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What was Craigs role in this mess, didn't see him in the video, or his bike, unless it was buried by the others.
He was just there for the adversity
Looks like it just happened at a blind part of the track unfortunately. One of those things that couldn’t have been avoided. At least they prevented others from getting caught up in it.
Never gets old lmao
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Does the flagger that got demoted still get his hot dog and t-shirt?
Personally, I think this particular crash could have been avoided if Pala/MX Sports/whomever either built a stand for the flagger on the outside of the roller, or at the very least, put the flagger on a scissor lift so they could see both sides of the obstacle.
I don't think it's too much to ask to have half dozen full time guys that go to all the races, take the most critical locations themselves, are responsible for scoping out the track and placing the rest of the amateur flaggers in position, tell them where their eyes need to be, etc. Also sounds like we should just give a flag to every photographer and say hey give us a hand here.
I honestly can't think of another professional sport that just accepts volunteers as a safety solution. We have the best in the world being officiated by what is the equivalent of having to ump a slow pitch softball game before your game to keep the beer league from getting too out of hand.
cooksey went really hard on his best buddy DC. he makes some good points no matter what you think of him. this was inexcusable. losing two riders on press day.
Leatt, Shoei, Bell, Alpine Stars etc......maybe instead of paying money for a banner track side. Maybe some corporate wanks who make $$$$ from this sport put their loot where it matters.....safety and the riders pockets. They sponsor a flagger jump / corner / flag stand etc on the track.
We have a local Tuesday night race - somehow we have 9 flaggers every week. But yeh - let's hurt the talent who put on the show.
While i'm at it - why the hell are these guys paying entry fees ? WTF. I'm happy to pay to watch their talent - what are they paying for ?
Orrr maybe instead of MXSports pocketing the money they put some of it back in to pay a professional flagging crew
lol, JA killing it as usual…
The talent has to pay to perform. The fans have to pay to watch the talent perform. What a racket.
$20k, flights/hotels paid for and I will quit my job tomorrow to be a flagger at every round in SX,MX and SMX. This volunteer stuff is just nonsense.
It’s common sense, flagers need to be situated looking in the direction the racers are going on the track. If there is an obstacle in the way then they need to be on top of that obstacle not at the base of it looking at only 20ft ??? of the race line. I mean wtf ???
Just an idea here but I think this is a great place to start. Six full time flaggers. The balance of any given crew for XYZ National should have to go through some sort of standardized training and be certified to flag at said event. They get paid too but not as much the traveling crew. As members of the traveling crew retire or burn out, you have a built in pool to draw from to replace them. I realize this is vague but it’s a reasonable concept. Lots of holes to be filled in and additional think tank work to be done. The earlier idea of corporate sponsorship for the flaggers could be utilized with this. Somebody pick up the ball and move it on down the field. If this isn’t the solution (and it very well may not be), then we still have to do something different than the status quo. We all know that continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results won’t fix the problem.
Just here to see how long it takes to get this thread locked and deleted.
Nothing to see here. Just keep moving......
Next brilliant idea from me.....
How many pro licensed riders show up and don't make the big show every week? You think they might intuitively know what to do? You think they might have balls of steel and be willing to protect their fellow riders? You think they are desperate to turn a lost weekend into a financial gain? Pay these dudes to flag!!!!
Pit Row
…and while they are in for practice we can just use rank amateurs …..what could go wrong??…it’s just practice….
It's a start....
As Busch league as it is, if you made every team supply a flagger or two and assigned them to practice sessions, it would be better than what we have now.
I’ve thought about this since posting earlier. If you enable bad behavior(the AMA) then it will stay that way. Time for the AMA and promoters to step the fuck up and fix it. It’s their responsibility. I’ll bet DC’s blood pressure was through the roof from anger and embarrassment. Now is the time to fix it….not try to patch it for them.
Sounds like an opportunity.
Can’t have a scissor lift for flaggers. All being used for camera men to get the good shots of the riders killing themselves so they can put the clips on promotional footage to sell more tickets 👍🏻
How much would food/flights/hotels/pay be for a dedicated team of flaggers for every round? $500k? Higher? A few million for all year? If they have to be there Thursday through Saturday/Sunday, they probably don't have time for a normal job to pay the bills, so it'll have to be their main income. Can they absorb any other duties at the races to make it worthwhile?
At least start with a track map showing where flaggers should be positioned.
Adjust positions for track changes on site.
Have actual stand or area that flaggers have to be in. A big Red X if needed. Stand here at all times and do this here if this happens.
Have full time radios and even GPS to make sure flaggers are all in their designated position each time a bike is allowed on track.
Have extra flags also on track so Photogs, team crew and track crew can aid in signaling caution if needed.
There have been tons of suggestions that really don’t seem to be an issue to implement.
You think DC has no input in this situation??
Out of curiosity, because I truly do not know the answer. Is it up to mxsports, ama or pala to hire flaggers? Not who should be or who you want to pull the pitchforks out for.
In SX it’s Feld who hires, pays and instructs the flaggers. Not the stadium’s responsibility.
Read between the lines, you’ll find the answer for who it should be for MX.
I think outdoors it should be part of the package that the venue supplies.I wouldn’t think stadiums would have staff available that would know much about MX.
They run local races and practices so they should have a pool of flaggers/ local riders they could use, that would know the track and have a good idea of what to do.
I’m not absolving DC from paying for it, but maybe with more of a cut to the venue. Maybe they could be paid with free track time? I know when I was young, if we’d had a National at a local track, I’d have been in for sure.
I am disappointed to be sure. The thing that stands out to me is how every track or promoter always says "Safety is our number one priority" but if that is true would they not spend more time on safety than advertising, marketing, press stuff, or other items that seem to be more about money? Just saying that if you are going to make that statement then back it up.
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