How many real pros are racing the MXdN?

Are you high? Henry Jacobi is a very fast MX2 rider, and battles in the top 5-10 regularly. That’s like saying Austin Forkner, or Chase Sexton isn’t a real pro.

MxKing809 wrote:

Are you high? Henry Jacobi is a very fast MX2 rider, and battles in the top 5-10 regularly. That’s like saying Austin Forkner, or Chase Sexton isn’t a real pro.

Alright, he is racing the MX2 class, and is in my eyes a professional racer - at least since this season as he has even done the overseas races. And that’s why I included Germany in the list with pro racers. But in my opinion, without his dad supporting him, Jacobi would not have been able to make a living from racing. But I guess from next season on with his move to Kawasaki, he will become a real pro - at least he said that in an interview.

For sure there are some grey areas, and I didn’t start this thread to discuss Team Germany.

I was just wondering how many pros and amateurs are racing the event.

And no, I am not high. I live in a country where not every second person is on drugs. ;-)

Funny, look at the press release form F&H Kawa:

Henry Jacobi: "It's quite a big step for me to join the F&H team because it's the first time ever in my career that I am a professional rider"

Apparently he doesn't see him self as a pro.....

Puerto Rico
Guam
Venezuela

mxmasta wrote:

Following the discussion in the Team PR, what bikes?-Thread about where the Team PR riders will finish, I was wondering how many real pros are really racing the MXdN.

I mean after the top few countries, all with a full lineup of professional riders, there are a lot of teams with only amateurs racing for their country.
Just as a example, even Team Germany has only two real pros, as Jacobi right now is no "real" pro like the other two team members. Although he will kind of become one next season...

What countries do have a full lineup of professional racers?

USA, France, Belgium, Netherlands, GB, Italy, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Germany? Who else?

Everyone Will be pro or at least 99%. Emx is a pro League and most european national leagues as well. Sure there is a difference in speed in lets say the german nats and mxgp but pro leagues as well for sure.

99% ?

Teams like Iceland, Phillipines, Ukraine, Argentina, Venezuela, Chili or Guatemala are pretty sure more or less amateur riders.

Ok, on sunday, in the A-Finals will be maybe 99% pro riders, but on saturday and in the B-Final there are a lot of amateurs racing.

I think the OP's definition of pro is a rider whose able to make a living racing, not just a rider who races in a pro series.

team NZ MX2 rider pulls 40 hours a week as a builder, he has one afternoon off a week to go ride,

Cody Cooper was full time this year in the USA, between driving and doing other things, Rhys Carter is probably what you would call semi professional, having to do other stuff to supplement is income,

smee113 wrote:

I think the OP's definition of pro is a rider whose able to make a living racing, not just a rider who races in a pro series.

That's right, well said.

smee113 wrote:

I think the OP's definition of pro is a rider whose able to make a living racing, not just a rider who races in a pro series.

Exactly!

Does racing at pro level make you a professional?? No!

A fact which is seemingly overlooked.

mxmasta wrote:

Following the discussion in the Team PR, what bikes?-Thread about where the Team PR riders will finish, I was wondering how many real pros are really racing the MXdN.

I mean after the top few countries, all with a full lineup of professional riders, there are a lot of teams with only amateurs racing for their country.
Just as a example, even Team Germany has only two real pros, as Jacobi right now is no "real" pro like the other two team members. Although he will kind of become one next season...

What countries do have a full lineup of professional racers?

USA, France, Belgium, Netherlands, GB, Italy, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Germany? Who else?

Rs444 wrote:

Everyone Will be pro or at least 99%. Emx is a pro League and most european national leagues as well. Sure there is a difference in speed in lets say the german nats and mxgp but pro leagues as well for sure.

If I sign up for a GP or EMX race just for fun, does that make me a professional racer?

You said a dude that podiumed in MX2 isn’t a pro? he also raced the USGP last year (he borrowed my sister in laws stock bike to race it). But I would say he’s a pro.

smee113 wrote:

I think the OP's definition of pro is a rider whose able to make a living racing, not just a rider who races in a pro series.

Thisusernameisavailable wrote:

Exactly!

Does racing at pro level make you a professional?? No!

A fact which is seemingly overlooked.

Yes it actually does because in most parts of the world u need a pro/elite license to race the nationals and the nationals themself are mostly considered pro championships. If ur full time pro or part time pro doesnt equal how good of a racer you are either all the time. Try to look at it this way. If im bubba stewart and race at the same time as im managing seven gear company am i then less of a pro rider than i would have been if i just raced and didnt manage my company at the same time?.

Renner153 wrote:

You said a dude that podiumed in MX2 isn’t a pro? he also raced the USGP last year (he borrowed my sister in laws stock bike to race it). But I would say he’s a pro.

That dude himself doesn't see himself as a pro so far. In his eyes his first season as a real pro comes next year.
So that's where I based my statement of. Maybe that was a mistake.

And as I said in a post above, I see him as pro too, and that is why I included Team Germany in my list of full professional teams.

Also, as statet earlier, a pro rider in my eyes is someone who can make a living alone from riding his dirtbike. Not someone who competes in a professional series and has to do a second (part time) job to bring some bread to the table.

