Just so you don’t get the impression that I don’t think any progress has been made in the sport of motocross over the last 40 years or so, I thought I’d talk about a few things that seem like improvements to me.
Every track I can think of today has a backward falling gate. That’s a pretty simple change that many racers of the last couple of decades would take for granted, but it really has made the all important start a fair contest. I was a really good starter back when I was younger. I was able to time the forward falling gates because even if you bumped them a little they were falling away from you and didn’t impede your progress much. I totally killed the starts when the old bungee cords were used. If you got a spot in the center where the bungee cords were tethered, you could leave much earlier than the competitors on the far inside and outside spots because the rubber band took comparatively longer to get out of their way. Today’s backward falling gate is designed to give everyone an equal chance at getting a good jump and at the same time offers a pretty steep penalty for those that pull the trigger too early. I can’t think of much improvement needed for starting gates. Still, too many tracks have first turns that don’t offer much of a chance for riders to holeshot unless they are in the handful of prime spots. That’s always been a problem that I think many tracks with ample real estate could perhaps do a better job at.
Transponders are pretty cool. Exact lap times and splits are a great way to gauge a rider’s performance on race day and are a great training tool. I’m not so crazy about using this exact timing capability to justify qualifying for AMA motocross nationals based on lap times in qualifying practice. I’d still rather see riders race their way into the lineup at a national. I guess there is good and bad about either method. Racing your way into a position in a qualifier can leave good riders out of the show if they get a bad start or have a small crash. Of course, that is part of racing and racing is what we value as racers. Track conditions on a motocross track change so much from the first practice of the day to the second, third and whatever, that it is really doesn’t seem quite fair to qualify riders based on lap times on a track where conditions can change so much in 45 minutes that a 5-6 second gap is possible. Let’s go back to racing our way into the big show at nationals. Still, transponders are cool.
I think there are many more women racers now. That’s got to be a positive thing when we can make our sport more accessible to any demographic with the desire to compete. I can remember many women racers back in the 70s when I first started. They had to compete against the men, which, for the most part, wasn’t fair. Of course, there were some women like Lisa Akin that were plenty fast and competed at the front of the pack in the “A” class at big amateur races.
I also like the fact that promoters make special tracks for pee wee riders. What a great way to get the very youngest riders on the smallest bikes out on a real motocross track and in a real race. This gives the little ones a track of their own, more suited to their machines and skills, to learn how to ride and compete. I do see some kids stay on the pee wee track too long after their skills have progressed to the point where they should be riding the big tracks. Get those kids on the real tracks when they show the ability to ride it. I’m not sure there’s much utility in keeping them on a beginner track for very long. I think my 3rd race ever was on the same track Roger Decoster rode at Red Bud.
I suppose protective gear has progressed too. I don’t know if the changes are revolutionary, but I would say that a rider is generally safer today than when I first started. Helmets are definitely better. From a seat of the pants perspective, the padding and fit are much better than the high end helmets of the 70s and 80s. I also think the nationals safety standards have gotten higher too, which is the kind of progress we need. Knee braces are a great improvement for today’s racer. I have 2 reconstructed knees from my early years of racing. My second career was really only possible because of the high quality knee braces available today and the stability they provided me. I’m pretty sure that I would have horrifically blown out my already blown out knee a few years ago when I went down in a fast sweeper. My upper leg turned purple (which I was quite proud of), which I think was because of the way the brace redistributed the load of the crash away from my vulnerable knee to my strong thigh and femur. I wouldn’t ride without knee braces and I wouldn’t recommend that anybody does. This brings me to neck braces. Without fully knowing the science behind them, I’m fairly confident that they would likely prevent some serious neck injuries. I know that this is a controversial subject, and that many well respected racers opt not to use them. Some of the comments I’ve heard are that they “are not convinced” that neck braces are beneficial. To me, that would be a bad idea to avoid wearing one. On the other hand, I’ve heard others say that they think the current generation of neck braces actually causes some types of neck or back injuries. Again, I’ve not seen the science either way. I don’t know if I trust many of the naysayers because I see many racers avoid wearing obviously beneficial protective gear for various reasons. I remember when people avoided full face helmets because they were said to cause collarbone breaks. Now full face helmets are required and I don’t think anyone would seriously consider racing motocross without one. I also see many riders and role models avoid wearing obviously effective gear like shoulder pads because they find them hot or uncomfortable in some way. To me a little discomfort is not a good reason to avoid solid protection. In any event, I think the movement toward trying to find effective neck and spine protection has come none too soon. We’ve started down the path of developing this important technology and it will only get better.
