Gah Damn (Me b******* about cost of attending nats)

mx317
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TN US
6/6/2026 6:49am
LoudLove wrote:

Anyone have access to the costs of running a national?

I don’t have dollars, but I do know Muddy Creek said it wasn’t profitable as a promoter for the risk that is taken. I’m sure they paid MX Sports a tidy sum. 

FGR01
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Fantasy
6/6/2026 7:06am

The EZ-UP issue seems to be mostly/only a California thing.   I recall the fight stories and videos over EZ-UPs along the track back in the GH days.  I've been to Nationals all over the country and don't recall seeing the EZ-UP phenomenon anywhere but CA.   I think most of the other ones specifically say "no EZ UPs" on the event flyers or tickets.   I get it, Pala and Hangtown don't have shade within 100 miles, but the whole concept of tying your EZ-UP to the fence to claim real estate is ridiculous.  

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BossWool2800
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Jackson , TX US
6/6/2026 7:27am

DC’s gotta eat, I guess…

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ShellyMX
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Smyrna, GA US
6/6/2026 7:30am
TheMilkman wrote:
I have an EZ-UP tent. I’m just not an asshole who would use it to block others out. They shouldn’t be allowed along the fence. I...

I have an EZ-UP tent. I’m just not an asshole who would use it to block others out. They shouldn’t be allowed along the fence. I know some tracks have designated areas for them and I’m fine with that. But people rushing out to set them up to fuck everyone else over is just an asshole move. 

They couldn’t stop you from standing underneath their tent but you’d likely get in trouble for the fight that would ensue by doing so. 

Understood! And thank you for being a responsible EZ up owner. Seriously👍

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The Shop

ShellyMX
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6/6/2026 7:31am
TG130 wrote:

I've seen douchebags with scaffolding set up along the fences at Hangtown before. I agree that kind of bullcrap should not be allowed.

Dang, actual scaffolding? That’s truly f’ed up! Think about the time and effort it took to do all that bs. 

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6/6/2026 7:32am
LoudLove wrote:

Anyone have access to the costs of running a national?

Not exactly. 

I know there is a $100k fee to MX Sports that goes to the $1m to Daytona Motorsports Group for the right to use “AMA Pro National”. This is the deal that DC and his sister (the wearer of the pants - she’s the gnarly one behind the scenes) put together to scoop the rights up for themselves while supposedly representing the track promoter group. 

When I worked at Thunder Valley in 14-15, I vaguely recall Clabaugh made about $40k with a 15 or 20k turnout. Hard to know how the expenses are accounted for as it was about 2 months of prep and a lot of spending to get the place ready. It’s a shitload of work. There is a binder given by MX Sports saying what needs to be done, and it includes a review from the previous year. I remember photos of the medic road in certain areas that needed to be improved.

The national essentially pays for the facility upgrades and provides great marketing. Then money was made with local racing (and LLQ). Rent some porta potties, throw a few hot dogs at the flaggers, and count the cash. 

I’ve heard A Mart mention Spring Creek cashes in on camping and amateur day. I believe he said something along the lines of “I don’t know how the promoters who don’t offer that make any money”. I also believe he said they make about a million on a national. 

This is all quite loose, except the part about DC’s sister. 

DMG is the real winner. $1m for doing absolutely nothing. 100k each round could be prize money…
 

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JMR1976
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Aptos, CA US
6/6/2026 7:32am

Gas is $4.50 a gallon and a Big Mac meal is probably $17 Why am I not surprised to see $100 MX tickets?

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Ebs
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6/6/2026 7:33am
500 Mike wrote:
I looked at the cost to camp for the weekend at Mt  Morris.  I about passed out…. And it was Sold Out!!   That is in...

I looked at the cost to camp for the weekend at Mt  Morris.  I about passed out…. And it was Sold Out!!   That is in addition to your entry fee.   Unreal !   Yes, MX Sports is making some coin on these events.  

 

I agree the prices are crazy, but at the same time, if it sold out then it's not too expensive.

