Unpopular Opinion: Less riders on the track.

Go watch areancross

Im for it too. Its so lame seeing 2 top guys get a start and the other 5 top guys buried behind lappers.

Ive said it before a rule like formula 1 has is a 107% rule. If you cant run within 107% of the fastest qualifier you arent allowed in the program.

That number could/should be tweaked for supercross vs f1 but the idea is solid.

The difference in ability and speed is too great to be out on the same track.

Yah, I hear ya. But.... sometimes the lappers makes thing interesting by bunching up the leaders a little.

garagedog wrote:

Yah, I hear ya. But.... sometimes the lappers makes thing interesting by bunching up the leaders a little.

There will still be lappers but just not a dozen of them.

I believe that when they expanded the field to 22 riders from 20 that they went the wrong way. In my opinion there should be 15 riders max.

The lapped riders rolling around halfway through the main add nothing to the event other than potentially getting in the way of the leaders.

People will argue that it will hurt the privateers, but let's get real. No one is paying attention to them in the main event anyway.

yz133rider wrote:

Im for it too. Its so lame seeing 2 top guys get a start and the other 5 top guys buried behind lappers.

Ive said it before a rule like formula 1 has is a 107% rule. If you cant run within 107% of the fastest qualifier you arent allowed in the program.

That number could/should be tweaked for supercross vs f1 but the idea is solid.

The difference in ability and speed is too great to be out on the same track.

The top 24 in qualifying time would be within the 107% rule.

I like that you're thinking of different ideas to make it better. I honestly don't know what I would prefer but I do agree that trying to catch everything at a race in person can be difficult. The only thing I could think is that like mentioned above, that takes away 14 money paying positions.

Interesting thought, though! I remember watching the MC Invitational and just seeing two guys go head-to-head on a SX track was really cool.

There would be no privateers at all....shit there’s more then 12 factory guys + fast guys that are on smaller teams. Take away privateers jobs to benefit your watching experience?

I am against less but i am for Trying something else for a start like lining up like nascar and doing a pace lap
Have Rv, mcgrath, dungey etc rotate different people to ride the pace bike, do a lap slow and Lay down a chalk stripe across the middle of the start straight, the pace bike pulls off and when there front tire hits the chalk line they go green!
I think that should be tried because than all the fastest guys would start together, assuming you line them up in order of Qualifying.

Tarz483 wrote:

I am against less but i am for Trying something else for a start like lining up like nascar and doing a pace lap
Have Rv, mcgrath, dungey etc rotate different people to ride the pace bike, do a lap slow and Lay down a chalk stripe across the middle of the start straight, the pace bike pulls off and when there front tire hits the chalk line they go green!
I think that should be tried because than all the fastest guys would start together, assuming you line them up in order of Qualifying.

So take out a major factor of being a good racer, the ability to get a good start if you have the skills. I'm not a fan of this idea.

No. However i would not mind seeing a top 5 privateer rider battle for 100k at some
Point during the season. Throw these guys a bone.

I could handle it dropping to 20 riders. But 12 riders? That's ridiculous. Why should any of the other riders bother showing up. There's 15 or so pros fighting for 12 spots.

15 rider mains with a B main of 10 riders only qualify 30 to the night show.

Agree. Maybe let the fastest guys have front gate. Anyone outside of 12th, get black flagged at lap 10 and that is their finishing position. Hell, most of gassed by then.

Shit I don’t know the answer. But I like the premise all around. Good thoughts

Why do guys roll stuff in the 450 main?

I mean, essentially it's the main event for the best Supercross riders in the world. It quite jarring to see guys rolling things and just generally looking tired.

I’m not for it. I think you’d see a significant participation drop in the sponsors and riders.

Why would I as a privateer even show up to qualify Saturday when I know only twelve are going to make it to the Main? Why would I as a sponsor take a chance on an alsoran kid when I know I’m not going to get Main event type exposure? All because we want a clean track?

This sport is already way too exclusive. Let’s not make it even more so.

bama205 wrote:

Agree. Maybe let the fastest guys have front gate. Anyone outside of 12th, get black flagged at lap 10 and that is their finishing position. Hell, most of gassed by then.

Shit I don’t know the answer. But I like the premise all around. Good thoughts

I thought of the black flag thing too but you’d possibly be screwing a guy like Zach Osborne out of a championship doing that. How would you know what lap to black flag?

Two championships

15 rider pro main event.
15 rider privateer main event.

I'd rather watch a privateer main event than a lapper rolling the track after the 5th lap.

yz133rider wrote:

Im for it too. Its so lame seeing 2 top guys get a start and the other 5 top guys buried behind lappers.

Ive said it before a rule like formula 1 has is a 107% rule. If you cant run within 107% of the fastest qualifier you arent allowed in the program.

