We've all seen supercross and motocross races where:
- riders crash into Tuff Blocks in their proper position
- riders crash and fall onto Tuff Blocks
- bikes get stopped from flying off the track by Tuff Blocks
- Tuff Blocks fall onto the course and cause a crash
- Tuff Blocks get stuck in foot pegs, handlebars, or wheels
What is the main purpose of Tuff Blocks being placed on the course?
RJ Hampshire gets bike stuck on a Tuff Block Turn Marker.
Josh Grant gets Tuff Block cover caught in rear wheel and brake.
James Stewart crashes and lands ON a Tuff Block, breaking his fall. I remember several instances like this with where James landed right on top of a Tuff Block instead of hitting the ground first.
Another race where James landed on a Tuff Block before landing on the ground.
Tuff Blocks with advertising on them.
About the only thing worse than having tuff blocks is…….
…..not having tuff blocks.
Why? Maybe I don't understand
Remove the tuff blocks and put something more flimsy in place, and we’re going to see a lot more instances of bikes going off the track and into oncoming traffic on the next lane.
Are there negatives to the tuff blocks? Sure. Do they outweigh the positives? I don’t think so, but others might. I’m certainly open that there may be better options for certain aspects, but most that I’ve seen or heard of seem to have more drawbacks that do outweigh the positives.
I’ve been watching a lot of the older 70s to early 80s racing videos lately. I definitely prefer tuff blocks to snow fence!!!!
They should be triangular or trapezoidal, better tethered and the inward lines should be fluorescent
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If they wanted to solve the problem they could print the branding directly onto the foam instead of using covers. The covers are the reason for the snagging and getting caught in wheels.
I think the main issue is the covers on the blocks themselves, if we could stencil and paint on the logos it would make a huge difference. The bikes wouldn't ever get stuck to them, your foot wouldn't grab them nearly like the loose fabric.
How often are sponsors changed on these blocks? Whos going to be the one painting them? Would it look nearly as good as a nice printed cover? Could you get companies to commit to a full season of advertising because they would look worse the more they are painted?
After watching the replay of Austin Forkner, why don't they use air bags around the track?
make them out of cardboard
The rebound off air bags would launch riders and bikes into the seats.
As a track worker I have used Tuff Blocks to both protect myself and to protect riders. People may not like them and think they cause accidents, but they do more good than harm. At Tampa last weekend I had a few near misses that had me ducking behind blocks. If you skirt the edge of the track or try to cut a corner, you are playing with fire and may get burnt.
No one has voted for safety of floor personnel....
I wonder if guys worked harder to avoid hay bales back in the day than they do tuff blocks.
Put down the pipe dude.
The only thing more detrimental to the "sport" is RC in the booth
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