Renner153 wrote:

You said a dude that podiumed in MX2 isn’t a pro? he also raced the USGP last year (he borrowed my sister in laws stock bike to race it). But I would say he’s a pro.

mxmasta wrote:

That dude himself doesn't see himself as a pro so far. In his eyes his first season as a real pro comes next year.
So that's where I based my statement of. Maybe that was a mistake.

And as I said in a post above, I see him as pro too, and that is why I included Team Germany in my list of full professional teams.

Also, as statet earlier, a pro rider in my eyes is someone who can make a living alone from riding his dirtbike. Not someone who competes in a professional series and has to do a second (part time) job to bring some bread to the table.

The thing is tho that most professional nationals in the smaller countries in europe doesnt pay nearly enough to live out of. Take sweden or norway as än example. Dudes like horgmo, Bengtson x2, östlund, kullas etc runs these nationals but because these countries are 2 of the most expensive countries in the world to live in and because of the fact that neither the Swedish nor the Norwegian m.c federations put in alot of money in to motocross compared to speedway, enduro, roadracing etc its more or less impossible for most riders to make a living by just racing them but they are still professional championships and you still need to have pro licenses to ride them. The world is filled with riders capable of tc222, jh84,et3 or tg243 speed and sucess but most ppl especially in europe Will never get to chance to prove them selves.

smee113 wrote:

I think the OP's definition of pro is a rider whose able to make a living racing, not just a rider who races in a pro series.

Thisusernameisavailable wrote:

Exactly!

Does racing at pro level make you a professional?? No!

A fact which is seemingly overlooked.

Rs444 wrote:

Yes it actually does because in most parts of the world u need a pro/elite license to race the nationals and the nationals themself are mostly considered pro championships. If ur full time pro or part time pro doesnt equal how good of a racer you are either all the time. Try to look at it this way. If im bubba stewart and race at the same time as im managing seven gear company am i then less of a pro rider than i would have been if i just raced and didnt manage my company at the same time?.

The dictionary definition from google:

2. engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as an amateur.
"a professional boxer"
synonyms: paid, salaried, non-amateur, full-time

So I guess if James made more money from Seven than he did from his Suzuki/personal sponsor contracts, he wasn't a pro rider, he was a rich businessman with an expensive hobby

Are any of the Australian team riders full-time pros?

Not very many dudes actually make money racing mx. Alot of them have money to burn. Just approx guess, 25 in the USA? 25 more the rest of world? Maybe 50 worldwide make money from being a moto pilot? Just a guess. I know if you're in a poor country, making $100 bucks a week is enough, but really.

smee113 wrote:

I think the OP's definition of pro is a rider whose able to make a living racing, not just a rider who races in a pro series.

Thisusernameisavailable wrote:

Exactly!

Does racing at pro level make you a professional?? No!

A fact which is seemingly overlooked.

Almost as overlooked as people who only race Amateur but dont have a job

It doesn't really matter because Herlings is going to make everyone look like an amateur anyways...

Anyone here at Vital a professional translator from German to American language????

He gets a factory ride and calls it pro ..... sheesh

Ahh, great... A thread about semantics. This is going about as well as I could have expected it to.

BroFoSho wrote:

It doesn't really matter because Herlings is going to make everyone look like an amateur anyways...

You meant to say:
'Tomac and Herlings will make everyone look like amateurs anyways'
At any rate, I can't wait to see these two on the same track.

loftyair wrote:

Not very many dudes actually make money racing mx. Alot of them have money to burn. Just approx guess, 25 in the USA? 25 more the rest of world? Maybe 50 worldwide make money from being a moto pilot? Just a guess. I know if you're in a poor country, making $100 bucks a week is enough, but really.

This. Most "pro mx racers" have family $ or jobs on the side - construction, riding coach, test rider etc. Very few racers world wide actually make a living just from racing alone. I feel that having and AMA or FIM license and competing at the professional level makes you a pro.

Thisusernameisavailable wrote:

Exactly!

Does racing at pro level make you a professional?? No!

A fact which is seemingly overlooked.

The only fact I see in this statement is that you're a moron.

Does your chick think your a real man?

I don’t give a shit what or where they race. If they’re on the gate....they’re a pro. So what we got fake pros ? What? Not following this.

40th place.....still a pro bruh.

smee113 wrote:

I think the OP's definition of pro is a rider whose able to make a living racing, not just a rider who races in a pro series.

Thisusernameisavailable wrote:

Exactly!

Does racing at pro level make you a professional?? No!

A fact which is seemingly overlooked.

I’ll have to let my brother know that the Pro card he busted his ass for is actually a “This is only a Pro card if you make your living from racing and not Mechanical Engineering - Card”

mxmasta wrote:

Following the discussion in the Team PR, what bikes?-Thread about where the Team PR riders will finish, I was wondering how many real pros are really racing the MXdN.

I mean after the top few countries, all with a full lineup of professional riders, there are a lot of teams with only amateurs racing for their country.
Just as a example, even Team Germany has only two real pros, as Jacobi right now is no "real" pro like the other two team members. Although he will kind of become one next season...

What countries do have a full lineup of professional racers?

USA, France, Belgium, Netherlands, GB, Italy, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Germany? Who else?

FAIL !