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Why do you ride/race motocross?
With the recent death in New England motocross, it has got me thinking about why I ride and race.There is no doubt that motocross is an extremely dangerous sport. Between the bikes, the tracks, and the safety equipment there are a ton of variables that could go wrong whean we race, and there is no doubt that injuries are almost inevitable. In addition, it is extremely expensive, and in these tough economic times that are bound to come in the future, racing motocross is becoming a stretch for many families. However, motocross racers pour there hearts and souls into riding and racing each week.
So my question to you is, why do you ride? Is it because of the great community of friends that develop around motocross, or the great satisfaction that comes after winning? Do you just enjoy flying through the air or skimming over braking bumps? What is it about motocross that brings you back to the track week in and week out?
I for one, race because of the satisfaction that I get from it. It feels great to know how hard you worked at something, and succeeded. It is also always a challenge, and it feels great to improve in your riding skills.
Let me know in the comments your reasons for risking life and limb on the motocross track. If you don’t race, let me know why you ride motocross or any other form of motosports.
AMA unviels night time pro motocross under the lights, is this a good or bad?
This past weekend in Lakewood, the AMA held their first ever night time professional motocross race.This was a revolutionary event, and one that is sure to have longer lasting implications. This new format effected three major aspects of the sport. The competition, the riders, and the fans.
Competition
Overall, it seems as if the night time format may hurt competition if it were a permanent fixture in the AMA motocross scene. This is due to a variety of reasons. The first is that the cooler air means that fitness becomes less of an problem. This may be good for the fans, but for the well conditioned riders who worked hard to be able to ride both motos in the daytime heat, it takes away their competitive edge. In addition, the track got less rough. According to Jason Weigandt, the track owners were leery to dice up and water the track as much because they feared it would create too many deep ruts that would make vision very hard. While it is nice to see the tracks concerned about safety, the nationals are known for their rough tracks and once that gets taken away, the transition to more Supercross only contracts may increase rapidly. As a result of the night time racing, vision became an issue whereas it has almost never been before. This may help competition, but not via the traditional means, and vision may take precedent over fitness or pure speed during the daytime. Despite all of these factors that should have hurt the results, Stewart and Villopoto dominated the results like they have done all season long.Riders
For the riders, the night time races present both good and bad factors, making it a neutral chance. One major change is that it gives them much more time during the morning for prepare. This relieves stress, and lets them sleep in. In general it makes their day much more relaxing. In addition, it changes up their regular schedule and adds a little excitement to their day. This may help to keep more riders interested in the nationals, instead of the same boring schedule week after week. It breaks up their general routine, and keeps them on their toes. However, this also changes their practice techniques. Many riders are used to riding right in the heat of the day, and going to bed rather early to be ready for the next day of riding. But this is simply not feasible to get ready for a night time race. The races are later, which means the riders need to be able to stay up later, but don’t need to wake up as early. This means that they have to change up their routine in order to prepare for the night races. In addition, the radically new schedule completely changes the practice, and race times that riders are used to from years of experience. While may add excitement to the day, it may also cause confusion which could be a bad thing in the long run. The nighttime races seem neutral in the riders sense. It both improves their day, but also adds some confusion which could be bad for the standard flow that the industry is used to at national races.Fans
One of the main reasons this night time motocross concept was put into action is to benefit the fans, and this goal was clearly achieved. The number one beniefet for fans is that the temperature is extremely reduced at night. Normally during the nationals fans spend the day in the beating, hot sun, and suffer from dehydration, and sunburns. Night time races completely erase this problem, as the sun is not visible, and the temperature race. This also draws more people to the race because they will be more willing to spend a few hours during a warm summer night as opposed to spending a day in the sun. This turns attending a national from a day long event into a night time family activity. People are generally not working at night, and this allows more people to attend night time races. This attracts new fans to the sport, with the chance of converting them to long time fans which is ultimately beneficial for the sport. The night time schedule also allows fans who can show up early in the day to explore the riders, and the track. They have a chance to become more educated about the sport, and this benefits them personally and the sport as a whole.Overall, the AMA’s experimentation with night time motocross was extremely positive this past weekend in Lakewood. While it seems like it would have hurt competition, it is hard to say if this is true, as the Villopoto and Stewart continued their winning streak. The change benefitted the fans, and ultimately the riders. Despite the results, this change shows that the AMA, and more specifically David Clabaugh (the organizer of the Lakewood national), are actively trying to improve the series through new innovative ideas. As far as I know there are no plans for future night races, but maybe we will see the AMA continue to try new formats.
