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Tarz483
3/26/2019 8:13am
3/26/2019 8:13am
Edited Date/Time
7/28/2019 9:11am
If you are someone who used to race motocross but dont anymore why did you stop racing?
I personally fit in this category and for me its money.
But i also hope to Race again Someday!
But we know its been declining over the past 20 years and
Since 2008 its always been blamed on money , and its not money for everyone, because some other expensive things are going up in participation, Off road , sidexsides e-bikes etc..
i made this thread to try to hear Some actual Reasons why poeple quit , rather than guesses why its Decreasing
So if you no longer race whats your personal reason thanks.
I personally fit in this category and for me its money.
But i also hope to Race again Someday!
But we know its been declining over the past 20 years and
Since 2008 its always been blamed on money , and its not money for everyone, because some other expensive things are going up in participation, Off road , sidexsides e-bikes etc..
i made this thread to try to hear Some actual Reasons why poeple quit , rather than guesses why its Decreasing
So if you no longer race whats your personal reason thanks.
But It hasn't even been a year and I miss it like crazy.
We will see.
I sold my race bike and bought a 2 stroke and started riding for fun and it was like a new lease on life.. I loved riding again!
I do miss racing, and the feeling of holeshots and race wins is something special.
But I’m happier riding and have a shitload more money these days haha
With the injury i just had, the bill was well over $100,000. Thank god for charities at hospitals because otherwise id be filing bankruptcy.
All that isnt worth spending $40 for 30 mins of riding. Its not appealing to me at all. Paying $25 for all day access to ride at my comfort level without having to try-hard is perfectly fine with me.
The Shop
Oh and a shattered tib plateau.
It's always just been stuff like- had to move and no place for a bike or low on cash or no
time as I started a new job . . . stuff like that.
For me it was about time. I like being at the track, but not for 10-12 hours. And riding a grand total of about 35-45 minutes of that. I love being on a moto track, though.
I went back to my roots a few years back. Started vintage cross-country racing. Our series runs vintage in the morning, post vintage in the afternoon. So if you had the right machinery, ($2000 or less for a very competitive ride), you could race twice in one day. Races are an hour. So I show up between 9 and 10, sign up, run a sight lap, watch the vintage bikes, race my race, get my award, and on the road by 4. And frankly, the people are cooler.
Focus, man, FOCUS!!!!!
Pit Row
However, the reality of life takes precedent over my individual fun.
I, like so many others, just can't afford to get hurt.
Over the next few years one of those tracks was shut down over a lawsuit (which actually wasn't motocross related) and police started patrolling the pits and kicking people out. Play riding largely came to an end, and any riding meant loading up, driving to one of a few race tracks, and paying to ride. Still lots of fun, but considerably more effort than those magical days of riding in and out of my garage.
Then I went to college and around junior year sold my bike to pay for tuition. Then I graduated and got one of those motocross industry jobs. I thought I'd get to ride all the time, but even though this was motocross work, work got in the way!
Since then, it has felt like there are too many obstacles to get back into it: A place to store a bike, a vehicle to carry a bike, a place to ride, and the funds to support it.
Also, the injury thing. It was almost a rite of passage to break a bone on your dirt bike as a kid. Today it's a major inconvenience. The way I view injuries in our sport has also changed in a way that won't be popular here: We treat catastrophic injuries as if they're common. Chad Reed's injuries, for example, don't happen to other people unless they're in a horrible car accident. Professional athletes in other sports don't break their arms like Roczen, or their pelvis like Seely, or a femur like Stewart, and ever expect to come back. They don't smash their head like RJ Hampshire at Straight Rhythm and post on Instagram "just some bleeding in the brain" with expected timeline until they play again.
TLDR: I still watch, I still think of riding all the time, but life, money, time and risk of injury keeps me away.
I'd probably still be racing motocross if I never tried off road. I just love off road so much more (specifically hare and hounds and enduros)...and you get way more riding for your money, far less "image" conscious crowd, the riders depend on each other out on course-so there is more a "brotherhood vibe"....Off road is the reason I don't race moto.
The future doesn't look too good, since I am transitioning to a Race Organizer and likely won't be on the line, but probably staging the line so others can enjoy. And believe me, what I am putting together is designed to address many of these issues and Make Moto Great Again! I'm putting my money where my mouth is and doing something about it.
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