Not excited about racing?

Rickyisms
Our harescramble season is about to start and everyone’s been scrambling to get ready, talking about it non stop. I’ve been racing for a number of years and always enjoy it, I don’t go out there to try and die for a win, but I like to be competitive when and where I can.

I’ve kind of just been lacking the “excitement” to get out to the races as everyone talks about it, like I’m procrastinating renewing my membership and signing up, which I’ve never experienced before, I’m usually super excited and can’t wait to spend the money

I’ve been riding a decent amount lately, still love it more than anything. Listen to moto podcasts, watching old races on TV during the off-season, been having a lot of fun building my project bikes too, something about the hustle and bustle of “racing” just isn’t firing me up this year.

Anyone else go through something similar? Any advice? Feels like I’m going through a break up.
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MKMX
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MKMX 9/22/2022 4:51pm
9/22/2022 4:51pm
I have had the last couple of years off racing due to much the same feeling! I still love riding, tinkering with bikes, watching my mates race and keeping up with the sport around the world. I just wasn’t excited by the idea of race days and everything that goes into racing. I’m slowly getting the urge back as I feel I’ve had enough time away!
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vdrsnk04
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vdrsnk04 9/22/2022 4:59pm
9/22/2022 4:59pm
I hardly ever race, maybe 1-2 times every two years. Put a lot of hours on my bike having fun. It’s way more fun this way, plus you get way more seat time for way less money.

Once you get through the initial “breakup” anxiousness of it you won’t miss it at all when you experience what the other side is like. It’s just change that’s getting you, good change.
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MotofactioN
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MotofactioN 9/22/2022 5:01pm
9/22/2022 5:01pm
You probably just need to take a year off. Race days take a lot of time, energy, and money, for little riding (at least for MX.) Sometimes you just wanna go ride with the homies for the day and have fun. No pressure.
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Darrin Willis
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Darrin Willis 9/22/2022 5:04pm
9/22/2022 5:04pm
I've been the opposite the last couple months. Racing most weekends and very little practice during the week . When I was in my teens I began to hate racing. To nervous. Always had bad starts and fell at least 5 times a moto . But I loved riding during the week. Its just a phase. Keep riding you will likely get excited about racing again.
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kijen
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kijen 9/22/2022 5:04pm
9/22/2022 5:04pm Edited Date/Time 9/22/2022 5:05pm
When i raced a long time ago it was just to be with my young son, now were both a bit older we enjoy just preactice days a lot more. Mx not harescrambles etc....
Now my excitement goes as the weather goes in flSmile
kijen
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kijen 9/22/2022 5:05pm
9/22/2022 5:05pm
JustMX
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JustMX 9/22/2022 5:16pm
9/22/2022 5:16pm
MotofactioN wrote:
You probably just need to take a year off. Race days take a lot of time, energy, and money, for little riding (at least for MX.)...
You probably just need to take a year off. Race days take a lot of time, energy, and money, for little riding (at least for MX.) Sometimes you just wanna go ride with the homies for the day and have fun. No pressure.
He did say it was hare scrambles.....

I have a joeism for RIckyisms.......

Welcome to getting old......

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Rickyisms 9/22/2022 5:22pm
9/22/2022 5:22pm
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one! My longest “stint” of not riding was 3 years ago after I graduated, but I had just won a championship and wanted to check out some other things in life like higher education, a full time job, and of course chicks. I think I rode only like 5 times that year, one of them being a race. I was definitely tired of all things dirt bike at that point, it didn’t take long to come back though, and I’m sure it won’t this time either.

Might save my race fee money and take it to the practice track this weekend for another day of being a “soul rider”.
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kopfjaeger
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kopfjaeger 9/22/2022 5:28pm
9/22/2022 5:28pm
Yep, everyone gets a little stale, worn out from time to time. We have a 12-14 race season, that is split by a summer break. It gets old, especially going on 20 years. I havent raced this pst year. Kind of looking forward to it once the new bike is in.
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sandman768
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sandman768 9/22/2022 6:41pm
9/22/2022 6:41pm
Wait until you turn 50…I think about these same thoughts as I”m driving to the races…. Usually at the end of the day I feel good that I followed through and went to the race…sometimes you have to change things up… race a different series, try a different type of event. I have taken years off from racing and just rode with my friends… you have to keep it fun or you will burn out….
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Deadric
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Deadric 9/22/2022 6:45pm
9/22/2022 6:45pm Edited Date/Time 9/22/2022 6:48pm
I only race because I want to ride, not because I want to race. I'd much rather just do practice but we'd spend very few days riding if we only road practice days around here. Burnout is a thing for sure. Did 18 race weekends this year and was really glad when the last race was over with. Already missing practice though, only 7 months until riding season again.
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SGoodman
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SGoodman 9/23/2022 12:14pm
9/23/2022 12:14pm Edited Date/Time 9/23/2022 12:16pm
when I was young... the hare scramble season would start about a month before MX in my area... so each spring as it warmed up, my first race of the year was always a hare scramble, then moto the rest of the year...

