The current format of SX has been around for a long time. For 40 years we have had a main class and a split feeder class.
The 250(or 125 as it was) class was never designed to be like it is now, it was a way for guys to get into 250 class, and the rules meant guys pointed out, and moved up by winning titles.
Now we more factory guys in 250 than we do in 450, and no incentive for guys to move up. Its a cash cow that needs putting down before it bleeds the sport dry. Monet is tight, bike sales are through the floor and things need to change , not just from a financial point of view, but from a credibility and safety point of view.
As Cooper Webb pointed out in his interview, guys getting lapped in the heats, means its going to be a big problem in the Mains , and it was.
So here are the suggestions.
Scrap the East/West and have one 250 class, the amount of factory guys in 250 is stupid, and 75% of them will never get a 450 ride, so what is the point of having so many ?
We all love the shootouts, because we want to see the best riders every week, not half the guys in half the races. all the $$ is spent on rider salaries, bikes and material, and staff, for half of them to disappear without trace after 2 seasons.
So instead of having 10 fast guys , and 10 decent privateers in the main, you have 20 of the best in the main.
The flip side of this , is instead of running 6 guys across 2 coasts , you run 4 and the 450 teams run 4 , so you open up seats for the good 250 guys to fill, and guess what, your 450 class gets stronger as well.
If you go the whole hog, and put an age limit in as well, you make 450 better straight away , RJ Hampshire, J Mart, Anstie, Jordon Smith , Forkner and all the others who are taking up seats in 250, cos there are none in 450, will make space at the lower end of the 250 class for the better privateer guys to still be relevant.
Stick an age ceiling on of 25, if you havent made it by then you arent going to.
Both classes are instantly deeper, stronger and tighter, and it will help the long term development of the sport, because as it is now, its unsustainable.
While people in the US mock the small grids in MXGP, we dont get lappers everyone in every class is up to speed, (apart from shit locals at flyaways) , and there are far fewer issues, even on our shorter MXGP tracks.
I dont want to take away the joy of seeing the privateer do well , but we have to look at the reality of having them in a 450 main when they are so far off the pace of the front guys .
And for the privateer guys, let them run a half schedule of whatever rounds they want, in both classes. This was how the World Rally Championship used to be , there were 10 or 12 rounds, and you had to do 8 , and that was it.
If we dont change something, its not going to carry on at this level for long.
I agree with most of it, haven't given much thought to some of it but some solid ideas.
125s and 350s.
I still enjoy having an east and west, not a fan of taking away factory rides.
Fewer rides will almost always lead to less sponsorship money as well.
Not a fan of essentially booting the privateers. Without the little people (that includes the weekend warriors), there is noone to pay for the top dogs/teams.
Lappers are part of the chess game that makes it interesting. A few flukes like Saturday aren't enough to black list them.
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Nah, just 400's, two classes, A class - those within 10% of the fastest qualifying time, B class - those within 10 ~ 20% of the fastest qualifying time.
Neither am i, but the 'Premier Class' should be just that .
The best guys , not 'the best guys, apart from the 2 lots of guys that are still down in 250 doing half the races for 3 times the money of a 12th place 450 guy.'.
Its broken.
Would have to make last place in A's pay more than 1st place in B's for that to be an option.
Personally while these are good ideas, I think some analysis of injuries and whether track design or less lapper issues could prevent them is a higher priority.
The point is, you dont, you have more of them in 450.
Only allow factory teams to run 4 250's if they run 3 450's . 2 in each is fine, 3 in each is fine, the teams can still be 'satellite' but if a manufacturer backs them (like PC or Star) you cant have 6 250's and 2 450's ( i know Star have more than that ) but it would apply across the rest of the teams.
So instead of pissing budget away on the next big thing that wont be anything, you can pay a guy who has actually made it to a level where he should be paid properly. In the main class
Every lap you clip the last place guy at the finish until you get to 10. Less impact on track - more focus on leaders - and safer..
So when Jett or Tomac or any number of other top riders fall in the first corner and start last and then begin on one of their charges to the front of the pack you want them clipped. now thats a stupid idea.
I can't remember the last time anyone un-lapped themselves in MX, so if they fall and lose enough time to get lapped on the opening lap(s), your race is pretty much already over.
While its an interesting idea, but if Smith was ready for a 450 gig someone would sign him. Also, if there was a younger, next guy, nothing stops Triumph from signing him over Smith. Its not like RJ or Smith or anyone yet really has dominated kids as an older guy. Maybe im missing something, but may push guys like RJ or Smith out of the sport. All to make room for a young kid that could take his job anyway if he was good enough.
There arent enough 450 seats , and riders are staying longer.
For every 'Factory' guy there needs to be a good support rider, put him on a 3rd Kawasaki, or 3rd Honda, and guess what , when one of the factory guys get hurt, you move him up.
Teams are pissing money away on 'facilities' and rigs and god knows what else , and the guys risking their lives are making less than the sandwiches cost.
