Posts
1636
Joined
6/20/2016
Location
southern, CA
US
rongi#401
3/20/2019 8:47pm
3/20/2019 8:47pm
Edited Date/Time
5/27/2019 2:41am
Looking at old gold cup results, on average 50 entries in 250 novice in 2007, last weekend at swapmoto round one, 11. Looking at all the amateur nationals that have died, I just watched the evergoodco video of oak hill, wow there is like ten motor homes there. I’ve commited myself to racing at least ten times this year, we all should for our sport, GET OFF OUR BUTTS
To be honest, I don't have time to sit all day waiting for motos. With 3 little kids, building my own track was the only way I could afford the time to ride enough. The 450 classes are dead around here, and there's a lot of old 2 strokes racing.
The Shop
What outsider is going to spend 10 grand on bike and gear to get started ?
As older legacy racers stop racing because they don’t want to jump huge triple jumps at 50, new blood isn’t coming into the sport.
Entry to Moto could cost $500 and it really wouldn’t change anything. People will still spend most their time on X Box and Grinder.
There's a reason off road racing numbers are growing, more riding, friendlier crowd, more fun. Just my .02
could use a teammate such as yourself
Edit: Wait never mind. It’s on Father’s Day and seeing you’re a dad, probably wouldn’t be the best to have you prioritize a race over your kids.
I have plenty of friends who could afford a $500 hobby. A 3000$ + hobby? Not so much.
I’ve also noticed that sometimes our community are flat out jerks to newbies. At tracks, trails, get togethers, and even the internet gathering spots like here.
For me personally I just had my first kid 6 months ago, and my free time has drastically lowered.
I do agree though that a lot of kids and adults are more interested in video games or spending time on their stupid phones than getting out and moving, which is a problem for participation in all sports.
The other factor is the world has simply changed. There are so many things to absorb peoples attention these days. They don't even have to leave the house to get entertained. Plus I think people in general have lost their sense of adventure. Give them a latte, FB, and Netflix and they're perfectly content(notice I didn't say happy).
Pit Row
Just saying.
When there are 25+ classes, the gates get thin, the racing feel goes away, and as such, the value to the rider diminishes.
In 2017, Colorado decided to hold a 6 race crossover series between the 2 main organizations. The first round had 37 pros on the line (and more than a few came out of "racing" retirement). There was no lack of racing to be had which made the cost and time spent well worth it. 2 years later, they finally have one big state series again. People want to race. It's simply not worth it when 7 dudes are on the line and you ride around by yourself and don't even get a trophy or cash for a 3rd place. A 10th with 37 guys is way more rewarding and still pays out. People are going to hit the practice days or trails until promoters cut classes and fill the gates.
What really drove me out of CA was the tax rate, the real estate price, and the fact that basically everything I liked to do was heavily restricted. Riding dirt bikes, shooting guns, and enjoying the outdoors without getting hassled by BLM officers. I should also mention that my house burned to the ground a couple years after I left the state due to the Tubbs fire. So I dodged a major bullet there.
I’m currently moving out of the manassas area and going a little more south west but still working in the area. Real estate is cheaper, tax rates are cheaper, the moto scene is pretty good for what I like to do, I have multiple firearms that would land me a felony charge in CA but are completely legal here, and I met an awesome woman I plan to marry.
So yeah, no regrets whatsoever on leaving the state of California. Your mileage may vary.
Post a reply to: Our sport is guna die if we don’t start racing