Mike Brown @ LL

Dblaine827
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Dblaine827 8/2/2019 9:26am
8/2/2019 9:26am
Mammoth seems to have some pretty successful vet pro classes along with world vet. The requirements to race in the amateur classes at mammoth is to have never held a pro license. They seem to get plenty of people showing up in the pro classes, there might not be 40 people but plenty for a regional event. So where should guys like brown go? There are plenty of vet races with pro classes through out the country. I assume people just get mad because this is labeled an amateur event and people like brown dont fit that. According to MX sports logic Tom brady could retire and then go back to playing college football.
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early
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early 8/2/2019 9:28am
8/2/2019 9:28am
Eddieg15 wrote:
Ex pro right!
This is bananas
Eddieg15
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Eddieg15 8/2/2019 9:30am
8/2/2019 9:30am
Eddieg15 wrote:
Ex pro right!
early wrote:
This is bananas
Strawberries
McG194
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McG194 8/2/2019 9:34am
8/2/2019 9:34am
When you get up to the 40+ or 50+ class what are you racing for? Are you racing because you are hoping to land a factory contract? Are you racing to get that trophy/ I hope both answers are no. You should be racing for the competition and the life experiences. Yeah, I want to win as bad as the next guy but I compete with myself more than any other rider these days. Racing against former factory racers is a pretty cool life experience in my book.

Let the old pros ride!
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BobPA
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BobPA 8/2/2019 9:51am
8/2/2019 9:51am
This bothered me a few years ago when I was making a bid for the +25 class....and ran out of talent and money. But, I now support guys like Mike Brown. At 47 years old, he is earning it. He is doing what he loves, and making his sponsors look great while doing it. The dude is in shape, and comes to race....I envy his motivation.

But, I do find it a bit strange that they do not consider Brownie (sp?) a pro. He rides FOR Yamaha, formerly rode FOR Rockstar Husky....and rides motorcycles for a living. He has entered professional sanctioned events in 2019, albeit in Canada. It is not like he is working a 9-5 job like us losers on Vital. He rides motorcycles for a living, is that not the definition of a professional? That being said, I have no problem with ex-pros showing up to race LL.

Professional : "engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime"
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peelout
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peelout 8/2/2019 10:20am
8/2/2019 10:20am Edited Date/Time 8/2/2019 10:21am
slipdog wrote:
I love it how Mike Brown makes snowflakes melt! He's like Mother Nature completing the cycle of life...
bunch of Chik-Fil-A protestors in here
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slipdog
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slipdog 8/2/2019 10:33am
8/2/2019 10:33am Edited Date/Time 8/2/2019 10:33am
Fucking Christ, Paul!

Use one account to argue your point. Most of us know it's you so why switch to different accounts?
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TXDirt
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TXDirt 8/2/2019 10:36am
8/2/2019 10:36am
I’ve got no dog in this hunt.

I do find it kinda crappy when the main reason given by DC is because “that’s the way it’s always been done”

Ugh. That’s cringe worthy.
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byke
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byke 8/2/2019 10:52am
8/2/2019 10:52am
Haha, I love the "that's the way we been doin it for forty years, sonny". It's when you abuse your age/status because you're ego won't let you say, "I have no idea", because older men in particular just can't handle not having all the answers.

More on topic, all I know is that Mike Brown is awesome and obviously wants to race everything he can and I support him for it.
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GrapeApe
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GrapeApe 8/2/2019 10:58am
8/2/2019 10:58am
slipdog wrote:
Fucking Christ, Paul!

Use one account to argue your point. Most of us know it's you so why switch to different accounts?
Pour one out for waterbender, can't wait to see what he comes up with next. Moto77 is going to need another wingman.
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Bramlett321 8/2/2019 11:06am
8/2/2019 11:06am
Motogoof wrote:
Brown should be very proud of winning +40 so far at Loretta”s. He’s beat a plumber ,and electrician ,a car salesman and a welder. Right on...
Brown should be very proud of winning +40 so far at Loretta”s. He’s beat a plumber ,and electrician ,a car salesman and a welder. Right on brownie
You’re an idiot!!! I don’t care what he’s beat, they’ve all busted their asses to get to that class. Stop complaining and get out and do something productive
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lostboy819 8/2/2019 11:12am
8/2/2019 11:12am
Eddieg15 wrote:
If they came up with an ex pro class like that I would probably come back and watch
I bet you're fun at parties. Cool
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Forty
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Forty 8/2/2019 11:13am
8/2/2019 11:13am
Eddieg15 wrote:
Pro class. You don’t have to pay all that money to get here
Does he have to show his current pro card?
Paw Paw 271
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Paw Paw 271 8/2/2019 11:13am
8/2/2019 11:13am
I love seeing Mike Brown race. I have watched him race for many years and now that he is in the +40 class I like it even more. I mean, where else can you see someone about 10 sec per lap faster than second place.
Now understand that I am over 72 years old and I do have a bit of a different point of view than most.

