I’ve been on the fence on making this post here, saying something on Facebook or just staying quiet about it. I’m not going to say what track or name names cause I’m not here to throw anyone under the bus. Just food for thought. From what I saw Saturday, it’s no wonder tracks are getting sued and shut down.
Saturday, after a couple months of riding on tracks, I decided to take my 11 year old to do his first moto race. They had a 85 beginner class so I figured it would be a good opportunity for his first race. This is where problem 1 came from. There were 16 kids signed up in the 85 beginner class. 6 of them were also racing supermini and were scrubbing every jump on the track and lapped the other 10 kids that belonged in the class. I watched multiple times kids almost get landed on or hit after a jump because these kids were going so much faster. I kept my mouth shut about this while I was there but I was already getting worked up.
As for me, I signed up in 25+ and A class. In the A race, I ran 2nd the whole race with plans to make a move on the last lap. We got the white flag 2 laps earlier than they loudly told us we were going to. Whatever. I railed the outside of a 180 right and came out somewhat next to the guy leading. There’s a large anthill exiting the turn. He looked over his shoulder and turned left on the face of the jump, placing him directly underneath me while I was in the air. I pushed my bike to the left in the air and came down with my elbow in his back. About 200 feet later it makes a tight 180 back left. He turned into me again so aggressively I ran into the light pole and wadded it up. He then turned around and gave me the finger. Now, admittedly, I didn’t react great to this and went through the pits looking for him. About 10 people came after me before I could even get words out. I later found out, when the track owner came to ask me what MY deal was that the punk ass kid was buddies with the owner, so obviously I was the one in the wrong. Whatever. I had a medical situation about an hour later and decided to load up and watch for the rest of the night. This is where it started getting dark.
I watched 4 different people get stretchered off the track before anyone thought maybe it was a good idea to have an ambulance at the track. Mind you, this was a series race with 250-300 people there. I did a race at a fairground with a rubberband start when I was a kid and they had an ambulance. The no ambulance trend is not helping the sport. Especially with flaggers like they had. I watched one instance where a guy fell and knocked himself out and was laying in the track unconscious on the backside of a jump. One flagger stood on the straight away before while another one stood 20 feet away and ignored the guy laying in the track. I saw him turn around and look at the guy laying there and then turned back around like he didn’t see anything. About ten seconds later before those of us from the bleachers on the other side of the track could run over there, the guy got landed on. What really got under my skin is when it happened AGAIN to a kid on a 85. He ended up with a collapsed lung and a concussion and had to wait 20 minutes for an ambulance to show up cause they sent it home when it showed up last time. In total, it seemed about every 2 or 3 races were getting stopped to help an injured rider and the majority of them were at the fault of subpar flaggers. Personally, the way the whole night was handled, I won’t be giving that track another dime. If track owners can’t care more than that and want to be the problem getting tracks shut down, then they don’t deserve to be running a track. I’ve been racing for damn near 30 years and I’ve never witnessed such a dangerous clusterfuck as that night was.
The sport sadly has gone full inbred.
Jumps for literally no reason many times have big consequences instead of being tapered and safe
Every lane has to have a jump if not multiple jumps
Zero effort to group people on speed (think qualifying or a rank system like tennis) so you get what you saw in your sons group kids being lapped in a 4 lap race which is just absolutely retarded.
No track etiquette training for riders flaggers or shit even track owners. Where to get on, where ti get off, what to do with blind spots and accidents, how to circle back safely to protect riders
4 lap “motos” are somehow accepted as ok. I’ve seen races cut to 3 laps or second motos aborted due to time entirely. Cool an 8 minute race for $100+. What a joke.
If you run the 400m in highscool it’s the same 400m the Olympian’s runs. Why aren’t we doing 35 minute motos?
Then the societal decay we have where none of us have any shared community or values so there’s not a second thought to running you into a light pole , or leaving you for dead on a blind landing etc.
