GNCC where are the racers

Transientthought
Edited Date/Time 1/24/2012 9:31am
The GNCC series always boasts how popular it is, but if one takes a second and looks at attendance it is painfully obvious to see that attendance is way down from even last year. This years highly touted snowshoe ski resort race resulted in only 183 afternoon riders. 3 years ago there used to be anywhere from 350-500 riders in the afternoon race. Morning attendance is down a hundred or two as well.

Is this gas price related? or is this Track related because the series tracks are burned out and overly fast? Or is the cost of racing (i.e. increase in sign up cost, transponder cost, gate fees) to blame?
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ebers
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ebers 9/17/2008 3:22pm
9/17/2008 3:22pm
I think its a combination of the rising costs of everything mentioned. I would love to ride the entire series, but it doesn't make sence to me when I can travel no more than 3 hours from my home to a local hare scramble race and spend half the costs on entry and still have just as much fun then travelling 8 to 10 hours and spending double the costs on entry and having just fun. It's easily a couple hundred dollar swing, and if the costs weren't so much for everything, I might be a little more eager to get to a few more and carpooling with a bunch of guys. The faster you get, the more you spend too. I'm not going anywhere as far as making a living racing, I'm just hoping in the next year or two that I can run fast enough locally to put a buck in my pocket to maybe cover some of the travel costs to get to the races locally.
I know of a local kid that has to be one of the most naturally talented kids on a bike and has raced the entire series before and done well a couple years back, when I asked him why he doesn't give it another shot now he says its not worth it, he can run inside the top 20 overall in the afternoon and walk away with nothing, he goes to the local races and walks away with away with a couple hundred bucks. Now tell me what makes more sence to him?
Bottom line is it's all about money. Unless your well off financially, your not doing it. Or if you are well off, most of you are racing motocross. Walk around a local hare scramble and then go to a local motocross and you'll know what I'm talking about.
WORCSRacer
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WORCSRacer 9/18/2008 11:10pm
9/18/2008 11:10pm Edited Date/Time 9/18/2008 11:11pm
I think a lot of people have an issue with trashing equipment in the name of XC racing and you are right, for the up and comer, screw it go race locally or race MX. XC racing has issue's right now... They aren't made any better by putting on a race that is a bike eater and zip in payback. The truth is people talk a big game when it comes to wanting tough races but put one on and no one will show up. MotoXC style racing, like it or not, is the future.
SethLex
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SethLex 9/23/2008 9:00pm
9/23/2008 9:00pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 8:33pm
I would definatley say that gas prices are the number 1 reason for the decline in attendance. I haven't run a GNCC in a while, so I don't know first hand how much the entry fees have gone up, but I'd say they still back a back-seat to the problems at the pump.
flynbrian
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flynbrian 9/24/2008 9:18am
9/24/2008 9:18am
Racing is expensive. Bikes, gas, parts. It is not an Average Joe sport anymore. I gave it up years ago because I couldn't afford it. So that just leaves going to watch, which I can do better from the comfort of my couch and It cost's a whole lot less.

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-eagle-
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-eagle- 12/24/2008 8:11am
12/24/2008 8:11am
Got a friend that does most gncc rounds:
1 gas was bad this summer
2 he has been to snowshoe twice and says its junk


I hope worcs is right about the mx/xc mix being the future.
D11 does something close and its by far the best motorcycle racing i've done
stupidnslow 12/29/2008 9:03am
12/29/2008 9:03am
Part of the problem is the cost of the stupid transponder.

I know using a transponder is way easier, but why do they use this one that costs so much???

The one the National Enduro series uses only costs 20 bucks to keep and they can be reprogrammed, whats wrong with using this one?

Instead, GNCC uses one that costs 60 bucks.... Thats crazy.
mxfireman
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mxfireman 1/9/2009 6:59am
1/9/2009 6:59am
I just wish there were some further west we live in Texas and my son is wanting to do some GNCCs.
Larry
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Larry 1/26/2009 6:20pm
1/26/2009 6:20pm
WORCSRacer wrote:
I think a lot of people have an issue with trashing equipment in the name of XC racing and you are right, for the up and...
I think a lot of people have an issue with trashing equipment in the name of XC racing and you are right, for the up and comer, screw it go race locally or race MX. XC racing has issue's right now... They aren't made any better by putting on a race that is a bike eater and zip in payback. The truth is people talk a big game when it comes to wanting tough races but put one on and no one will show up. MotoXC style racing, like it or not, is the future.


How come the Sumter National Enduro sold out its allocted 600 entries 2 months early?
WORCSRacer
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WORCSRacer 2/1/2009 8:32am
2/1/2009 8:32am
WORCSRacer wrote:
I think a lot of people have an issue with trashing equipment in the name of XC racing and you are right, for the up and...
I think a lot of people have an issue with trashing equipment in the name of XC racing and you are right, for the up and comer, screw it go race locally or race MX. XC racing has issue's right now... They aren't made any better by putting on a race that is a bike eater and zip in payback. The truth is people talk a big game when it comes to wanting tough races but put one on and no one will show up. MotoXC style racing, like it or not, is the future.
Larry wrote:


How come the Sumter National Enduro sold out its allocted 600 entries 2 months early?
I never said that there weren't people who'd race this type of race now did I? However 600 racers is less than half as many entries as a typical WORCS or GNCC race.
stupidnslow 4/22/2009 5:05pm
4/22/2009 5:05pm
WORCSRacer wrote:
I never said that there weren't people who'd race this type of race now did I? However 600 racers is less than half as many entries...
I never said that there weren't people who'd race this type of race now did I? However 600 racers is less than half as many entries as a typical WORCS or GNCC race.
yeah, but 600 is all the National Enduros will allow
ebers
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ebers 4/24/2009 6:41am
4/24/2009 6:41am
Enduros are a different format, you can't compare entries of an Enduro to the gncc or worcs event entry numbers. 600 is an awesome number for an enduro

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