Give them hell Mike!

Paw Paw
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moto9
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moto9 8/2/2019 11:20am
8/2/2019 11:20am Edited Date/Time 8/2/2019 11:27am
I think MB should be able to race, I'm sure he's doing for fun and the love of the sport.
However, if he's waxing the class, then by his own choice he should step aside when it comes to trophies and placing.
For example, if I were a pro at a local race but no other pros showed up and the B-class was my next option...I go out and run away with two moto wins, I would thank everyone in the class for letting me race, pack up and head home.
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ZB93
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ZB93 8/2/2019 11:26am
8/2/2019 11:26am
crusher773 wrote:
This is a joke right because neither of those guys should be racing LL except in the actual pro classes.
DC wrote:
We've been allowing former pros in the vet classes since the very first Loretta Lynn's in 1982. Everyone from Barry Higgins to Ricky Carmichael have chosen...
We've been allowing former pros in the vet classes since the very first Loretta Lynn's in 1982. Everyone from Barry Higgins to Ricky Carmichael have chosen to come back and participate. And every year since Vital MX came online someone complains here about it.

Mike Brown is 47 years old and hasn't been a pro for a long time. The idea that "once you're a pro, always a pro" is an outdated Olympic idea. What makes you a pro is having an active AMA Pro license, and neither Brown nor Durham have that active license, nor do John Grewe, Earl May, Barry Carsten, etc...

But they are limited to riding in the Junior +25, Senior +40 or Masters +50. The Vet +30 class and the Senior +45 classes are for Sportsmen who have never scored points in an AMA Pro National or AMA Supercross.

Just because a guy wants to continue racing after he is no longer a pro doesn't mean he's still a pro. And just because Mike Brown is faster than every other 47-year-old on the planet doesn't make him a pro either. The fact that he's battling to win the +25 class against much younger competition is pretty damn cool.

DC
Racer X

This!
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feelit2morrow 8/2/2019 11:35am
8/2/2019 11:35am
If you are racing pro sanctioned events anywhere there's no way you should be allowed to race in an Amateur championship. If i race money class at a local fair race can I still race b class at Lorettas? Am I still an amateur even though I got paid to race?

Brown is being paid to ride dirtbikes. He is not an amateur.
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yak651
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yak651 8/2/2019 11:55am
8/2/2019 11:55am
feelit2morrow wrote:
If you are racing pro sanctioned events anywhere there's no way you should be allowed to race in an Amateur championship. If i race money class...
If you are racing pro sanctioned events anywhere there's no way you should be allowed to race in an Amateur championship. If i race money class at a local fair race can I still race b class at Lorettas? Am I still an amateur even though I got paid to race?

Brown is being paid to ride dirtbikes. He is not an amateur.
So are the top kids on minis and 250fs. Somehow they are considered "amateur", you know expense money is different than being paid! Would be nice if all that money and support went to privateers trying to make it pro, give these amateurs a couple free bikes, giving them $100-250k on top of that is against the spirit of "amateur" racing.
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Carlton_Fartman 8/2/2019 12:04pm
8/2/2019 12:04pm
49weasel wrote:
I agree. I would make the drive 7hr drive to see a full gate of guys like RC, JS ,CR MB, RR, Emig and several others...
I agree. I would make the drive 7hr drive to see a full gate of guys like RC, JS ,CR MB, RR, Emig and several others.
That would never happen because EGOS would get in the way.

I would much rather see Brown in Pro Sport battling with guys 15-20 years younger that were the same pace,
not Joe Blow that has to go to work on Monday.

Brown's lap times in 25+ were competitive with the top 5 in Pro Sport.

Even though he's following the rules Mike Brown is not an amateur by a long shot...
I guarantee he's collecting a paycheck from Yamaha and FXR.

