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High Desert, CA, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/26/2012 2:56pm
I realize that depending on which angle you view this sport from ( ie. racer, journalist, mechanic, sponsor, promoter,mag editor, fan) your answers will be way different. I think it would be interesting to see.
Is it what brings the most money? What keeps the riders the safest? How much exposure it gets? How many racers show up to qualify? How full the seats in the stands are? How many podcasts there are?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE.
Scott Cox
scott@resmarket.com
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AMA Motocross Battle Royale!
Navy SEAL Stacey Virgin Fights For National Titles At Loretta Lynn's
August 2, 2010 Coronado, CA - Nearly 1,500 of the nation's best motocross racers have blown into Hurricane Mills, Tennessee this week for the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships. Held at the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch, the talent for the field has never been deeper, setting the stage for the next generation of superstars to emerge from a battle royale. In addition to the crop of up-and-coming kids, there are also some experienced veteran motocross racers taking to the track as 35 classes will be contested in a total of 99 motos during this epic event.
One rider returning to Loretta Lynn's 25+ and 30+ age classes is Navy SEAL Stacey Virgin - a man not unfamiliar with overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds and accomplishing things that most of us only read about in adventure novels or watch on the silver screen. A 12-year SEAL Team veteran, Virgin currently serves as an Operations Chief for SEAL Team 5 based in Coronado, California. Never knowing where the next call to action may take him and his men, you can count on the fact that SEAL Team 5 is well prepped and always ready to go.
The good news for Virgin this week is that his sole mission is to test himself against other top racers rather than storming a beach or landing in a hot LZ somewhere. "I thought SEAL training was tough, but getting ready to race back here in Tennessee has been a real challenge," he jokes. Of course in customary over-achieving fashion Virgin scored 3rd overall in both the 25+ Area and Regional Loretta Lynn's Qualifiers against much younger riders and was 2nd overall in the 30+ class in both preliminary rounds.
Logistics for Virgin's assault on Loretta Lynn's were another hurdle to overcome. First his SEAL Team command had to allow him to schedule leave time to coincide with this week's racing after which some of the biggest names in motocross stepped up as a salute to this SEAL. In place of Virgin's own thoroughly worn out 450 motocrosser, Kawasaki's Tom McGovern came up with a new 2010 Kawasaki KX450 which immediately was placed into the capable hands of those patriots at Pro Circuit Racing. The new machine received engine and suspension work and an assortment of factory level mods. With a nod from Mitch Payton, the Pro Circuit troops were led by Mitch's brother Jim, himself a Navy Reservist helicopter pilot, who made sure Virgin's new KX450 was in top form.
Putting that Pro Circuit power to the ground are fresh Dunlop knobbies, thanks to Dunlop's own Broc Glover. Troy Lee Designs then stepped in to supply Virgin's racing "uniforms". "Naturally when we heard about Stacey Virgin, we wanted to become part of the effort," says TLD GM Bob Weber. "We are honored to be able to participate in his campaign and wish him luck at Loretta's."
Others who rallied to Stacey Virgin's cause on a moment's notice were former AMA Golden Wrench factory tuner Chris Haines, Virgin's motocross instructor Ricky Johnson, and Tim Miller who transported the KX450 to Loretta's. THANK YOU shout outs are also much deserved by MX Sports' Tim Cotter, Racer X's Davey Coombs and Scott Wallenberg, AMA Director of Operations Jack Penton, TLD's Tyler Keefe, and Jack McCormick.
Ever since Dave Coombs Sr. and Paul Shlegel founded the AMA National MX Championships back in 1982, the race has honored the all-American goals of fairness, safety and fun, delivering a priceless motocross experience to thousands of families each summer, according to AMA Director Of Racing Joe Bromley. "The AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships have represented the pinnacle of amateur motocross for nearly 30 years. They are the proving grounds for tomorrow's motocross superstars... the future of the sport will literally be on display in the Tennessee dirt for the next week," believes Bromley.
Perhaps nobody said it more succinctly than Pro Circuit's Mitch Payton, "Thanks to good men like Stacey Virgin and his fellow SEAL Team members making the sacrifices they do, motocross racing is still something we can enjoy as Americans."
For additional information and biography on Stacy Virgin ( Click)
Photos: Scott Cox l Resmarket.com
Keep an eye on MXSports.com for the latest results as they become official, or click on www.dunlopmotorcycle.com, www.kawasaki.com and www.troyleedesigns.com for product details.
