Mxsports/AMA what do they actually for us riders?

[MX_Implements]

7 years since Josh Lichtle passed from a heat stroke.

5 years since a kid passed at the Iron Man regional, the track was insanely rough.

A 1/4 of the top pros suffered heat exhaustion this weekend in Florida.

I’m sure a good amount of unnamed riders have passed at races that we are unaware of.

So besides taking our money what does Mxsports and the AMA do for our safety?

I can’t imagine what the family of Ryder is going through right now.
As a dad myself I can’t imagine losing a son to a sport I nudged him into. Makes me question why him and I ride?

 

[John250]

totally agree Colin. Being at the race, my wife made the comment yesterday, when matthew went back out on the track she really could careless where he finished as long as he finished. As a parent, it is something that we all try to never think about, but that was the 3rd time I've been at a track when a young teen as passed away. All three never made it out of the track alive. Once at Dirt Country, once at COCR and now yesterday at Baja.

I don't care who says what, maybe the sport has passed me by, etc. Like Meister says, these chest thumpers that yell, let it get rough. Why add more danger than necessary? Less than 1% of all riders will ever make a dime racing motorcycles. I am 49 years old and been around motocross tracks a majority of my life. Tracks were not this rough 30 years ago. Bikes have better suspension, more horsepower, then we add in, that tracks are rougher and rougher, with bigger and bigger leaps. My wife watched a kid at Baja go off his bike 3 stories up and fall to the ground on the big down hill triple by the road. Luckiy he was ok. The face of that jump and all of them, had huge ruts that one mistake could be devastating.

MX Sports as far as I am concerned is collecting money. And the AMA should have safety manager and team that looks at tracks, makes suggestions, and certifies them. NASCAR does that, even at the local NASCAR sanctioned track.

Your never going to eliminate all the danger, but track design and prep could go a long way in preventing some of the injuries for sure.

And yes, when you have a kid racing, your perspective changes. watching Matthew launch those rutted up faces on the big tables at COCR from behind him on the track made me hold my breath.

 

[MX_Implements]

I’m on the fence about the roughness of the tracks. I think tracks are too high speed nowadays. Combine high speed with a rough rutted track and I think you’re asking for trouble. Personally I think if tracks were more technical and slower they would be way safer.
I consider myself a slightly above average rider and at 36 years old and maybe 5 to 7 lbs
( or more) over weight I haven’t been anywhere in awhile that I don’t jump everything on the first or second lap.

 

[Meister]

I still jump just about everything too, but some of those jumps sketched me out with the ruts. The jumps aren't a huge issue with me. It's 4th gear wide open through 3-4' tall whooped out sections. The only thing I decided not to jump was the ski jump. I saw skinny kids getting sucked into the landing. I'm way larger than them and if I wasn't carrying the right momentum for some reason, I just envisioned cartwheel city. I hit it a bunch in 16 when I was 30 pounds lighter.

I think ive been missing an element in my thought process that you brought to my attention. Rough isn't bad if it's slow. Rough is bad when it's fast. Ill buy that.

 

[ck1racerx]

NOTHING

 

[jrminiquad]

They have good roadside service program, there's that...

 

[BriarcliffMx]

Agreed on slower and more technical. Maybe a maximum straight away length?? Lets face it the distance to the next corner, or from corner to obstacle, that combined with soil type drives the speed thing. Along with that, how about some stock engines? No cams, no head work, no unobtanium valves with beryllium seats, etc etc. Maybe even dial them damn things back to 300-350cc. The torque of a 450 just kills a jump out of corner. Its hard to keep jumps safe with the torque these things produce. if I build a jump that guys really have to punch it to clear, like all at once (out of a turn), the face will get torn to shreds quickly.

 

[John250]

I disagree on the rough track being safer. Yes the speeds might be higher but the amount of crashes on the slower rougher track are more. And now guys go just as fast on the rough.

I also have said the tracks out west do a much better job building big jumps that are still safe if you do not clear them all the way.
Nothing is going to make racing 100% safe. But 10 years ago tracks were ripping and prepping between motos, now it like, nope let her get rough!!

 

[ck1racerx]

Completely different dirt out west Johnny.
I like everything J.O. posted. Speeds are relative.
Tracks can be made safer by adding corners, removing those ridiculous 130' launch pads and minimizing straightaway length. The manufactures can do their part by reinvesting in smaller bore... dare I say.. 2-strokes. And all of this can and should be mandated by the organization promoting and sanction racing.
If the AMA/Feld/MX Sports stood up and said "we are going back to 125's and 250's by 2021. ALL of the manufactures would start producing them. The USA is the largest market. If the rules say you cant have something, the market grows for what you can have.
The accident at Baja is unbelievably tragic. Could the items we suggest prevent something like this from happening again? Who knows. But we do know that doing nothing but pointing fingers will not help anything.
When NASCAR brought out the restrictor plate did Ford say "nope, we are getting out"?
When the NFL changed the rules for kickoffs, did the Colts say "we are going to the CFL"
When the NHL required nets are the end of the arena's from keeping pucks going up and hitting people, did the fans stop showing up?

