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That said I must say the turnouts have been low for the local racing scene and I know they MUST appreciate the additional 30 or so members we bring along with family and friends.
Everything said in this post is unfortunately true. Trying to keep up with the Jones’s has put people in debt and now they are paying the piper. I’ve always raced on a shoe-string budget pulling my 2 rail trailer behind an old van. When I was at Loretta Lynn’s in 04 I can honestly say I was the only one in the pits with this setup. I couldn’t believe the rigs these people have to accommodate little Johnny and his fleet of 60’s. Matter of fact when I was talking to Mama Walker (RIP) I asked her what the biggest changes were in all the years of coming to LL’s. She mentioned pick-up trucks to lil Johnny and his fleet of 60’s and big rigs to transport them and she had seen it all. The whole Walker Family is what Motocross is about and I am so glad to have met them.
The true Love and Beauty of the sport seems to be dying fast as now it’s all about $$ and deadly SX inspired tracks. I feel really fortunate to have raced in the glory years of the late 70’s when bike changes were huge and just racing with you’re buddies and the camaraderie was what it was all about. Now 30 years later my close friends and I try to do the same thing. Matter of fact after the races were over and the bench racing had commenced and we had a few cold ones we walked the freaken track! lol How cool is that?
I have learned to appreciate this sport much more in my twilight years as I know my days are numbered and try to soak it all in. Racing motocross at the tender age of 50 is not something I take for granted. The guys that load up immediately after a race to jet home are missing the boat imo.
Sorry for rambling but to answer the question YES the economy has affected this sport.
So yes, I agree that if you want to have all the latest gear,bikes, doodads then you're going to be in the poorhouse, but if you refrain from the consumer mania and think about it, you can have this great sport for a song. I personally would rather save as much as possible on equipment and pay a little more to the family that pours their heart and soul into a good facility(track) because without good tracks we no longer have a sport. If you can't afford to pay track fees ,then join a moto club and get involved, then your cost to ride becomes just about free and you can have direct influence on the final product(track) that you ride.
Gosh I had way too much coffee this morning.
However this talk about MX being a dying sport is premature.
Saying MX is an elitist sport is off base IMO. When's the last time any of you has hung out with your buddies at a local race?
Saying the sport is run by dummies is extremely negative and a slap in the face to MX Sports in particular. Before any of you start pounding nails in MX's coffin give MX Sports a season or two to bring about changes.
SX had great crowds last year and I am looking forward to next season big time.
There's rumors more than one manufacturer will be bringing back some two strokes. Those of you that want to bash the sport go right ahead but don't count me in.
Excellent point about SX inspired tracks.
The injury factor threatens the sport more so than the economy ever could. I would love to see a complete season of racing on retro SX tracks like A2 was this year and see the National as well as amateur tracks all toned down.
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I am not talking about the Nationals so my comments have very little to do with MX Sports,
I am talking about grass roots, entry level racing, which is suffering.
The AMA screwed up giving the fourstrokes twice the displacement and not doing anything about the noise. Both have had an incredibly negative affect on our sport.
There has always been a lot of churn in this sport but even though supercross attendance is up new riders are almost nonexistent and a lot of riders that have been racing for some time are having to stop because of the expense and hassle is forcing them out.
Does it matter if there are still full gates at Loretta Lynn's if there are less than 10 total 50cc riders at most Local races?
Does it matter if you and your buddies have to drive twice as far to ride because your favorite riding area closed either because of fighting noise issues or because income doesn't even cover overhead anymore?
MX IS becoming an elitist sport, not because people don't talk to each other. It's elitist because the costs to participate have spiraled out of control for the average family.
The sport IS run by dummies, I'm sorry. It wasn't always this way, but in last dozen years or so the AMA has introduced a variety of short-sighted changes. Unfortunately, these were also adopted by almost all other sanctioning bodies in the world also. The major failings are in 4 stroke displacement formulas, noise, safety regulations, and class advancement structure.
Manufacturers aren't going to build and develop two strokes again until the class structures change enough for them to be the preferred bike, and people recognize their value.
With any luck at all the land owners of our MX tracks are not upside down on their mortgages and will be able to survive the recession!!! My fear is that with more people complaining about the cost of our sport they are also not going to join a club or facility to keep it going and we will be left with fewer places to ride. If we think Motocross needs to get back to its roots, we need to look inside our own sport and help support it.
