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168
Joined
5/6/2010
Location
Durango, CO, USA
At $65 a day for a pro to practice supercross is a little ridiculous. Privateers take the brunt of this as they can't go to a factory test track. Tracks need to realize that many regular folks go to ride a certain track because they know that they will see pros there. Maintaining an SX track is not very expensive so don't use that excuse!!
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To properly prep a SX track including prepping the whoops each day, and a complete rebuild of the whoops once a week, it takes 4-6 hours a day for a skilled operator. Make sure you have a good dozer at $5k a month (the big tracks will split this with their normal prep dozer), a good wheel loader to rebuild the whoops and build the track $5K a month, and a good mini track loader $4K a month that you will predominately prep with. So you are at $12.5K a month in equipment rental +water truck, then add in diesel fuel, at another $1K a month just for the SX track, $13.5K so far. Track prep guy is probably $4-5K a month. So now you are at $18.5K per month. Land lease price for that 2 acres that is being used for SX. $20K so far. Insurance add another $2,000 a month for the SX track. Need an EMT to monitor the track during open hours there's another $2,500 a month. So you are around $24,500 a month to operate the SX track properly.
$24,500/$65=377 riders for the month needed to break even. And since SX Riders really only ride 4 days a week during the off season and 2-3 days during the season and there are only roughly 100 of them in So Cal, with 40 or so of those that predominately ride the factory tracks. You hope those 60 riders frequent your track. And also hope it doesn't rain during December/January when you're most likely to get back into the black on your track for the SX season.
When I operated a track our motocross tracks didn't need a loader or skid steer for daily prep so we had to rent or buy specific machines during SX season.
And for a private track it is a way different prep cycle and cost than for the public tracks. If you have 10-15 guys on the track all morning the track is beat and will need a full prep at the end of the day compared to 1-4 guys on a private track.
Second, I have no stake in this, just hate seeing kids taken advantage of.
Third, I have built an SX track. And yes it is expensive to build one for 1 or 2 guys but that is not what we are talking about here. So yes I do know know the costs and it is not that big of deal for a commercial operation. But the tracks in question are seriously over charging. If they are not getting enough guys bull doze the track. Socal has too many anyhow.
Fourth, I'm not saying let pros practice for free but the standard $30 fee which everyone pays is plenty. I know when my son was young we went to the tracks where the pros were.
Lastly, I'm pretty sure most privateers are not spending unlimited amounts of money on their bikes.
as a ex privateer and someone who will still spin some laps on a sx track i dont think $65 is bad. there could be no sx tracks to ride so at $65 i think its ok.
...oh wait this isn't Facebook.
Pit Row
Also, these "privateers" we are all supposed to feel sorry for chose this as their job, just like you and I do. If a track choses to help one or all of them, that is up to the track, not for you or any of us to complain about. This is the same as the argument that riders should make more. I would love to see all pros make millions, but unfortunately the market simply does not support that. Does Feld make too much? Does Fox/Fox Sports make too much? If they do, so what.....that doesn't mean anyone is entitled to more pay. The company I work for makes boatloads of cash and I am sure could "afford" to pay me more. I am happy with my compensation plan, but if I wasn't I wouldn't complain about it, I would look for a better option.
KirkChandler has it right, operating expenses on any SX track are sky high and $65/day is realativley inexpensive.
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