Battle series pros and cons

Hey Knox... do the math per lap for the UTV guys with what they have invested. You won't feel so bad. It's all in perspective and it's about having fun and spending time with family. One day you'll look back and $40 a lap to watch your son have fun, it'll be worth it.
 
That's only $280 + food ONLY he said. :rolleyes:
Promoters are not going to like this but I am pretty sure we are done with Saturday practice. First it is just practice so the only thing that counts is track time and with all the people there you only get 20 to 30 min of actual seat time. Not worth it for just practice.
 
Hey Knox... do the math per lap for the UTV guys with what they have invested. You won't feel so bad. It's all in perspective and it's about having fun and spending time with family. One day you'll look back and $40 a lap to watch your son have fun, it'll be worth it.
Hey, I am not complaining... well kinda.
 
BTW... I've seen a bunch of UTV racing this year between GNCCs and these "expedition" races. I think it's awesome. I'm making a big push internally here at the AMA to adopt UTV racing more. I believe it's another way to generate revenue for track owners and get spectators through the gates. But I'm getting push back from my bosses because of the insurance perspective (the chance for more claims means higher insurance rates for all promoters and a claim with a UTV could be a big one) and the fact "it doesn't have handlebars, so it's not a motorcycle." Which I think is stupid.

I work for members... what do you guys think? I think UTVs could bridge the gap of having true ATV events separate from Bike events. In today's world, most organizers can't split their crowds unless the event is something like the battle. But if we could develop ATV and UTV events, it could have entries to stand on its own. Thoughts?

For the record, I grew up in Kentucky and ATV racing is big in Kentucky. I always wanted the ATV guys there because they bring the hottest girls. I've got mad respect for ATV guys on and off the track. So we might want to leave things alone.
 
That's only $280 + food ONLY he said. :rolleyes:
Promoters are not going to like this but I am pretty sure we are done with Saturday practice. First it is just practice so the only thing that counts is track time and with all the people there you only get 20 to 30 min of actual seat time. Not worth it for just practice.

Thats why I don't do those open practice on the race weekend kinda things, IF its a local track that I've been to / comfortable at. I'd rather hang out and go in/out at my leisure. However somewhere like this weekend, area 51 ive only been to once, I'll suck it up and get my 3 sessions, bitch about it, and then be glad sunday morning that I at least got some time in lol.
 
The AMA needs to leave UTV racing alone! You sit in it like a car, it has a steering wheel, and it has 4 wheels. It is not a motorcycle, let Nascar or Mickey Thompson or someone worry about UTVs.

AMA needs to focus on Motorcycles and motorcycle racing. Hell from what I hear superbike racing is falling apart. Flat track is not strong, and motocross has issues. Focus on the things with motors and two wheels.

Cost for the weekend:
$80 Fuel for SUV and Bikes
$45 gate fees
$50 Practice
$75 Sign ups
$70 Food
$32 Hotel (Yep helps having a nephew in the hotel business)
$352 for the weekend.

If I had paid regular rate on the hotel add another $100. I figure all the Battle Rounds are $400 - $500 weekends. Normal races are close to $200.
 
American MOTORCYCLE Association, lots of opportunities for Motocross, maybe even a Vintage SERIES might work..........

As for QUAD guys getting all the HOT chick, I guess it depends on your definition of HOT...

quads.jpg
 
Leave the UTV's out. Its cool to watch them on a track but honestly how many regular guys can afford them at a race level and be able to actually navigate a track like BC?
 
Skipped practice Sunday morning due to the mud. Son got lapped in both motos so it ended up being $40.33 a lap... WOW, why did I figure that up? Now I really feel bad.
Still, it will not keep me from going to races. That's how much I hate open practice.

Man I really hate paying 50 cents a lap @ open practice. I should race more

Actually the last open practice I attended will cost me $6350 so nevermind ignore this post
 
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Then add in your insurance premium cost per lap.

Let's have wheelie competitions. Advertise in instagram. Then everyone show up to take your stolen bikes back.
 
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My cost had nothing to do with fire lol

Although I do keep an extinguisher in my race cars & the motovan

Not like the one I carry would do anything to combat what happened to Dave's toyhauler but maybe if it was something small and I caught it quick enough it would be worth a shot.
 
Think about it... we're loosing tracks. Where are UTVs being used, on Bike/ATV tracks and trails. Could UTVs bring another type of demographic and revenue to our promoting partners? Maybe not the same weekend as bikes. A track owner could host an UTV event the same weekend as a Bike event, 5 miles down the road and not directly compete with each other. This could help facilities host more events to grow their revenues and offset their costs.

Also from an off-road AMA membership standpoint, our members are paying to protect them now. We fight to keep public lands open, UTVs utilize these same lands. We fight insurance matters, UTVs are affected. We fight the ethanol issue, same issue for UTVs. Currently UTVs are being raced on the same trails and facilities as bikes/ATVs, UTVs are utilizing these same facilities. Why not adopt them into the AMA, so we can get more members behind what we want to accomplish.

From my viewpoint we could offer them value, the UTV market is the wild, wild west, needing some consistent rules and safety guidelines. If you want more Vintage and Motocross events, we need more facilities. And if you want great facilities, those facilities have to make a profit. Could adopting UTVs into our off-road MX market help that before someone in Nascar adopts it to happen in a infield of a multi-million dollar race track?

Again just playing devil's advocate...
 
. I'm curious... factoring everything in, how much does a weekend like this cost the average racer/family?
Our average spend with over 4 years of data is 200 per race event. That's sign up, gate and practice fees racing 2 classes. Travel expenses and an occasional hotel stay. I don't factor in food or maintenance on the machines. Battle races a bit more than the average race, usually due to extra practice and hotel. 5000 yearly race budget= 15 races a year, a few open practices and parts.

As far as UTVs; if I were a track owner I'd run everything I could, they draw a big following. Our tracks have to survive and they can't do it with just bikes, unless you want minimal prep and a crappy facility.
 
BTW... I've seen a bunch of UTV racing this year between GNCCs and these "expedition" races. I think it's awesome. I'm making a big push internally here at the AMA to adopt UTV racing more. I believe it's another way to generate revenue for track owners and get spectators through the gates. But I'm getting push back from my bosses because of the insurance perspective (the chance for more claims means higher insurance rates for all promoters and a claim with a UTV could be a big one) and the fact "it doesn't have handlebars, so it's not a motorcycle." Which I think is stupid.

I work for members... what do you guys think? I think UTVs could bridge the gap of having true ATV events separate from Bike events. In today's world, most organizers can't split their crowds unless the event is something like the battle. But if we could develop ATV and UTV events, it could have entries to stand on its own. Thoughts?

For the record, I grew up in Kentucky and ATV racing is big in Kentucky. I always wanted the ATV guys there because they bring the hottest girls. I've got mad respect for ATV guys on and off the track. So we might want to leave things alone.

I personally think it's a great idea. Like said before, they are already racing the GNCC series and numbers are growing. ATV/UTV combined events could be a big hit. The guys who can afford to buy/maintain those UTV's clearly have the money to take them racing.
 
Kinda getting off topic (I know, big surprise) but I would think a track would want to cash in on the quad / UTV obstacle course racing that you see on TV. Not sure what it is called but I have watched it more than a few times. Pretty cool and on a specific course just for them. Pretty good crowd to watch them and heck, its on TV
 
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