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Most “Euros” think just because they finally have a leg up on the American MX series that means all Americans should wanna go there and race. I got news for you, most Americans wanna stay here and race here. They wanna be able to travel freely and do as they wish. They don’t want to worry about going to random countries and worry about different laws, crime, cultures etc. I know that’s extremely hard for you to believe and regardless of what you see on the news this is still a great place to be. Go talk to any 16 year old kid and say hey, do you wanna stay here in your home country, make good money to ride a dirt bike, be on live TV and racing in stadiums in front of a lot of people and be relatively famous or do you wanna go travel to different countries, still make good money but be completely unknown to basically everyone in your home country. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out which is more appealing.
My 2 cents
Robbi
Who decides what’s excessive? You OP? 🙄
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It would be pretty damn cool if one of our fast guys chose to race the GPs as an early career choice; but, realistically…that’s also on the backs of the OEMs & sponsors both HERE & in Europe to create an avenue for rider development for the GPS that is comparable or at least promoted, over here, as an option for the riders we’re developing..:again…developing “here”.
When riders and their parents are looking for support/sponsors…here…no one among the sponsors seems to care about anything other than SX & MX (AMA) titles; and, that’s what we do “here”…so…
KTM/HSQ/GG
Honda
Kawasaki
Yamaha
Suzuki (hey, it could happen)
Red Bull
Rockstar
Monster
Etc., etc., etc. …
They -all- need to be involved with the push to get an American “Star” to go the MXGP route early on in their career by GIVING that option some “street-cred” here in the U.S.
As someone that was a childhood dreamer and eventually a rider in this sport, I know the era that the OP (Bauer) raced in and have the fondest memories of the Trans AMAs when Europe’s bad asses came here and made our guys “work over-time” racing & attempting…attempting to beat them. It literally was the best-of-times in Moto. Believe it or not, you could see the worlds best race an SX on one day and then see them at a Golden State Series race the next…that kind of “getting back to racing” would be nice to return to…also.
So, I get what Bauer is saying…& I know that he answer is a bit more complicated.
OP may have been heavy handed with the greed comment but the fact is, the best outdoor (not talking SX!) riders are in Europe.
If a racer wanted to prove they are the best outdoor rider, they need to do the GPs.
Yeah, I get the pay and food and blah blah, but if they want to prove they are the best outdoor rider, they need to do the GPs.
It's not like it was in 1986, when Johnny O could go go over there on a 125, lap the field on their 500s while he was eating a sandwich with his clutch hand, and daydream about how he was going to spend his purse money. The Euros are fast now.
There’s only one guy that won a SX title, then went straight to the GP’s and contended for a title. Came close in the 250’s a couple times, but did win the 125 title.
He is also the last American to win a GP title… he just happens to be a good friend of mine and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.
None other than Bobby Moore……. 💪🏾
Pit Row
GREED??
Gimme a BREAK!!!!
Completely different times my friend!! 🙄
via GIPHY
Haha Jesus it’s not a 3rd World Country!!
The young guys who would go when they're "in their prime" are afraid of the possibility of having their asses handed to them on tracks that aren't perfectly groomed & made of SX-centric obstacles by guys who are used to going fast on them. They can stay here and race on tracks like they "came up" riding and training on.
I mean, if GPs teams weren't so "cheap" they could pay more to steal a top American over, right? It's all how you choose to cut it.
Given how shortened careers can be no rider should take less to race anywhere unless that racer' wants to and believes that that goal transcends the financial opportunity cost. That's purely a personal decision. We're probably three-plus generations of top riders not even born when Brad completed his journey, and there's no buying into that 70's romanticism about the GPs and their status 50 years ago relative to baby US motocross when all the best riders were in the GPs and some of them showed up in the fall to prove it during the Trans AMA.
I love to get drunk on those memories, too, but it's not even close to the same business today and the riders are the last ones that should be thrown under the bus for that.
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