What do you think of the night time format? Let me know in the comments.
Tips to help you get sponsors easier and faster
Motocross is an extremely economically taxing sports, and many riders could not do it without help.For most, this help comes in the form of sponsors. However, beginners in the sport often have a hard time getting sponsors to help with their racing programs. It is definitely a tricky task, but these few tips could help to make it a little bit easier.
Be loyal to those who help you
By giving you a sponsorship, companies are essentially taking money out of their pockets to help you out. The more loyal you are to them, the more willing they will be to help you out. The more loyal you are the more comfortable the campany will feel in developing a long term relationship with you. What is meant by being loyal? Always talk good about their products, and if you are not please with one of their products, give constructive criticism instead of bashing them. In addition, it is almost always expected, or recquired that you run stickers on your bike, helmet, etc. The more active you are with keeping up on these, the happier your sponsor will be to help you out even more. The more they see you help them, the more they will be willing to help you.Be thankful
A good way to show to a sponsor that you care about there help is to be thankful towards them. Always add a “thanks” when corresponding with them, and try to show them that you appreciate how much they went out of their way to help you. Send them monthly updates on your racing to keep them in the loop, and keep your name and results fresh in their mind. If you know the sponsor or rep personally, it may be a good idea to give them a gift certificate or take them out for dinner for major holidays/birthdays. This will help you connect more personally with them, and not only will it improve your relationship, but it may lead to better sponsorship opportunities in the future. Always be thankful for even the smallest things they help you with.Don’t forget the little guys
Many riders begin their search for sponsors with the larger companies such as Renthal or Scott. Every rider wants to be sponsored by one of the major companies, but it is also important not to forget the little guys. Riders often forget how crucial the small motocross shops in our industry are to amateur racing. Before you go searching for a sponsorship from one of the major companies, start by building a relationship with your local motocross shop of choice. Not only will they be able to put in a good word for you with the reps of the major companies, but a good deal with your local shop will allow you to get discounts on all products they offer which is much more beneficial than a sponsorship from just one major companies. The bottom line is to never forget about the little guys who can make a large difference in your sponsorship program.Ask and thou shall recieve (maybe)
Almost all riders want to get sponsored, but many do not ask for any help from dealers/companies. Whether this is due to lack of experience or just not being sure how to ask, this is a mistake. Companies/shops cannot be expected give you deals if they do not know that you want deals. It is simple to ask for a deal, just start off asking for a small discount, and when you feel that you deserve more, ask for it. The worst that will happen is your dealer will say no, and you will be back to square one. Also, don’t be shy when sending your resumes to large companies, you may be surprised what companies will give you a considerable discount on products.Good results never hurt
While using tactics to help and build relationships with dealers and companies can help your sponsorship opportunities, nothing will replace good results. When companies give you help, they want their logo to be at the front of the pack and this only comes via good results. In addition, a good rider will yield more publicity for a sponsor. It is possible to get good sponsors even if you are not the best rider in your class, but it will be harder and require more time.Forget the websites…
Many riders start off their sponsorship getting process with websites such as Sponsorhouse. However, it is more or less a good idea to ignore these websites. They offer a great place to start for beginners, but when you get serious about sponsorships, they offer little value. The majority of offers you will receive off of these sites is 20-35% which is almost entirely cancelled out due to shipping costs. Also, my experiences with ordering off of online stores such as Scott’s is that the shipping time yields the service maddening to use. As companies become more comfortable with the notion of online sponsorship programs the deals on these sites may improve, but for the time being it is trully not worth the time put into it.… But don’t forget your resume
Having a professional, concise, well thought out resume is a crucial step in getting sponsors. It allows them to get a peak into your racing career in a few pages of text. One mistake a lot of riders make is to use the default Sponsorhouse profile layout. Companies have seen this hundreds, if not thousands of times and when they see yours, they automatically know that you did not put a lot of time or effort into your resume. A clean, concise resume built with Microsoft Word or a comparable word processor at least shows that you put time into customizing and perfecting your resume, and shows that you are willing to work hard to get results. Try to keep your resume short while still providing enough information, and include some pictures of you riding and of your face. Your resume is almost the only thing companies know about you, and it is important to give them a good impression. You can check out my resume here (PDF)..Getting hep from sponsors can be a tricky task, but if you are professional and controlled about it, while still ensuring that you ask for what you want can pay huge dividends in your search for sponsors.