So you want everyone grouped by speed AND 30 min motos?!? That would take about 30 classes and at 35 minutes (giving time to clear the track) that would take 35 hours of daylight with zero incidents or delays. So are you suggesting that every race be a 4 day event? It just doesn't make sense.
You can have longer motos or you can have more classes, but you can't have both.
Slow down bro, I didn’t recommend more classes. There’s plenty of speed crossover in let’s say 45A and then 25b or whatever various groups. Some riders from each of those would be grouped by speed and not by age and other bs
Think of it like
MX1
MX2
3
4
5
6
MxOLd
That’s 7 classes 40 riders each 280 riders capacity each class would need just over an hour for both motos
That’s 8hrs of sunlight plus an hour for misc and grooming… that’s a normal day… and 280 riders is a solid turnout any way you slice it for big bikes only.
Kids could have their own splits the next day…
Group by speed and not by all these other useless parameters. Let’s say 6 groups by speed and one old class for the old guys who’s ego won’t let them line up in a slower group and have to only race with older guys.
And if it came to it, cap the signups, have pre registration etc
You could charge 2-3x the moto fee if what you’re offering is 2x 30 minute motos.
I’d pay $200 if it was 2x 30 plus 2s and I was grouped with people my speed, not just my age, or they decided they’re also “b” or “a” meanwhile like the original poster said the kids are in 85 beginner lapping people and scrubbing jumps… and then they’re also racing supermini.
We wouldn’t need to race 17 different classes to get our riding fix if we offered 30 minute races.
Have kids one day, adults another.
Something
Or bash me and keep doing what we’re doing, try to fault a single thing I said about the truth of what the “sport” has become…
Sadly, It's mostly true and speaking for myself - the race experience and culture I grew passionate about in the 70's and 80's doesn't exist anymore, and it's not a reasonable expectation, as things change, but now it's kind of a drag when things go well, and the day is a waste if it goes long or there is an issue. Just not enough seat time for the trouble.
We've taken to ride days instead of races - and are tossing in the Hare Scrambles too, and MTB, which is slowly moving me away from dirt bikes altogether. Straight moto today isn't a fun day, and at 67, if it ain't fun, I ain't doing it.
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Dude every other sport you get bang for your buck.
For us a race day let’s say it’s 1:30 laps and you do 2 classes that’s 4 motos 4 laps each.
that’s 4 x 6 minute motos lol
Even if it’s 2 minute laps that’s 4 8 minute motos. Come on that’s a joke
Do a mud run, warrior race, marathon, cross fit event, mtn bike race, hare scramble, GP race, etc etc you will go home whooped and got more than your fill of exercise.
We have to pick two classes just to get around 30 minutes on the track. Come on….
Theres nothing I like more than motocross but I completely agree with you. Anytime I feel like doing a actual race now I stick to hare scrambles. Show up 30 minutes before your race, warm up a bit, and then go run your 1-2 hour moto and leave. You can't beat it.
I agree, there is nothing better than moto, but what we’re getting on a race day isn’t moto.
I can see the potential and it’s right there, it could and would be freaking amazing.
This was the first Saturday night race I had done in a few years for the same reason. It feels like half the track time for twice the money than just a normal practice day. But I grew up racing and was excited about getting my kid into it when I showed up. I've been to this track a ton of times and have always had good experiences but it's usually always on a practice day where I don't really have much expectation for flaggers etc. Seeing the flagger turn around and see the guy laying in the middle of the track and then turn back around and let him get landed on was a deal breaker for me. My kid thought he was going to have a great night racing with other kids his speed and spent the whole night terrified to go out. I was severely disappointed in how little anyone working the race seemed to care about anything. Even the guy dropping the gate was doing so before the card even went sideways at times. It was a complete shit show from start to finish and every person involved seemed DGAF about it. I can't understand how in a time where tracks are getting sued and shut down for much less track owners can still have this attitude towards it.
This is why off road races are gaining popularity.
