Motocross is far from Dead in Ohio. It's different for sure than it used to be, but not dead. There are still plenty of guys from Ohio riding and racing. I, for one, only race a few times per year at tracks that I like and know will have riders to race against. Here's my races this year.
1. Crow Canyon LL Qualifier - Just to get entered in the regional.
2. Red Bud D14 race on a Saturday - A few gate drops before the regional for practice
3. Red Bud Regional - My LL race of the year to make the show.
4. Loretta Lynn's - The big show........ what I train, practice, and ride for.
5. Red Bud Vet Fest - My most fun race of the year that I enjoy.
6. Smith Rd Labor Day race - Just out to show George Singler that I appreciate his 40+ years of giving me a place to ride.
7. High Point Vet National - Another Vet Race that I enjoy, although this years race was a poor rendition of it's glory days
That's it. I wouldn't normally race Smith Rd, but as a thank you to George, I did that one and I usually race about 6 times per year. Mostly outside of Ohio. Why? Because the tracks aren't as good as the tracks I choose to race at and the competition isn't as good as the tracks that I go to.
Do I ride practice........... YES. A ton, I ride at Smith Rd and Apple Cabin nearly every week they are open. I ride a Briarcliff a few times on the weekends, I ride at Beans Rd too. I trail ride with old guys up in Michigan. I ride a lot.......... just not racing. Racing has taken a back seat in my life due to the lack of reward it provides on a weekly basis for the time involved. I don't enjoy getting up at 4am on Sunday morning to drive 2 hours or more to get 10 laps total per class on a track with 3 other riders in my class and get home at 10pm at night. I want more for my dollar and time and that's where the practice tracks come in....... I'm trying to get ready for 20 minute Plus motos at Loretta Lynn's and running a 6 minute moto at my local dustbowl doesn't help me at all. Running 30+ minutes at Briarcliff in the heat of the summer at a WFO pace with faster / slower guys out there at the same time is helpful to me. I'm looking to race a few times a year and I want to make them count!
That said, I like to ride my bike too. I ride for exercise and enjoyment. I'm headed up to Northern Michigan next week for 3 days of riding in the woods on trails for 8 hours a day. I enjoy this just as much as I do Loretta Lynn's and they are completely different. I just like to ride and this is fun to me too.
So motocross isn't dead........... just a little different than it used to be in the days when everyone was racing all the time. Our plethora of choices give us many opportunities to find out what makes it fun for us and how to get it done.