How Can We Make MX More Fun Again?

2/18/2021 9:07am
My son got his first bike for his 4th birthday, he is 19 now. We are still as excited to go to the same exact track now as we were 16 years ago. He trains 2-3 days per week, races on the weekends most of the time and if we are not racing we are still at a track somewhere.
Right now we are wrapping up midsouth Arenacross, prepping for Carmichael Daytona coming up and Loretta qualifiers after that.

Cannot imagine motocross or racing being much more fun or exciting than it is right now. We are loving every moment of it
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Rickyisms
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2/18/2021 9:39am
My son got his first bike for his 4th birthday, he is 19 now. We are still as excited to go to the same exact track...
My son got his first bike for his 4th birthday, he is 19 now. We are still as excited to go to the same exact track now as we were 16 years ago. He trains 2-3 days per week, races on the weekends most of the time and if we are not racing we are still at a track somewhere.
Right now we are wrapping up midsouth Arenacross, prepping for Carmichael Daytona coming up and Loretta qualifiers after that.

Cannot imagine motocross or racing being much more fun or exciting than it is right now. We are loving every moment of it
I think a big thing on it is just how a person is wired. Me and my dad did the same thing you guys are doing for many years, I loved every second of it and would never trade those times for anything else. I don't race "competitively" anymore, but I do still love going to whatever race I choose to attend and hanging out with my friends and family while we're all surrounded by one single thing we all love. I do like the aspect of my life now where I can go to a track and throw down however many hot laps I want, then spend the rest of the day BS'ing with everyone and rolling around hitting the jumps. There's some kids with fathers like mine and yourself that want to see their kid succeed, and I think a lot of the times dad winds up wanting to go to the track more than the kid. Best of luck to you and your son. What classes are you going for at LL?
2/18/2021 10:10am
Daytona classes are College Boy, 450 B limited and 450 open B
His number is 619
If you see us feel free to say hello


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Motodave15
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2/18/2021 10:43am
luke11 wrote:
Why is there a need for +30 +35 +40 +45 +50 in the first place???? This is fucking madness to me. Should be 250, 450 and...
Why is there a need for +30 +35 +40 +45 +50 in the first place????

This is fucking madness to me. Should be 250, 450 and a vet class (plus 35 or 40’or whatever the promoter wants it to be.

Also, should be no a b and c class unless the gate is full and you have to split, only then should you split, surely this is common sense? If you don’t agree you’re a trophy hunter
The reverse, I think the kids should have less classes than the adults...

Also when you hit 30.. you still want competition but you shouldn't be forced to race against people who would lap you in 5 laps lol.
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The Shop

2/18/2021 11:12am Edited Date/Time 2/18/2021 11:14am
No A, B or C Classes?
That makes zero sense. Even Colleges have different divisions. How can a small local college football team compete with say an ALABAMA or
LSU team.
So a local kid that rides 2-3 times a month and is in the C Class should lineup on the same gate that has the kid that has been living at MTF for 4 years and is on a Team Green factory bike and is going pro in a year? No way. That is asking for someone to get seriously injured or killed.
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mattyhamz2
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2/18/2021 12:43pm
luke11 wrote:
Why is there a need for +30 +35 +40 +45 +50 in the first place???? This is fucking madness to me. Should be 250, 450 and...
Why is there a need for +30 +35 +40 +45 +50 in the first place????

This is fucking madness to me. Should be 250, 450 and a vet class (plus 35 or 40’or whatever the promoter wants it to be.

Also, should be no a b and c class unless the gate is full and you have to split, only then should you split, surely this is common sense? If you don’t agree you’re a trophy hunter
Motodave15 wrote:
The reverse, I think the kids should have less classes than the adults... Also when you hit 30.. you still want competition but you shouldn't be...
The reverse, I think the kids should have less classes than the adults...

Also when you hit 30.. you still want competition but you shouldn't be forced to race against people who would lap you in 5 laps lol.
Agreed! Even at 25. How can anyone justify putting guys like Alessi and Brown in the same class with Joe Blow who races once in a while for fun in the 25+ or 30+ class. Just asking for something to go wrong.