What tips and tricks do you use yo help get sponsors? Let me know in the comments.
Motocross is an extremely economically taxing sports, and many riders could not do it without help.How New England motocross is hurting itself and what is needed to fix it
There is no denying that attendance at New England motocross races has been extremely low in the past couple of weeks.Most people attribute this to high gas prices, which, in all likely hood may very well be the cause. These tough times are hurting every one: the riders, the tracks, the organizations, and the dealers, and something is needed to fix it.
The root of the problem is in the multiple organizations around New England, resulting in too much competition. NEMA, NEMX, NESC, WSP, NSCS are all organizations fighting for the same audience which is shrinking from year to year. Each organization has a core group of riders, but struggles to attract new riders, resulting is smaller attendances each week. Events like the New England Regional Championship show that there is a huge market in New England, and that hundreds of riders race each weekend. However, when divided up between 5 or more different races on any given weekend, no one organization is able to make a profit.
How can this problem be solved? Consolidation. We are already starting to see this happen. Two of the most forward thinking organizations in New England, NEMX and WSP have teamed up for the past couple years with multiple combined races throughout the year. While NEMX can sometimes struggle to pull a good crowd on regular days, the turnout at these combined events are huge. Lots of combination coupled with a slew of different riders draws a ton of riders to these events. As a result, both the WSP and NEMX promoters win both monetarily and by drawing more attention to their organizations.
Some may combat my idea of consolidation by saying that the more choices , the better for the riders, and that the best organizations will ride to the top. The problem with this argument is that while choices are good, they are not good when they are all bad. If organizations cannot pull enough riders to make a profit each week, they are left with no money to improve on their program. Instead of thinking of new, innovative ideas to improve the quality of the tracks, or of the racing, organizations and promoters get stuck in a rut thinking only of how to survive. So while the riders do have choice, all of the options soon become poor choices, essentially leaving no choice at all.
Once organizations do something to start making profits each week, they can concentrate more on improvements and less on survival. New changes to the tracks, classes, and formats could draw more riders to the track despite the high price of gas. Motocross racing has had the same format and structure for many years, and even slight changes could get old and new riders excited about racing once again. Not only would this make New England motocross healthy, it would increase the competition, and make racing even more fun.
As it stands right now, no one is making money in New England motocross. A large change is needed in order to survive the tough economic times we live in. Maybe consolidating the organizations is the answer, but maybe not. The bottom line is that something needs to be done.
Are you seeing decreasing numbers at motocross races near you? What do you think could and should be done to fix the coming crisis?
