Quality of the MX Nationals

What do you guys think? After watching the recent Thunder Valley MX National I feel that there are a lot of issues that should not be happening. I'm not talking about track prep, TV time or anything like that but hear me out. I don't think things like Tommy Hahn getting a little off kilter and going off the track and then center punching a mule cart in practice is anything less than careless on the promoters part. Another event in practice was when a rider went down and the flagger was not paying attention and what then happened after was a huge pile up resulting in injuries due to someone's carelessness. The same thing happened at Mt. Morris in 2009 in the 450 LCQ when a track worker was not paying attention and a rider fell on the back side of a jump and caused a pile up of about 25 additional riders as we were all yelling franticly at him to do something! The last event I observed was when Ryan Dungey got squirrely in the opening laps of the first moto and nearly went into a huge water hole of the side of the track, REALLY? I feel that at the pro motocross level due to the speeds and the size of the jumps that a rider should have a little room for a smooth runoff in the event of an accident. Many other sports such as Moto GP, Indy cars and so on have a TON of run off room. Now does MX need that much, I don't think so, the speeds are not near a great as the two previously mentioned motorsports but they also are perfectly smooth, with no changing terrain at all. I feel like at the tracks that are supposed to be "the best in the world" should not be having incidents like happened last weekend. So I'll ask again, what do you guys think?
 
I think they have worked pretty hard to improve the Nationals over 20 years ago. Theres a ton more signage, more wow factor at the races, more banners, bale covers. The incidents you describe are hard to control. Its hard to find people that are incapable of making mistakes. Its a weedout process that takes a long long time, and then its even harder to keep good people, becuase good people can move onward and upward.
 
I did not see the Hahn thing but I assume he hit one of the million "team carts" that have multiplied like two rabbits locked in a room with Barry Whites entire album collection? This is not the promoters fault. This is a "my penis is bigger then yours" issue. Why do these teams need to drag tonnage to the track side. Full toolbox, extra wheels, stand, set of bars, levers and on and on? If one of the riders gets a flat, there is no way they can change wheels fast enough to make that big of a difference (yes, they can make it back to 18th or 19th but big whoop). Then there are 4 people in the "pit crew" all with head sets on (who are they talking to?) if the rider does pull in to the pits it is one guy that does the work and the rest stand and watch like its a Ohio road maintenance crew. And all of this crap is pulled around by a 900lb golf cart on steroids with RedRockSter energy drink stickers on it. Back it up all the way to the pits. Why do you need a 53 foot semi trailer to pull 2 or 3 motorcycles around? I have had 3 bikes in the back of an Astro Van... The giant team tent taking up half the parking lot helps you win? They have riders showing up in semi's that cant even qualify for a 40 man gate outside. Really? If you cant be in the top 40 you don't need a semi. You need to pick a different career. Maybe driving that semi???
No its a "well they have a 48 foot trailer so we have to have a 50 foot" ego crap of the team managers. All of which are either dudes that were not good enough to race and are now trying out show the old racers or did race and are still competing with the wallet.
Run off area, yellow flaggers both fall on the AMA / MX Sports. The promoter or track owner supplies both but the AMA / MX Sports should be supervising both. Run off area has been greatly improved over the years. If you pull up a picture of racing in the 70's and early 80's this is very common to see snow fence held up by steel posts lining both sides of the track. The fence and posts are still there but they have been pushed back from the edge. I am not going to bet on the flaggers again. No matter how much training and well equipped they are they are still human. You stand in one stop long enough, your going to lose interest and start checking out the hot skanks in booty shorts over by the concession stand and not watching your area.
 
Runoff area and distance to fences and barriers is one area I think about/worry about constantly. I think those areas could be looked at more at many facilities. Those are things I notice first when i go to new tracks.
 