I miss bring at the races on the weekends. But is nice to know when I do venture out to watch or participate in a race that the sport is still there. Sooner or later in the tree hugging, free healthcare for everyone, global warming... or is that climate change... society we live in. If we don't do a better job of managing our sport, someone will take it away.

Okay Mr. organization... do something.

 

[NQ1965]

The manufactures can do their part by reinvesting in smaller bore... dare I say.. 2-strokes. And all of this can and should be mandated by the organization promoting and sanction racing.
If the AMA/Feld/MX Sports stood up and said "we are going back to 125's and 250's by 2021. ALL of the manufactures would start producing them. The USA is the largest market. If the rules say you cant have something, the market grows for what you can have.

MXA magazine did an article a while back talking about the 500cc class back in the day. And then explained how we evolved to the 450-fours, and then basically how now, everybody that's running a 450, is basically in what used to be the 500cc open class because of the performance of these 450's.
I thought that to be an interesting view.

 

[Meister]

I would absolutely love a vet 125 class. I'd sell my 450 tomorrow. Hell, I'd love it if all vet classes were 125s.

Mxsports is like one of them hooker's ck had in the late 80s. Eff's you and takes your money. Happy ending is like the plaque for top 10. Lol

 

[NQ1965]

Only being a Teeny in the late seventies/early eighties, I pretty much only knew what I read in the bike magazines, and from the occasional race on Wide World of Sports. But wasn't the 500cc/Open class kind of secondary to the 125 and 250class's? Not everybody could ride those bikes at that level (Pro) could they?

Not trying downplay the injuries or fatalities that occur in the current 250F's class's, and injuries that are simply "track related", just considering what impact the modern day bikes have on this issue.

 

[ck1racerx]

I LOVED 500's. And from experience, they are night and day difference from the fart bikes. The 5'hundy required throttle control and a unique riding style to go fast.
I think up until the AMA killed the 500 class by only giving it half a year worth of national, the 500 class was the king. That all happened when Honda said they were going to stop "updating" the 500 and Yamaha refused to update that air cooled turd they made. With Suzuki stopping production a decade earlier, that was 3 or the 4 cash streams flowing into the AMA... Yeap, let stop running that class.
So the precedence has already been set by the 500 downfall. Eliminate the class and the production follows. Is also works both ways, hence the reason we have $10K fart bikes

 

[weaver658]

The young man who lost his life was 15 years old. I saw that he was racing 250 and 450b. Maybe I am way in left field, but I don’t think a 15 year old,no matter what skill level should be on a 450. Maybe he was on a 250 in the 450 class. Just my two cents.

 

[Meister]

He was indeed in 450b on a 250t

 

[BriarcliffMx]

I kinda a doubt the bike he was riding had much to do with it, if you make a regional, you more than likely can ride pretty well. No greenhorns there. But I do agree, about 450s. Kids don’t need a 450.

 

[John250]

AMA Rules. Cant race a 250 until your 14th birthday. Can not race a 450 until your 16th birthday. So he had to be on a 250 in the 450 class.

 

[Romanyak256]

The young man who lost his life was 15 years old. I saw that he was racing 250 and 450b. Maybe I am way in left field, but I don’t think a 15 year old,no matter what skill level should be on a 450. Maybe he was on a 250 in the 450 class. Just my two cents.

I can’t say much about this because i was 14 racing a 426 back in the day, but at 230lbs a small bore bike didn’t fit me and i needed more power to lug my fat ass around the track. Honestly i don’t think age has much to do with what bike you should be on. I was racing B class at the time as well. I had the skills and the weight to help ride the bike safely and productively.

 

[RocketRobin]

The AMA has made rules to keep younger aged kids off of 450's due to the power that is on hand as John250 listed already. Some kids grow huge early and could fit on a 450 at age 15, and some kids don't grow until much later and can still ride 85's at age 16. This particular kid was riding a 250 2 stroke in the 250 class and 450 class, which is allowed. It's a tragic accident that is a reminder of the dangers that we all face when we head out on the track and could happen. It seems like it isn't as rare as it used to be, but I bet that the age of internet and social media gets the news out there to more people than in the past. If you've been around the sport for any amount of time, we all know someone that has passed away from riding one way or another. Thoughts and prayers for his family and friends as it's a terrible thing to go through.