3N wrote:
How about you? You coming down again?

Rumor has it they’re gonna run Dutchman’s on the second loop again this year. Evil
I hope to be down there again. It will be schedule/time and then budget that will make or break it. I had a blast last year (despite the snow) and would love to come down again. It's just an all around cool event.

If I do, we should get together for lunch/dinner or something. I'd be down there Friday evening/night and come home Sunday.
7I3N
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7I3N 10/31/2011 2:38pm
10/31/2011 2:38pm
Titan1 wrote:
I hope to be down there again. It will be schedule/time and then budget that will make or break it. I had a blast last year...
I hope to be down there again. It will be schedule/time and then budget that will make or break it. I had a blast last year (despite the snow) and would love to come down again. It's just an all around cool event.

If I do, we should get together for lunch/dinner or something. I'd be down there Friday evening/night and come home Sunday.
Sounds good. And if you get cabin fever over the winter when that white stuff starts to pile up, come on down some weekend for a ride.
TripleFive 10/31/2011 2:55pm
10/31/2011 2:55pm
Tried to make a push to make a career out of it. Struggled at LL but won a few local championships.

Realizing that my parents had already spent a fortune on my racing and that my hopes of making it big were almost nil, I decided the money would be better spent on education.

Working on my law degree now. Why law? So I can afford to ride in the future Smile
TX24
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TX24 10/31/2011 2:58pm
10/31/2011 2:58pm
I've "retired" from racing various times since I was 15. Now racing would just take up too many weekends, which there are never enough of. I still ride off road about once a week.
eThug
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eThug 10/31/2011 3:01pm
10/31/2011 3:01pm
TripleFive wrote:
Tried to make a push to make a career out of it. Struggled at LL but won a few local championships. Realizing that my parents had...
Tried to make a push to make a career out of it. Struggled at LL but won a few local championships.

Realizing that my parents had already spent a fortune on my racing and that my hopes of making it big were almost nil, I decided the money would be better spent on education.

Working on my law degree now. Why law? So I can afford to ride in the future Smile
hate to break it to you buddy, unless you're going to a top 10 or 15 law school and @ the top 20% of your class...that law degree might net you $50k a year unless you setup your own shop and get your own clientell. good luck!!
LukeCRF450 10/31/2011 3:03pm
10/31/2011 3:03pm
NV825 wrote:
I realized I can pay less to be able to ride a lot more on a practice day than pay more and ride less on a...
I realized I can pay less to be able to ride a lot more on a practice day than pay more and ride less on a race day. I'll still race once every half a year though depending on the track.
+1
plus, 3 kids and 2 mortgages. I just cannot let my family down at this point in our lives just to 'race' as a C rider at best.
user760a
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user760a 10/31/2011 3:06pm
10/31/2011 3:06pm
I would not say I "quit" racing MX, though I have notr done it in years. I moved to an area where the moto scene sucks, the tracks are pathetic and made of soil that is like concrete when dry and ice when wet. What passes for a good track around here is a sad, pathetic joke compared to some of the northeast laoam tracks I used to ride.

The good news is that the off road scene here is huge and thats what I have gotten into. I miss shredding on good tracks and still go to practice days at some tracks but for the most part the terrible southern red clay tracks are crap and I am happy racing off road

Also, I could never go back to just MX racing after getting into the off road scene. The thought of getting up at 5, driving 3 hours and then sitting around the entire day for a few short motos is nuts. Racing off road is nothing like that and at the end of the race you have certainly gotten your moneys worth...you are beat
LukeCRF450 10/31/2011 3:07pm
10/31/2011 3:07pm
TripleFive wrote:
Tried to make a push to make a career out of it. Struggled at LL but won a few local championships. Realizing that my parents had...
Tried to make a push to make a career out of it. Struggled at LL but won a few local championships.

Realizing that my parents had already spent a fortune on my racing and that my hopes of making it big were almost nil, I decided the money would be better spent on education.

