Outlaw racing - how far do you push it?

I never saw it as a problem being "outlaw" out west. I've never seen an issue that having an AMA sanction would fix. Bad behavior is bad behavior. People will be assholes whether it is a sanctioned event or not.

I guess the real question is, do you really care that much about a $5 trophy? 

Sounds like your drag racing buddy is under the impression that going in a straight line is somehow similar to racing motocross. At the local mini bike level the faster more experienced rider is going to win. Your only accomplishment after “doing things” to your sons bike would be less reliability. I wouldn’t let your buddy work on your bicycle. 

As stated above, is a cheap plastic trophy really that important?  Quite honestly, 99.9% of these folks can't push a stock bike to the limit so the added power mods they do are worthless.  If you absolutely have to do something, I'd spend it in suspension and reliability.  You'll get more bang for the buck and you'll see much better results overall from a bike that's actually ridable.  

I went through this with all four of my boys.  We mainly raced AMA but would do some outlaw.  Seamed that if the the people raced mostly/all outlaw you could pretty much bet they are running big bore in the mini classes.  While I agree that it's about 90% rider and not bike the faster rider would most likely win out that's not always the case.  If you're stock and everyone else is mod then It's really hard to get a holeshot and at the outlaw races I've been to it seems like the dads also taught wide line racing and not to let faster riders by at any cost.  So if you have most of the bikes beat you to the first turn it can end up in a crash or several laps trying to safely get around slower riders.   

I assume you're talking about VC lol. Don't mod the bike, as others have said do suspension and maybe a pipe/silencer and proper jetting. Having a rocket ship can actually hurt a kid developing proper riding technique, I'd rather my kid learn proper race lines and corner speed vs just winning because his bike is fastest down the straight. Eventually the better rider will shine as CCs increase. But it is funny, we are in the PW class this year, last year on the Stacyc and dads were changing gearing and wheel bearings and other things to get their Staycs to the front. It is easy to get emotionally involved though, Ive caught myself a few times screaming GOOO, but I just want my kid to have fun and become a better and safer rider each time out; some parents are trying to get that factory ride now, just human nature I guess. 

Arizona has only outlaw MX.. nothing AMA sanctioned, except for the AZ Open and few LL quals each year.   We have literally had guys 26 yrs old entering +30 and guys in their 30's entering +40.   Dude, it shows your age right on the online entry list and list posted at sign up!!!  hahaaa

Yeah, I don't understand the ROI of spending thousands on some built engine for a plastic trophy.

I only let my boy race his pw on nitro. 

Right after the forks were coated

A kit.

My sons 65 is mostly stock motor wise but has a spring conversion in the fork with different top caps so it isn't stock class legal. In the non ama races we normally do he always gets good starts. Allot of the same kids but they probably race their stock or practice bikes. At his mammoth qualifier in the mod class he was getting smoked on the starts. Even when he got a good jump and was top 5 off the gate he was getting swallowed up before the first corner. Everywhere else I don't think it makes a big difference but the starts, especially if they are long and deep it's a big disadvantage. 

and participation trophies 

My thinking is…if you’ve got to cheat to win, you’re not a winner.

You’re a cheater.

why would you race AMA if you have the option not to? 

Just get some benzine doped fuel or make ur own with toluene, go up in jet size cause it’ll be too lean. It’s a big jump like drill bit jump. It’ll haul ass and give everybody cancer but hell, not much more outlaw than that.

That only works in euro bikes that start with a “C”