PS: Ez-ups are also ez-downs.

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hititpind
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UT US
6/6/2026 7:42am

I was going to take my family of 4 to Thunder-valley. Decided not to after seeing the prices. Not worth it. 

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Johnny Ringo
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6/6/2026 7:43am

The Coombs siblings are a net negative for the sport, prove me wrong 

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Metz
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Western, PA US
6/6/2026 7:52am

One tip I’ve been using that has been extremely helpful…check the local partner dealerships. They sell tickets too. Usually $5-10 off if you pay cash and don’t charge the additional fees either. So that $65 general admission Saturday adult ticket which comes out to ~$75 with all the extra fees, you only pay $55-60. Really adds up and lets you buy an overpriced shirt at the races. 

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BuckeyeJoe
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Meridian, MS US
6/6/2026 8:16am

It has always been a tradeoff between watching an event live on the tube (flat screen for you youngins) versus actually going to the event to fully experience the ground shake as 40 of the baddest MoFo's thunder past! I've only been to a few Pro Outdoor races (1 Trans-AMA, 1 125 MXGP, 2 Nationals). Scaffolds were always a thing, Hells Bells folks even had a Box Truck with a reinforced roof parked next to double tier scafolding along the fence at Mid Ohio one year! We all have disposable income (some have more than others) so its up to the individual to choose wisely. That's the beauty of a Free Market Society.

Enjoy it while we have it!

Joe

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OwenJakes
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sebree, KY US
6/6/2026 8:31am
Mcflurry98 wrote:
I’m going to play devils advocate here while admittedly not knowing all of the facts. I’m just hypothesizing based on information that we know. I don’t think...

I’m going to play devils advocate here while admittedly not knowing all of the facts. I’m just hypothesizing based on information that we know. 

I don’t think it’s too far fetched to consider that the price increases are what’s needed to keep everyone involved in the green or margin whole. 

It’s not a shock to anyone on here that the cost of everything has gone up substantially in the past 5 years. Insurance, taxes, permits, labor, equipment, and maintenance on said equipment have all been sky rocketing since the start of the pandemic. Some of these tracks also have to do a lot of work around the facilities to get ready for these nationals each year. Much of the material used to do this is with imported goods that have been subject to substantial tariff pressures since the start of 2025. Tack on the cost of fuel right now and it’s just one big perfect storm. 

The cost of doing business has gone up substantially since 2000, so we can’t use that as an apples to apples comparison to justify why tickets should still be $30 or whatever they were 25 years ago. 

Does it suck? Yes. Do I think there are just a bunch of greedy jerks out there lining their pockets more than they were before the cost of everything went up so much? No, I don’t. 

Now just imagine what the cost of tickets would be if they increased the riders purse….

OwenJakes wrote:

I knew someone would come along and defend it

Mcflurry98 wrote:
And I knew someone would come back with a condescending response while having absolutely zero facts or data to support a different perspective. I have nothing against...

And I knew someone would come back with a condescending response while having absolutely zero facts or data to support a different perspective. 

I have nothing against you or anyone else on here who feels differently. I’ve just provided what I believe could be reasonably possible based on my experiences in business and life. 

Dude you’re so right. The only thing that’s happened in the last 6 years are some simple currency shifts and adjustments. 

People are just covering their bases, nothing more. 

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BuckeyeJoe
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6/6/2026 8:35am

The Coombs siblings are a net negative for the sport, prove me wrong 

Net negative in that it still exists? If it isn't the Coombs family then it would be some other entity, that odds are good would be running into the ground.

Joe

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30minmotos
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6/6/2026 8:45am
FGR01 wrote:
The EZ-UP issue seems to be mostly/only a California thing.   I recall the fight stories and videos over EZ-UPs along the track back in the...

