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There needs to be some sort of impact to cause CTE, presumably. Is there any reason to believe that something that can cause CTE can occur in motocross without some sort of crash or mishap - just simply by riding? If not, then any claim about risking CTE just from riding rests on an argument from ignorance, which is pretty flimsy. In football, the causal mechanism that results in CTE is relatively well understood and it’s demonstrable that it occurs, even if we can’t predict how many impacts it takes for any particular person (thus it’s a risk not a certainty). In any event, the risks of both football and motocross exist as they are completely independently of each other so if we’re going to compare them then there should be a point to the comparison, and it should be fair. If the point is that one sport (football) has a lower risk of serious injury or death, then that’s fine. But we do people a disservice if we ignore risks that we know exist in football, and they’re not insignificant (CTE can cause serious problems). It’s not a fair comparison if we allow motocross to be portrayed in its worst possible light and football in its best.
I’m not trying to shit on football or trying to suggest that people not put their kids in football. Quite the contrary. The larger point is that there are very few choices that are free of trade offs. We weigh risks vs rewards all the time and we should try to be well informed when we make choices. Most things I’ve done for fun have had some risk - motocross, skiing, hockey. You can get seriously injured participating in any of those activities. Being sedentary and sitting on the couch eliminates most of those risks (though my worst injury was from slipping on ice on my driveway - a shattered and dislocated elbow). But by being a couch potato you increase your risk of dropping dead from shovelling snow (of course I understand that there is plenty between engaging in high risk sports and being completely inactive, each with their own risk vs reward profile). Pick your poison, but poison is pretty much unavoidable. Life isn’t safe but yes, motocross is especially unsafe. If you play football - especially certain positions - CTE is a risk but you probably won’t die. If you race motocross your risk of dying is higher than if you payed football instead, and you can end up with CTE anyways if you crash and hit your head. Put that way, it’s rather unnerving. The reward from motocross must be pretty damn high to tolerate that level of risk. And in my experience, it is.
Too bad its past the point of fixing. Public mx tracks will be no one under the age of 18 so if you want your kids to ride it will be private tracks where people buy a membership. We can thank all the pepole like Rich Taylor and all the other track suing scum bags
I really can’t believe how the SoCal tracks don’t break up practice. Faster, slower, mini. Usually never.
In my mind it seems like it would be fairly easy if the track gets busy one employee could put up a flag and break up classes.
May not need to break it up all the time but when it gets busy I think everyone there would appreciate it.
Also it seems possible to have green / red light at the top of jumps that a single person could control it remotely. I know if it was there I would be looking for it every time.
These things seem simple but maybe I’m wrong.
"Also it seems possible to have green / red light at the top of jumps that a single person could control it remotely."
Somebody would have to constantly look at the jump, eventually their attention would wander and they would miss a crash.
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It's imperfect, but that's common around here. On weekends and busy days it's organized practice but on slow days they'll rely on the lights.
How many people died or become cripples before they banned those "dangerous" 3 wheeler trikes.
Riders under 15 will be banned from motorcycle riding soon.
All fair points, we don’t have too many vet tracks in this area. On a side note, I noticed a newer trend where landings are bigger than take-offs. They’re fun jumps don’t get me wrong but when I see almost an entire track that way, it just messes with the flow for me. Most are built pretty safe around here fortunately. Old man gripe 🙂
Good point. If someone is down and they didn’t put the red light on it could make the track liable.
Frankly, certain track promoters do a lot of very stupid shit. I’ve called out some of our local promoters here in the NW over the years for things such as gigantic tractor tires used for corner markers. They might as well have concrete highway barriers. Running quads with mini bikes. Letting little kids practice with big bikes and no flaggers? Small bikes should NEVER be allowed on a track with big bikes. I don’t care if Jet Lawrence is on the mini. Blind jumps, over watering during motos . The list goes on and on. Correcting any of these issues costs nothing. But now we are going to get all the government we’ve never wanted and they are going to come $$$save us from ourselves. As soon as government officials include themselves and their procedures in our sport, if we survive, plan on $200 per day riding fees and racing will be closer to $500 per class. The grassroots existences is essentially gone!
