these are some of my opinions and observations from the last 2 years of racing.
point 1: the amount of people showing up is dwindling to the point of not being able to afford a track rental.
at my last race at adam's i had 32 signups, and Neil's race yesterday had around 40, which included 10-15 mopeds, so basically we had the same amount of people showing up.
these guys are the hardcore racers that come from all over to ride and hang out, but there's no "new blood" showing up.
in the past, you could count on a large group of unmodified cruisers, new guys who think they have the fastest bike on the planet, and people who just wanted to drink some beers and hang out, but still roll around the track.
where did these guys go?
there's more and more new guys on the forum everyday, and a lot of them from california, but they just don't show up.
without new people coming to the track, the numbers will continue to dry up.
Point 2: the competition and range of bikes is getting pretty serious, and almost out of control.
in the past, it was 2 strokes and a coupla morinis, and an odd briggs bike thrown in with a couple of electrics to round it out.
the china 2 stroke engine now, has everything from stock, to off-the-shelf mods, to full blown re-designed motors like the ones arrow cycles is building.
the arrow bikes are turning lap times as fast as the morinis and 4 strokes. right now, no one can touch them. the average guy won't stand a chance against them, so what's the point of the slower guys coming to the races?
the simple solution is "give 'em their own class."
but how does that work when there's 4-5 guys, and they're all basically family? i know i'd get bored of that.
this is in no way a jab at the guys from Arrow. they do some amazing things to the crappy china, and i love racing against them. but the average guy doesn't have the money or the knowledge to build a bike to compete with them.
then we've got bikes like luke's, scotto's, jeff's, etc...
i never thought i'd say this, but i think any bike over 50mph doesn't belong on a gokart track.
to clarify that, i was watching the unlimited main. they go really fast in the straights, and as slow as everyone else in the corners, then go really fast again.
basically, they've got bikes that go really fast in a straight line, but those pesky corners just keep getting in the way...
there seems to be a current trend of building 212cc 4 strokes. why? in california, anything over 149cc's is considered a motorcycle. the pedals are completely useless except as offset footrests.
and the electrics going 100 are just sorta, overkill, y'know?
that being said, i still think it's awesome watching them tear up the straights, and i would never ban anyone of them, nor discourage them from racing, and will always have an unlimited class for them, but i think there should be a line drawn somewhere.
Point 3: the stupidity of the one-man racing organization.
Neil, myself, and even Dave in tucson are/were putting on races by ourselves. that means one guy in charge, one guy paying the bills, one guy trying to get other guys to help out for free, and one guy losing if something goes wrong.
what would happen if i had a race and everyone shows up ready to go, and i got hit by a car on friday, or had the flu, or i'm stuck in traffic because the freeway's shut down due to a toxic chemical spill (it happens, believe it or not)?
there's no one there that can take over, and there'd be a bunch of perplexed, pissed of people wondering what happened.
another situation is the money. it's 1500 bucks to rent adams, and a grand to rent the grange (i think.)
what happens if i get laid off, hurt, robbed,or anything else and i can't come up with the track rental?
we've tried pre-paid entries before. i got 3 people signed up at piston bikes.
i've lost money on every race i've had, except the last one, and that's just because a few of you kicked down some extra (thanks!,) so i made enough to buy my two helpers some pastrami sandwiches at the hat.
everyone wants to race, but hardly anyone wants to help out, whether it be sponsorships, donations, or just holding a flag for awhile.
and everytime the entry fee goes up, people complain.
we need an organization, with multiple people to spread the costs and the responsibility. a one-man show is doomed.
those are the 3 issues right now that i think will make or break motorized bike racing.
i'm not going to put on any more races where i have to put out my own money, and hope to break even. i can barely afford to do it, and i coulda been driving a tricked out 1960 Falcon/Ranchero if i used the money for that, instead of it sitting in my driveway collecting spiders.
i'm also tired of the on again/off again, love/hate relationship with Neil. i hate that other people have chosen sides, and i just hate beating that dead horse altogether.
i was gonna mention the electric vs. gas rivalry, but after trying to get around some guy on a moped wearing a t shirt and jeans and no pads in the "exclusive" 2 stroke final, i don't really care about who hates who anymore...