Working on my law degree now. Why law? So I can afford to ride in the future Smile
eThug wrote:
hate to break it to you buddy, unless you're going to a top 10 or 15 law school and @ the top 20% of your class...that...
hate to break it to you buddy, unless you're going to a top 10 or 15 law school and @ the top 20% of your class...that law degree might net you $50k a year unless you setup your own shop and get your own clientell. good luck!!
great advice there eThug...i see you moved into career coaching after mx.

Good luck with the law degree Triple5, even if it doesnt pay you six figures (not much does...), it will be rewarding.
Titan1
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Titan1 10/31/2011 3:14pm
10/31/2011 3:14pm
Titan1 wrote:
I hope to be down there again. It will be schedule/time and then budget that will make or break it. I had a blast last year...
I hope to be down there again. It will be schedule/time and then budget that will make or break it. I had a blast last year (despite the snow) and would love to come down again. It's just an all around cool event.

If I do, we should get together for lunch/dinner or something. I'd be down there Friday evening/night and come home Sunday.
7I3N wrote:
Sounds good. And if you get cabin fever over the winter when that white stuff starts to pile up, come on down some weekend for a...
Sounds good. And if you get cabin fever over the winter when that white stuff starts to pile up, come on down some weekend for a ride.
The temps have already dropped to the 40's-50's, and I'm already getting cabin fever...So I may take you up on that. I'd love a guided St. George area ride.
7I3N
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7I3N 10/31/2011 3:50pm
10/31/2011 3:50pm
Titan1 wrote:
I hope to be down there again. It will be schedule/time and then budget that will make or break it. I had a blast last year...
I hope to be down there again. It will be schedule/time and then budget that will make or break it. I had a blast last year (despite the snow) and would love to come down again. It's just an all around cool event.

If I do, we should get together for lunch/dinner or something. I'd be down there Friday evening/night and come home Sunday.
7I3N wrote:
Sounds good. And if you get cabin fever over the winter when that white stuff starts to pile up, come on down some weekend for a...
Sounds good. And if you get cabin fever over the winter when that white stuff starts to pile up, come on down some weekend for a ride.
Titan1 wrote:
The temps have already dropped to the 40's-50's, and I'm already getting cabin fever...So I may take you up on that. I'd love a guided St...
The temps have already dropped to the 40's-50's, and I'm already getting cabin fever...So I may take you up on that. I'd love a guided St. George area ride.
Come on down anytime. We’ll show you all of the top secret stuff.

Unless we get a rare winter storm, the riding’s good all winter. Mid 70’s today.

You know how to get a hold of me.
eThug
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eThug 10/31/2011 4:01pm
10/31/2011 4:01pm
TripleFive wrote:
Tried to make a push to make a career out of it. Struggled at LL but won a few local championships. Realizing that my parents had...
Tried to make a push to make a career out of it. Struggled at LL but won a few local championships.

Realizing that my parents had already spent a fortune on my racing and that my hopes of making it big were almost nil, I decided the money would be better spent on education.

Working on my law degree now. Why law? So I can afford to ride in the future Smile
eThug wrote:
hate to break it to you buddy, unless you're going to a top 10 or 15 law school and @ the top 20% of your class...that...
hate to break it to you buddy, unless you're going to a top 10 or 15 law school and @ the top 20% of your class...that law degree might net you $50k a year unless you setup your own shop and get your own clientell. good luck!!
LukeCRF450 wrote:
great advice there eThug...i see you moved into career coaching after mx. Good luck with the law degree Triple5, even if it doesnt pay you six...
great advice there eThug...i see you moved into career coaching after mx.

Good luck with the law degree Triple5, even if it doesnt pay you six figures (not much does...), it will be rewarding.
yes, its quite lucrative as well Smile

foreign folks fail to realize that the way our uni's here work is: if you dont have wealthy parents to pay for it in full, the earning to debt ratio makes it a huge gamble. many people i know are drowning in so much debt from going to college that they will never pay it off, much less pursue any hobbies or actually gain employment that pays a living wage lol

the market for lawyers now is terrible, thats why i commented on it.

in AUS, they dont begin to make you pay for your debts until you make atleast 40K a year, if thats what my aussie friends told me.

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