Posts
98
Joined
2/29/2012
Location
CA
Edited Date/Time
8/28/2012 1:18am
I don't know how this post will turn out or not but maybe good or maybe bad. I'm basically asking the Moto world there thoughts on the sport now a days. What is everyone's outlook on the sport, what does everyone see the sport becoming as the bikes progress more and more. The riders turning pro at such a young age and the speed these kids have. I just wana here all your guys thoughts on the future I guess and what you all think is coming.
That's really interesting. I reject most liberalism as well, but I hadn't thought about it's affect on competition. But now that you mention it, I've seen examples of this with young people I know.
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Young people today are drowning in debt from their marxist indoctrination (college degree) and have no job to show for it. The amount of kids who go to college and actually have something to show for it (engineers, accountants, nurses for example) is very small compared to the vast majority who get business and liberal arts degrees...nice life buying a dirtbike when you owe 50K in loans and make minimum wage....so many people have ruined their lives going to college its pretty sad, yet we still want everyone to go to college regardless of the cost..its a scam, plain and simple.
As someone who rides streetbikes and dirtbikes I can say this: MX will be like ATVA and AMA superbike racing in a few years (no one attending the races) because the fan participation will be little to non since NO ONE CAN AFFORD FUCKING 4-strokes!!!
MX is big because it is the cheapest (or used to be) motorsport in the country..not anymore.
Hate to turn this into a 2 vs 4 debate but its true..
I am not convinced the tracks are more dangerous today than back in the 90's...then again I choose tracks based on what I feel comfortable and safe racing on because at my age I need to be at work Monday!
As for the four strokes, I guess they are annoying and have taken some of he spark and excitement out of the sport we once had. It's a matter of beating them or joining them. The four stroker's who want to be cool and hip are drowning in debt. Oh and many are too lazy to wrestle the primitive smoker. The two smoker's respect the core elements of keepin it real. More money in your pocket, more fun and to ultimately hunt the golden fart blasters to the death, or to at least leave them baffled...
If we could gather statistics on how many people have become a born again smoker, then it would justify the biggest pitfall in all motocross history. I'm sure we are all curious to know.
The 4-stroke movement hit the sport at the worst possible time, and it won't get better. I predict that the cost of racing and bike sales will give a death blow to the sport in about 5-7 years, IMO.
But this pluralism that is rampant with youth is really buggin me...
By the way, this didn't start out as a 2T vs. 4T thing- but my gosh! It doesn't take long to make it about that?
Pit Row
but ive driven electric gokarts and they were fuckin fasst..what is cool about electric motors is that the powerbands are very very tunable..and fast.
however..i see alternative fuels replacing gasoline and being cheaper.
An awful lot of young riders seem to give the sport away from around the age of 16 onwards because they discover other ways to spend their time (higher education, cars, partying, girls etc), and reality strikes when Mum and Dad stop paying for it. There is nothing new about this, however.
I think the increased cost of racing is more due to inflation than the evolution of 4-strokes. I know 4-strokes can cost a lot to fix if they blow up, but the new ones are pretty solid and don't seem to do this so often - at least not as often as this message board would lead you to believe. The price of new bikes hasn't risen all that much here over the last ten years or so anyway. In 2002, a new RM250 retailed for $12,000NZ ($9,700US), while a 2012 RMZ450 retails for $12,800NZ ($10,200US).
I also agree that the tracks have become too dangerous at the amateur level. Big jumps and technical sections might be fun and challenging, but they also greatly increase the risks involved. The problem is these obstacles have to be included, as that is what young riders enjoy. I would like to see motocross get back to its natural terrain roots to some extent.
What's the solution? I have no idea to be honest, but we could start with not beating into our kid's heads every day that they're the next Ricky Carmichael. I rode when I was younger, and still do occasionally. I also played basketball, baseball, tennis, and football. Never in my life was I pressed hard to do one sport over the other or to dedicate my life to one thing. This is the problem with a lot of sports. However, if you aren't that good at basketball, you can still shoot around or play a pick up game. You don't RISK anything by playing a tennis match, soccer game, football game, etc. Motocross is probably the most dangerous sport that I can think of where average joes can literally go out and ride the same tracks and take the same risks that professionals do, while not being anywhere near that professional level.