point 1: the amount of people showing up is dwindling to the point of not being able to afford a track rental.
at my last race at adam's i had 32 signups, and Neil's race yesterday had around 40, which included 10-15 mopeds, so basically we had the same amount of people showing up.
these guys are the hardcore racers that come from all over to ride and hang out, but there's no "new blood" showing up.
in the past, you could count on a large group of unmodified cruisers, new guys who think they have the fastest bike on the planet, and people who just wanted to drink some beers and hang out, but still roll around the track.
where did these guys go?
there's more and more new guys on the forum everyday, and a lot of them from california, but they just don't show up.
without new people coming to the track, the numbers will continue to dry up.
Point 2: the competition and range of bikes is getting pretty serious, and almost out of control.
in the past, it was 2 strokes and a coupla morinis, and an odd briggs bike thrown in with a couple of electrics to round it out.
the china 2 stroke engine now, has everything from stock, to off-the-shelf mods, to full blown re-designed motors like the ones arrow cycles is building.
the arrow bikes are turning lap times as fast as the morinis and 4 strokes. right now, no one can touch them. the average guy won't stand a chance against them, so what's the point of the slower guys coming to the races?
the simple solution is "give 'em their own class."
but how does that work when there's 4-5 guys, and they're all basically family? i know i'd get bored of that.
this is in no way a jab at the guys from Arrow. they do some amazing things to the crappy china, and i love racing against them. but the average guy doesn't have the money or the knowledge to build a bike to compete with them.
then we've got bikes like luke's, scotto's, jeff's, etc...
i never thought i'd say this, but i think any bike over 50mph doesn't belong on a gokart track.
to clarify that, i was watching the unlimited main. they go really fast in the straights, and as slow as everyone else in the corners, then go really fast again.
basically, they've got bikes that go really fast in a straight line, but those pesky corners just keep getting in the way...
there seems to be a current trend of building 212cc 4 strokes. why? in california, anything over 149cc's is considered a motorcycle. the pedals are completely useless except as offset footrests.
and the electrics going 100 are just sorta, overkill, y'know?
that being said, i still think it's awesome watching them tear up the straights, and i would never ban anyone of them, nor discourage them from racing, and will always have an unlimited class for them, but i think there should be a line drawn somewhere.
Point 3: the stupidity of the one-man racing organization.
Neil, myself, and even Dave in tucson are/were putting on races by ourselves. that means one guy in charge, one guy paying the bills, one guy trying to get other guys to help out for free, and one guy losing if something goes wrong.
what would happen if i had a race and everyone shows up ready to go, and i got hit by a car on friday, or had the flu, or i'm stuck in traffic because the freeway's shut down due to a toxic chemical spill (it happens, believe it or not)?
there's no one there that can take over, and there'd be a bunch of perplexed, pissed of people wondering what happened.
another situation is the money. it's 1500 bucks to rent adams, and a grand to rent the grange (i think.)
what happens if i get laid off, hurt, robbed,or anything else and i can't come up with the track rental?
we've tried pre-paid entries before. i got 3 people signed up at piston bikes.
i've lost money on every race i've had, except the last one, and that's just because a few of you kicked down some extra (thanks!,) so i made enough to buy my two helpers some pastrami sandwiches at the hat.
everyone wants to race, but hardly anyone wants to help out, whether it be sponsorships, donations, or just holding a flag for awhile.
and everytime the entry fee goes up, people complain.
we need an organization, with multiple people to spread the costs and the responsibility. a one-man show is doomed.
those are the 3 issues right now that i think will make or break motorized bike racing.
i'm not going to put on any more races where i have to put out my own money, and hope to break even. i can barely afford to do it, and i coulda been driving a tricked out 1960 Falcon/Ranchero if i used the money for that, instead of it sitting in my driveway collecting spiders.
i'm also tired of the on again/off again, love/hate relationship with Neil. i hate that other people have chosen sides, and i just hate beating that dead horse altogether.
i was gonna mention the electric vs. gas rivalry, but after trying to get around some guy on a moped wearing a t shirt and jeans and no pads in the "exclusive" 2 stroke final, i don't really care about who hates who anymore...
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