Posts
264
Joined
12/3/2013
Location
Chandler, TX, USA
Edited Date/Time
4/3/2015 9:58am
So would it help to not let someone get a SX or MX Pro license until they are 20? Then the race to sign 13 year old kids may slow down. It would help a lot of kids go through public school and then have time to try and go pro. Just an answer that could salve a bunch of issues.
The age rule should be at 21 to GTF out of the 250 class and quit sandbagging or get a real job if you can't cut it.
If it isn't broken, don't fix it. Mistakes happen, the evolution of the sport is the problem here, not the age rule.
However a 25 year old is much more capable of saying "F*ck off" to their dad or whoever else might be bullying them into doing something they're not comfortable with or are not capable of.
Let kids be kids, Not assets for parents to exploit, naming no names.
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But I doubt the age will go up, it's a kid sport.
Moto isn't the only motorsport getting younger and younger.
Example:
Max Verstappen of Scuderia Toro Rosso - Youngest person to ever score a point in F1. 17 years old.
http://www.redbull.com/en/motorsports/f1/athletes/1331675747460/max-ver…
http://www.redbull.com/en/motorsports/f1/stories/1331714040408/2015-mal…
If those same guys later get hurt, lose sponsorship or Dad's money, turn into a crackhead or whatever, we are denied seeing some of the best there ever were.
James Stewart 17 years old 2002 125 National Champ
Dave Strijbos 17 years old 1985 125 World Champ
Travis Pastrana 17 years old 2000 125 National Champ
Grant Langston 17 years old 2000 125 World Champ
Tony Distefano 18 years old 1975 250 National Champ
There are many more. I left a few more for you guys to name.
Change the dumb rule back.
And F1 is probably safer than driving down the street.
Plus, in MX, how many had Dads that were top racers or champs? Few to None.
F1, Indy Car etc, MANY. John Force, Foyt, Luyendyk, Verstappen, Fittipaldi, just off the top of my head
I wonder if Payton wished this rule was in place.
Seems to me He got reamed on his last next big thing signing of a kid..
- Raise pro age to 18
-16-18 becomes a 125 class that runs a moto at the SX rounds during intermission and after the first motos outdoors
-transition SX to a two moto per class format (priority # 1)
Raising the pro age can be justified since it seems pretty rare to see 16 year olds qualifying at the pro level anyway. Yes I know Rookie White jumped ten thousand feet on a 450 and James and Ricky cleaned up when they were 16, I get it. Again, those are RARE cases and the entire sport should not move down an illogical path because of their examples. Getting the top amatuers on 125s from 16-18 if they are at the pro level will cut down on a lot of injuries when they make the final step up, and the fans would go ballistic for the class. It would probably be some of the best racing at each round. Plus it's another class to have story lines, intrigue, drama, etc
Ken Roczen 17 years old World 250 Champ
Marty Tripes, Ron Lechien and Damon Bradshaw won Supercross main events at 16.
This is not rare stuff, there are more.
Pit Row
Whose gonna travel around to all the pro nationals to race an intermission race ? Nobody.
My only request would be that it is only a 6 round series, or a east/west type set up.
We have without a doubt the hardest sport in the world with the modern day version of the Roman gladiators and we should be working on reducing the preventable accidents from happening. It isn't rocket science but I put a lot of blame on the racing is dangerous get used to it or go play another sport crowd. I can assume these people are not parents and I would love to know if this head in the sand crowd is made up of more professional practice riders or actual racers?
To me it is the MX creed to ride to the best of my abilities, to represent the sport of MX positively out there in the stick and ball world and to do what I can to keep the sport growing so other families can experience what the Rigdon , Alderton, Deselle and so many other families did in Ohio in the 70s. I can't do that in good conscience now given track design and flagging issues at so many tracks today........but I am still and will always be a MX evangelist.
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