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4/1/2017
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Granbury, TX
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Wells423
6/6/2018 9:04pm
6/6/2018 9:04pm
Edited Date/Time
6/11/2018 5:47am
We have so many amazing facilities here and a massive moto following. Seems crazy that we don’t have a national. I understand the heat factor, but why couldn’t it just be the first or second round of the series. Also what track in Texas could you see hosting a national. I always thought Whitney would have been perfect.
The Shop
We have some awesome tracks here. There's just no interest from the sanctioning body.
Cycle Ranch is amazing but it has access problems (rumor has it). It didn't stop the 4 stroke nationals from coming here (and being very successful) almost 20 years ago but the cartel doesn't seem to think that 15,000 or so folks can get in and out of the track.
Swan is a great track but has access issues as well. They don't seem to be an issue in October during the Pro Challenge.
Oak Hill hosted Nationals back in the day, but can't seem to sniff any interest. Maybe it's the narrow ingress and egress.?
All of those tracks are near large metro areas with easy airport access and plenty of hotel rooms but it seems that there is no real interest in subjecting the riders to the heat of summer.
Guess we'll just continue to get our asses kicked at MXDN each year until we toughen up like we were in the 80's & 90's.
BTW, the Nationals used to end in St. Petersburg, FL. Have you ever been to St. Pete in August? Hell would have been a vacation destination compared to St. Pete in August.
Oh, and that was in the day of 45 minute motos.
There's no focus on the outdoors, it's now an after thought. It's all about Stupidcross in the US.
And by the time MXDN is here, there's slim pickings due to the injuries that have piled up.
Come on, it's barely June and we're already talking about who is going to be healthy enough to ride at MXDN.
No adverse conditions? Even been to Glen Helen National or High Point? It can be every bit as hot as Texas.
Also been to St. Pete in August. I lived and raced in Florida at the time. I thought I was gonna die. Heat index is different from temperature.
Not really trying to debate conditions. This is about a National for Texas. And for that, we're beating a dead horse.
Bottom line is there is no inclination from the powers that be to have an outdoor National in the southern latitudes of the US during the summer.
Look at a map. Draw a circle around the majority of the outdoors. 75% are within 6 hours or so of Morgantown. Draw your own conclusion.
And the Euros aren't already nursing injuries from 17 rounds of Supercross when they start training for MXGP. So there's that to think about. Only 5 riders scored points in every round of Supercross this year. It's easy to injure yourself training for the outdoors when you are already beaten up.
Paw Paw
Too many other options for recreational funds and less and less interest in the hassle of live events.
People say, "give us a national and it will be huge".
Well, you had nationals, and they weren't huge.
The same is happening at the long anticipated southeastern national. Take it to georgia, alabama, florida, the carolinas, and it will be the same.
Make whatever excuses about the facility or the timing, but the fact is, times have changed. It isn't a mx issue, it is a socialogical issue.
Another example is budds creek. They can blame the drop on moving off father's day to august, but it sure looked to be dropping before then.
Even Glen Helen (with cool temps) looked nothing like it did 15 years ago.
DaveTheVintageGuy pretty much summed it up. Cycle Ranch would be an awesome choice! But when the original owner pursued a National (at the same time Tony Miller was trying to get one), he was told that access was too limited. They even built that big pavilion and did some other renovations to help sway the momentum their way, with no luck. Steve seemed to lose enthusiasm about the place when he realized they wouldn’t get a National.
I heard Oak Hill has new owners with big plans, some of which are already underway. Maybe they will have a shot someday.
Lake Whitney should’ve ALWAYS had a National when it was still around.
The 15,000 number is what Cycle Ranch was told when they tried to get a National before Freestone got it.
RIP Tony Miller (who did his best with what he had), but Freestone was horrible for spectators (even those that were extorted for VIP viewing) and was not near any of the 3 major metro areas in Texas. Add in the financial crash that occurred at the same time and the ratcheting up of gas prices and it was destined to fail. 10 years down the road and the sport hasn't recovered. Add in the kids that don't want to go outside and it's easy to see what the future has in store.
I drove the 14 hours to Thunder Valley last year and had a great time. It has all of the things that make it easy for a spectator. Even so, I just can't take 4 days out of my schedule and justify the cost to make the trip each year.
Wish I would have started riding well before I did. Heard Whitney was an awesome track but never got to experience it.
Oak Hill is a cool property but the track seems a bit narrow for a national. We raced Freestone a few times. It was a fun track, but not fun to watch as a spectator. Access was easy enough but it was pretty far from civilization.
Been to about 7 of the national tracks and only Cycle Ranch and Lake Whitney deserved a national from Texas.
Pit Row
As far as Texas tracks, Rio (best population density) Swan and Cycle Ranch are ready now with above standard facilities.
Spoaks has a national caliber track and access but no permanent facilities yet.
BTW, Hangtown, Glen Helen, Lakewood, Washougal, Millville , southwick are not within 6 hours of Morgantown.
How about we look at the map and count how many races are south of a line drawn across the country using the Oklahoma/Nebraska border. I count Glen Helen and Muddy Creek. Still lots of red south of that line that doesn't have access to a national and has a vibrant riding population. In Texas alone, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio are all top 10 population counts in the US. And that's just counting the legal residents.
Look, I'm not trying to debate this. The equine has most likely expired for us. Texas may never get another Outdoor race. We went without one for years. But what about Georgia or Florida or Alabama? All 4 states have great racetracks and people that have been clamoring for years to have races.
Let's see what happens when NASCAR gets sold and the fallout from that hits Daytona Motorsports Group that holds the rights to the series. Imagine if the rumor is true and Disney ends up with it all. The only winner I see in that scenario is gonna be Feld and then our summers may be really boring.
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