Posts
7
Joined
12/8/2012
Location
Beverly Hills, CA, USA
Edited Date/Time
12/13/2012 1:46pm
The other day I thought about how Motocross keeps growing more and more. Loretta Lynn´s championship was aired in T.V. for the first time. All of the broadcasts over T.V. of the professional racing is reaching bigger audiences. And I think is amazing that is growing in a rapidly way where we are in a tough economy where bikes are more expensive than ever before and racing is expensive, which leads me to think how much pure love is in Motocross.
With Motocross growing so fast, there is more young riders coming in and the sport is stacked up now. That´s when I start thinking what´s the next step, what could take it to the next level? And I thought what KTM did with the 350 SXF and a 350 engine simply will never replace a 450 engine.
But just think about this. Every manufacturer starts producing a 350 bike as well, so we could have KX350F, CRF350R, RMZ350, YZ350F and the existing SXF350. Most privateers don´t have the money to race 250 class at a competitive level since 250 bikes have to be absolutely modified in order to do good. That´s when a privateer decides to race the Premier 450 class, BUT that´s where all the factory guys are.. Some mentions are: Ryan Villopoto, James Stewart, Ryan Dungey, Chad Reed, Mike Alessi, Kevin Windham, Justin Barcia, Trey Canard, Brett Metcalfe, Andrew Short, Jake Weimer, Josh Hill, Brock Tickle, Josh Grant, Davi Millsaps, Justin Brayton, Ivan Tedesco, Josh Hansen, Kyle Chisholm, Christian Craig, Tommy Hahn, Jeff Alessi, and there is more.
That that being said that´s a total of 22 absolutely great riders! Were at least 10 riders have FULL FACTORY BIKES. Now just imagine how tough it will be for privateers to even making the main event or let´s say a top 15 or top 10. This is where the next step for the sport needs to go.
Imagine this: a 250 class, stays the same as it is right now where there is Pro teams like Rockstar Suzuki, Geico Honda, Pro Circuit, etc.. Then having an all new 350 class where is mostly created for privateers riders where it is illegal to have big teams such as Rockstar Suzuki, Geico Honda, Pro Circuit, etc. AND illegal as well to use any Factory Equipment. And the Premiere 450 class where the best of the best are. Think how good that would be for the entire sport. It will grow it in every aspect. A privateer using a 350 bike would be very similar to racing a FULL modified 250 bike. It would be amazing for the industries, for the fans, basically for the entire sport. Racing would be the young 250 riders, then the 350 privateers, and then the Big Guys in 450 Premiere class. There is more ideas about this model of racing but I just put together some of the ideas I had in my mind.
I think industries should do more things on how to grow the sport which at the end it will benefit everyone in the sport.
With Motocross growing so fast, there is more young riders coming in and the sport is stacked up now. That´s when I start thinking what´s the next step, what could take it to the next level? And I thought what KTM did with the 350 SXF and a 350 engine simply will never replace a 450 engine.
But just think about this. Every manufacturer starts producing a 350 bike as well, so we could have KX350F, CRF350R, RMZ350, YZ350F and the existing SXF350. Most privateers don´t have the money to race 250 class at a competitive level since 250 bikes have to be absolutely modified in order to do good. That´s when a privateer decides to race the Premier 450 class, BUT that´s where all the factory guys are.. Some mentions are: Ryan Villopoto, James Stewart, Ryan Dungey, Chad Reed, Mike Alessi, Kevin Windham, Justin Barcia, Trey Canard, Brett Metcalfe, Andrew Short, Jake Weimer, Josh Hill, Brock Tickle, Josh Grant, Davi Millsaps, Justin Brayton, Ivan Tedesco, Josh Hansen, Kyle Chisholm, Christian Craig, Tommy Hahn, Jeff Alessi, and there is more.
That that being said that´s a total of 22 absolutely great riders! Were at least 10 riders have FULL FACTORY BIKES. Now just imagine how tough it will be for privateers to even making the main event or let´s say a top 15 or top 10. This is where the next step for the sport needs to go.
Imagine this: a 250 class, stays the same as it is right now where there is Pro teams like Rockstar Suzuki, Geico Honda, Pro Circuit, etc.. Then having an all new 350 class where is mostly created for privateers riders where it is illegal to have big teams such as Rockstar Suzuki, Geico Honda, Pro Circuit, etc. AND illegal as well to use any Factory Equipment. And the Premiere 450 class where the best of the best are. Think how good that would be for the entire sport. It will grow it in every aspect. A privateer using a 350 bike would be very similar to racing a FULL modified 250 bike. It would be amazing for the industries, for the fans, basically for the entire sport. Racing would be the young 250 riders, then the 350 privateers, and then the Big Guys in 450 Premiere class. There is more ideas about this model of racing but I just put together some of the ideas I had in my mind.
I think industries should do more things on how to grow the sport which at the end it will benefit everyone in the sport.
Anyway, at the moment, if you have been watching the 4 episodes of INSIDE THE OUTDOORS, there isn't any money out side the top five guys. And most of that money is brought in from out side deals.
