7 minute moto. If your lucky or slow

ck1racerx

PR Addict
anyone else notice that the average moto now is well less the 7 minutes? If you stumble at all, it's over. No way for a comeback if you fall or even stall. Some have tried to tell me that riders now don't want "long motos". What is long? 10 minutes? I know it's not popular with the promoters but riders are not getting anywhere near their money's worth. No wonder you go to a practice track on race days and the place if full.
Very surprised that no track has tried long motos to pull more people in.
Before you say it. No I don't want to go to a GP / woods race. That is not motocross.
No, I'm not kicking a dead horse cause this horse is still kicking.
Yes. I know if I open a track I can try it. But I don't have one and other track are struggling and no one will try it?
$25 to ride all day or $35 to ride 16 minutes including practice. Sorry guys but that is nuts.
 
Hit the nail on the head with this one. I don't race anymore due to the fact that it's expensive and I could ride all day for 25. That being said, when I do ride, I do 2 motos of about 15 to 20 minutes. The rest of my day is filled with riding around and finding sections that I want to perfect or just cruise on.
I know it's not much coming from a guy that just used to race local stuff with friends, never near a pro level. However, I do remember going to broken spokes last race and people begging them to run 20 or 30 minute motos. I think they actally upped it to 5 or 6 laps that race. Oh the good ol days..
That being said, I can't say I'd race more if there were longer motos. I just know the feeling when you spend $100 plus a whole day at the track and being like "man, I didn't even ride that much" I also remember waking up twice as sore from that little bit of racing than I would from riding practice all day long.
Just my two cents.. not that I have it to spare.
 
You can't have long motos and 16 classes... Pick one.. 16 classes to make the sand baggers feel fast winning C class.. Long motos = longer race day.. Longer motos = more injuries which is = longer days.. It just isn't possible with all the classes to suit every Tom, Dick, and Harry


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anyone else notice that the average moto now is well less the 7 minutes? If you stumble at all, it's over. No way for a comeback if you fall or even stall. Some have tried to tell me that riders now don't want "long motos". What is long? 10 minutes? I know it's not popular with the promoters but riders are not getting anywhere near their money's worth. No wonder you go to a practice track on race days and the place if full.
Very surprised that no track has tried long motos to pull more people in.
Before you say it. No I don't want to go to a GP / woods race. That is not motocross.
No, I'm not kicking a dead horse cause this horse is still kicking.
Yes. I know if I open a track I can try it. But I don't have one and other track are struggling and no one will try it?
$25 to ride all day or $35 to ride 16 minutes including practice. Sorry guys but that is nuts.
image.jpeg

22 motos And we were out by 5:00pm
 
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I like the idea of 8 to 10 min plus one lap. at that mark give the white flag. everyone gets same amount of track time whether slow or fast. I know a couple years ago JO ran like 8 min motos. Not sure why he stopped using timed motos.

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I still do time the motos, but it mainly regulates the 50s from running 15 +1. On average, most are an 8 minute moto in roughly 4 laps. The leaders can get it in 7, but mid pack is usually 8, and the tail end is sometimes 8.5....lots of varying speed. We are always timing the races, and if its questionable we adjust. Nobody complains about getting out before 5pm. And not one word about people being back on the road as early as noon at the AQ........mic drop....where's my expert stamp?
 
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In 20 years I've never seen it much different.. besides rare occasions here and there and mainly for pro classes.

It's ok though, we know ya just needed something to bitch about.. lol.
 
What does this mean "The decision of where the 50's will race will be decided after practice"? Does that mean they have a separate track or "where" as in, where they will be placed in the race order?
 
They have a mini track. But when I was there they cut the big track in half for them.
 
The Pavilion example is better but why would $25 in 30+ get you 12 min but only 10 min in supermini? Is it not the same amount of cash? Does seem like they have a lot of "deciding" to do.
As you should all know, I was not much of a fan of Kenworthy's but they did run 7 laps for A and 5 for everyone else. And that was a 2:30 lap time. (Yes they had a second track for little bikes but that was only the last couple years). We all know it is because you have 437 different classes now and if they all ran 15 min moto's it would be November before we got to intermission.
You all can hate on me but this is the reason (on average) why Ohio racers suck on a national level now. Anything over 10 minuets and they melt like ice cream in August.
REALLY don't give me that crap that moto has changed and it is harder to make it to LL. It simply is not. Fast then made it, Fast now makes it. Slow then did not even make it to the regional...
 
he'll you can finish 15th at the qualifier and still make regional. It's BS. They want as many as possible at a regional because of $$$ I've said it 100 tines. when you get to the regional only 40 in each class should be on the gate.