Parents also bear the responsibility. You let your kid go out with big bikes? Really? That’s called child abuse/endangerment. I’ve been at private tracks with my kid and I followed him every lap and every inch of the ride while other big bikes were out there and that, still is inherently dangerous. These parents that send their kids out on the track on a 50,65 or 85 with big bikes are themselves being grossly negligent. Then they turn around and sue the track.
Here are some concrete barriers lining the track to get your heart rate up. They only have them for the first turn.
I think I would be more worried about the 2 strand fence and post, if that is a track that actually is holding races I would pack up and ask for my money back
Fuck holding races, if I saw that driving in I’d turn around and leave. Wire fences have no business anywhere near a motocross track at any level.
Motocross is a dangerous sport even if we had professional medics, marshalls, agreed standards on track prep and organisers. Serious injuries are always going to be something we have to live with the risk of.. That said, we don’t need to be adding to that jeopardy with stuff that’s just flat stupid.
If I had a kid I wouldn’t get them a bike. Not after the permanent damage I was dealt as a kid riding moto, both to my brain and my body. While I love the sport and had a great childhood because of it, if I could go back in time I would have avoided moto. The migraines and post concussive issues just aren’t worth it
It's rope and wood posts, not wire.
Oh, then it’s perfectly acceptable 🙄
That never actually happened.
The manufacturers made a consent decree to not make them any more, then the Gov wouldn't actually ban them.
Then they switched to 4 wheelers.
Deaths and serious injuries on 4 wheelers are far greater than they were on 3 wheelers and they are constantly on the rise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_C8z0rFnjk
Getting “hurt” is one thing getting killed is in a completely different. People dying in this sport should be extremely rare. Anybody want to do the statistical analysis of female riders dying? That’s a crazy stat for sure. Probably a 10x higher probability than boys.
Age is another factor, I read some alarming statistics on your ability to survive a high g blow to the head when you're over 50.
Pit Row
Instead of the riders union for pros we need local branches of the ama that pay dues help fund and regulate safety at small tracks
I'd rather the insurance companies base their rates on how well they rate the track, and provide clear guidance on how to improve. Let the money do the talk.
The underlying issue here is personal accountability and in America we have been stripped of our right to be fully accountable for own selves. It’s a ludicrous notion and sets a dangerous precedent. All one has to do is take a look around to see the damage this has caused. It’s much bigger than moto.
That's a great point. In fact had the article gone into the power increases with 4 strokes and kids now jumping from 85cc two strokes to 250cc four strokes it potentially could have been worse.
True story: A buddy was new to dirt bikes, went to a track first time, nope, in over his head. Later, when he felt ready to return to the track he showed up wearing jeans, untucked jersey, visor down, and goggle strap down. Everyone knew he was a Spode so they steered clear. He did that dress code until he was comfortable. It worked, and he’s really good now.
Obviously track safety (design, build, unsafe barriers, etc.) is a huge issue, a slow self correcting process over time which is both fortunate (tracks get better) or unfortunate (track owner doesn’t do anything to improve and it gets shut down). IMHO bigger issue than that is rider technique, awareness, and safety. That part could be easily improved if tracks followed what pavement tracks do, can’t just show up and ride, there’s a process of advancement. Heck a podunk go-kart track at least gives a briefing.
Also: Certified motocross coaches… not any talk about this recently
USMCA (U.S. Motorcycle Coaching Association) or MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation's DirtBike School), are crucial for rider safety, providing skills training while also being trained in emergency response (CPR, first aid, concussion/heat illness detection) and upholding codes of conduct, acting as a first line of defense on the track to manage incidents until medical help arrives. They ensure riders learn proper skills to avoid crashes, manage challenges, and handle emergencies, making coaching vital for both skill development and overall track safety.
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