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Do we really want former pros 40+ years of age lining up in pro sport with teens? What if RJ, Ward, Larocco, Bradshaw, etc decide to race again. Should they race 450 pro sport?
Also, for those calling him "pro" because he raced in Canada, mind you that Canada does not require an AMA Pro license to sign up, and they allow A class riders from the U.S. to race in their Pro class, including A class vets like Mike Brown. As a matter of fact his fellow former pros John Dowd, Keith Johnson and Mike Treadwell all went up and raced the Canadian National last weekend, and the soon-to-be-54-year-old Dowd finished 14th in the second moto. He hasn't had a pro license in years, and he's more than welcome at Loretta Lynn's, but he would be limited to racing in Junior +25 (against guys more than half his age), Senior +40 and Masters +50.
And while I wish we could get ALL ex-pro license holders out of the Vet +30 and Senior +45 classes, you have to remember that back in the day it was very easy to get an AMA Pro license, and guys often did it just to have the pro card and try their hand just once at qualifying, only to never come close. We don't have all of the past AMA pro rolls, so we don't know who all of those guys are anyway, but we do have The Vault, and that helps us weed out point-scoring pros. And for what it's worth, I personally know a bunch of guys who got licenses knowing that they would never see a main event starting gate, but they just wanted to participate at that level at one point in their lives.
The rules for Loretta Lynn's vet classes are not perfect, but the vet classes are up in numbers, so they seem to be working well for the people who actually want to race at the highest level of amateur motocross.
DC
Racer X
The Shop
We can't make a unique class for every age and skill level, and as you get older, by nature you get slower. We feel that this is the best way to have qualified riders across five age categories that have plenty of options. And the numbers are up, in an otherwise difficult market, so I think it works for more than just ex-pros.
And yes, some of you in this thread are racers, but I was pointing out that you are not racing in this event, just mad about those who are. And I get that -- I am over 50 and I can't race Vet +30 or +45 because I got ninth at Daytona in the 125 class way back in 1985. Now I work two jobs full time and don't have time to train to race with the likes of Grewe and Carsten, let alone Mike Brown. But those classes--+30 and +45--omit me.
In other words, I live by the exact same rules and classes that you do. And I would never change them for myself, nor would I change them for anyone else.
DC
Racer X
Give us some names of the guys that got screwed and didn’t get to go, we will dig up some results and see if it was Mike Browns fault they didn’t qualify.
I only count three people in the +40 class that ever scored points in a AMA race and one of them (grewe) did it back in 1988.
Let it go....
Why are those guys not racing collegeboy? Or B? Is it because they're not fast enough in those classes either? Advice to them would be to wait till they're 30 then hit up the sportsman class
Here is a simple solution...
1. Save the money it costs to race LL
2. Go to your local trophy shop
3. Buy the biggest one they have
4. Have them etch "NATIONAL CHAMPION" on it.
5. Take pictures with your new trophy
6. Post pictures all over social media of your 'accomplishment'.
7. Break your arm patting yourself on the back...
Where else is Brown gonna race ? If I want the effing title I better take a gap year. And get on his level.
People forget that not everyone wants to WIN at Loretta’s.
Some just want to borrow daveys truck and go to Walmart....
Seriously tho, some want to have a family vacation and have fun. You’re all forgetting that. And where else is Brown gonna race or former pros ? They can’t race local races. Cmon. Ease up.
This is what Loretta’s is all about:
I just want to race motocross as an old guy and hope that there is some resemblance of parity in requirements for the classes i participate in.
Pit Row
Post a reply to: Mike Brown getting heat over LL?