Posts
2008
Joined
9/4/2007
Location
Denham Springs, LA
US
Edited Date/Time
5/26/2017 11:44am
43 entries 250's this week.
With lack of a good purse (sure $70k, unless it went up this year, per event sounds like a lot...but..reality, not so much) are racers finally getting the idea that they just cannot make it?
Chasing the dream just can't pay the bills? Only way, for a 20-40 guy to make it is be on a team that pays all expenses, plus a small salary. Of course those teams, if their racer gets good enough to move to another team.. spent all that for what?
Is the sport pricing it out of itself?
Will AMA MX become the same as the GP's? Teams pay the racers on their teams bills, no purse?
Can a top local make more on local race money than in the Nationals? More money in AX and sit the outdoors out?
Risk vs reward not strong enough?
"Millennials" too lazy or no ambition and want everything handed to them that the top riders get? Sarcasm.. kind of.
"real" jobs are more important too them?
What is the reason for the low amount of entries?
With lack of a good purse (sure $70k, unless it went up this year, per event sounds like a lot...but..reality, not so much) are racers finally getting the idea that they just cannot make it?
Chasing the dream just can't pay the bills? Only way, for a 20-40 guy to make it is be on a team that pays all expenses, plus a small salary. Of course those teams, if their racer gets good enough to move to another team.. spent all that for what?
Is the sport pricing it out of itself?
Will AMA MX become the same as the GP's? Teams pay the racers on their teams bills, no purse?
Can a top local make more on local race money than in the Nationals? More money in AX and sit the outdoors out?
Risk vs reward not strong enough?
"Millennials" too lazy or no ambition and want everything handed to them that the top riders get? Sarcasm.. kind of.
"real" jobs are more important too them?
What is the reason for the low amount of entries?
Let them run 2T's and I'd bet you'd see some more entries. It won't immediately fix the problem, but it would give people a more economical option to be competitive.
The Shop
too dangerous. (saddest part)
You would think the true privateers would be in abundance in Cali, I would assume the barriers to participation (points) prevent many from trying. You don't have to choose a 250.
Secondly you're saying that a top 5 guy cannot show up on a stock bike and compete? (Define stock) cause nobody that is racing is riding a stock bike and I know plenty of fast guys that can dial in a good suspension tune and still run with some of the top guys. It's not all about power, however these days with fuel injection it is much easier to obtain power than it has been in years past
Lastly, racers are able to run smokers if they choose to do so. However that would be a waist of time and money and run the risk of major injury trying to keep up with the brute power of the 4 stroke, most of these guys are running local series events that pay the way into the big shows like racing the outdoors. So why be on a bike that isn't going to be competitive
2. I never mentioned a 450.
3. "It's not all about power". Right, because that's why privateers pull holeshots all of the time. Skill and timing is a very big part of it, but you're lying to yourself if you think Plessinger, Martin, or Forkner don't benefit from factory horsepower off of the gate.
4. Racers are not able to run smokers at the level they want to. It's why you don't see a 250 2T in the 250 class, they can only run against 450's and at that point, you're basically it's racing for fun. You can't be competitive in outdoors with a 2T under the current rules.
Pit Row
There is no magic solution with 4 strokes in place in the 250 class. There is already limiting rules that the AMA puts in place to keep the bikes "factory based" but we all see how well that is working.....
The easiest and most practical solution is to allow 2T in the 250 class.
The other big issue is obviously fees and payouts. Racers for a pro event should not have to pay for a pro card, a gate fee, or a race entry fee.
You guys have to understand that the share/stakeholders who run the shows are still making plenty of money, and nothing will drastically change until they start feeling profit loss below their acceptable targets.
MX is a participant sport so trying to become like NASCAR which is a spectator sport is killing it.
The risk/reward ratio of professional MX is so skewed it's silly....................
Smarten(ing): to make or become smarter.
Yes.. they have "choice", but with the snakes out there that want to sell product, obfuscation is rampant enough that most youth and/or their parents don't see whats real and not real.
Not sustainable.
Let's get the top 20 from each class into the "International" class and the bottom 20 from each into the Support class. Then the guys making nothing and having no chance of even getting a top ten have something to race for. And the fans get the 40 best riders in the Country on the same gate....as it should be
But you end up with a 10-20k purpose built bike that you only want to ride at nationals. Not many people can afford that.
This same rider at district races and Pro-Am's runs a stock bike (250 & 450) and usually wins the A/Open A classes.
That's what it takes to get in unless you have a low turnout and play the numbers game.
The sport is dominated by the big teams who use MX for it marketing and throw insane amounts of money (relatively speaking) to get tv spots and air time. JGR for example and their primary sponsor Toyota.
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