That number could/should be tweaked for supercross vs f1 but the idea is solid.

The difference in ability and speed is too great to be out on the same track.

That's strange , I could swear that Webb came from 7th to 1st last Saturday.

yz133rider wrote:

Im for it too. Its so lame seeing 2 top guys get a start and the other 5 top guys buried behind lappers.

Ive said it before a rule like formula 1 has is a 107% rule. If you cant run within 107% of the fastest qualifier you arent allowed in the program.

That number could/should be tweaked for supercross vs f1 but the idea is solid.

The difference in ability and speed is too great to be out on the same track.

mx317 wrote:

The top 24 in qualifying time would be within the 107% rule.

Notice how i said the number could/should be tweaked for supercross vs f1...

Ban start devices, maps, rpm lights, etc. Bring the skill back to the start and you won't see dudes getting buried when the whole class enters the first turn at the same time.

Compromised wrote:

Why do guys roll stuff in the 450 main?

I mean, essentially it's the main event for the best Supercross riders in the world. It quite jarring to see guys rolling things and just generally looking tired.

they want their points plain and simple. They know what place they’ll finish in by then. And it’s perfectly within the rules.

It may be unpopular, but I dont think privateers belong in 450 SX. If I could draw it up, I would make the 250 class have a rigid rulebook, hard salary cap, so riders do not stay, hard age rule. Let the privateers and amateur phenoms work their up to 450 rides. I dont think its right to have a 250 rider making $500K and only half a field of paid factory riders in 450 which is the premiere class. Thats like letting college players lineup alongside Tom Brady on Sunday.

My ideal would be a full field of paid 450 riders on the best equipment in the world, and young riders and privateers riding near stock 250's in a 17 week season. Forget this East-West crap, it just costs jobs in the 450 class. When I plunk down my money and time to watch SX, I want to see the best in the world racing each other from gate drop till checkers. Seeing someone roll around does nobody any good. Black flagging them would be cool, it doesnt help the sport. We need a healthier 450 class, bottom line.

Sure, I dont mind them going and trying to qualify, and right now its the series fault they need these guys to fill the field, but in a perfect world, maybe 10 would make the night show and none would make the main.

Its stupid that it costs so much to compete on a 250, promote it for what it is, stepping stone to 450's. Make them race near stock and you will see how good a stock 250 will get.

For the outdoors, let it be, that series is more homegrown and the tracks can support the locals and privateers.

Wouldn’t affect anything. Fans would still show up. People only watching the top 5-10 anyway.

GeorgiePorgie wrote:

Wouldn’t affect anything. Fans would still show up. People only watching the top 5-10 anyway.

And the crashes! That gits 'em hootn' and hollern'.

Johnny Lock wrote:

I’m not for it. I think you’d see a significant participation drop in the sponsors and riders.

Why would I as a privateer even show up to qualify Saturday when I know only twelve are going to make it to the Main? Why would I as a sponsor take a chance on an alsoran kid when I know I’m not going to get Main event type exposure? All because we want a clean track?

This sport is already way too exclusive. Let’s not make it even more so.

Or maybe we quit spreading the sponsorship dollars so thin by trying to support everyone and make it so the top 15-20 guys actually make a living and not just the top 5-8.

Johnny Lock wrote:

I’m not for it. I think you’d see a significant participation drop in the sponsors and riders.

Why would I as a privateer even show up to qualify Saturday when I know only twelve are going to make it to the Main? Why would I as a sponsor take a chance on an alsoran kid when I know I’m not going to get Main event type exposure? All because we want a clean track?

This sport is already way too exclusive. Let’s not make it even more so.

Premix wrote:

Or maybe we quit spreading the sponsorship dollars so thin by trying to support everyone and make it so the top 15-20 guys actually make a living and not just the top 5-8.

I mean purse would stay the same. Lol.

GeorgiePorgie wrote:

I mean purse would stay the same. Lol.

Hey quit paying the guys out in the LCQ. there’s like 30k between the two classes paid out there. Extra 600-700 to each rider. Not much but it’s something right?

Johnny Lock wrote:

I’m not for it. I think you’d see a significant participation drop in the sponsors and riders.

Why would I as a privateer even show up to qualify Saturday when I know only twelve are going to make it to the Main? Why would I as a sponsor take a chance on an alsoran kid when I know I’m not going to get Main event type exposure? All because we want a clean track?

This sport is already way too exclusive. Let’s not make it even more so.

I gotta agree with this. That idea would literally kill the entire privateer class. Some people may only want to watch the top guys , but the privateer's are just as important. The 13th - 22nd place guy's are extremely fast dude's in their own right. Maybe not Tomac , Webb , Roczen fast......but they need to be part of the show.