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I’m not sure what all you people are complaining about- the metal grates allow for a fair starting surface for everyone.
The only negative can be when the grates are new or freshly painted, and can be slippery when they get wet.
But overall, it makes for a more even starting surface for all racers, so there are less crashes when guys go sideways off the start.
And please, stop with the nostalgia about rubber band starts - that was always a lame solution.
I’m of the opinion that it gives everyone the same opportunity/traction for launching over the gate. I like that part of it.
"fair starting surface". lol... This sport is so fucking lost and disconnected at the pro level.
This is complete garbage predicated by Feld and MX Sports. They love to over think everything and use hocus locus to make it look like they care about the racers. Things like reactionary WSX induced new series and magically finding more $ (yet not nearly enough for the privateers) and MXS forcing iconic circuits, ie Unadilla to add man made obstacles and fill in their start straight. Need to go back to dirt starts, packed by the rider and ditch the hole shot devices. Packing the gate is a lost art and first turns would be way safer. Its the outdoors and each series stop should have its own flair
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It's all still moto AFTER the gate drops
The existing concrete doesn’t exist,pro ama mandated dirt few yrs ago or a decade. The reason was reasons.
rubber bands being lamé solution, it was all there was . I saw my first gate in like 84 around here. No tractors or water trucks either ,track was the track and the places would be packed with riders.
It appears US Moto fans don't like change...MXGP has been running the grates for a few years now and there haven't been any complaints....
Watching the Start was so entertaining back then, seeing someone nailed with the hexnut or whatever they use for the eyelet.
I was thinking about this (scary I know but I can't help it) I wonder if you could make a cheater back tire that has a small diamond pattern on the knobs that would interlock into the grate making for a 100% traction situation for that first initial split second jump out of the gate. You could get a piece of the grate material red hot and melt the pattern into the knobs.
Seriously though who cares if one gate has a smaller rut or is slightly better than another one, it's just part of the deal. Qualify good and pick the best one available, fuck "fair" who gives a shit. Qualify towards the back and you might get a funky gate, oh well...
Idea: a dirt start and a metal race track!
When I raced 80s, we had a bungee start, and one time the damn thing hooked on the bars of the last guy on the gate. He had the holeshot until the thing maxed out, he went over the bars and the bungee came whipping back, luckily hitting a board they had up instead of lashing anybody. Good times.
If i remember right ama decided to go back to dirt and some tracks had to tear out or mound over concrete.
This sport gets dumbed down more every year. I just can't wait for e-bike stupidity.
When are they putting in the slots...
The use of the word "fair" made me cringe my friend.
Why not put all riders on the exact same model/prepped bikes to make it more fair. ...and all riders need to be the same height, weight too. Can't have an unfair advantage.
I'm so tired of the word fair in the world today.
Preach it brother.
Let me put it another way.
If you are a privateer with a limited budget competing against factory riders with ECU's that are tuned for maximum traction on launch, identical metal start pad grates will give you better odds of getting off the line better and straighter than a rut on a dirt start.
Also, if you look at MXGP, most all of the riders are using starting blocks now, even though their feet can easily reach the ground without them. this helps prevent guys going sideways and taking out other racers, that can only be a good thing.
I'm also old enough to have raced with the old forward falling gates, now those sucked balls because other riders would push back just before the gate dropped and wheelie over them.
So as much as you want to be nostalgic about the "good old days"s this is a better, safer way to start 40 guys off a gate.
You see all the Supercross privateers getting good starts lately after Feld starting using the starting grates?
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