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This will all implode and the more affordable bikes will make a comeback and the sport will return to a very grassroots sport.
I guess my last sentence poses a question. How much do you guys spend on racing/riding per year. I only ride milestone, Beaumont, and Glamis and I easily spend $6,000 a year on riding when you factor in travel and everything. Is that small or big to you guys?
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When I was a kid we all rode around and got chased by the cops on our mini bike/mx bikes. I cant remember the last time I saw a kid riding around my area on a mini bike or mx bike.
Our neighbor's boy (12?) has a go kart- Ive seen him ride it one or twice in the past 2 years. Christ I would have worn the wheel off it by then!
He said Toyota drove Dodge out because there were so many rules, like they couldn't open the car doors and let people sit in the cars in the pits.
He also said that in big $$$ marketing, companies work together. Even the smallest companies in MX seem to bitterly compete.
MX should be a DREAM demographic- young adults (mostly male) with disposable income and a hardcore love of the sport. Look at movies like Fast and Furious and Mad Max- people love speed, danger, and rad action. Maybe SX and MX should separate into totally different teams and riders- because the teams and riders are so burnt out that it shows. Eli Tomac seems to be freaking miserable- Villopoto was the same way, Baggett and even Dungey -- The riders seem to project an atmosphere of drudgery and boredom, not enthusiasm.
My 2 cents:
1. Kids have environmentalism drummed into them from a young age by the school system.
2. Four-stroke retail cost and maintenance costs (2-strokes too- a YZ250 is basically the same price as a YZ250F with way better technology).
3. Out-of-touch approach to sponsors from Feld etc. that results in inability to keep them.
4. Fewer riding areas
I was comparing basically the cost of entry for sports. Even at a relatively high level, most stick and ball sports would run a similar cost for equipment that riding gear and gas and track practice fees would be. Travel is basically a wash between mx and other sports (except any kind of racing might require a larger vehicle). Add in bike purchase and maintenance and you are looking at a substantial chunk of change.
Edit: like Norcal said, Watson had some good insight on pulp.
I think we’re seeing socio-cultural affects at play, that are mostly out of the moto industry’s control. For whatever reasons (I blame tablets/smartphones), our youth’s interests are shifting. Hobby shops are closing up because kids don’t want to build stuff. Talking is being replaced by texting. Kids are no longer as eager to get their driver’s license as before. Attention spans are shrinking. The “problem” is much bigger than MX in my opinion. Changing the SX format or getting more factory sponsorships isn’t going to fix the problem at the grass roots level.
But I do think that if we embrace change (#niche #Alta #homologation), and continue to improve our image (we can do better than dirt shark), MX can thrive. And I think kids will eventually come around. It’ll be different, and we need to be open to that, but Moto will survive.
I fell in love with mx after my first ride, not before it. Because of land closures and bike pricing, most people never get that first chance to ride anymore. That is what I think it boils down to.
My parents literally went bankrupt trying to fund my racing in my early to late teens. I raced almost every weekend for 5 years straight and my parents said it was easily 20k+ a year to race competitive. 2 bikes, gear, trailer, travel, entry/race fee's etc add up quick. That doesn't include medical costs for surgeries and hospital stays. It can get crazy expensive when you start to add it all up.
Tracks are too intimidating even for people who are pretty good at riding. Too many big jump combos and whoops on every track. Out of everyone I know who rides, 8/10 of them won't go to the local tracks. They are too gnarly ..
You can disagree, but that's you Vs them.
Tracks could be way more fun and have way less jumps at the same time. My local tracks have mote jumps per lap,then budds creek, south wick,high point and many other PRO NATIONAL TRACKS.
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My daughter is 3 years old and I seriously doubt she will ever drive a car. She'll push a button on her phone, walk out to the driveway when the autonomous vehicle arrives, and ride to her destination without touching a steering wheel.
With that comes the loss of "motorhead" culture, the thrill of the road etc.
We will be like the old guys you see today building old steam engines in their garages...
A new corvette z06 makes 650HP and pulls well over 1.0 gs of lateral acceleration, brakes that can tear your face off, and limits that really no amateur can push without ending up in a fiery 150K wreck.
Not to mention only a rich dude could afford to road race a corvette or other high dollar exotic
If I went out there on my shoe string budget I'd be racing a Ford escort against the corvette getting waxed and having zero fun while they blow by me every straight away and nearly blow me off the track.
Convert that to moto
Rich dude has brand new 450s with 60HP , A-kit suspension, brand new top of the line everything, moto hauler rig etc
Only the supremely talented can push that to its limits. (Even Cooper Webb spent the season struggling after moving to a 450)
Only rich dudes can afford it. My broke ass would be on a 2005 125 getting blown by every straight, eating roost, getting jumped over top of, and blown off the track...
Zero fun, highly intimidating and miserable
Solution.
The most popular class across the country in road racing is SPEC MIATA RACING
The cars are more approachable (the limits are much lower than a Ferrari) the costs are more affordable, and everyone is more on the same playing field as far as equipment, advantages etc
More people have more fun, and are closer together more competitive..
.
We don't have anything like that. A 2018 250fs limits are extremely high, extremely expensive, and the tracks are too advanced to get more people riding, racing and having fun.
I've outlined how to do it and make it a win-win for everyone involved including the manufacturers several times.
It lowers the cost to race/ride at a local and possibly pro level while slightly lowering the speeds (and severity of injuries).
* Phase in lower displacement for all classes over time. Lower the displacement of the small bikes back to where they belong: 50cc, 60cc and 80cc (125 4T). This reduces the severity of injuries in our sport. The big bikes max displacement needs to be phased in as well. F1 racing does it. I believe most motor sports except MX do it. As technology improves, we, like all motorsports need to regulate the speed.
I recommend something like: 175 4T, 300 4T. Leave the 2 stroke displacement alone for now. As technology improves, they'll need to be adjusted as well.
* Promote both Motocross racing and BMX at a local level. I, as many others, rode BMX before MX. To this day I mountain bike and motocross. So, promote anything that includes dirt and knobbies. BMX will help get kids into racing, and help feed MX.
* Tracks need to be better at marketing and getting the word out. I miss out on races regularly because the tracks post races the day before or only on social media, and it doesn't come up in my feed. If an email is sent out, the races are buried in the text describing practice hours, etc... It's more of an "Oh, By the Way, there's a race tomorrow". There will be a FAR greater turnout if the races are promoted, and email lists maintained. Send out one email dedicated to each race, 3-4 weeks ahead of time. And another the day after announcing the results, highlights, etc...
It's important that we build up kid's racing locally to feed adult and pro racing.
That's all I've got for now.
Woods racing is becoming more and more popular due to Paying the same to race as moto, but getting double the track time. Currently, it's more bang for your buck. The same can be said for practice tracks on the weekend also. Pro practicers seem to becoming more common.
Imagine you're playing little league but have to face a 100mph fast ball.
I see tons of people at Gorman or Hollister riding their trail-bikes, too. Also, LOTS of people out in the Forrest and The Dez.
So, there's always that.
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