I for one am going to hold off on buying a pipe for my bike and will spend that money to have a membership at a track so I can have a place to ride. I like most racers love the competition of racing but will travel less and ride my home track giving back to the club that gives me a track to ride...
I dont think this sport is elitist, it has alway been expensive compared to other sports. Our inflation is on par with most consumer items. But for pure racing...MX is still cheap compared to cars, road bikes or boats.
Do I think its smart to spend 4 grand on a 150 over an 85....No way. But we keep buying 4 strokes so they keep building them!!
Last race we shared our pressure washer, food, and first aid supplies with everybody around us. Some wind blew over my canopy when i was racing and someone set it back up and secured it for me. Someone else offered to watch to watch my canopy overnight at the track while I went off to a hotel so I had a spot the next morning.
The kids I know all hang together, challenge each other and push each other. Yeah, there are a few brats but most mx'ers I know are kids that stay in line (so they can race).
Maybe because I race mostly in places like West Virginia and Pa. where there is much less focus on the bling...
The only thing that sucks is my local track tolerating idiots with open pipes when they are being threatened with being shut down over noise. Freaking two strokes putting around the track in second gear with an open pipe...ridiculous.
"It is clear that if we want our sport to reach a new level, touch new fans and bring new riders it is fundamental to go to all the growing economical markets all over the world, aside from the USA and Europe the countries that sell the most bikes are China, India, Indonesia, Australia, Brazil and many other Asian countries.
Looking at the Formula1 and MotoGP calendars we see clearly the tendency and direction of the future. It is our duty to follow the development of the world motorcycle market and give the possibility to fans from all over the world to not only be able to follow our sport on TV, internet and via magazines but also to give them the possibility to be present at the events".
So what does that mean ?? It means it'll go the way of F1 where unless Daddy is dripping in cash and willing to throw as much of it at little boy wonder as it takes you might as well not waste your time.
I believe that this long standing fixation people have with taking MX "Mainstream" will be the undoing of our sport in the long run.
The latest transworld mx has a great spread on what the companies spend on the pros. 170 jerseys, 120 pairs of gloves, 200 pairs of gogles, and this is per season. Guess who is paying for this? YOU!
I am happy with 2 jerseys, 2 pair of gloves, and one pair of gogles for 60 motos per year.
Amature motocross is going down hill fast and there is nobody doing anything about it.
The AMA is all we had and they have done nothing for the past 20 years to protect our right to ride. There has not been one varifable instance of the AMA keeping a motocross track open more less opening new facilities.
Personally I think the big 5 and the sx/mx promoters ( live nation and mx sports) have the responsibility to promote and expand this sport. If they want to sell bikes they have to provide the means for people to buy and use them.
Live nation and mx sports thinks that the people attending the events are drawn from the local public. Bullshit. 90% of those in attendance race or ride motocross.
As far as the 09 mx changes are concerned I better be able to show up saturday and race sunday or I am never attending another mx national (just like my past 5 year sx boycot). 2 days of abuse is more than enough.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less if Villipoto needs to sell heroin in Seattle or if Jessica Patterson has to turn tricks to pay for a fresh top end. We didn’t slap the face first, the big 5 did.
I will keep up my subscription to Vitaldrive though.
To many classes.
Not nearly enough track time.
Dumb obstacles that scare off vets/beginners and smart mini parents.
To many races in one area at the same time. -All get low turnouts, spread to thin.
Pit Row
Our rider participation was down at the tracks between 15% and 25% over the 2008 season. I think most of that down fall is attributed to fuel prices and a failing contractors market. There are many other determining factors, but those are the two key areas.
That $4.00 a gallon fuel made a difference in where we went and how often.....
2.49 here
If you do not like 4 strokes....do not buy one.
If you want to be competitive......buy one.
I still ride my 2001 YZ250 and routinely pull holeshots on 4 strokes.
But I bought my first new mx bike in 86' for $1,600 (it was a leftover previous year model). I made $8/hr at my job at the time.
Nowadays 22 yrs. later, I know 17 yr. old kids that STILL make $8/hr and new leftover model bikes are $5,500.
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