Change is inevitable. Let’s keep trying, keep considering and keep moving when the movement makes sense for motocrossers; average, every day motocrossers.
Every track I can think of today has a backward falling gate. That’s a pretty simple change that many racers of the last couple of decades would take for granted, but it really has made the all important start a fair contest. I was a really good starter back when I was younger. I was able to time the forward falling gates because even if you bumped them a little they were falling away from you and didn’t impede your progress much. I totally killed the starts when the old bungee cords were used. If you got a spot in the center where the bungee cords were tethered, you could leave much earlier than the competitors on the far inside and outside spots because the rubber band took comparatively longer to get out of their way. Today’s backward falling gate is designed to give everyone an equal chance at getting a good jump and at the same time offers a pretty steep penalty for those that pull the trigger too early. I can’t think of much improvement needed for starting gates. Still, too many tracks have first turns that don’t offer much of a chance for riders to holeshot unless they are in the handful of prime spots. That’s always been a problem that I think many tracks with ample real estate could perhaps do a better job at.
Transponders are pretty cool. Exact lap times and splits are a great way to gauge a rider’s performance on race day and are a great training tool. I’m not so crazy about using this exact timing capability to justify qualifying for AMA motocross nationals based on lap times in qualifying practice. I’d still rather see riders race their way into the lineup at a national. I guess there is good and bad about either method. Racing your way into a position in a qualifier can leave good riders out of the show if they get a bad start or have a small crash. Of course, that is part of racing and racing is what we value as racers. Track conditions on a motocross track change so much from the first practice of the day to the second, third and whatever, that it is really doesn’t seem quite fair to qualify riders based on lap times on a track where conditions can change so much in 45 minutes that a 5-6 second gap is possible. Let’s go back to racing our way into the big show at nationals. Still, transponders are cool.
I think there are many more women racers now. That’s got to be a positive thing when we can make our sport more accessible to any demographic with the desire to compete. I can remember many women racers back in the 70s when I first started. They had to compete against the men, which, for the most part, wasn’t fair. Of course, there were some women like Lisa Akin that were plenty fast and competed at the front of the pack in the “A” class at big amateur races.
I also like the fact that promoters make special tracks for pee wee riders. What a great way to get the very youngest riders on the smallest bikes out on a real motocross track and in a real race. This gives the little ones a track of their own, more suited to their machines and skills, to learn how to ride and compete. I do see some kids stay on the pee wee track too long after their skills have progressed to the point where they should be riding the big tracks. Get those kids on the real tracks when they show the ability to ride it. I’m not sure there’s much utility in keeping them on a beginner track for very long. I think my 3rd race ever was on the same track Roger Decoster rode at Red Bud.
I suppose protective gear has progressed too. I don’t know if the changes are revolutionary, but I would say that a rider is generally safer today than when I first started. Helmets are definitely better. From a seat of the pants perspective, the padding and fit are much better than the high end helmets of the 70s and 80s. I also think the nationals safety standards have gotten higher too, which is the kind of progress we need. Knee braces are a great improvement for today’s racer. I have 2 reconstructed knees from my early years of racing. My second career was really only possible because of the high quality knee braces available today and the stability they provided me. I’m pretty sure that I would have horrifically blown out my already blown out knee a few years ago when I went down in a fast sweeper. My upper leg turned purple (which I was quite proud of), which I think was because of the way the brace redistributed the load of the crash away from my vulnerable knee to my strong thigh and femur. I wouldn’t ride without knee braces and I wouldn’t recommend that anybody does. This brings me to neck braces. Without fully knowing the science behind them, I’m fairly confident that they would likely prevent some serious neck injuries. I know that this is a controversial subject, and that many well respected racers opt not to use them. Some of the comments I’ve heard are that they “are not convinced” that neck braces are beneficial. To me, that would be a bad idea to avoid wearing one. On the other hand, I’ve heard others say that they think the current generation of neck braces actually causes some types of neck or back injuries. Again, I’ve not seen the science either way. I don’t know if I trust many of the naysayers because I see many racers avoid wearing obviously beneficial protective gear for various reasons. I remember when people avoided full face helmets because they were said to cause collarbone breaks. Now full face helmets are required and I don’t think anyone would seriously consider racing motocross without one. I also see many riders and role models avoid wearing obviously effective gear like shoulder pads because they find them hot or uncomfortable in some way. To me a little discomfort is not a good reason to avoid solid protection. In any event, I think the movement toward trying to find effective neck and spine protection has come none too soon. We’ve started down the path of developing this important technology and it will only get better.
Change is inevitable. Let’s keep trying, keep considering and keep moving when the movement makes sense for motocrossers; average, every day motocrossers.
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