A 125 class is much better, but the program cannot be longer than it already is. 2.5 hours is about all the longer most Americans can be entertained. I think that is why the outdoor attendance suffers since it is like a 5 hour program in the heat, rain or whatever. That and the local motorcycle industry cannot go and watch MX on Saturday, because for most shops that is the busiest days of the week.
That´s why a 350 class would be pretty neat. Of course I know how many complications there would be on making that happen, to some might seem nearly impossible but that is just the people who is afraid to see just a little bit more ahead. Take a look at KTM what they have done with their team. Taking so many risks, so many changes, at the end it they are changing KTM history here in US, that´s admiring.
And you can´t say it is not growing by having an amateur event in TV which has never happen before in the history of motocross.
I am not saying that oh it´s so popular now, man it´s taking over football.. Of course not.. But the sport is growing, is getting to higher levels of competition, and in order to make a more entry level for everyone it would be pretty nice to add another class.
But no reason to argue about things, I just wanted to share something that would be pretty nice for all those respectful riders out there and it´s all for the love of the sport man and I respect what you commented as well, you have good points
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Sums up the future. Or lack of. Which were already seeing in current times ( salaries tracks broadcasts)
Even as someone who loves the sport as much as I do, I can't wait to ride trails with my kids, but I'm not going to push them into racing motocross.
Monster trucks have a lot of exposure but people are not going down to the ford dealership to get a bigfoot replica to drive on the weekends.
As far as LL's being on tv, the exposure is great and it awesome that MX sports works to make that happen, but if you think that participation in the qualifying process is anything like it was 5 years ago you are nuts.
If you want ot see what the future of motoctross really is, turn off the tv and go to a local race.
Five years ago, I remember speaking to a top am. kid at Lorettas. He told me how hard he works and if he wasn't making $300,000 per year, it just wouldn't be worth it. His Dad was behind him and just reinforced this particular reality. Now, even though he really was a solid rider and is healthy, he doesn't have a ride, and only shows up here and there.
For those that did, so to speak, "make it," what else can they do? They are going to continue racing as long as possible because they have no other job skills. In the words of Davey Millsaps "Its all I know." He has spent his entire youth oriented towards one goal,and now he is tied to it long after his heart is in it. His Mother makes a living selling the same distorted reality that she sold him, and he doesn't talk to her. She let her true feeling slip when she said "If only I hadn't got him that pw." as if it were his first hit on the crack pipe.
The economy sucks and is flat. The sport is expensive, dangerous, and leaves a lot of broken hearts and carnage in its wake. The established players are selling a mature (and exposed) product.
I was talking to an old friend of mine at the track about 6 months ago, and he's a high level exec with one of the biggest factories, and he told me that if it wasn't for Vets spending money on the sport, it would starve. A young man's sport that's dependent on old men participating isn't a healthy sport. It has to get cheaper and safer or it's going to die, simple as that.
the time split between motos and times when they don't air live, or have 450's one day and 250's the next is a joke,
the channel they are on is also a joke, speed is NOT on most average cable plans and makes the sport less accessible to regular viewers
LIVE , continuous coverage both indoors and out would make a huge difference and especially on a network channel that is covered by standard t.v. packages ( comcast doesn't have speed channel until the highest tier package for instance )
continuous coverage would make the outdoor scheduled nearly impossible, at least same day airing of all motos would help a lot
Pit Row
Oh and tracks are stuggling to stay open too, that will be the next step....as the demand drops (less riders), the tracks will close...
The sport (grass roots) of MX or dirt bikes in general has no orginization, it's health is left to the current particpants, manufactures /local dealers and clubs/series to figure out. Some areas will survie and others will not, all of which have nothing to do with Pro's on TV.
Overall the sport is NOT growing when compared to when I was a kid...
Bikes really don't need to get any better, for most of us that ride they could get a little worse and it would'nt make a bit of difference.
They certainly don't need to get more expensive.
Ask the old surfers how they feel about the "growth" of their sport.
I would take a weekend of riding over watching an entire series of SX every year for the rest of my life. We need to focus on what aspect of the sport makes up happy. The salary of a few pros and the size of the teams semi does nothing for me.
Spending time riding and being with friends and family is where its at. To be honest from my perspective many of us that ride would be better off if the sport were "smaller".
Most of the time, I think the average rider is clueless about the dynamics of the sport, but in this case, we were all correct for the last 10 years, complaining about the rule structures. We said killing off two strokes and making it a four stroke sport would make it too expensive and dangerous, and that's exactly what happened. And now, when the market is drying up, the only factory out there that's willing to change anything is KTM.
Track owners could do a lot by letting their tracks get rough, taking out the long straights and big jumps, and putting in a lot of off-camber stuff, sand sections, etc. But when riders show up at a track and it's not prepped like a pool table and just go jump to turn to jump, they bitch and won't come back. How do you fix that? The only thing I know is to change the definition of the sport by changing the way tracks are laid out on the highest level of the sport - the Nationals. Quit going out and smoothing the track between motos, no more huge skyshots. Will people still show up to watch? Who knows? But one thing is for sure - if the sport is, in fact, financially dependent on Vets, the sport is going to die. I'm 57 and won't be riding for much longer, and lots of other guys who came up racing in the 70s and early 80s are going to do the same thing. I personally think the sport will virtually disappear - in the sense that local tracks will be few and far between and local races will largely disappear - in 10 years if nothing is done.