The death of a comrade
Two weekends ago, the New England motocross community suffered the loss of a member.At the NESC race two weekends ago Dan Arnold, #72, suffered a fatal crash in the vet class. I didn’t know Dan personally, but from the memorials on the NESC page, he seemed like a great guy. Despite the severity and sadness of this news, it is uplifting to see the community pull together. We are so used to racing every weekend in and out, that we rarely look at what we are doing and realize the true danger of it. Injuries are almost inevitable, but it is good to see how tight of a community New England motocross has become, and how supportive motocross racers are of their fellow racers.
This event is horrific, but it shows how important safety and safety equipment in our sport. For years the safety gear in motocross has been relatively the same, but recently, new safety products have revolutionized the motocross safety industry, and can hopefully prevent further deaths in our community.
More info, funeral times, and letters of sympathy can be found on the NESC page.
New England motocross show: Brining motocross news to the internet
The guys from Distant Films, have started on a new project called the New England Motocross Show.NEMXS is a TV show all about motocross. It has interviews, race recaps, adn news from all over New England. The show is aired on a variety of channels in Maine and New Hampshire. Don’t worry though, if you are not in the areas where it airs, you can view all of the episodes on their website NEMXS.com.
New England motocross has never had a rich resource for news and recaps of the races. NEMXS fills this void, and offers great footage and commentary. It is definitely a great show for anyone interested in the weekly happenings in New England motocross.
More info, news, contact information, and the latest episodes can be found at www.nemxs.com.
5 tips for working on your motocross bike
Maintenance is an integral part of staying competitive in the world of motocross.Some people don’t mind this necessary work, and may even enjoy it, while others dread it. The difference between the two groups of people is usually how they approach working on their bikes, here are a few of my tips to make bike maintenance easier.
Stay organized
Make sure that you have everything organized and clean before you even start working. Keep all of your tools in their proper place in your tool box, and make sure they are clean from your last time using them. Keep all of the parts/bolts/nuts that you take off of your bike in an organized manner so that you can get back at them quickly and easily. Keep distractions to a minimum so that you are totally focused on the job at hand.Right tool for the job
Before you embark on a major job on your bike, make sure that you know which tools you need, and make sure you have those tools. There is nothing worse then getting halfway through a project and finding out you don’t have the right tool, and having to put it all back together for another day. A good resource is your owners manual which should list which tools you need for most maintenance procedures. Also, use the correct tool, don’t try to slip by using an American wrench on a Metric bolt, or trying to use pliers to get that tough bolt off. This will more likely than not strip the threads on the bolt, and will only make your job harder next time you work on your bike.Know what your doing
While working on your bike, be sure that you clearly now what you are doing before you get in over your head. Everyone likes to think that they can complete even the most complicatd maintenance tasks, but that is not the truth. Sometimes it is better to just bring it to a shop. Not only will it save you hours of frustration, but it could save you from damaging your bike even more.Use a manual
USE YOUR MANUAL! If you have any questions when working on your bike, refer to the manual. If you ride a Kawasaki, you can get a service manual for about $60 that provides a wealth of information on almost anything that you may need to do on your bike. Our bikes are the only thing between us and the ground while traveling 60mph, and tens of feet above the ground, and if something goes wrong, it will not be pretty. Don’t hestate to take a few minutes to check the manual if your are not sure on the torque of a bolt, or how much oil your transmission needs.Lights
Many motocross racers save a large amount of their maintenance till last minute the night before a race. Whether you are doing this at the track, or in your own garage it is important to have adequate lighting in your work area. Working in a dim lit area can be maddening, especially when you are trying to find the spring that just flew off your bike into the dark abyss. Lighting your work area will not only allow you to find stuff easier, but it will keep you more focused on the bike, and less focused on trying to see.
What methods to you use to make your maintenance go quicker and easier?
Your Favorite motocross websites [Follow Up]
A few weeks ago I wrote an article about my favorite motocross websites the response was great and a number of you sent in your favorite motocross websites. So, here are a list of your favorite motocross websites, enjoy!
