I may have this wrong , but I heard they moved the age to turn pro up to 18 due to sports betting in super cross.
First off - is this even true ?
Second - is it the same for the outdoors ?
Initially I thought it was a good thing and that maybe they would bring back a couple mandatory years of development and prestige to the 125 class .
But now - especially after seeing this past weekend some of the fastest and brightest amateurs racing and dominating regionally on four strokes at ama 14 and 15 ….
For these types of riders and given the amount of work and sacrifice they have made to get to where they are at … it seems like a set back to be made to wait two more years until they can turn pro. Considering the risk and expense .
Do they get paid to do futures ?
What do you think about all this ?
Prime of a motocross career is earlier than many sports. I think it should stay 16.
I believe its moved to 17 now and then is moving again to 18. I think its a good move, these guys can race into their 30’s now. 16 is too young. This is what cianciarulo looked like at 16 at his 2nd ever start.
Just 1 year later he had grown a lot and by 18 he was a full grown man. Supercross is no joke, their bodies cant handle the hits. Think of how many promising young careers have been cut short. If a kid this small crashes in sx theyre getting injured, and injuries can spiral. Let them grow a bit more before being thrown to the wolves. Its actually kind of rare that a phenom would pan out, most get hurt a bunch and flame out, only a few make it.
Also they have smx next now to cut their teeth in with a much reduced schedule even compared to the 250 regional class. Hell even AC is a good example, he was the greatest amateur ever, but got injured immediately and never really got to get going. Who knows what career he could have had if he started at 18. I think with smx next its the right move.
IIRC, there was an 18 years old to go pro rule that was going to go into effect, then Adam and his family threatened to go to Europe if he couldn't race pro at 16 in the states, so the AMA kept it at 16.
It’s a good thing.
It might be a “bad” thing for maybe 5 kids. But for everyone else it’s a good thing that they will be forced to develop physically and emotionally before taking on such a responsibility.
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I’ll go one further and say that they should have the option of staying on a supermini until 17 for smaller guys.
Jett Reynolds was smaller stature on a 250f and got hurt. That injury just spiraled into the next, into the next because he never let his body heal and recover properly.
I believe part of the reason was liability, 18 year olds can sign their own waiver.
Here’s Tyler Bowers at 16 or 17 when he turned pro
I think it should stay at 16. James, Millsaps, Alessi, Bowers, Izzi, Canard, Stroupe Forkner, Deegs, Davies, and more would have all had to wait to go pro another year or two. James, Millsaps, and Alessi all went pro at 16 and James won races while Millsaps and Alessi got podiums at 16. Canard and Stroupe won races at 17 and same with Deegz and Davies and also Jett.
Since we all know people at opposite ends of the size spectrum for their age, maybe instead of making a minimum age rule they should use this:
Im all for the change. In Canada you can race the 250 national class at 14 i think. I believe mcnabb won the title at 15? But up here it's not so serious. Easier? tracks etc. Send ur fast 16 year olds for a season in Canada. I think wey is this year.
I feel like I remember recently too a pro soccer player who couldn’t play certain night games as minors weren’t allowed to work past a certain time in New York. That could have affected sx as well at some point.
Webb would still be racing 85s 😀
Some kids at 16 are fairly developed mentally and physically and some arent there yet. With bikes getting so good and much more powerful and heavy, I don’t know if it’s apples to apples comparison to past years. I remember Ricky saying on a 125 you had to be perfect in the corner and upshif on jump face just to do sx triple. Granted tracks have changed a lot as well.
That said, if parents are willing to sign the waiver then I don’t see the issue. It’s truly a parental decision, but I can see Feld point as well.
Another option, it stays 16 but your first year is outdoors only.
Long overdue
All of those guys are the outliers. The exceptions rather than the rules. They were all going to go pro and win at some point, regardless of their age.
An age requirement makes sense so that everyone that isn’t a prodigy doesn’t go and make poor decisions too soon that have lifelong negative impacts on their physical, financial, or mental health. It also forces those kids to finish school so that if the moto life doesn’t work out, they can at least have some marketable skills to work in today’s economy.