The EZ-UP issue seems to be mostly/only a California thing.   I recall the fight stories and videos over EZ-UPs along the track back in the GH days.  I've been to Nationals all over the country and don't recall seeing the EZ-UP phenomenon anywhere but CA.   I think most of the other ones specifically say "no EZ UPs" on the event flyers or tickets.   I get it, Pala and Hangtown don't have shade within 100 miles, but the whole concept of tying your EZ-UP to the fence to claim real estate is ridiculous.  

It’s at budds creek too. I think they should be banned within 30feet of the fences honestly. An umbrella should be all the shade allowed near the fence .


It gets hot as hades at budds so I’ll concede and allow an umbrella but the ez ups block all the viewing for everyone else.

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Tyler D
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La, CA US
6/6/2026 8:45am Edited Date/Time 6/6/2026 8:47am

Tim Cotter is ruining it. 

We use to get backdoor tickets with all day pit passes for $80. 

Boomslang wrote:

Some needs to send the link to this thread to Davey and Tim.

 

I would but DC blocked me. I asked some questions on a random IG post, never mentioned him at all, and he went out of his...

I would but DC blocked me. I asked some questions on a random IG post, never mentioned him at all, and he went out of his way to let me know I earned his unfollow. He also randomly brought pedophile accusations into it when he could have walked away. He sounds more like Mirtl the Self Represented over Mirtl the Professional Representative if you ask me.

The comment...
image 3167.png?VersionId=f50QdRJXfwRoJEY3bKMZ6JQgOVY

The response...
Screenshot 2026-06-06 155327 4

Also, if the SMX final pays $5m, then based on his numbers, that means the TV production is $2.5m and the overall TV deal is only $7.5m per year. I'm gonna go out on a limb and call bullshit. 

Ps. This was right after the race he hosted, where his mother was drunkenly yelling at fans walking in, and on the way out. She blamed the fans for USA losing lol I counted five Moto Tee's 18-wheelers at Ironman. Business must be good to put 5 trucks on the road and pay for 5 vendor licenses to himself. Privateers still can't sell T-shirts without paying him. 

odd he brought up those accusations for no reason. now that you mention it, he got really triggered at me one time for pointing out that one of his colleagues had public photos of colleagues kid on his ig  i dont remember the context tbh, but he was basically gaslighting me for supposedly publishing (by linking) a "private" photo that the dude himself had on his own public instagram. wrote me this long email and everything. over nothing. it was a very weird, boomerish grievance to have iirc, and im guessing some form of projection in there. think he mighta had 9uyb click me over it cant remember for sure

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6/6/2026 8:57am
kage173 wrote:

$35 for supercross? I honestly can't remember ever paying that little. 

Used to be able to walk up to the ticket window at Anaheim and San Diego sx and get nose bleed tickets for 20 bucks, for years haha 

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6/6/2026 9:12am

Making Motocross Great Again. Costs for everything is way up. MX is still cheaper than going to NFL game.

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FGR01
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Fantasy
6/6/2026 9:20am
FGR01 wrote:
The EZ-UP issue seems to be mostly/only a California thing.   I recall the fight stories and videos over EZ-UPs along the track back in the...

The EZ-UP issue seems to be mostly/only a California thing.   I recall the fight stories and videos over EZ-UPs along the track back in the GH days.  I've been to Nationals all over the country and don't recall seeing the EZ-UP phenomenon anywhere but CA.   I think most of the other ones specifically say "no EZ UPs" on the event flyers or tickets.   I get it, Pala and Hangtown don't have shade within 100 miles, but the whole concept of tying your EZ-UP to the fence to claim real estate is ridiculous.  

30minmotos wrote:
It’s at budds creek too. I think they should be banned within 30feet of the fences honestly. An umbrella should be all the shade allowed near...

It’s at budds creek too. I think they should be banned within 30feet of the fences honestly. An umbrella should be all the shade allowed near the fence .


It gets hot as hades at budds so I’ll concede and allow an umbrella but the ez ups block all the viewing for everyone else.

I haven't been to Budds in over 20 years, but back then there were no EZ-UPs.. but people were "claiming" and holding spots along the fence with their lawn chairs.  Sad to hear the EZ Up disease spread.