Chris’ UK Motocross Photos
This site is run by photographer Chris Valentine, and features motocross photos from various events around the Uk. If you ride/race in the UK and are looking for some photos, check it out.
This site was recommended by Chris Valentine.TWMX
TWMX is the website of the wildly popular Transworld Motocross magazine. The web site includes race reports, photos, interviews, andvarious tips and tricks from the pros. There are also some great video riding sessions and interviews. Definitely a site worth checking out.
This site was recommended by Moto526ThumperTalk
ThumperTalk is an online community and forum dedicated to the discussion of 4-stroke dirt bikes. There is a very large and active community willing to talk about anything to do with 4-strokes. I use to spent a lot of time there, and am looking forward to again in the future now that I will soon be on a 4-storke myself.
This site was recommended by Kevin.L.NJ Motocross
NJ Motocross is run by Scott Lukatis, a popular New Jersey motocross photographer. The site was recently redone using Wordpress, and it is a great resource for New Jersey motocross news, photos, and interviews.
This site was recommended by Scott.
Possible one-moto format for 2009; the kiss of death for the outdoor nationals
The AMA is considering moving to a one-moto format for the 2009 nationals, this move could possibly spell the death of the outdoor nationals.There is no denying that the outdoor motocross is fast loosing popularity to supercross. Between supercross only contracts, better TV packages, and better promotions, the majority of the money in our sport is being put towards the supercorss series. Hard core motocross fans almost always prefer the nationals (including myself), but supercross draws more newcomers to the sport, and thus it has been gaining popularity much faster than the nationals. Despite these challenges, the nationals have survived through hard core riders and fans.
The AMA is considering moving to a one-moto format for 2009. The motivation for this move is to provide the possibility of a better TV package that will gain viewers and fans of the nationals. This seems like a good move for the sport, but in fact, it will kill it. It may gain TV viewers, but live attendance will drop significantly. There is no doubt that attending a national is not the most pleasurable experience, but hard core fans come back year in and year out. The adrenaline rush from the nationals cannot be matched by any TV broadcast. But with only one moto, the experiences becomes even less desireable, and even the most dedicated fans will begin to look to the TV broadcasts. In addition, new fans of the sport are happy watching it at home on TV. This failure of the AMA and NPG to convert new fans to dedicated fans will lead to the death of the nationals.
As real time attendances drop at the nationals, so will the motivation for riders to race the nationals, and for teams to fund programs for the nationals. We have already seen this transition begin, with Chad Reed. As more big name riders drop out of the nationals, more money will be taken from the nationals and put into supercross, eventually forcing the lesser known riders to drop out of the series in favor of supercross only contracts. This may allow the nationals to turn into a breeding ground for privateers, but eventually almost all of the funding will drop out of the nationals, and the quality of the events will drop considerably turning it into a B-level national series that is a shadow of its former self.
There is no doubt that if this change happens, then it will have considerable effects on the nationals, and could almost definetly end the nationals as we know it.
What are your thoughts on this possible change? Could it end the nationals as we know it, or can the nationals survive as a one moto series.
Sorry for the lack of content…
Hey, just wanted to drop a note and say sorry for the lack of good content on here lately. I have been extremely busy studying for finals, and I have simply not had any time to write posts for the site. I have some great posts I am currently working on, and was planning on getting a few of them up last night (Thusday June 19, 2008), but something went wrong with our internet connection and I was unable to get connected in order to post to the site. I should be able to get a few articles up this weekend, but then I am going camping next week from June 23 to June 28, so there will be no new articles during that time. The only way I will be able to get stories up is if someone would like to guest blog on the site. If you want to write some guest posts for the site, contact me at mike [at] mikemartinracing [dot] com. After that, however, I should be able to post more than a few times a week throughout the summer, so check back for tons of great content throughout the summer. In addition, we are still working on getting a bike put together for this summer, so I should be racing within a few months. Once again, my apologies for the lack of great articles that have been published here in the past few days.