It still blows my mind that there isn't a B/C classes for vets.
There was a B/C class for vets a few years ago... believe me, there were no guys that race the Vet C or Vet B class locally that would qualify. I was one of them, a nice battle of the regular Vet B guys at the local track, with "Loretta Vet B dude" crushing us, running similar lap times to 250 and 450 A.
crusher773
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crusher773 8/2/2019 12:22pm
8/2/2019 12:22pm
The issue is Mike Brown and these other former pros taking a spot on the gate from some guy who wants to go, race it with his kid maybe or just go because that is the pinnacle he will ever reach. It has got to a point that myself and most of the guys I race with don't even attempt it anymore. We used to try and qualify every year but now there is no point because you show up to the regional and it's all guys that are ex pros back to about 10th. These ex pros are just trophy hunting. Mike Brown or Durham could still show up and qualify for a national. I think it should be once pro always pro. If you've ever had a pro license you shouldn't be able to race any class at LL except an actual pro class. You guys need to think about how pissed you would be if you were the first alternate and went to the race and spent all that money only to watch Mike Brown take a spot on the gate. I guy that has freaking won professional championships and gets paid to ride a dirt bike. How does anything about that say amateur.
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49weasel
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49weasel 8/2/2019 12:29pm
8/2/2019 12:29pm Edited Date/Time 8/2/2019 12:32pm
49weasel wrote:
I agree. I would make the drive 7hr drive to see a full gate of guys like RC, JS ,CR MB, RR, Emig and several others...
I agree. I would make the drive 7hr drive to see a full gate of guys like RC, JS ,CR MB, RR, Emig and several others.
That would never happen because EGOS would get in the way.

I would much rather see Brown in Pro Sport battling with guys 15-20 years younger that were the same pace,
not Joe Blow that has to go to work on Monday.

Brown's lap times in 25+ were competitive with the top 5 in Pro Sport.

Even though he's following the rules Mike Brown is not an amateur by a long shot...
I guarantee he's collecting a paycheck from Yamaha and FXR.

It still blows my mind that there isn't a B/C classes for vets.
Carlton_Fartman wrote:
There was a B/C class for vets a few years ago... believe me, there were no guys that race the Vet C or Vet B class...
There was a B/C class for vets a few years ago... believe me, there were no guys that race the Vet C or Vet B class locally that would qualify. I was one of them, a nice battle of the regular Vet B guys at the local track, with "Loretta Vet B dude" crushing us, running similar lap times to 250 and 450 A.
I did and still could. In fact I did it in your state.
I feel like at LL in VET b/c 1-5th place were actually "A" riders and 10-30th place were pretty close in speed.
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kijen
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kijen 8/2/2019 12:30pm
8/2/2019 12:30pm
lostboy819 wrote:
But the term "pro" in motocross is is pretty wide spectrum. Yes he is still ultra fast but he would get lapped at Unadilla if he...
But the term "pro" in motocross is is pretty wide spectrum. Yes he is still ultra fast but he would get lapped at Unadilla if he entered the 450 class and if he went to A1 this January he wouldn't make the night show. You read a lot of threads from guys who raced when they were young and then quit to get a education or start a family and then want to start racing the Vet classes to try to get back that old feeling and maybe a little glory. Mike Brown never stopped to go to college, he devoted his whole life to racing and it has paid off and he can still fly.

There are classes for guys like him who went all in with their life and risked it all and love what he is doing and in no way should he be denied the chance to race at any race that has a class for him. He is lapping them because that's what he has always done and he has perfected his craft and LLs is the perfect place for him when hes not doing other races that he can still be competitive in at a high level. I would be honored to get lapped by him even though I would be pissed off that I let it happen.
So if he wins by 30 seconds, is he really racing anyone? Of course he fast, and that should not prevent him from racing, but maybe the guys bitching about him racing th AM class, are using the same reason Brown is not racing in the pro classes, cause he probably would not win, he pretty much knows he will win the vet class. Skill is not defined or limted by age, Brown has more racing experience then most, respect for sure, but would be even more imressive if he was gettin top 10 with guys his skill, regardless if they were 16 or 60.
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GuyB
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GuyB 8/2/2019 12:46pm
8/2/2019 12:46pm
TXDirt wrote:
I’ve got no dog in this hunt. I do find it kinda crappy when the main reason given by DC is because “that’s the way it’s...
I’ve got no dog in this hunt.