once particular year... it rained heavily the two days before the season opener HS.... before the rain, the loop was purposely mapped out to run across a fairly good sized river, and they didn't change it on race day.... on lap one.. I remember pulling up the bank of said river, and simply turning off my engine... i sat there for a good half hour watching rider after rider plop off into the river, only to tip over or drown out before reaching the other side... one of the most serene moments of my life... one of the calmest... middle of a race with chaos going on all around me... but for some reason I felt at ease....

anywhos... after watching a half hour of blackwater type follies.... one of the pro guys created a "new line" (a bit upstream) and made it over to the other side... he didn't make it over easy.. but he made it... I immediately fired up and hit his line.. I just wanted to get back to my truck and go home... LOL.... so i pinned my 125 smoker and made it through the water... then slid out on the other bank... a couple dudes helped me and a couple minutes later I was successfully on the other bank...

that was my last harescramble ever.... LOL.. just not my kind of fun... smacking trees and going tank deep in water - for HOURS on end is not my idea of a party.... LOL..... but a lot of people really dig it!
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mustard530
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mustard530 9/23/2022 1:10pm
9/23/2022 1:10pm Edited Date/Time 9/23/2022 1:13pm
Kinda going through it now at 30yrs old. Was riding the best I ever had in 2019, accomplished a life long goal of qualifying for and racing ISDE, thought it was only getting to get better from there. 2020 came around and I started to be less excited about racing but kept doing it. Started 2021 off like normal, a full schedule of racing. Really started to notice my attitude become worse and worse while racing to the point where if things weren’t exactly perfect with the bike or the course I would just completely back it down and pretty much trail ride the rest of the race complaining to myself how shitty everything was about the race. Knew right then that I needed to take a break. Took about 4 months off the bike last year hoping to get a refresh and see if the fire for racing would come back.

Still love riding but the wanting to race all the time part hasn’t really came back.
But, started learning rally raid and navigation and that has been a big breath of fresh air, trying to learn a completely new style of racing on a bike has been a blast.
Racing my first rally next month in Mexico, going more for the adventure rather than the competition but still don’t want to be last.
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sam hain
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sam hain 9/23/2022 1:47pm
9/23/2022 1:47pm
SGoodman wrote:
when I was young... the hare scramble season would start about a month before MX in my area... so each spring as it warmed up, my...
when I was young... the hare scramble season would start about a month before MX in my area... so each spring as it warmed up, my first race of the year was always a hare scramble, then moto the rest of the year...

once particular year... it rained heavily the two days before the season opener HS.... before the rain, the loop was purposely mapped out to run across a fairly good sized river, and they didn't change it on race day.... on lap one.. I remember pulling up the bank of said river, and simply turning off my engine... i sat there for a good half hour watching rider after rider plop off into the river, only to tip over or drown out before reaching the other side... one of the most serene moments of my life... one of the calmest... middle of a race with chaos going on all around me... but for some reason I felt at ease....

anywhos... after watching a half hour of blackwater type follies.... one of the pro guys created a "new line" (a bit upstream) and made it over to the other side... he didn't make it over easy.. but he made it... I immediately fired up and hit his line.. I just wanted to get back to my truck and go home... LOL.... so i pinned my 125 smoker and made it through the water... then slid out on the other bank... a couple dudes helped me and a couple minutes later I was successfully on the other bank...

