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I think I found him.
My truck had 2 YZ250s in it, mine and my buddy's. Half the bikes at the track were 2 strokes... Some were fresh looking, some were just old clapped out 125s, but the kids riding them were having an absolute blast. It put a smile on my face.
The father of the 2 kids next to us (one on an early 2000s RM125, the other on an '06 YZ125) came over to chat. Not even a minute into the conversation we start talking about how much we love our 2 strokes and he said something along the lines of "I don't want to worry about fixing their bikes. They want to ride as much as possible and this is the way we can do that. They love their bikes and I don't need a mechanic to work on them!".
I'm going to continue hitting more tracks soon and I won't be surprised if I continue to see a good mix of 2 strokes (old and new). People are sick of the expense, but they still love to ride, and 2 strokes allow it. Sure this is just an example on a local level, but you can't tell me this isn't being felt across the entire industry. There needs to be a change, or we can all just continue to watch this sport to shrink and die.
Level out the classes (to fairly allow 2 strokes at the pro ranks) or give us an entirely new class. I've been reading about the 250f motor rebuilds here on Vital and all the expense involved (5 and 15 hour motors and such) and I find it absolutely ludicrous.
The Shop
Also, I like Fast House. Don't own any, but I will. At the very least I'm buying my pops the Indian Dunes throwback jersey... Part of what got me into riding as a kid was hearing his stories of racing there.
As long as they have fun I spose.....
4 strokes ushered in an era of technology that allows even the novice rider to execute (or at least attempt) massive launches. When tracks incorporate aggressive jumps into their design, it forces all riders to pull the trigger if they want to be competitive. Parents don't want to finance a hobby with that level of risk.
Have riders become "smarter"? Maybe not. Has racing become "dumber"? Perhaps the statistics speak for themselves.
Offroad, you can make a stock motor work pretty well; it's about how you use the power, not the bulk of how much you have. Plus, for a manufacturer like KTM, you literally have 7 models to pick and choose from.
I've done both, enduro/hare scrambles and motocross. I've spent more money replacing bent and damaged parts from doing offroad, but have also divulged more money for tires, top ends and gas doing motocross. It's a total tradeoff, and neither one really "saves" money in the longterm, just one requires less diving into the motor.
I hope motocross does mix up their interests some; like running a stock class within the national class and payout some $$$ to make it a little more affordable for the privateers. Say 15 out of 40 spots are dedicated for that. Or, as others have mentioned, pickup like the EMX series and run a two stroke 125/250 class at half the rounds, payout at the end of the series. I don't see the AMA changing the 250 rules, simply for the fact manufacturers are spending so much money in R&D on these 4 strokes, and the last thing they want is an outdated and old tech two stroke to start placing well.
If the OEMs really want to sell on Monday what wins on Sunday(Saturday), then Stock would be the way to sell your shit.
Grips, Graphics, tire choices, gearing, and suspension settings(With Stock OEM Parts) would be allowed. Stock engines and Pipes.
Now, Ryan Huffman the local Washougal guy, or whoever can line up next to anyone and be competitive. Even if he's a factory paid dude.
And Protests are Free. If the protester is Wrong, He pays the Non cheater say 1,000 for the time and cost of the tear down.
If the accused is caught, he pays the protestor the cheater bike. The whole bike.
• The 12 rounds and long motos require more motors (and better motors) than Supercross.
• The races scattered across the country are a logistical problem for the rider and equipment.
• The logistics of either coast of Supercross are mush easier and less expensive in comparison.
• The weather associated with the outdoor season is tough without some kind of camper in the pits.
• In Supercross, the stadiums provide cover and some limited area for pitting.
• The support from sponsors is just not there. In Supercross, if you are fighting for the last 4 spots in the LCQ, the riders and their top sponsors get a lot of attention and TV time. At the Indianapolis SX, the announcers mentioned my kid's name 6 times in the LCQ. At Daytona, they mentioned his name 12 times in the Heat, and he didn't win either one of those races. In motocross, the guys running outside the top 5 or 10 are rarely mentioned. The average viewer doesn't care, but the sponsors care.
Joey
Pit Row
For most privateers, racing is a passion. For many racers at the top echelon, it's a job. Even guys like RV, RC, and now Dungey admit that it became about the money. Race, get paid, go home. They just happened to be very, very good at their job, and may not have pursued it if not for the payoff.
Stick & ball sports are frequently seen as a way out of an otherwise dead-end existence. The massive paydays, even for bench-riders, create an enormous talent pool, where only the top percentage make it to the big leagues (sound familiar?). MX's cost of entry, along with a very limited number of financially-viable positions, does not offer the same "gold ticket" as traditional sports, so we're left with a very limited number of participants, and that number appears to be contracting.
On the other end of it, why would someone take the risk in our sport anymore? Your parents can go into 6 figure debt, max out the credit cards, and sell everything they own while you miss out on your youth... and for what? To take the gamble to be just one of only 5-10 guys in the whole f***in country to actually make a living in this sport? If you suffer a lifelong injury and can no longer race before you hit the big bikes, who's going to give a shit about you? Or what if you just burn out before you get to the big bikes and you're completely over it? Then your parents are stuck with enormous debt and you don't have a backup plan. Wise people don't take that gamble. Would you throw out your life long savings, house, and most of your possessions to buy a lottery ticket in hopes that you hit the powerball?
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't take back anything I did, and neither would my parents. I was doing it before it got bad. I met some amazing people traveling the country and my heart is still in this sport 100%. I just don't like the direction that it's taken. Monster is a billion dollar company sponsoring our sport, and guys are making less than they ever did before. How many guys in the 80s and 90s retired before they were 28? Since then, we've lost RC, RV, and now Dungey before they even hit 30. We have to find a way to fix this.
last time i was out there had to be about a third of all bike were two strokes. its weird actually seeing that many, and it wasnt just slow old guys most of them were younger fast kids
At the pro level, the promoters should look for six factory teams (meaning at least 12 factory riders, maybe 14 or 15), then five or six sponsored independent/satellite teams that would get the field to around 30. That's exactly what MXGP tries to do, with teams like Massignani, Assomotor, Wilvo, JTECH and Hitachi helping fill out the field behind the six factory teams. (And Wilvo, as we know, has won an overall this year.)
MXGP still needs a couple more teams to ensure that they'll get 30 bikes at the fly-away races, but their model makes the most sense: offer a TV/streaming package, develop the TV audience, attract sponsors and build teams. You know ... like every other professional sport we can name that's not trapped in the 1970s.
I am positive no one on here saw me say anything rude or broke any rules.
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Someone made a comparison to the NFL and i think its a good one because its the same story. Look at old NFL film from the 60s and most the guys on that field are average size, todays NFL players are monsters, they would break those guys from back in the day in half.
"It costs even more when your parents no longer can help out" was his response. Younger kids slowly learning and evolving that at the local level, if you really are a quality rider, you can ride just as fast (albeit takes some more skill, line choice has to be better and overall riding has to be smoother) on a 2T as a 4T, and if it blows up, won't cost you a kidney and first born child to rebuild it.
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