Less powerful bikes.
Age or point out of lites class fairly early so premiere class is clearly the premiere class and the gears keep turning and opportunities are there for the younger riders.
Pull lappers off the track before they get lapped. Nobody is going to miss them. Literally nothing else needs to change with how points or positions are awarded, they just don't need to be out there in the way.
You think a big corporation is going to change something that's making money? No way
You've got one thing right, Monet is tight
20 factory rides in the 250 class would instantly turn to 8. Mitch isn’t going to carry 5 guy for a single championship.
The 450 class wouldn’t have anymore rides, they’d all still take the 2 fastest.
There is nothing wrong with the 250 class. I even like it better knowing you can’t point out, it stiffens the competition.
You literally can’t fix the lapper problem unless you go to a 10 man main.
The futures class is the replacement for the 250 class.
The guys staying down probably wouldn't make an impact in 450 anyway. The majority of guys that do really well in 450 (regular race winners, championship contenders) get out of 450s after about 3 years. The guys that need 5 or 6 years in 250 to become champions don't often become regular race winners in 450.
Most of those 250 guys are right where they belong. In a feeder class taking the occasional win, but mostly acting as a known benchmark against which to judge the young kids in their first or second year who will actually make waves in 450. It's a harsh thing to say, but it's the truth, and an important job.
Start pulling the last place guy out on lap 2 or 3, and your idea is a winner! Let the fast guy who had a first turn crash get back in the race before the cutting starts.
Pit Row
Just put a timer on how much after you can befofe getting pulled of.
60 sec track, put 50 and then you get pulled off. That leaves some margin. If they are lapping it's to late. Could be 5-6 riders leaders have to pass if they lap just after finish line. It's reactive, needs to be proactive.
Top 10-12 from time qualification is protected and can't get pulled of. Will stop top riders that go down in first turn etc from being unnecessary victims.
It's not a feeder class if you can stay there forever and guys who are doing very well in futures can barely find a spot on a factory support team. That's not giving the younger guys a fair shot to see what they've got. I'd rather the career top 5 guy in 250 be forced up to 450 even if that means he'll be fighting to make mains. It would make the premiere class as premiere as it could be and we're not getting that right now. Lot of backup nfl qbs could still dominate college football but letting them do it wouldn't benefit either league overall.
How about pull the last place guy out on lap two and then each last place guy every lap until there’s only one left. Winner. Mains would be 24 laps. Will make a lot of bar banging each lap.
Or they can leave it like it is makes it more interesting when the leaders catch up to the lappers.
If anything it’s time to move on to Electric Bikes.
That’s right. We aren’t going back to 125’s, and we aren’t going to go to 350s.
If anything, to make the sport safer, we have 2 electric bike classes.
Premiere class takes over the 450 class and the electric motors all have a preset maximum power output. The bike can only go so fast, however, it can be adjusted for different tracks and different terrain of course. If it’s deemed safer to turn the bikes power down, then of course, turn the power down to keep everyone in check.
We will be able to adjust the safety of the sport from race to race. Maybe things are starting to get a little out of control. Slow the bikes down. Maybe the riders are asking for more power. Give them a couple HP’s.
And 250 class will obviously just be a slower electric bike. It is what it is.
It’s the future, embrace is or get left behind.
We simply need riders to earn a check. Guys are paying to be on national tv. At your local race you have a/b/c class. However here we have a++/a+/b and maybe even c om certain nights. A manufacturer wants to win every category. So at least a b class would be a good thing. Cut it to 15 on the line. Factory 250/450 and support(b). 250/450. All races, no heats. Problem solved. 22 is too many.
Maybe we can put a lane next to the whoops that riders 11-20 get to take to save time so they can catch up to the rest of the pack.... a la Jeff Alessi
Younger guys do have a shot. If there was someone who teams thought would be a contender they sign them (Deegan, Beaumer, Davies)....if there was a young guy who had higher potential theyd get signed over the old guy. Free market. Idk how the pay works out but maybe if they pay for 10th in 450 was better than a 250 podium maybe that would change the mindset but I have no clue what these guys make.
This 👆
The factories are not going to add another rider to run 12-20th , the reason they run so many 250 guys is they have a shot at running up front and getting exposure
The only way to stop this is to put the 250s in the tv less , and that means you have a lot of down time in 3 hours
I don't think this sport will exist at a thriving professional level when electric is the only option.
I don't think it's always that simple. Young guy is high risk high reward and a lot of people are not taking the risk when they can sign a guy they know won't win but will be easy to work with and get top tens. You can't look through the list of factory guys and tell me they all got signed because their team thinks they can win a championship this year. I'm fine with that mentality for premiere class but I don't love this mindset for what is supposed to be feeder class.
Race the 250s in the daytime, Air 2 450 qualifying sessions - the avg of both ( gotta rip in both ) determines the top 15 on the gate. Have twitch an the boys toss some whips while you fully prep for the main - game on…
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