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i have to remember the rider has to decide not the parent/ or peer pressure or whatever
It still amazes many of us older riders, how many parents will yell at and intimidate their kid at a race. (Not you bmxmom, I just pulled your quote because it was really good)
Until you get on a 20″ bike, go as fast as you possibly can towards a jump and launch off the lip WITH about 6-7 other racers you can’t understand how risky this is.
I quit racing back in the 80’s because I suddenly realized one day that my fate rested in the hands of everyone else in my moto as well as my own abilities. So I gave it a rest and started freestyling.
Racing is no joke, it’s not people on little kids bikes messing around, it’s serious…(well mostly, pay no attention to the old kids on the gate, laughing all the time…)you can easilly get wrecked big time and through NO fault of your own.
Regarding south park…I keep saying this and no one has the balls to tell the nbl or the aba that it’s time to step up and make a national series where the tracks are harder and for experienced riders. Then the local T.O.s have to NOT cave to peer pressure and make local tracks that are not intimidating to new riders.
We also need some decent training facilities for racers. Ha, the nbl sold everyone the “olympic” dream and freestylers blew right past everyone with espn and dew…
You have to be a progressive thinker in order to make any change.bob t had no choice but to cut back sat to 2 moto transfer. the hospital director of emergency services called the county and complained that they had 2 riders life- flighted in 15-20 mins and they refused to take any more patients from the race…. this is first hand info not hearsay….they asked for it to be shut down…. so the county officials w/mayer went directly to the track to tell bt to shut it down right away. if bt didnt do something the race would have been cancelled. so he changed to 2 moto transfer( less chance of crashes) and promised to “tune down” the 2nd straight( they just filled it in a little and kind of pretended to change the lip on that one jump).
we were camping next to the pa state commis and this was the word from the track director as to why that was done. so either race 2 motos or none at all. they also said there is a 99.9% chance that this event will not be at the same location next year or any year for that matter.( accd to the county officials)
Sad.
Where is Bob Warnicke when I need him..Can someone bring me up to speed on how the Pro Sections work on these tracks. Are they available for any non-Pro regardless of age or exp level to give it a go during the race??? If so that seems like really Bad idea. Spectating at the Xmas classic this year the Pros section was only opened to the Pro level types, but some of the posting mentioned Novices getting hurt in PA.
What’s the deal?
Kmart
South Park was always my son’s favorite track on the National scene. Daughter too for that matter. Last year when we went it had changed so drastically to such an intimidating track, that she wasn’t too thrilled about going this year. Decided last week, that she didn’t want to go at all. Now I am thanking her better judgement.
I worked the race last year on the finish line, and had the “pleasure” of standing next to the EMT tent where they brought all the broken bodies in preparation for transport to the hospitals. I saw the seizures, the bleeding, the broken bones, as well as the road rash, bruises, etc. Luckily didn’t have to witness any life flights last year.
South Park is definitely a wonderful track, but it is also an expert/pro track when it comes to Nationals where the adrenalin is flowing, and the points are on the line. 2005 was a wake up call for a lot of the riders on the difficulty of this track. Probably why motos were down from around 180 last year to 144 this year. (Remember when they had 250-300?)
For local races, I’m sure everyone does fine, but the pressure isn’t there the way it is at a National.
Hope everyone that had the misfortune to crash gets well soon.Pro set used to be closed to everyone other than the pros. Then it was open for 17 and over Experts and pros. Now it is open for all at Pittsburgh. Saw many a 12-14 rookie, novice, expert jumping it (or attempting) last year.
Not sure why they opened it up must have been rider complaints or a track decision.our tent was right behind the pro section this yr so we got to witness almost every crash that occurred- not pretty… but many of the crashes were in the 2nd straight where a few months ago they took out a double and made it more “do-able” this yr so to speak….if you raced in control you didnt have a problem although the last jump( hip) was angled a little strange if you had too much speed it threw you into the turn…many a crash there as well….
i dont know why everyone is allowed to do the pro side now. i also remember back when pro sections were for “pros only”… hey does anyone remember back when cj had a “7 and over” section..haha yup if you were 6 and under you had to stay to the left of the cones..that was for the “older riders”…. too dangerous for the little racers and i think it was only a step up or a table top not even a deep double!! boy those were the days!!
I could not agree with you more.
Janeen summed it up best, the moto counts are down, and pobably for this reason, I know their local counts are WAY down. When you start racing motox you don’t race a supercross track Bob T wake up. We need an expert / Pro only series with these tracks
Bill, Thank you. If the tracks are going to get bigger, harder,and faster then only experts and pros should be on them.
Rich, I have the jumps in the backyard, but like Matt D said he does it for the kids, I don’t wanna see some little kid all screwed up while they were trying to have fun with their family so I could go out and build a track like my backyard. I know you have your girl , and while the I think the jumps can be bigger, why would Bob T, knowing the middle is too deep let it go to that point. Does he take perverse pleasure in this. His kid doesn’t race anymore. The moto count thing explains it all people just don’t wanna deal. ON the 17 yearold that crashed with all the injuries, he sounds like his helmet wasn’t tightened down, so he too must be accountable for his actions LAter
Bill…Hello…
Rolling ATM machine…jeesh…
not quite as funny a joke after this weekend though.
SP, Louisville…imagine if these tracks were on PRIVATE property like CJ.
Boom. shutdown.
I could easily see a massive lawsuit from the current thinking.
L-Yes, your honor. Joe Smith was a 15 noviceracing the nationals when he wrecked on the..
J-Excuse me, novice?
L-Yes, your honor novice class. It’s a ranking where a lesser skilled…
J-Yes, I know the definition of novice.
J-So this organization allows people with insufficient skills to race on tracks designed for national caliber riders?
L-Well your honor Nick is a national ranked novice in his…
J-I’m not following this how can you be a “nationally” ranked underskilled rider, shouldn’t only skilled riders be nationally ranked?
L-Well your honor they also allow beginners on the track and…
J-Sorry? Beginners…people who have never raced before are allowed on a course designed to test the best riders in the country?, I’m ruling in the favor of the plaintiff as allowing an underskilled rider on a course designed for nationally ranked riders is a clear act of gross negligence.Am I completely nuts in this logic?
Brett, I hope no one that crashed this weekend read that. That was funny, true, and sad all at the same time
Bill, ya know I’m not busting on anyone…
Just pointing out a way this could go if we aren’t careful…
Just makes me nervous for the future…Let me go on the record as being one of those riders that stayed within his abilities this weekend and tried to enjoy himself, even if I didn’t “go big” to win. Yes, I got crashed in the main, but in the first straight, and I didn’t do anything wrong, just too tight with eight 35+ Novs side by side with no where to go.
That said, I thought I would easily have semi’s on cruiser and was surprised when only 7 riders were on the sheets. The only name I recognized was Randy Greco, and he got hurt in practice and rolled the motos.
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