The inside the outdoors show is awesome, I hope it gets to air for many seasons to come. Honestly, when looking at society as a whole, who knows about Fuel TV? This in-depth/great show is being played to fellow motocross enthusiasts. To me it seems like it chases its own tail, round and round.
I respect 151's opinion above me, but we have contrasting views. I can somewhat see an Old vs. New generation mentality between guys like myself and guys of his age (I'm assuming you're a vet rider, could be wrong). His perspective is one that I can feel too at times, I like being different and seeing motocross true to itself/keeping the "bro" culture out. The reason we started riding was for the fun of it. Then again, as a young generation racer, who's put in a serious amount of effort (along with many others who have sacrificed more than I have) I've gotten aggravated with how little publicity the sport gets with the amount of serious skill/athleticism that gets put into it. I feel as if the top guys deserve much more and I think it would be great to see the sport grow and one day gain the mainstreams approval (while keeping true to the roots of course).
Yes the sports numbers on the local level have been down for the past couple years........so has everything else in the country.
When people aren't working they tend to worry more about paying their bills than they do about recreation of any kind.
20 years ago if you wanted to get the feeling of riding a dirtbike you had to ride one....kids went outside and played a whole lot more.
Now you can sit on the couch and toss fat whips on X-Box from the comfort of your couch and the entire world can be acessed from your living room.
It is said, "all politics is local" and "think globally, act locally" point being that everything starts at home. Kids used to learn to in the field down the street or out in the desert or the woods. Then they would go to the local track and enter a race to see how they stacked up. Some of those who were fast saw hey I could WIN some money if I went Pro. So they did. Today almost none of that scenario exists. The cops are called if you fire up your four stroke that can be heard for MILES, the desert and the woods are being ever more aggressively shut down and the local scene sucks because "everyone knows" LL's, Mini O's, World Mini's and so on are the only places worth racing.... I just want to bury my head and cry because MX as I knew it is dead. It's been replaced by Motorhome Series and the obscession of getting Factory Support. No local rivalrys exist because most guys never even see each other anymore because they don't ever race each other at a local race. I'm every bit as guilty of doing all the above as anyone. Hell we've been to events and I see people from my town I didn't even know ride. Hundreds of thousands of dollars racing bikes and the dividend is a screwed up perception of why we started riding and racing in the first place.
DC is a nice guy with good intentions but the two series he is intimately involved with are a huge problem within the sport. The Outdoor Nationals are no longer a week long celebration of Moto but instead are a made for TV event. Can't have a weekend of racing for racers because "the pro's like the one day format better..." heres what i say screw the Pro's. They exist because of the guys who ride, the guys who ride dont exist because of them. MX Sports and the Pro's are the who need an attitude adjustment. A live TV package, that's nice but how does it help the sport? I haven't seen a MX race live (other than actually being there) yet. I DON'T CARE! I'm riding on Saturdays or racing, I don't want to watch somebody do something I can still do. It can wait till dark or sometimes Monday night, BFD I'll get to it. Dungy and his buddies don't ride in my class so it just doesnt matter that much to me.
The advent of the Amatuer Nationals is almost as bad. Again who effin cares? Two to four riders a year are signed to contracts and of that 1 in 8 maybe will make a living for 5 years and only a small small fraction of those guys will make enough to retire. It's a very very poor investment. People talk about spending time with there kids as real win... BULLSHIT. Those races are a pressure cooker of emotions that arent making most families stronger. I don't know about anyone else but I'm not going to p,ace my 14 year old kid in the position of deciding the families future. I wanted to barf after watching the last "Inside the Moto". WTF is wrong with going out to the local track and Dad and son racing? That is bonding and those are memories that will last.
Finally SX in my opinion is not motocross it's a circus and frankly I don't care about it anymore than I care about FMX, drag racing or monster trucks. It's caused more damage to public opinion via the high flying stunt show.
This sport is sick.
But if tracks are full of deadly hazardous obstacles, and the cost of buying and maintaining two bikes is prohibitive, then those fathers and sons (or mothers or daughters) aren't going to be out there.
This sport was always one that attracted kids that were a little different - not team sports kids, not stick and ball kids, the kind of kids who might get into trouble without a focus for their lives. It still does. It still has deep value. But it's going to die unless influential people recognize the state of the sport, and stick their necks out to change it. And if it dies, I'm afraid a lot of kids who could have been helped by this sport are not going to have that outlet for their energies and passions. I was one of those kids - if I hadn't started racing, and working on bikes, and running and lifting weights, and practicing and generally putting all my energy into this sport, I wouldn't have had a very rosy future. I was a bad kid who was rescued by motocross. God only knows what would have happened to me otherwise.
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