The Mother of All Qualifiers May 6-7-8

Last weekend, Pleasure Valley was Crazy rough in the second set of Moto's.
Only an Area ....but blazing fast riders in all the classes.

Ever been there?

They prepped, ran practice and started racing.
Huge, nasty PA clay ruts that went on for hundreds of feet. Sharp, square holes & bumps everywhere.

They did minimal clean up after the first set and ran straight into the second set.
Brutal.
My arms were shot by the second lap of the second moto.

......and that's what you'll get LL too.
The track is nothing special in the way of super jumps or tricky combinations but the brutal conditions and blazing pace will rip the life out of you in a few laps.
 
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Overall light turnout, Mid East has Baja working against it. I've said it for years, you will never get the turn out other regions will when your regional is a sand track. That's why you saw so many out of state riders this past weekend, it's a weak region and has been for years. There's a reason Davey Jones, Tony Robinson, Demastry and Blanford went elsewhere. There's a difference between qualifying for the Ranch, and actually being prepared. I love the prep Malvern, BC, and CT put into their events, but like the above reply, track conditions aren't a good test for the ranch.

5 random classes, and their stats:

Lincoln Trail-
250C- 50
250B- 31
Open Pro- 18
Vet 30- 34
450 B- 23
Total: 156

Pleasure Valley-
250C- 35
450B- 16
Open Pro- 14
Vet 30- 19
450 B- 16
Total: 100

BC-
250C- 19
250B- 22
Open Pro- 10
Vet 30- 8
450 B- 17
Total: 76

Malvern-

250C- 22
250B- 20
Open Pro- 5
Vet 30- 8
450B- 13
Total- 68

Chili-

250C- 21
250B- 21
Open Pro- 4
Vet 30- 12
450B- 18
Total- 76
 
Baja definitely favors the locals that ride the sand track all the time. If your a guy riding in Ohio, PA, KY or Indiana, your not riding those conditions at all around here.
 
5 random classes, and their stats:

Lincoln Trail-
250C- 50
250B- 31
Open Pro- 18
Vet 30- 34
450 B- 23
Total: 156

Pleasure Valley-
250C- 35
450B- 16
Open Pro- 14
Vet 30- 19
450 B- 16
Total: 100

BC-
250C- 19
250B- 22
Open Pro- 10
Vet 30- 8
450 B- 17
Total: 76

Malvern-

250C- 22
250B- 20
Open Pro- 5
Vet 30- 8
450B- 13
Total- 68

Chili-

250C- 21
250B- 21
Open Pro- 4
Vet 30- 12
450B- 18
Total- 76

I don't believe these numbers account for the riders that do not give their money to mx sports?
 
These number reflect the number of riders that were on the line for the first moto of the above classes. Taken directly from MXsports results.

http://www.racer-results.net/results/mxsports/2016/AreaRegional/results.asp?t=1&e=43&c=1

You will notice in this link there is no rider that finished 2nd in the moto 1 results and no rider that finished 4th in the moto 2 results. That means these racers (or that racer) did not pay the qualifying fee and did not get added to the results.
 

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Correct, he's pulling the MX Sports page of only those who paid. vet 30 at BC had 13 entrants, 8 paid to qual.
Numbers I listed are not the previous "on gate" but the number paid to qualify, I stand corrected, but the numbers listed are correct.
 
As mentioned we were roughly at 500, I think Connie said 501........just a slight drop form 820 in 2015.
WOW! Slight drop. That's a huge drop in entries, and however many people would come through the gate with those extra 319 entries. Lots of profit lost there for sure with the same expenses. You wonder why such a big drop. Is it the Baja regional hurting the areas like stated above? If that is the case perhaps the regional needs to be moved by MX Sports and the AMA to help out the tracks with the Areas.
 
WOW! Slight drop. That's a huge drop in entries, and however many people would come through the gate with those extra 319 entries. Lots of profit lost there for sure with the same expenses. You wonder why such a big drop. Is it the Baja regional hurting the areas like stated above? If that is the case perhaps the regional needs to be moved by MX Sports and the AMA to help out the tracks with the Areas.

Well its a variety of things (And this is just my opinion). First, last year was phenomenal, I doubt its the norm for AQs. It was on memorial day weekend, so that number is high. Second, we were on Mothers day weekend, and it was supposed to pour buckets Saturday. Third, the Midwest has 2 tough regional tracks, and then you have PVR running an AQ to get to High Point on the same weekend as our AQ. I'm not saying High Point is a cake walk, but Baja and RB aren't easy either. I would say we were about 100-125 below where we should be, but I always say things even out in the end. So its just things evening out from last year to this year.
 
I know a handful of racers that went to RB to race that had already qualified at Chillitown. Why race another area when you can get a race weekend in at the track holding your regional?
 
Being in 250C I figured there would be a bigger turn out at BC but I got a rude awakening at Pleasure Valley. Had to run qualifying races just to make it into the 2nd moto. I chose PV because the regional is high point. Would much rather race High point than a track I've never rode before that's all sand. Heard tons of horror stories of riders from mid east that get slaughtered by the riders that ride baja/red bud whenever they're open.
 
There are a lot of qualifiers, your not going to get 40 bikes at a qualifier cause there are so many. But you will see full gates at the regionals. The low turn out for baja is maybe cause it is the last one and a brutal track. I love that place.
The michigan mafia destroys me but hey I like the beach.
 
Being in 250C I figured there would be a bigger turn out at BC but I got a rude awakening at Pleasure Valley. Had to run qualifying races just to make it into the 2nd moto. I chose PV because the regional is high point. Would much rather race High point than a track I've never rode before that's all sand. Heard tons of horror stories of riders from mid east that get slaughtered by the riders that ride baja/red bud whenever they're open.

Bring those boys to hard pack and they're laying front end washed out in corners....

High point is Just as rough as red bud. Except it's rock hard rough. Square edge ruts and acceleratoon / braking bump infused. SW PA is nasty. Atleast redbud is a little softer....
 
Bring those boys to hard pack and they're laying front end washed out in corners....

High point is Just as rough as red bud. Except it's rock hard rough. Square edge ruts and acceleratoon / braking bump infused. SW PA is nasty. Atleast redbud is a little softer....
I agree with you 100%. Raced High Points qualifer last year and the elevation change mixed with the braking bumps make for some grueling motos. Same can be said about Red Bud though.
 
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