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Submitted by: Resmarket, Inc., Box 231765, Encinitas, CA 92023-1765
Contact: Scott Cox scott@resmarket.com l Phillip Cotner phil@resmarket.com l Robin Hartfiel robinhartfiel@gmail.com
tel 760-436-9937 fax 760-753-6906
Anything that increases the number of motocross specific riding areas in each state.
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The 125cc class making a comeback would be good for the sport.
But ridership can be increased by increasing turnover of used bikes. And not every state needs or can support an increase in motocross specific riding areas (Hawaii comes to mind)
Pulling what you wrote together, I'd say it's whatever increases public knowledge and goodwill towards those who participate in the sport (from racers to fans to track owners and promoters), that results in increase participation at every level, from local amateur to world class professional events.
Maybe it's easier to define what's "bad for the sport?"
And ASHLEY FIOLEK .
I'm no fan of the WMA, but what she has done for the sport of motocross - is
tremendous.
Provided a broad outside look at our sport and never failed to present herself, her
motocross and her sponsors - admirably.
Let's face it, without ASHLEY - we probably wouldn't have women's motocross receiving the
notoriety and coverage - that it has.
The word "good" is inherently subjective, so you are going to get some very different answers.
Of course, you'd also want to include responsible motorcycling in there too...
The FIM EMX 125 class at the GP's is good for the sport.
The next question is what does it take to get there? Or what does it take to ensure that's the direction we are going?
I think symptoms of a this sport being stable and strong would boil down to a few factors.
1). We have way more racers than we have spots at any given event. The more participants the better. More industry jobs.
2). We have too many fans and events all sell out. Even more industry jobs.
So I guess that means that it needs to be more popular in order to achieve this ? How we go about THAT is the debate. I can see making some sacrifices at certain levels in order to promote the popularity among the general population in hopes of attracting more fans and racers. But to me, and this is just my uneducated opinion, I think lately $ has been the goal and not necessarily the promotion of the sport for its own gain and stability.
The bike mcf's pay huge money for the top 10 guys to ride their bikes with the 1970's mentallity that what wins will sell. That has not been the case for several decades. The million dollar win bonus is added to the cost of every new bike we buy so we stopped buying them.
The gear mcfs pay huge money and free gear to the top guys thinking that what they wear will sell. Not happening. All it does is make $30 pants cost $150 so we stopped buying them twice a year.
X games/fmx exposure reinforces every reason NOT to buy a dirt bike. You will get injured or killed is what the public interprets it to be. Thats going to sell a shit load of bikes. Not.
TV coverage with horrible camera angles coverage portrays this sport as 40 guys on a trail ride over flat ground playing follow the leader. Stop spending the money to demote the sport to look like it is a boring, lame, dumb sport that idiots do to waste time on weekends. The average person would fall asleep watching a Pro Nat or SX on tv. What a shame. Everyone involved should be embaresed by this. Get it right or stop hurting our sport by televising it.
Good for the sport is more about what is good for obtaining outside industry sponsor money. SX is safe. It is more about attracting the non motocross general public. If Feld was smart they would pay guys to crash. Thats what that crowd pays to see.
MX Nat's are followed and attended by those who race at the amature level. Nobody gives a shit about that and the empty gates are proof.
Sound issues? Give me a break. It is totally legal and socially acceptable for people to ride harleys with straight pipes in residential neighborhoods that rattle pictures off my walls. Does IHRA or Nascar have sound issues? I can hear the local saturday hobby stock races 9 miles away and nobody gives a shit. Fuck the sound issue. This is a motorsport. Especially at the pro level.
Personally I think the problem lies with every swinging dick who ever raced a mx bike wants to stay in the industry instead of getting a 9-5. The general personality, disposition, appearance, and intelectual competence of these individuals is sub par in the real world and they are running the show.
So much of this sport has become flat bill, ears in, tatoos, attitude, and defiance. What the fuck happened? This sport went from hard working, dedicated profesionals to ego maniac, low iq idiots who are rewarded for poor performance.
Ever wonder why you don't see Roger Decoster in a tmx pit pass, a pulp bottom line, a racerx pre or post show? The industry is far, far beneath him and those who love this sport.
We can't wait 2 years for a change. When we hang it up this fall it's forever.
Pit Row
Why does everybody worry so much about all this crap?
Sound familiar?
The only people that stuck around from the old days- people like DeCoster, Glover, RJ, Emig etc. were the ones with intelligence and sense of history. Most of the current generation will move out of the industry, while the Windhams, RCs, and Bubbas are lifers that will always have some connection to the sport. History only remembers the greats, in other words, and I am sure there have been plenty of dumbasses in every generation.
Post a reply to: Can you define "Good for the sport"?