WHEN is there going to be another track in Orange County, CA? It's ridiculous that my son and I need to drop close to $100 each time we ride tracks, on top of the 2 hours + it takes to get to and from. When I was first turned on to this sport we had Saddleback at Irvine. Then one day, gone! I would think with the growing popularity of the sport and the proven attendence at local events (last time I checked Anaheim was in OC), combined with passion most riders share for the sport, nothing is in the works?
Anyways... any insight would be great!
Dear ?,
There have been several projects “in the works” in the OC for the past decade. The most controversial is the Irvine Helicopter Hangers idea. You know those gigantic buildings off of Jamboree that haven’t been used for anything in years? The idea was proposed to turn that into an indoor motocross facility. Of course with the tree-hugging, liberal officials that run most of this state, the proposal has been tied up in red-tape for years and it will probably never happen. They would rather force you to sell your bike in order to pay higher taxes so that illegal aliens citizens can la-di-da across our border, give birth and force our government to pay for their medical bills and their child’s education. And if there is any money left over that could be used to build some type of recreational facility they would much rather send it down to the welfare office and hand it to some douchebag that is far too lazy to get a job and earn a check.
Riverside County, just east of Orange County, has more licensed off-roaders than any other county in the country and our riding areas are still being shut down faster than a rat-infested Taco Bell franchise. My advice: get out of California as fast as you can.
PING
Ping,
What's the deal with all of these 250f, er, "lites" riders and their jacked-up grills? Villopoto, Grant, Lawrence, Townley—all of them look like they go to the Bob Hannah School of Dentistry. I know these guys take their racing and training very seriously, but you'd think they could take a moment or two to run down to the orthodontist's office and tune up that tooth they broke off three years earlier, or set the wheels in motion to get their Chicklets in an even row. I know they could afford it themselves, but I'll guarantee you they could just get one of their sponsors to foot the bill, as sponsors want their riders to look good on TV. Just a thought.
Rocky Sobotka
Dear Rocky,
I don’t really have a response to that. Except, holy geez, have you seen Antonio Cairoli’s chompers? That pasta-eater’s not-so-pearly-whites make any one of the guys you mentioned look like George Clooney. You could make a mold of his teeth and sell it at Home Depot as some kind of gardening tool.
PING
Hey Ping,
I appreciate the time. I live in Castle Rock, CO, about a block from the old national track. I'm no McGrath but I do have the same problem with neighbors. I have a personal track on 10 acres in a rural area, and most of the neighbors are fine with it.
Recently the news papers here have gotten a hold of the issue and one neighbor is going to file a civil nuisance suit. The sheriffs have been here about 10 times and sound tested each time and no tickets were issued. I have much respect for my neighbors and never ride before 11 a.m. or past dusk, my bikes have passed the sound tests, but they keep finding loopholes between state and local sound ordinances and have set a new enforcement at 78db at 50ft I think I can achieve this.
Help-advise please
Doug McLain
Dear Doug,
I think the first thing you should do is find the neighbor that is complaining, poop in a paper bag, set it on his doorstep, light it on fire, ring the doorbell and run. That is always step one. After that I would recommend getting an eco-friendly exhaust system. FMF and Pro Circuit each make an exhaust/spark arrestor designed for minimum decibels that works well. Definitely keep your riding hours between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the weekdays. Also, make sure to keep dust down and limit the number of people you have riding with you.
The bottom line, Doug, is that some people are just grumpy old farts that don’t have anything better to do than complain about things. If your whiny neighbor is one of those types than you are headed down a long road. Good luck.
PING
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