Anyways, back to the question, I think the sport has become a sport where the best riders aren't even out there. The best rider is a guy who has never even touched a bike in his life. It hasn't been like this until recently. You hear a story about James Stewart, how his family was poor, how his dad and mom gave up everything for James to have a chance, and James making the most of it and becoming at one time the best rider in the world. Stories don't get much better than that guys. Now, you have to wonder, if there is a kid out there somewhere that would be amazing but his dad or mom can't keep up with the expenses of letting their kid ride every week and taking him to a regional qualifier. Now, the so called best amateur riders are the ones that are pulling up to Loretta's in an RV.
Motocross is the motor sport we obviously know about the most, but I'm sure it's the same with every motor sport nowadays. Football, soccer, basketball, and baseball can be played for such small amounts of money. You can play all these sports and the expenses of all combined wouldn't be nearly as much as you'd spend on motocross. In those four sports, along with many others, you know the best aren't there because mommy and daddy had lots of money. You know they're there because they EARNED it, and that they're the best that sport has to offer. With motocross, you have to have the talent, work ethic, and money. How many kids that have two of those three became amazing at any other sport? Now how many can become amazing at motocross with just two of those three?
Thats why I don't like 4-strokes...it makes entering the sport alot harder for the average person.
Bob Hannah made it and he didn't come from $$..its possible, but you gotta work extra hard.
Motocross will always be one of the raddest sports on the planet as far as my concern. I think about the future of the sport a lot, where my concerns are with improving safety and enhancing professional racing. This should also be a great concern to amateur racing, because if I had children I'd much rather them get into mountain biking, or music, rather than watch my 15year old on a 250f. I can only count two spine fractures with professional racing in the 90's, where we have seen two in just the past month. Injuries to professionals are going through the roof and it is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Ricky Carmichael said a few months ago that the racing needs to be exciting for the sport to grow. I fully support this statement. I can't imagine the stress the Feild Supercross promoters must feel towards the end of the supercross season hyping a serious with one man left, or DC at MX Sports being left with the carnage from the supercross series. I wouldn't mind seeing 450's done away with in indoor supercross for two reasons: (1) reduce - not eliminate - injuries, (2) faster bikes do not automatically equal more exciting racing. Rather, the opposite seems to be true.
Electric Bikes
I'm really anticipating the arrival of electric bikes - whenever that will be. Nothing will compare to a gas powered engine, and I feel bad for all the Mitch Paytons out there, but when electric bikes get here they should be very light and hopefully the power will be reduced. In the 450 thread, some mathminds were calculating the 450 engine inertia compared to a 250f (75% increase), and it really got me thinking how big of role the weight of those machines may be playing in the higher injury rates. As others have mentioned, it's hard to pull yourself out of a mess when 450's get out of control.
I think once electric bikes get here, the bikes will hopefully be a little slower. With lighter less powerful machines the injury rates should drop back down quite a bit. Tracks also won't have to worry about noise pollution, and maybe someday in the future tracks will be located in the middle of cities. People always say it's the tracks that are getting people hurt today, but the tracks are not what makes riders reach the pace they are today, or leap 120 feet out of a tight corner, the bikes are. What's why other sanctioning bodies in motorsports slow the vehicles down.
Television Programing/ Technology
I seriously do not understand how people can complain about things in 2012. The television package for both the outdoors and supercross are fantastic. I also support the announcers and realize announcing a motocross event for three to four hours has to be an extremely difficult task, and do not expect every statement to be perfect. I'm super pumped as a fan regarding that.
The information available online is also pretty ridiculously amazing! There's really too much stuff to keep track of, and about 90% of the time I get all my news here at vital. I plan to subscribe back to Racer X in 2013 when I'm finished with grad school. All the podcasts and interviews are great too.
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