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Mcflurry98
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Canton, GA US
6/6/2026 9:44am
OwenJakes wrote:

I knew someone would come along and defend it

Mcflurry98 wrote:
And I knew someone would come back with a condescending response while having absolutely zero facts or data to support a different perspective. I have nothing against...

And I knew someone would come back with a condescending response while having absolutely zero facts or data to support a different perspective. 

I have nothing against you or anyone else on here who feels differently. I’ve just provided what I believe could be reasonably possible based on my experiences in business and life. 

OwenJakes wrote:
Dude you’re so right. The only thing that’s happened in the last 6 years are some simple currency shifts and adjustments. People are just covering their bases...

Dude you’re so right. The only thing that’s happened in the last 6 years are some simple currency shifts and adjustments. 

People are just covering their bases, nothing more. 

Being condescending or sarcastic to someone with a different perspective, while providing no substantiated evidence of the contrary, doesn’t magically mean you are right about the subject at hand. 

I’d be curious to see a P&L on the motocross series. Unfortunately, since none of this is run by a publicly traded company, the information isn’t going to be accessible.  At least not to my knowledge.

Maybe you are privy to some information or statistics that I am not? If so, id really be interested to learn more about it. I don’t claim to be right about all of this and can openly admit that there could be some variables that I am not considering. 

Otherwise, you and I are clearly going to just have differences of opinion on the matter. So we can just leave it at that. 

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soggy
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UT US
6/6/2026 9:47am
500 Mike wrote:
I looked at the cost to camp for the weekend at Mt  Morris.  I about passed out…. And it was Sold Out!!   That is in...

I looked at the cost to camp for the weekend at Mt  Morris.  I about passed out…. And it was Sold Out!!   That is in addition to your entry fee.   Unreal !   Yes, MX Sports is making some coin on these events.  

 

Sold out already means they should charge more. 

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Spike33
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Malibu, CA US
6/6/2026 10:17am

Time for DC to beat it. The grotesque pocket stuffing and conflict of interest of owning tracks that are on the schedule is ridiculous. 

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6/6/2026 11:10am
Spike33 wrote:

Time for DC to beat it. The grotesque pocket stuffing and conflict of interest of owning tracks that are on the schedule is ridiculous. 

I can't imagine the cost of owning a track. The overhead with maintenance and insurance has to be outrageous. And people bitch about a $10 spectator fee.

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OwenJakes
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sebree, KY US
6/6/2026 11:15am
Electro21 wrote:

Making Motocross Great Again. Costs for everything is way up. MX is still cheaper than going to NFL game.

Motocross is cheaper than another thing? That means nothing is wrong. 

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6/6/2026 11:20am
Electro21 wrote:

Making Motocross Great Again. Costs for everything is way up. MX is still cheaper than going to NFL game.

OwenJakes wrote:

Motocross is cheaper than another thing? That means nothing is wrong. 

I was being sarcastic.  Costs are up for everything, does that make sense to you? Gas costs for the tractors and water trucks etc? Not difficult to understand.

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Ob917
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Cardiff, CA US
6/6/2026 11:48am Edited Date/Time 6/6/2026 12:22pm

It’s $70 not $100. Pits are a waste of time and close at 12. 
Going to an outdoor is way better than a SX. Thats the real shit

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8tensolutions
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Salt Lake City, UT US
6/6/2026 11:49am
Mcflurry98 wrote:
I’m going to play devils advocate here while admittedly not knowing all of the facts. I’m just hypothesizing based on information that we know. I don’t think...

I’m going to play devils advocate here while admittedly not knowing all of the facts. I’m just hypothesizing based on information that we know. 

I don’t think it’s too far fetched to consider that the price increases are what’s needed to keep everyone involved in the green or margin whole. 