SwapMotoLive Series has 8 different 85/150 classes.
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Leeham
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2/18/2021 2:01pm
Yeah lets have the State College Basketball team play against the middle school C team. Absolute slaughter
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Johnny Depp
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Buda, TX US
2/18/2021 2:37pm
Classes are merely a handicap system. The perception that awarding more trophies 🏆 causes the day to be too long is only partly correct. If a track is fully utilizing it’s capacity more bikes can run in a shorter time. Obviously safety is achieved by pairing riders of comparable speed.
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luke11
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2/18/2021 3:04pm Edited Date/Time 2/18/2021 3:09pm
No A, B or C Classes? That makes zero sense. Even Colleges have different divisions. How can a small local college football team compete with say...
No A, B or C Classes?
That makes zero sense. Even Colleges have different divisions. How can a small local college football team compete with say an ALABAMA or
LSU team.
So a local kid that rides 2-3 times a month and is in the C Class should lineup on the same gate that has the kid that has been living at MTF for 4 years and is on a Team Green factory bike and is going pro in a year? No way. That is asking for someone to get seriously injured or killed.
Yet at glen Helen spodes ride with pros on practise days 🙄😂
If you’ve got the gate to have more than one class I agree, but if there is like less than a gate full of riders there on 65s for example, let them all line up together, if you get lapped you get lapped.
I’ve never got a podium in my life, and I’m not slow, but over here there’s no A B C classes. I grew up riding once every couple weeks and I’d be racing with kids who have tracks in their back garden and a trainer on speed dial, that’s life, my win was a top 5 my podium was a top 10.
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Crush
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Sydney AU
2/18/2021 3:12pm
Barriers to entry...

Costs, complications, safety.

Make the bikes cheaper, make them simple to fix, slow the bikes down to lessen injuries.

It's almost like we have an answer.
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bpaderta
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Fontana, WI US
2/18/2021 3:37pm
Definitely less classes, these days with how fast the bikes are you could get rid of the 250/open split and just run a single a,b,c class, 2 stroke, +25,+40, 85, 65, 50 shaft drive, 50cc. There is no reason for any race (other than qualifiers) to have 30 classes. Nothing beats waking up at 5am rushing to get to the track, only to wait 3-4 hours after practice when its 100 degrees outside to race a 4 lap moto. Like many said before, it makes much more sense to go to the practice track and ride until I cant hang on anymore than to pay double the money for 10 laps, sunburn and staying out from the ass crack of dawn to sun down.
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bama205
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Williamson County, TN US
2/18/2021 5:51pm
What things could you suggest that you feel would help raise participation?
Our local series has great C class turnouts. Great 25 and 30+ as well.

And 20-35 PW50s

The tracks “regressed”

Small tracks. Smaller obstacles, etc.

It’s better.
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crusher773
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Coweta, OK US
2/18/2021 6:10pm
Class structure change for sure. Every class should have a novice and advanced that's it not 6 different 85 classes. Then an open for each class level that way everybody gets 2 classes if they want. So this makes 3 total classes for each size. Same for big bikes. 2 vet classes fast and slow. 1 open outlaw for all big bikes. Combine the hell out of classes to make bigger gates. 5 wins and you move up to faster class across the board. The prices for these big races is also out of control. They want to charge you to breathe the damn air even.
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spimx
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Port Isabel, TX US
2/18/2021 7:15pm
A lot of people are saying there are too many classes now days. I think most people including myself don't care as much if they win or lose it's just fun to compete against your friends. Its not fun to sit waiting for your class to line up forever
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spimx
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2/18/2021 7:17pm
sometimes the smaller races are much more fun than big district races that take all day long waiting for your moto to start
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yz133rider
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Avondale, PA US
2/18/2021 7:20pm
The series I do is exactly what many of you are asking for. It’s 13-14 motos 6 laps each. It’s still a full day but if you run two classes plus the 20 minute practice it’s about 1.5hr on the track which beats the hell out of the 4 lap Moto most series put on. F sitting around all day for a 9 minute Moto.
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montesagold
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East, TN US
2/18/2021 7:38pm
More one off races instead of chasing points. Run What Ya Brung
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Phillip_Lamb
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2/18/2021 7:56pm
More seat time.


Nobody wants to sit around all day for 16 minutes of track time.
seriously, just did my first race in years. I was moto 4 and waited like 4 hrs between races. If i had been any later I mightve just left early.

this is why more people are getting into offroad races, cuz you have a predetermined race time. You show up 30min before get dressed race for 45min go home.

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2/18/2021 8:11pm
125 only races. Re name all the classes. A is king of the Moutain. B is gladiator dirt warrior. C is out of control syco win at all cost. Festival atmosphere, with zip lines, live bands, strippers, mini bike riding area, a van show, skeet shooting, archery shooting, wet tshirt competions, adult coloring competion, dunk tank, miss Dirt world biki competion, etc
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CG118
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Kennesaw, GA US
2/18/2021 8:25pm
I haven’t raced moto in a couple of years for 3 reasons:
Distance—-moto tracks are now too far away.
Technical—-moto tracks have become increasingly technical, requiring more practice time and more skills than I have available in order to be competitive.
Friends—-my riding buds stopped racing mx for the same reasons.

