Growing our Sport ?
- Thread starter hershey
- Start date
nitrofish
PR Addict
C'mon man! 20 bucks for a sanction card keeps peeps from racing! If it's OMA it is 10. IMO the one timers are no help to the sport. They buy the sanction card and they think well hey I mise well race again. The sport is as expensive as you make it. All these people that practice only for 25 bucks are being held back by a 20 sanction card and an extra 10 gate admission? Bologna! The most detrimental thing to the sport is this topic. It does not have to be a mortgage on your home, at least on a local level. Any newbie that reads this is gone. Any newbie that talks to the guy with the 200 dollar Monster Energy graphic kit or mini dad that changes tires every Moto is screwed. It is us in the pits that have to grow the sport! Comical.
John250
PR Founding Father
Nitro, very valid points. I guess my thought is if there is a true D class, where new people can try out our sport cheaply it could possibly grow them from 1 race a year to perhaps regular racers. I totally get your $20 point. I don't think it is an issue. But to some, event the ones that buy $200 graphics and $400 boots to practice and never race, that is a complaint that you hear........I have to buy sanction cards, etc......it is a mental thing to some.
hershey
PR Elite
Sorry but I have to disagree. The first time racer is who we are talking about here, they will be turned away. I have 2 friends who will not race simply because they dont want to spend the money for short track time.
Tim gets it.... You guys who dont understand this are long time addicted racers who cant step outside of racing and look at it from the view of someone who doesnt race and who is trying to justify spending the money to do so.
Anyway, this thread was started for the PW class racers. I was trying to zone in on one easy aspect of a way to grow our sport. There are a thousand ways to help IMO but focusing on the little guys that cost a Pee Wee track owner next to nothing in track prep is a good way to start. Give them a reason to come to your track. If its no prep then discount the entrance fee for them. If you are going to charge the premium big track fee then give them a premium Pee Wee track.
Red Bud has a 50cc specific track that has a fantastic layout and they give it the full tilt prep perfect for 50 cc bikes. Dozer work first...bobcat with a tiller then water. Bobcat again. 4" of perfection. Paid $30 to get in the gate and $30 per moto for them. Then open practice until the big bikes are done for the day. Would do it every weekend for my kids if I could.
My only point is charge them for what you are giving them. And maybe charge them a little less just to get them hooked. I saw a post for a track in WNY racing that is having free 50cc races on race day like Chillitown did. Wonder how many new people will show up with kids to try it out?
psycobikerbob
Noob
Hershey I guess now I'm really confused because at the beginning of the thread you said you didn't want the track prepped just a lower entrance fee now your saying till and disc to "4 inches of perfection" so if the tracks are ripped that makes it ok? I guess this whole thing got completely twisted around I'm just glad I am beyond the pee wee stage.
TimSr90
PR Addict
Hershey, thats pretty much why I haven't chimed in. Most of the Pitracer clique does not have the ability to see beyond the race track, to all those people who have bikes and quads who don't ride on one. To them, the only source for racers is from the practice track, or somebody else's track. You don't see $200 graphics and $400 boots at Wellsville, or Bear Creek, or Rumble on the Ridge, or any other trail spot very often.
The ONLY source for new trike racers is from the trails. Over the last 17 years I've managed get a couple hundred of them on the track for a races, (there are almost no practice opportunities for them) some for years, some for a couple seasons, and some for one or two events only. The overwhelming majority were not precomitted, and most started at Smith Rd, especially those with racing kids, because an extra $20 for a test drive makes a huge difference. A couple years ago we even created a First Time Racer Scholarship Fund to pay the entry fee of first time trike racers to get them on the track. Most of those riders returned to race again mutiple times. None of them came from Pitracer.
With the tiny number of 3 wheeler riders left in this country, if I can continuously keep a lineup at select events over a period of many years, to the point of seeing trike racing come back nationwide, I can't help but think of what could be done with quads and bikes if the Pitracer clique, and the promoters who think they are representative could stop looking down their noses at trail raiders, the blue jean and flannel guys, and made serious efforts to do what it takes get them on a track, and give them a good expereince when they get there.
The ONLY source for new trike racers is from the trails. Over the last 17 years I've managed get a couple hundred of them on the track for a races, (there are almost no practice opportunities for them) some for years, some for a couple seasons, and some for one or two events only. The overwhelming majority were not precomitted, and most started at Smith Rd, especially those with racing kids, because an extra $20 for a test drive makes a huge difference. A couple years ago we even created a First Time Racer Scholarship Fund to pay the entry fee of first time trike racers to get them on the track. Most of those riders returned to race again mutiple times. None of them came from Pitracer.
With the tiny number of 3 wheeler riders left in this country, if I can continuously keep a lineup at select events over a period of many years, to the point of seeing trike racing come back nationwide, I can't help but think of what could be done with quads and bikes if the Pitracer clique, and the promoters who think they are representative could stop looking down their noses at trail raiders, the blue jean and flannel guys, and made serious efforts to do what it takes get them on a track, and give them a good expereince when they get there.
hershey
PR Elite
Exactly my point. Has been from the start of the thread.
Tim you are spot on on the other post also but unfortunately I doubt it will change.
ck1racerx
PR Addict
I cant believe I am saying this but... I agree with everything Tim said (except the clique stuff). Tim, I owe you a beer.
I would like to see the AMA (or other sanction body) come out with a "trial membership" for new riders to dip their foot in the racing world. Something like $20 and they get a limited membership for a month or two and it pays from their sign-up at two races. (Free would be better but I know the response I would get from the owners) It could be a great marketing tool to lure the weekend warriors off the practice tracks and give the reluctant parents of the little guys an opportunity to let Junior race for little to no expense and then get hooked.
