Hello Ping,
Is there anyway that you can enlighten me on why this great sport we are such fans of is getting so provocative? Now I'm well aware you couldn't answer the way you may believe. I would just like my view, and i'm sure i can speak for a ton of others that have a little morals, to be looked at and considered before the industry throw half naked girls in our face. Not that I'm against that, but there is a time and place. And its not when i'm with my son and daughter........ I've been in the sport and to tons of races in the last 20 years, amateur and Pro, and can't help but notice the women in the industries clothing seems to be getting less and less. Now I've always defended mx to all the anti moto "to dangerous" critics, the undeniable family bond this sport has. But for once I'm find myself having to preview a damn mx video before I let my 5 years old son watch some sx… Let alone my daughter.This morning he comes running in to watch Barcia and asks me why is that girl standing on the track with her pants undone and in her bra? Now im well aware of what business is all about and what may sell on Saturday night. But can't we keep the spot light on the riders and not some of these girls? If business is all their worried about, couldn't they just go into porn? From the looks of it Miss SX is well on her way and I'm sure she will do just fine. She's beautiful and is not scared to undress....
And lets keep the spot light on the riders? I know I'm one person but please, this cant be what everyone wants to see at the races with their family....
Thanks
Chase
Chase,
There are three groups of people when it comes to this issue: First, you have those who love it. The more skin, the better, and they are usually pounding beers and smoking weed in the parking lot before the show starts. Then you have the family crowd, like yourself, who don't want that stuff on display for your kids. Finally, you have the vast majority who are just numb to it. Our culture has drifted way off the scale in terms of promiscuity and whether you are watching television, listening to the radio, or going to a supercross, there is sex on display. On a couple different occasions I've been singing along to the radio in my shower and felt kind of dirty when I heard the lyrics as I belted out the high notes into my shampoo bottle/microphone. "All About the Bass"? "Your Anaconda"? "Skeet, Skeet, Skeet"? I'm just saying you have to know what you're saying before you start singing songs with your kids. I took my 6- and 7-year-old girls to their first race at the San Diego Supercross last year and I had several moments where I grabbed their hands and walked them in another direction. The race itself was cool, but I wasn't comfortable with a lot of the things we saw in the pits, so I totally get your point. The bottom line is that supercross has become big business and until girls in sexy costumes becomes unpopular with guys (supercross' key demographic) you'll continue to see it. Quick update: Halloween costume top sellers this year are sexy nurse, sexy zombie, and sexy cowgirl. Maybe keep the kids in the house this year.
PING
Ping,
Am I the only person that liked the Jay Springsteen flat track curves and 70 MPH sky slope to flat landing jumps at the MEC. Hell I am tired of the same 54 foot triple and 90 degree Berms every week.
Ben Owen JR
Ben,
I am sure there are plenty of people who appreciate the unique track layout at the MEC. It is a distinct mix of traditional supercross mixed with some high-speed outdoor segments that pretty much everybody seems to like. Personally, I'd like to see tracks that are more technical and a little slower/tighter because that usually makes passing easier. I think track builders should try to be more creative. Having eighteen rounds of the exact same track gets monotonous for the riders and the fans. I realize there are only so many things you can do inside a baseball or football stadium, but when riders can roll onto the track and jump everything within the first two laps, you might be getting a little stale with your design. Just a thought. Having said that, these guys could be racing around a TT track, but as long as they are passing and racing aggressively for the lead I don't really care. I've seen some incredible racing on backyard tracks with 50cc bikes being ridden by fully grown adults who may or may not have consumed several adult beverages, so I don't believe it is the track or venue that makes motorcycle racing so entertaining. If those epic backyard sessions have taught me anything, it's that the key ingredient to great racing is tall boys and shot of Fireball. Wait, that's not right. It was the little bikes. Yeah, you have to be on kid’s bikes. No, that's not it. Hang on, I'll get this right…
PING
Ping,
I know Loretta’s is all about the future generations with trying to keep motocross relevant and with the kids being the future of this great sport blah, blah, blah. With that being said, I was wondering why there aren’t any classes for all the people with LOTS OF DISPOSABLE INCOME? An example would be myself. I have ridden and raced my whole life getting to be a pretty good B rider before calling it quits due to what got you, a real job, marriage and kids. [in no particular order]. I just turned 50 with the kids grown, job dialed in, and riding again I want to try and qualify for Loretta’s. If I was to make it through the qualifiers and showed up riding my 06 450 I would be riding against the likes of former pros and experts!! Finally, the question: Why don’t they have something like 40 A-B-C, 45 A-B-C, 50 A-B-C and so forth up to 60? With the rules being if you were ever a pro you ride A class. If you made it as far as expert you ride B. If you were never more than a B rider [like myself] you ride C class. There are so many people I talk with that are my age and older that would do Loretta’s in a second if they had a chance at all, but they DON’T!! Us older guys could probably fund the whole week at Loretta’s for all the young guns if they would just let us spend ALL OF OUR DISPOSABLE INCOME!!
Thanks for your time and wisdom, Roger Myers Towson, Maryland
Roger,
The gang at MX Sports probably hears this a lot, and there really is only one problem with it: time. They only have a certain number of days at the ranch and there are only so many hours of daylight. Right now they clip off moto after moto for the entire week like clockwork, starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending just before dark, and there just isn't room to add any more classes. They have made some adjustments recently by dropping a couple classes and adding a couple elsewhere, but in order to make sure everyone gets three quality motos, they can't just add more classes, even if there is a market for it.
I know DC and Tim Cotter and the AMA are working on some ideas, like adding a Vet B/C +40 class, but I don't think they will ever get to A, B, and C in every age group. Maybe something will change in the future since guys like Robbie Reynard are still fast enough to qualify for nationals but haven't held a pro card for years. Until that time, I would suggest making a trip to Glen Helen in the fall for the Vet World Championship. That race (which is this weekend) is broken up by age and skill level, so you won't be racing with a guy who once had a factory ride or with a kid who still has a normal sized prostate. It's old fart-versus-old fart. I know it's a long way from Maryland, but it would be an epic trip. Probably one with lots of pee stops.
PING
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