It’s not a shock to anyone on here that the cost of everything has gone up substantially in the past 5 years. Insurance, taxes, permits, labor, equipment, and maintenance on said equipment have all been sky rocketing since the start of the pandemic. Some of these tracks also have to do a lot of work around the facilities to get ready for these nationals each year. Much of the material used to do this is with imported goods that have been subject to substantial tariff pressures since the start of 2025. Tack on the cost of fuel right now and it’s just one big perfect storm. 

The cost of doing business has gone up substantially since 2000, so we can’t use that as an apples to apples comparison to justify why tickets should still be $30 or whatever they were 25 years ago. 

Does it suck? Yes. Do I think there are just a bunch of greedy jerks out there lining their pockets more than they were before the cost of everything went up so much? No, I don’t. 

Now just imagine what the cost of tickets would be if they increased the riders purse….

Fair, but to take away majority of GA viewing to create “VIP” or “preferred viewing” for $150+ more a ticket is pure greed. 

It is not greed to offer an option that sells out at every race.  That is giving your customers something they want.  Is it greed an IPA is more than a Budweiser or a Mercedes is more than a Honda?  I guess that is greed too.  Every sporting event has escalating ticket pricing for access, viewing, and luxury.  You have the choice to stay home.

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Steve Austin
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Hell Yeah, CA US
6/6/2026 12:10pm
FGR01 wrote:
The EZ-UP issue seems to be mostly/only a California thing.   I recall the fight stories and videos over EZ-UPs along the track back in the...

The EZ-UP issue seems to be mostly/only a California thing.   I recall the fight stories and videos over EZ-UPs along the track back in the GH days.  I've been to Nationals all over the country and don't recall seeing the EZ-UP phenomenon anywhere but CA.   I think most of the other ones specifically say "no EZ UPs" on the event flyers or tickets.   I get it, Pala and Hangtown don't have shade within 100 miles, but the whole concept of tying your EZ-UP to the fence to claim real estate is ridiculous.  

30minmotos wrote:
It’s at budds creek too. I think they should be banned within 30feet of the fences honestly. An umbrella should be all the shade allowed near...

It’s at budds creek too. I think they should be banned within 30feet of the fences honestly. An umbrella should be all the shade allowed near the fence .


It gets hot as hades at budds so I’ll concede and allow an umbrella but the ez ups block all the viewing for everyone else.

FGR01 wrote:
I haven't been to Budds in over 20 years, but back then there were no EZ-UPs.. but people were "claiming" and holding spots along the fence...

I haven't been to Budds in over 20 years, but back then there were no EZ-UPs.. but people were "claiming" and holding spots along the fence with their lawn chairs.  Sad to hear the EZ Up disease spread.

Friend sent me a pic of his view from this morning


IMG 4530 2

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30minmotos
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Rising Sun , MD US
6/6/2026 12:25pm
30minmotos wrote:
It’s at budds creek too. I think they should be banned within 30feet of the fences honestly. An umbrella should be all the shade allowed near...

It’s at budds creek too. I think they should be banned within 30feet of the fences honestly. An umbrella should be all the shade allowed near the fence .


It gets hot as hades at budds so I’ll concede and allow an umbrella but the ez ups block all the viewing for everyone else.

FGR01 wrote:
I haven't been to Budds in over 20 years, but back then there were no EZ-UPs.. but people were "claiming" and holding spots along the fence...

I haven't been to Budds in over 20 years, but back then there were no EZ-UPs.. but people were "claiming" and holding spots along the fence with their lawn chairs.  Sad to hear the EZ Up disease spread.

Friend sent me a pic of his view from this morning

Friend sent me a pic of his view from this morning


IMG 4530 2

I don’t understand why people do that.


I put a straw hat on, some sun block and bring water.

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6/6/2026 12:25pm

The Coombs siblings are a net negative for the sport, prove me wrong 

if DMG had run it themselves, it could have ended up as bad as AMA road racing or AMA flat track 

where Pro motocross, amatuer motocross and GNCC are thriving under the Coombs family , which group do you want in leading it?

its a business, and they make money,  but i dont see any other promotor doing it better than the Coombs family does, 

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