What Happened to Local Motocross Racing? | State of Racing

Local motocross racing isn't the same. A lot of factors have contributed to its decline -- cost of racing, training facilities and more. In the first episode of "State of Racing" we sit down with influential people from around the sport to discuss the state of local racing.

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[wallacehowery]

I ran some numbers in my head: 1979, a construction worker could make 40k a year, and a YZ125 cost about 1.1k ($1, 100). Pay was almost 40 times as much as the bike cost. Now, some construction workers might make 80k a year, but the bike cost 10k. Pay is only 8 times more than the price of the bike. This is a huge difference. Pickup trucks also cost a years salary, so there is no money left to race, unless you have upper middle class income.

[abpob]

Value. Ride all day at a practice day for half the cost of a getting a few laps at a race where you are sitting around all day mostly doing nothing. Offroad events let you race for an hour or many hours for the same cost as an mx race. The offroad events are much less competition oriented too. It's mostly fun trying to survive and finish. There are also no real premiums placed on having a brand new bike for offroad events. You can ride a 10 or 15 yr old bike and have a good time and be competitive. The bikes and riders are out there but they are doing things other than mx.

[yardsaledale]

The amount of tone deafness in this video is startling. The training facilities single handily killed it. Anyone who may have a sliver of hope is almost forced to attend a facility in order to stay competitive. That is just one less person on the gate at their local track on a consistent basis. The dominoes begin to fall at that point. Everyone hypes up the big nationals and almost no one earns rides from their effort and result at the national. Rides are given to families who can pump money back into the team their child is employed by.

[cbh]

I think the sport/activity is just naturally adjusting as people realized they get way more fun for their dollar by just going to tracks to ride/practice compared to a race day where the cost is much higher and the amount of ride time is dramatically less. The numbers just don't add up in the smiles-per-gallon department.

I race arenacross simply because during January, that's the only track riding I can really do. During the warmer months, I ride at MX tracks, and even though some races go down, I avoid them for the reasons mentioned above. Actually going to a night practice tonight at Sand Mountain MX under the lights.

[douglasmorrow]

I raced from 1989 to 2005. 4 strokes is what happened. Family couldn't afford an engine that blew up every other month. 100%, 4 strokes ruined everything.

[FoX]

Who wants to pay 60 dollars to race one class. Get 8 laps on the track in 8 hours and spend the day sititng around waiting to go out on a clapped out track at 4pm. When we can pay 50 for a days open practice and ride 5 sessions and be done and tired st 3. Racing sucks ass if i never race again im 100% ok with it

[lukebryant]

I’ve been hammering on this topic, local racing is dying and the ama seemingly could not care less

[ryanlester]

Yeah, I can't afford to ride a couple times a week at $40 a pop to be in good enough shape to race at around $100 with gas and entry fees. It's a bummer- I'm priced out anymore. Meanwhile, the track owners are buying more tracks, flying to Hawaii and pimping out their Sprinter vans. Good for them, bad for me.

[mrcrazymx]

also would be nice to normalize racing just for fun and becoming a national pro not necessarily the end goal. Moto is such a fun family sport!

[boyzracing]

Cost is the number one reason we have slowed down on weekly racing. Just trying to get to a regional for Loretta's just about broke the bank.. regional events are outrageous and going to Loretta's is even more.. I just don't think the average family can afford that in this economy.

[MrMightyGuy]

These comments are comforting in the fact that we all share similar struggles.

[motogolf]

2:40 @Bremen Raceway… sure do miss that place

[jshultzporter]

Be interesting to see some interviews from the families that have operated the small tracks for years. Always fun to hear from people that have had past success but would be interesting to hear the small guys input as well. The family here in Indiana has been operating local tracks for years. Used to be 4 tracks now it's 2.

[mattcash]

Whos here that remembers the jump at Bremen mx in ga called the mexican? Up hill triple

[jimg]

Kentucky used to run a state series as well as a mega series. Title sponsors and 12-15 races across the state. Provided an opportunity to be around guys like the sipes brothers, Tyler bowers, vonlingers, etc.. once the state series shut down, so did most of the local tracks after a few years of trying to stay afloat. Went from 400-500 riders every weekend to barely having 6 riders per class. Killed the sport for the average joes in KY.

[markfitzsimmons]

In my area, I would say one of the reason is the tracks. They don't understand the rider is a customer and there is more to it than prepping, watering a track, and taking money.

[jamespolucha]

I raced as a kid back in the 70s and 80s and had a blast, my goal was to go to Europe and race because it seemed like all the Americans that did came back so much faster, we always had 30-40 bikes on the starting line and A, B, C class 125, 250, and open class, but today it’s so much different only the rich kids seem to race, I don’t know how kids from a working class can afford to race, it’s ashame it’s cost so much to race nowadays

[thesouth]

Cool seeing shots from Bremen. I remember when Wes was at races handing out goat creations cards. Such a rad spot and time

[ericmiles]

In the 80s and early 90s you could go to any of a dozen places to ride. Clay pits, woods, sides of the roads and dirt roads. Now you cant ride hardly anywhere in my area. Within 100 miles unless its a track/training facility. And its expensive and the tracks are set up for pros. Then add in how much bikes and accessories cost now. You have to drive 3 or 4 hours minimum to find a track actually having a race. They start practice at daylight. Have 50 classes with 4 or 5 riders each. Run 5 laps a moto. If it was like it is now days i probably never would have ever started riding bikes.

[jordanperon]

Your buddys at MX sports and AMA are going to run everyone out of racing and the local tracks are crazy expensive as well everyone wants to suck every dollar out of the sport and dont give a crap about the sport and the manufacturer are charging crazy money for bikes