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In my experience, MX is as safe as you make it. I push it where I think its safe to. Anything is possible, but you just have to do your best. Do-or-die obstacles are probably the worst thing that has ever happened to this sport, IMO.
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last year i got myself a big bike again and theres nuthing like it...i dont race because of work but just going out with the buddies is the shit...id give everything...even after been through being paralyzed for 1 week
again its up to everybody but to me its worth it
You guys are totally missing the point of why these guys are doing this. Who gives a shit about money? To enjoy racing you have to enjoy the challenge of achieving personal goals and the hard work that comes with it. If you are racing for money, then you are an idiot.
Because of the risks involved my 3 year old son won't race or ride until he says he wants to, I don't care if he races or not. If he doesn't want to, I won't make him. It would be cool if he became some factory rider one day, but he is going to have to want that. The rider determines how far they go and if the risks are worth it. You can hire a trainer send your kids to MTF, but ultimately the rider is going to decide if he is going to put the work in to take advantage of all that instruction. No on will ever succeed in this sport if the carrot is money. Those guys always fade away once they sign their first big contract. You think Bubba crashed 50,000 times last year because he wanted that extra 100k for the win bonus? That's part of the reason why this sport is awesome. Results are directly related to hard work even for the naturally talented guys. To me naturally talented riders are just guys that spent a ton of time on the bike and just enjoyed riding. While the Jeff Stantons of the world, may have enjoyed racing/training more.
FU all just my 2 cents.
In 20 years of being at the track I have seen just about everything-- the worst you can imagine. I've had family and friends label me a nutcase just for doing this.
It depends what you mean by "worth it." Money- let's get real. As amateurs we risk it all for a plastic trophy and the memories. If you reach the point where you are questioning being out there- it's time to hang it up. Racing to me is an entirely personal journey.
I had a friend that quit racing because he had a baby. Fast local A rider- big jumper. Less than a year after he quit he got killed working construction in a freak accident. I always thought of the irony of him quitting racing so he could lead a "safer" life and giving up the sport that was his life. My point is life is unsafe, whether you are racing or not.
Rythms get sketchy when theyre step on step off's in them. I was riding SX with chris plouffe and he got KO'ed because he clipped a step on-off in a rythm and endoed into the next jump.
It happens to the best of them, its easier to get hurt trying a triple triple in a rythm section rather then trying to pin it in a corner earlier. ive hit the ground from jumps and corners, you can tear an ACL or break a wrist in corners, but you can break a neck or back in jumps.
High sensation seekers have a different scale... they do it for the risk and the thrill that they get, the more risk the more adrenline....
Its an individual decision for sure, but the risk verses the reward is so out of balance. Yeah, people have fun winning local trophies, but from my perspective, it doesn't even seem worth it to be a pro now days. I know serious injuries have always happened in this sport, but with the 450s, and the level of progression the sport has risen to, it seems like guys are dropping like flies. Like BobbyM said, any of those guys are on the verge of shitting in a bag for the rest of their life. You always think of crazy wort case scenarios where riders get hurt, but reading some of the posts in this thread make it obvious that you can get seriously injured from seemingly harmless looking crashes. What keeps people striving, and taking the risks are the success stories of riders with amazing careers, but for every one amazing heroic glory story you hear, millions of riders never made it past the amateurs, and out of those millions of amateurs, hundreds if not thousands blew off education along with everything else in life but motocross with aspirations of someday making it big, only to never make it and be handicapped for the rest of their lives in many different ways from because of a life dedicated to motocross.
I obviously never it made it. Hell i sucked at racing as a child, but I don't need to race. All I enjoy is just riding a track at my own pace. I feel its 100X's safer than getting out on the track with a bunch of amateurs who crack the throttle open way more than they should on over-powred bikes trying to win a trophy that cost 2 dollars to make.
I always regretted not becoming professional in the sport i focused on (not motocross). I always regretted because I knew deep down inside I wasn't trying my hardest taking crazy risks some of my other friends who actually made it took. Now I'm glad I didn't take those risks, because I'm in fairly good health as a result, and I feel i learned so much from my sport by not making it. To put it simply, all of us have an opportunity to learn something from this sport and apply it to our everyday lives if take time to reflect.
Riding is fun.
That's the difference. We're not arguing that you can't get hurt in other parts of the track but simply that, when they happen, they are not worth it.
I mean, think about it, it's very different for a 15 year old who still depends on his parents for everything to say, yeah, it's worth it to have some fun. They have no real responsibility other than to enjoy their youth.
But the matter changes completely when you have kids waiting for you at home. I think that is the most selfish thing in the world, if you have kids, to say screw it I'm going for it because it makes ME happy. If you end up paralyzed or a vegetable, do you think your wife or kids will be thinking, well at least it was worth it and he had fun, let's go figure out how to support ourselves now.
If you put your kid out there, you are assuming the responsibility if something happens. But if you put yourself in danger and have dependents, you are placing them responsible for you without their say.
Just wondering if ya'll see the same difference?
Riding for fun is another factor though! Some of my greatest memories are from riding, and these memories keep adding (they are validated equally)! Next year one of my mx-buddies and me are going to ride some notorious Californian tracks for a whole week! Kind of a big thing for some Swedes who have been watching American mx on the telly for some decades! If I don't die we will talk and mentally prosper on that for the rest of our lives!
I know this is all subjective, so my opinion should mean jack for others. But mx has really changed my life for the better, and every time I go to the track I sense that feeling you had as a kid when you rode for the first time.
I could go on for pages...
Pit Row
I'm not gonna lie, I get scared when I get on my dirt bike. The risk is getting pretty high for the reward I get.
Besides, I get the same adrenalin rush watching my kids and granddaughter do stuff I won't do.
I don't want them eliminated but want tracks to be built with some common sense and not have the downside of not making a jump a major crash.
Good for you jumping is easy.
88sdad-You must not have been to any races in SoCal RE: 50 plus classes gates aren't full.
I don't believe riders are actually trying any harder today as the creme is always talented and giving it their all; but they sure are moving much faster down those tracks.
It's only common sense that falling off at 40mph is 3x more painful/ dangerous than falling off at 20mph is.
I'm from South Carolina, and I don't know if anyone has read about this yet, but a man in Hilton Head, SC got hit by a plane yesterday while running on the beach. What???? Yes, it's true.... Google it! Freak Accident? or his time? Basically what I'm trying to says is that it doesn't matter what you do, or where you do it...... If the lord calls you home, that's it. Everything happens for a reason... Just Pray, have faith in the lord and his son Jesus Christ, and live your life to the fullest! Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
If you want to talk religion there is Non Moto....for the record I'm a Christian but don't let my religion enter into moto discussions about track safety and if riding is worth it or not.......
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