that was my last harescramble ever.... LOL.. just not my kind of fun... smacking trees and going tank deep in water - for HOURS on end is not my idea of a party.... LOL..... but a lot of people really dig it!
I'm an off-road guy myself but I know how you feel. I feel the same about hard enduro, I never understood the logic of buying a $11k dirt bike and putting another grand in hard parts on it just to take it to a creek bed/mountain and beat the living shit out of it and destroy it.
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suspensionguy 9/23/2022 3:52pm
9/23/2022 3:52pm
I can’t wait to race and want to race more but unfortunately I live in Oregon. All the tracks are far away along with the off-road races. The local off-road series is pretty stale, repeat locations and races planned during the driest months. Hell the state is primary desert and there isn’t one desert race. The damn fuel prices are keeping me close to home, can’t afford $500 a weekend in fuel just to race one day. Spent $150 to get to the “local” races last weekend it was nasty ankle deep silt.
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RiverockMX 9/24/2022 2:36pm
9/24/2022 2:36pm
sandman768 wrote:
Wait until you turn 50…I think about these same thoughts as I”m driving to the races…. Usually at the end of the day I feel good...
Wait until you turn 50…I think about these same thoughts as I”m driving to the races…. Usually at the end of the day I feel good that I followed through and went to the race…sometimes you have to change things up… race a different series, try a different type of event. I have taken years off from racing and just rode with my friends… you have to keep it fun or you will burn out….
Well said, nothing wrong with we race...sometimes. If tired of chasing points or a series just pick your days. Favorite tracks, good weather whatever it is, buddy up and keep it fun.
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Sr_Vet_Rider 9/24/2022 3:12pm
9/24/2022 3:12pm Edited Date/Time 9/24/2022 3:12pm
Been a professional practice rider for the last 15 years. Don’t really crave racing any longer, but will consider a race or two a year.
Then again I’m getting older and mostly trail ride or ride my local tracks in the summertime.
2
yz133rider
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yz133rider 9/24/2022 3:14pm
9/24/2022 3:14pm
Get a 125 and let the giggle fest begin.
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Cliffy615
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Cliffy615 9/24/2022 3:19pm
9/24/2022 3:19pm
I just like to ride the bike at practice tracks rather than race, I always ride terrible at a race and feel it puts a level of seriousness there which takes the fun away for me.
Would be cool if some of the bigger more established races did lap times at practice days on a screen after sessions,
You get that at go kart tracks and you can race your buddies on lap times which adds to the fun
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MXWebmaster
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MXWebmaster 9/24/2022 3:55pm
9/24/2022 3:55pm
Rickyisms wrote:
Our harescramble season is about to start and everyone’s been scrambling to get ready, talking about it non stop. I’ve been racing for a number of...
Our harescramble season is about to start and everyone’s been scrambling to get ready, talking about it non stop. I’ve been racing for a number of years and always enjoy it, I don’t go out there to try and die for a win, but I like to be competitive when and where I can.

I’ve kind of just been lacking the “excitement” to get out to the races as everyone talks about it, like I’m procrastinating renewing my membership and signing up, which I’ve never experienced before, I’m usually super excited and can’t wait to spend the money

I’ve been riding a decent amount lately, still love it more than anything. Listen to moto podcasts, watching old races on TV during the off-season, been having a lot of fun building my project bikes too, something about the hustle and bustle of “racing” just isn’t firing me up this year.

Anyone else go through something similar? Any advice? Feels like I’m going through a break up.
How old are you and how long have you been doing it? I found when I got to my mid to late 20's, and had already won a few local series that I raced in (and had a goal of winning, and did), that I kind of lost the "super enthusiasm" that I had had before, basically since I was about 8 years old. It might have also had something to do with me getting married at that time to a woman that wasn't that enthused about my Motocross hobby and kept insisting that it wasn't something "a responsible husband" would do. I still regret listening to that lame brain bitch, as I did sell my bikes and quit racing at that point because of her constant nagging. Give it some time. You might just be a bit burned out.
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philG
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philG 9/24/2022 4:03pm
9/24/2022 4:03pm
You need to think about it another way.

Do you enjoy the time you get to spend with your racing buddies, enough to put up with having to ride to get to see them.

I havent raced enough over the last 3 years, Covid didnt help us, but i still get to the races, doing announcing, which is good enough, and have done a couple of big Vet meetings , even though i was woefully short of bike time.

I am at the age where i cant take a year out, as i dont have many left, but if i do , it isnt gonna make jack shit difference to how much fun i have.

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