But what about RC, is he even that tall yet?
and to @Larry450 :
It depends on where you set the finger height. 😁
For the humorless downvoting everything: it's a joke... lighten up and find something to laugh about in your life! 😜
I think this is a good thing...for most. If this is true about changing the age, it sb 18. First off, at 18 you can sign contracts as a legal adult. Secondly, most are done with their growth spurts. I think this may help the body damage that could be caused by racing pro while still changing or growing. It also gives a young man more time to mature mentally. Overall, I think it's a positive step.
Pit Row
From a legal standpoint it makes sense. You cannot enter into a contract until age 18 in the USA, so there's that. Obviously, some riders will have to wait a year or two even though they are prepared, but a savvy kid and his parents can still use the time well. Plus, guys who aren't truly ready won't be thrown into the meat grinder so young.
Bowers is also 6”2 and weighed 200+ in this pic and is essentially, an anomaly in our sport. Even out of all the guys you mentioned only maybe Millsaps could be considered to have a similar stature (6”1 I think he was).
Point being that a lot of these kids are smaller due to a lot of stick and ball sports attracting the 5”9> kids dude to athletic demands and SX may need an 18 year age limit just to give them a chance.
Sure the couple of moto wins or overalls or podiums as a teenager is cool, but I’d rather them be getting those podiums well into their 30’s rather than being retired in the sport by 22.
I don't understand the logic of punishing the riders that have accomplished everything there is to accomplish in amateur racing are ready to turn pro at 16, only because some shitty parents allow terrible decisions on behalf of their kids. I agree many move up way too early I just don't think the sanctioning body should be the gatekeeper.
That being said, I'm sure this is being done not necessarily in the best interest of the riders but as liability prevention for something they see coming down the road.
15 yo. How long you been riding? 12 yrs. Lap time on said track? 2 min flat.
18 yo. How long you been riding? 2 yrs. Lap time on same track? 2:25.
'you get paid, you don't'
Ridiculous...
Strippers have to be 18 too.
Let's assume that all pros have been riding a long time and are quite skilled, though. Now you get the comparison: some are old enough to vote, make decisions for themselves, and enter into contracts; some are not. It doesn't mean that age = skill.
In the aspect of protecting the youth …
Does the four stroke play a negative role ?
Obviously that’s where all the impetus and prestige is now , so that’s where the pro bound have to go .
To me it seems a bit dangerous for the younger riders who have expectations.
They have the emx 125 series in Europe - it would be nice to see here as well .
NFL requires 3 years out of high school. NBA requires 19 years old. NHL requires 18 years old. MLB requires 17. There are likely kids in all of those sports that are ready to turn pro before the age requirements. There are insurance policies available to amateurs in the event of career ending injuries. The same can be done here (although I admittedly am not sure what the premiums are compared to other traditional sports).
They aren’t being punished. They are going to do the exact same thing that other athletes do. That 16 year old that is ready to go pro now will be even better, and more prepared at 18. I would be willing to bet that on average, the cream of the crop will end up with longer, more fruitful careers.
Ok, Kenny went pro at 15, Eli at 17, Coop 17 I believe, Anderson at 17, BamBam at 17 and those guys are still winning and getting podiums into their 30s. RV was 17, I think Dung was 16 or 17, Josh and Justin Hill were both 17 I think. Sexton went pro at 16 too.
Also guys like Matt Boni, Shaun Skinner, Brian Grey, Chiz, Goerke, Kyle Partridge, Shane Bess, Durham, PJ Larsen, Hepler went pro at 18 or older and didn’t have as good of careers. I think if a kid has it at 16 or 17 then they have it and those kids are typically landing on a factory ride anyways. It might help some kids to stay down longer but you’d also be asking the parents to keep doing amateur moto for another 2 years in some cases. Also look at the differences in careers with RV/Dung and Josh Hill, they all went pro at the same age.
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