I really don’t enjoy riding off road ( hare scrambles and enduros), but that’s the only good alternative I gave right now. Would much rather moto.
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Ted722
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Sacramento, CA US
2/18/2021 8:34pm
Make MX Fun again? It has been and always will be fun, but even at the local amateur level (even Vet) l it's seems too serious / condensed at times.

Going with riding buddies was/is a big draw. Pranks were in play too, one time one of my riding buddies locked me in an outhouse! Funny, but not so much on a 100 degree day! Laughing

Much less classes back in the day. Even with racing a 2nd class today, there sure is a good amount of downtime.

Some of the best fun I've had recently is Hare Scrambles. Showing up an hour before my start time and then racing 2 hours on the bike, completely spent/drained when the race is over.

Making MX Fun again? More riding, different formats (GP-45 minutes, team events, etc), combine classes/longer motos.

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Jbulz
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2/19/2021 8:03am
Shorter race days - I race a lot, but I hate sitting around for 10-12 hours to ride 4 12-minute motos. A few ways to do this, but either reduce the number of classes (lots of classes have 4 guys on the gate...) or split the weekend into big bikes/litle bikes or something.

More races - throw in some short weekday/night races with something like 6 classes max. A quick in-and-out after work race evening would be cool.

Incentive to race - seems like we need some social media coverage of amateur moto. A lot of the younger crowd (man that makes me sound old...) would probably be interested in having someone at the track to post instabangers or live stream during race day. Old school photogs who post photos over the next few days for sale are cool, but I think this day and age people are looking for instant gratification unfortunately.
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Mark Hite
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2/19/2021 6:33pm
I think it is very tough for people to line up and race when they have no chance of doing well. It is hard to convince someone to pay good money just to have their ass handed to them by someone who has no business in that class. I saw a kid flying on the vet track at LACR and was told he was racing novice at Mammoth, WTF. I know I sound like the old man that I am, but back in the day it was a bigger deal to finish 8th out of 20 in the intermediate than dominate the novice class. I think with the use of transponders they should be able to check lap times and place people in the appropriate class. It seems as if people don't want to line up behind the gate unless they can win, so your stuck with all these cherry pickers, why the true novices have no chance, so they quit coming to race and choose to just ride on practice days.
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lostboy819
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2/19/2021 6:53pm
Picked up a couple of thumpstar 140 pit bikes and have been racing them around on BMX tracks and small back yard tracks, most fun I have had in a while. Cool
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Chance1216
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Federal Way, WA US
2/19/2021 9:20pm
Poker a runs have always been “fun” to me in the PNW.
The Dust Dodgers in Yakima have held events in Nachese or, the Tacoma Trail Riders holding the Smugglers poker run in Capital forest have been my favorites. No pressure to compete. Just completing 3-4 hours of riding, over a 30-50 mile run. Testing your endurance and skill through some technical terrain is quite satisfying. Plus, it’s a great atmosphere. I also get a chance to hang out with friends I don’t see too often. Unfortunately, the Desert 100 was canceled this year so, hopefully it’ll be held next year.

My cousin and I also plan annual trips between California and Washington. Camping out in Gorman (Hungry Valley) for a week after road tripping down or, him coming up for the poker runs and staying up for a few days of riding gives us something to look forward to.
Denn700
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Shreveport, LA US
2/20/2021 2:52pm
I have been to some races where there is like 25 classes and they start on Saturday and do the first motos and run the second motos on Sunday. This is a terrible idea. I don’t want to sit around for two days. Race all the kids motos on Saturday and all the adults on Sunday.
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sandman768
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Saratoga Springs, NY US
2/20/2021 5:19pm
Clearly we need more big dollar races with 2 lap practice sessions and 3 lap motos.....probably should rip the tracks super deep then water the shit out it so massive ruts get formed the whole length of the track. Might as well add some massive Freestyle jumps.... Mandatory motorhomes so regular guys have no place to park. ....
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crusher773
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Coweta, OK US
2/20/2021 7:16pm
sandman768 wrote:
Clearly we need more big dollar races with 2 lap practice sessions and 3 lap motos.....probably should rip the tracks super deep then water the shit...
Clearly we need more big dollar races with 2 lap practice sessions and 3 lap motos.....probably should rip the tracks super deep then water the shit out it so massive ruts get formed the whole length of the track. Might as well add some massive Freestyle jumps.... Mandatory motorhomes so regular guys have no place to park. ....
Sounds like the slot car track at Freestone.
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2/20/2021 8:34pm
Get off Vital? I'm probably guilty of it as well, but holy shit this place is negative!
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