I did not see the Hahn thing but I assume he hit one of the million "team carts" that have multiplied like two rabbits locked in a room with Barry Whites entire album collection? This is not the promoters fault. This is a "my penis is bigger then yours" issue. Why do these teams need to drag tonnage to the track side. Full toolbox, extra wheels, stand, set of bars, levers and on and on? If one of the riders gets a flat, there is no way they can change wheels fast enough to make that big of a difference (yes, they can make it back to 18th or 19th but big whoop). Then there are 4 people in the "pit crew" all with head sets on (who are they talking to?) if the rider does pull in to the pits it is one guy that does the work and the rest stand and watch like its a Ohio road maintenance crew. And all of this crap is pulled around by a 900lb golf cart on steroids with RedRockSter energy drink stickers on it. Back it up all the way to the pits. Why do you need a 53 foot semi trailer to pull 2 or 3 motorcycles around? I have had 3 bikes in the back of an Astro Van... The giant team tent taking up half the parking lot helps you win? They have riders showing up in semi's that cant even qualify for a 40 man gate outside. Really? If you cant be in the top 40 you don't need a semi. You need to pick a different career. Maybe driving that semi???
No its a "well they have a 48 foot trailer so we have to have a 50 foot" ego crap of the team managers. All of which are either dudes that were not good enough to race and are now trying out show the old racers or did race and are still competing with the wallet.
Run off area, yellow flaggers both fall on the AMA / MX Sports. The promoter or track owner supplies both but the AMA / MX Sports should be supervising both. Run off area has been greatly improved over the years. If you pull up a picture of racing in the 70's and early 80's this is very common to see snow fence held up by steel posts lining both sides of the track. The fence and posts are still there but they have been pushed back from the edge. I am not going to bet on the flaggers again. No matter how much training and well equipped they are they are still human. You stand in one stop long enough, your going to lose interest and start checking out the hot skanks in booty shorts over by the concession stand and not watching your area.
I agree with you both and thanks for the input and sorry for the delay in responding. Yeah I agree that many of the things that even the top race teams use is a waste of time. The first thing that comes to mind is Doug Henry in 2005 at Southwick, he showed up with one bike, a YZ 250 two stroke, a beat up pick up truck, gear bag and his wife to pit board for him...and got 5th overall. Now that's motocross!!! A lot of things like you have mentioned are way overdone and I believe that many items that need addressed are left being continually unaddressed...
 
i said my piece bout the track prep but that jump nicoletti got him some on is a huge super booter.gotta b a good 150' to down side it.
 
I assume he hit one of the million "team carts" that have multiplied like two rabbits locked in a room with Barry Whites entire album collection?

Pure brilliance.
 
i said my piece bout the track prep but that jump nicoletti got him some on is a huge super booter.gotta b a good 150' to down side it.
That was a booter. Here's some stats I found on it.
c2f426976562a21fa0ab471b924bfd9c.png
 
That jump was insane...true definition of a booter for sure! The first time I saw it I was shaking my head saying no way...
 
That was a booter. Here's some stats I found on it.
c2f426976562a21fa0ab471b924bfd9c.png
That's what it takes to podium? So every man that hucked that jump stood atop the podium? If that's all you had to do, then give me a JGR 450 and let us let her rip. Better yet give it the chick that was trying to make a main gate in SX. She needs a podi.
 
Flaggers come up all the time. You would think that the promoters of a National could get actual motocross racers to perhaps work a national race. People that know what is going on. I remember Kenworthys they DMC personnel a couple times that knew what they were doing. I did it one year. But then Money became and issue and they went back to some high school group providing volunteers who were perhaps at their first race ever. That's the problem. I even remember watching a flagger at Daytona this year. This one guy out there looked like he was totally clueless to what was going on, and he was working a pro SX.
 
How does monster energy employ the best tits in the industry, and mx sports can't employ the best flaggers, for the riders that make companies (monster/rockstar/redbull etc) want to sponsor these said events with the best tits in the industry....
 
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beleive it or not the day i turned 18 i raced broken spokes w my good ole buddy steve pfaff.them flaggers come out to wave there flags while i was n the air on the double after finish line table and i clipped his precious flag and cased landing flippin over the bars breaking my collar bone for the first of 3 times.of course i was off my parents insurance that day, for the 8k$ surgery so i let it heal natural w no surgery.ya that held up.lol.miss spokes upper track though.
 
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