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My opinion... I would like to see longer moto's. Let's be real though, we know the majority of the races at this level (OMA) are decided in the first two laps. Sure, there are good battles in many cases through the field all the way to the end and that's what we are there for, but how often at this level would 2 or 3 more minutes really make a difference in overall finishing positions?
I do think with the expertise, experience, learning curve, and overall fluidity of a few of the tracks in the OMA now, I believe we could adopt a standard schedule of practice starts at 8am, racing starts at 9am, and the motos are timed at 8 minutes plus one lap.

Of course, sometimes I think out loud and I really shouldn't!
 
Nobody complains about getting out before 5pm. And not one word about people being back on the road as early as noon at the AQ........mic drop....where's my expert stamp?

Nobody will ever complain about leaving early but some of us will never (and never have) complained about leaving late if we are doing so because we got more track time. For me 4 laps is just a warm up, I get rolling at the 4 lap mark. Pit261 always joked with me that I needed his first lap charging and he needed my last lap speed. By far I would much rather see fewer classes with bigger gates and longer motos.


My opinion... I would like to see longer moto's. Let's be real though, we know the majority of the races at this level (OMA) are decided in the first two laps. Sure, there are good battles in many cases through the field all the way to the end and that's what we are there for, but how often at this level would 2 or 3 more minutes really make a difference in overall finishing positions?
I do think with the expertise, experience, learning curve, and overall fluidity of a few of the tracks in the OMA now, I believe we could adopt a standard schedule of practice starts at 8am, racing starts at 9am, and the motos are timed at 8 minutes plus one lap.

Of course, sometimes I think out loud and I really shouldn't!

The 2 lap thing might be but who cares? A lot of times there are great battles the entire moto. In my last moto this weekend I passed 7 people in 4 laps and if I had one more lap I would have ended up 3rd barring a crash. But the point is more about track time, or more of it. I want to have that kind of fun as long as possible each moto!!!



And thinking out loud is not a crime unless its here on Pitracer. For some unknown reason having an opinion on here means your an a*****e.



You can't have long motos and 16 classes... Pick one.. 16 classes to make the sand baggers feel fast winning C class.. Long motos = longer race day.. Longer motos = more injuries which is = longer days.. It just isn't possible with all the classes to suit every Tom, Dick, and Harry


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Who only has 16 classes???? Try 22 motos with more classes than that now.
 
I'll be honest here, I really don't mind the way it is.
4 or 5 lap motos are fine with me, I really don't care how much time it takes.
I also always run 2 classes, sometimes 3.

I don't really see how it's any different now than what I was doing when I started in the 1980's.
 
As you should all know, I was not much of a fan of Kenworthy's but they did run 7 laps for A and 5 for everyone else. And that was a 2:30 lap time. (Yes they had a second track for little bikes but that was only the last couple years).

That was to make up for the 1 hour signup line (if you already had all your cards / credentials in order)...
 
My opinion... I would like to see longer moto's. Let's be real though, we know the majority of the races at this level (OMA) are decided in the first two laps. Sure, there are good battles in many cases through the field all the way to the end and that's what we are there for, but how often at this level would 2 or 3 more minutes really make a difference in overall finishing positions?
I do think with the expertise, experience, learning curve, and overall fluidity of a few of the tracks in the OMA now, I believe we could adopt a standard schedule of practice starts at 8am, racing starts at 9am, and the motos are timed at 8 minutes plus one lap.

Of course, sometimes I think out loud and I really shouldn't!


I woulda got passed by 3 guys if we ran just one more lap. This formst works well for good starters.

But how many other states are doing what you say ck1? Mtf is training kids to go the long haul. They aren't even warm by the time the checkered comes out at qualifier and regionals.
 
All though I'm not an expert, I do put a few miles on the RV going to races. I think the average is 5 laps.
 
I woulda got passed by 3 guys if we ran just one more lap. This formst works well for good starters.

But how many other states are doing what you say ck1? Mtf is training kids to go the long haul. They aren't even warm by the time the checkered comes out at qualifier and regionals.
I don't know of anywhere doing it... but everywhere you look you see tracks with low turnout for races. But practice days are full. Now, there has to be a reason for that and it cant always be more guys want to practice then race because on "big" races they show up.
I would think someone would try, if for no other reason than just to shut me up. Maybe someday. Fingers crossed.

One more idea. How about a Summer camp at a track? I am spending big bucks cause my son wants to go to a week long baseball camp in Tennessee. Sure would be nice to have a local track (maybe one in southern Ohio that has a lot of open practice days. Cough, cough, Fork, cough) to have a week long camp for the kids during summer. I know I would pay a couple hundred bucks for my son to attend.
 
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