I’d say a 2 day event where you do 30 minute motos would be solid. 1/2 the classes Saturday 1/2 the classes Sunday. Even 20 min motos would be cool. 3-4 laps is ridiculous. 1:20-1:30 lap is also ridiculous.
Big reason I started doing off road is longer motos & more people to race.
The flagger issue is a big problem. I was full gung ho racing twice a month and was going to "Race into my 80's" Then a flagger left the jump takeoff where he was posted up to go help a downed rider. The rider landed off the side of the track and was ok. I found his bike, it wound up in the middle of the track on the downside of the landing. Flagging is an important job that "Most" (not all) don't take serious. I think if you're signed up to race you should have to flag 1 or 2 races. The tracks should have boxes of yellow flags to hand out. Kids that haven't raced before with their cell phone in one hand don't make good flaggers.
Sadly, we all know that a young man, or young lady must get catastrophically injured for this to change at most ( Not All ) tracks. When the lawsuit gets delivered by the processor is when most owners open their eyes, but that is MUCH too late. When youngsters are forced to ride with much more skilled peers, it often pushes them away from the sport. I find it sad.
Beginner class riders scrubbing jumps. I’m laughing cuz I know it’s true. They have no shame. Hollow victory.
Holy Cow!
Yep go race a harescramble, sprint enduro or gp. You will get a bigger tank and a 18 inch wheel and never go back.
I've done plenty of harescramble races. I started my boy there first and he didn't enjoy it very much. He's a little timid. The track has been a lot easier for him. I prefer the track as well. Riding in the woods does nothing for me really. I did really enjoy the US Sprint Enduro I did but it's not even remotely realistic to do much racing beyond local stuff. Even that's getting hard with how much has shut down over the last 20 years. Maybe that's why I'm so bitter over it. There were 10 tracks within an hour, most within 30 minutes when I was younger. Now I have to drive 1.5 hours north or south to find a track still open
are you guys 100% sure it is actually the track owner putting on these races and not a club renting the track? When I was racing back in the 1970s and again in 2000s, it was a club or promotor renting the track for events. Contracts were firm the promotor/club was responsible for flaggers, track prep, and most importantly INSURANCE and EMTs for the day. #1 rule for the event was no insurance or no Ambo/EMTs and NO RACE Period!
I tried a harescrambles and didn't like it at all. I highly recommend GP racing if you have any near you. It's the best of both worlds between MX and off-road.
Pit Row
There is trials, desert racing, extreme enduro, gncc etc that you get far more riding time in and more rewarding.Nicer group of people than mx imo.
Everyone seems to think this post was me complaining about ride time. It's literally the one thing in the original post that I wasn't complaining about. I'm 34 years old and can barely do 5 laps at speed as it is lol
100% sure on this one. I know the owner personally and he was the one that came to talk to me after I got ran into a light pole
The really nice thing about “old guy racing” (old people, since there are some women?)…is that we avoid…eliminate…most of those shit.
Sadly, there are some track owners and promoters that don’t seem to care much about the quality of the race…of the experience…
And, at the same time, we’ve got some good ones. Washougal comes to mind.
Anyways, it’s a bummer that someone’s race experience was shitty enough, especially for his son’s reckoning with Cherry Pickers, shitty enough that he had to share it; which, ultimately, is a good thing. Maybe others will see this and push for changes…
Wasn't really my angle. The offroad group is far less douchy and well put together.
I’ve never really seen sand bagging in the 85 class.
Most of the time it’s the opposite, half the kids need to be in the beginner class instead of normal age class.
From top 85 kids to beginner 85 kids it’s a massive difference. I’m sure if a national 85 kid was there, he’d have lapped every kid in the beginner class.
Where I see sand bagging get bad is once they get to 125’s and 250’s. They all race C class so they can try for Loretta’s in the C class
The only time I race on a track is for vintage events. No pressure, cool people, nothing actually matters. It's just for the fun of it. The modern bike gets hare scrambles and desert races. It's the same sort of vibe. If you're coming off row 4 in the B class, you're out there just to have fun.
Pro practices are going to become more commonplace.
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