I do find it kinda crappy when the main reason given by DC is because “that’s the way it’s always been done”

Ugh. That’s cringe worthy.
You read it one way, I see it as consistency...meaning it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
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WW444
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WW444 8/2/2019 12:48pm
8/2/2019 12:48pm
feelit2morrow wrote:
If you are racing pro sanctioned events anywhere there's no way you should be allowed to race in an Amateur championship. If i race money class...
If you are racing pro sanctioned events anywhere there's no way you should be allowed to race in an Amateur championship. If i race money class at a local fair race can I still race b class at Lorettas? Am I still an amateur even though I got paid to race?

Brown is being paid to ride dirtbikes. He is not an amateur.
This is the question I would like DC to emphasize on. If I race some rinky dink fair race money class and win(which I have, easy money), I'm suppose to do A class at lorettas right? That is what I have always been told. It just doesn't make sense that this is a rule and Brown being able to lap dudes in 40+ isn't. I see both sides of the argument, I just don't understand some of the rules compared to others.
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GuyB
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GuyB 8/2/2019 12:48pm
8/2/2019 12:48pm Edited Date/Time 8/2/2019 12:49pm
GrapeApe wrote:
Pour one out for waterbender, can't wait to see what he comes up with next. Moto77 is going to need another wingman.
These days I'm as likely to hit the "Delete User" button as I am to hit the "Lock User" button on obvious return customers.

I think Moto77 went the same route earlier this week.
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Harry Backmon 8/2/2019 1:08pm
8/2/2019 1:08pm
GuyB wrote:
These days I'm as likely to hit the "Delete User" button as I am to hit the "Lock User" button on obvious return customers. I think...
These days I'm as likely to hit the "Delete User" button as I am to hit the "Lock User" button on obvious return customers.

I think Moto77 went the same route earlier this week.
Gibby, I really wish you'd at least offer Maverick a mod position. He's quick to help out and he's sharp-eyed. It seems to me like you're just too busy to keep up with it all. There's Spamulus threads in the Hall Of Fame for example - and they've been there for a while. Mav wouldn't miss that stuff. I have no idea if he'd be willing, but it just seems you could use a hand.
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kb228
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kb228 8/2/2019 1:13pm
8/2/2019 1:13pm
GuyB wrote:
These days I'm as likely to hit the "Delete User" button as I am to hit the "Lock User" button on obvious return customers. I think...
These days I'm as likely to hit the "Delete User" button as I am to hit the "Lock User" button on obvious return customers.

I think Moto77 went the same route earlier this week.
Harry Backmon wrote:
Gibby, I really wish you'd at least offer Maverick a mod position. He's quick to help out and he's sharp-eyed. It seems to me like you're...
Gibby, I really wish you'd at least offer Maverick a mod position. He's quick to help out and he's sharp-eyed. It seems to me like you're just too busy to keep up with it all. There's Spamulus threads in the Hall Of Fame for example - and they've been there for a while. Mav wouldn't miss that stuff. I have no idea if he'd be willing, but it just seems you could use a hand.
Mav would be a good choice
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slipdog
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slipdog 8/2/2019 1:20pm
8/2/2019 1:20pm
MAVERICK 2019!!!

#MVGA
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neverwas 8/2/2019 1:20pm
8/2/2019 1:20pm
Meister wrote:
It's not just about Mike Brown. There should be a +25 ex pro class.. again, that would make the Sportsman classes (which all vet classes should...
It's not just about Mike Brown. There should be a +25 ex pro class.. again, that would make the Sportsman classes (which all vet classes should be) change a little too. If you've made a 40 man gate or a supercross main, you should be in the +25 ex pro class.
Eddieg15 wrote:
Exactly. Like they change the rules so change this. It’s like dubac. How many titles does he have. Hope he felt good coming to ll and...
Exactly. Like they change the rules so change this. It’s like dubac. How many titles does he have. Hope he felt good coming to ll and racing people w real jobs
Real jobs? Dubach has a real job I guess your'e not aware of.
https://www.dubachracing.com/
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Harry Backmon 8/2/2019 1:24pm
8/2/2019 1:24pm Edited Date/Time 8/2/2019 1:25pm
What if Mike lives to be 80 and can still at least throw a leg over a bike, and LL is still going strong. Would it be ok if he raced then? At what point do we decide it is ok to race even though someone used to be a pro? I've seen "never" tossed around here.

"Mike, we loved you when you were a pro, but now that you're no longer a pro, but still want to race, we can't love you anymore until you're around 87 and somehow manage to qualify for +50 class."

Progressives now days call this sort of treatment "ageism." In Mike's case we should change it to "proism."
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