It would be a chore but if we could set up a network of dealers that could give people that purchase new bikes a packet explaining this trail membership, it could benefit the dealers, the associations and the track owners.
My youngest son who is in the first grade, has two other little boys in his class that own bikes. I have talked with both sets of parents about racing and one sad they had no idea where any tracks were and the other said racing is too expensive. It is kind of embarrassing that I had no hard evidence to give the parents to inform them. After being in the sport for a lifetime the best advice I could give was "Look it up on line" which is worth the same as the paper its not written on.
I would like to see the AMA (or other sanction body) come out with a "trial membership" for new riders to dip their foot in the racing world. Something like $20 and they get a limited membership for a month or two and it pays from their sign-up at two races. (Free would be better but I know the response I would get from the owners) It could be a great marketing tool to lure the weekend warriors off the practice tracks and give the reluctant parents of the little guys an opportunity to let Junior race for little to no expense and then get hooked.
It would be a chore but if we could set up a network of dealers that could give people that purchase new bikes a packet explaining this trail membership, it could benefit the dealers, the associations and the track owners.
My youngest son who is in the first grade, has two other little boys in his class that own bikes. I have talked with both sets of parents about racing and one sad they had no idea where any tracks were and the other said racing is too expensive. It is kind of embarrassing that I had no hard evidence to give the parents to inform them. After being in the sport for a lifetime the best advice I could give was "Look it up on line" which is worth the same as the paper its not written on.
TwentyThreeMX
PR Founding Father
idea: first time OMA members get a 1 day trial and free entry into 1 class of their choice (limited to C class, mini or vet class - no a/b)
May be hard to track/validate that nobody is abusing it.. but it certainly wont hurt promoters to allow that to happen (i mean what, maybe 20 guys a year will do this, nobody is losing money on it)
I have friends that ride but refuse to go to a track.. they have brought pit bikes to the fair racesand decided not to even race those because they didnt want to pay for a membership.
Who doesnt like FREE stuff? I'd be most of them would give it a shot if it didn't cost them anything. On top of that, theyd bring in friends/family through the gates (making their free entry 'paid for'). With luck, some of them come back. They score 0 points for the day as it was a trial.
Also, maybe that would help load up the C class with guys in jeans and flannels and all the sandbagging pro c class riders will be too cool to be seen on the track with those guys and want to move up to B class where they (locally) belong! (got to make sure we bring up a C class thread!!)
Sounds like a win win to me.. anyone with me on that?
May be hard to track/validate that nobody is abusing it.. but it certainly wont hurt promoters to allow that to happen (i mean what, maybe 20 guys a year will do this, nobody is losing money on it)
I have friends that ride but refuse to go to a track.. they have brought pit bikes to the fair racesand decided not to even race those because they didnt want to pay for a membership.
Who doesnt like FREE stuff? I'd be most of them would give it a shot if it didn't cost them anything. On top of that, theyd bring in friends/family through the gates (making their free entry 'paid for'). With luck, some of them come back. They score 0 points for the day as it was a trial.
Also, maybe that would help load up the C class with guys in jeans and flannels and all the sandbagging pro c class riders will be too cool to be seen on the track with those guys and want to move up to B class where they (locally) belong! (got to make sure we bring up a C class thread!!)
Sounds like a win win to me.. anyone with me on that?
hershey
PR Elite
Stop making sense with good marketing skills!
Really funny that only ONE track owner has chimed in. I guess its pointless to talk of things to help our sport when it falls on deaf ears.
nitrofish
PR Addict
Wanna grow the sport? Bring a newbie. We have infected quite a few families by inviting them to watch the boy race and when we do, it's on our dime. We make it an experience in the pits, little cookout action, show em the ropes a bit. They always come back and all but one have got a machine for their kid and I'm working on that one. I just don't think you guys get it sometimes. The track owners ain't rolling in the dough here, they do it for the love of the sport to. We can't ask too much more out of them or they will just close up shop or run practice only. Every dollar counts. Blah blah I gotta go its freaking winter out here today.
Double D
PR Founding Father
I have a track and spare bikes, We get newbies all the time. Unless the dad has raced before, they may get a bike to trail ride for a short time but it goes away as soon as it starts.
on the kid level, adult level you may be able to drag them in. Hell, I am getting burned out. I hope I can soon be a full time RV driver , mechanic, beer taster.
The same guys have been beating me racing for 45 years...with an addition of a few new guys beating me.
on the kid level, adult level you may be able to drag them in. Hell, I am getting burned out. I hope I can soon be a full time RV driver , mechanic, beer taster.
The same guys have been beating me racing for 45 years...with an addition of a few new guys beating me.
hershey
PR Elite
You can try but when you tell them they are dropping a C note or more for a 50cc rider for the day..... they smile and turn away.
nitrofish
PR Addict
I damn near dropped a c note going to the movies last week! Laser tag, more. That trampoline place, more. Water park, forget about it! Local pool, half a c note. I'll find out how much the karts are gonna cost me this week. Most people that try Moto are ones with parents that did it or are referrals. So as a referral, teach them how to keep it less expensive. Little Dave does not need top of the line gear or the 7000 dollar special edition KTM 65 to race local races. Remember, after 20 years removed from the sport my little Jack wagon chose a cvt miniquad to race. I know expense. I never once thought about track prices, membership dues etc. I do have an idea Hershey! You should build a PW sidecar racer for your little racers! How awesome would that be! Half the price, plus cool factor! Bottom line is, you either wanna race or you just like to ride. I am going to try some of these ideas though. When we go to Cedar Point this year I am going to ask them if I can just try the place out for the day.
Strouble
PR Addict
Yes. Those bikes have no where to race unless they wanna get beat by the smoker 50s.
High fives matter.
