Posts
445
Joined
7/28/2009
Location
USA, GA, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/27/2012 5:49pm
I tried to go to Bithlo today and it was schedule to be open from 10am until 5pm. I arrived to notice the gates were locked down. I called the track # 407-568-2271 and received a message they are closed due to an emergency. Not sure if someone was very seriously injured type of emergency or something else. The track never opens on time anymore and it is rumored to have serious financing problems. Let hope the gates are not permanently closed and they can straighten their track out. I wish the mean lady was back, she at least ran the track smoothly.
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Turns out the track manager had a personal emergency (not track related) and was unable to work that day. The track is not in any financial trouble, in fact, I was told they are planning some track changes in the near future.
The "mean lady", aka Susan, only works on weekends.
Also, about the "mean lady"; Susan has a bad rep among IDIOTS. She comes down on IDIOTS that don't follow the track safety rules such as pit riding and not being around when their kid crashes and needs help.
I'm glad to hear Bithlo is fine, its been there a long time. Every time I think of Seminole being closed I get bummed out, I miss that place. I'm going to try out L-Cross soon, I hear Greg is there and he always puts together a good track.
Hmm, what has changed since then?
I guess not discussing it will make it disappear.
It will eventually, but it will be the entire sport dying a slow death instead of the particular reason a lot of us feel that the sport is suffering.
Pit Row
All these were times when the economy was going through tough times.
As a promoter I can testify to the remarkable growth the sport saw around 2000.
You might want to look a little deeper to find the reason that our sport has seen such a drastic drop in the number of participants since around 2005.
as miamicross also had issues cause they were taking dirt from the city....but that track was kinda garbage any ways.
Motocross is a expensive sport, and most dollars that track owners depend on to keep the gates open come from non-professional participants. A significant portion of these are also blue-collar types that would be impacted by, for example, the housing/construction market collapsing. Florida was hit extra hard in that area.
The drywall guy who back in 2006 used his credit cards and 2nd mortgage to roll in with his whole family and $40k worth of bikes and toy hauler, paying $100 at the gate each weekend has since been cut off or foreclosed upon. They're not showing up at tracks anymore, they're out pole-fishing on the intercoastal waterways drinking PBR right now. It's not a matter of what kind of bike is cheaper when the bank has cut off your credit or or you're only getting half the work you used to.
Quick Track closed because the land they leased was sold, the whole speedway complex is being developed. Ace closed for other financial reasons. Just like everything, there is a "correction" still in the works, which just means a smaller market that we all have to live with. Motocross in California and Florida aren't going anywhere soon, although we may have to go further afield to ride good tracks.
Walt
In the mid to late 70's inflation was in the double digits and interest was close to 20%, and yet our sport took off during that time.
It was still affordable recreation.
Anybody with any mechanical ability could maintain their bike.
Now are in the midst of a perfect storm.
The economy sucks, the cost of racing has skyrocketed (in part becuase of the change to fourstroke techonology), and dealers are going out of business left and right (discussed in another thread).
Pricing the middle class out of our sport is a major blunder by those that have been steering the direction of our sport.
The economy is simply speeding up the process, and if corrections aren't made soon, Moto may not ever recover to the participant based sport that many of us love so much.
If its below 65 or drizzling no one shows up.
Its become more common in the north too but no where near as bad as the southern tracks.
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