Want to hear how backwards this sport is?

M

mcdade12

PR Member
I know most of you know and hear it on hear and other places but in the past few weeks it has really showed. I have been doing alot of somewhat local races and i will throw numbers out just for you guys to see how backwards it is. Ill start out by telling in outdoors a 16th overall is 720 dollars. Western reserve paid 850 a moto. 2 stroke national i made 500 a moto (4motos). Kroc i won a 1 lap dash for cash and recieved traxxas rc truck and 400 cash and won the first moto and got a 5th and 2 dnf's. I made 1100 at kroc with the worst weekend i had in forever. Now getting to it in a sport when you turn pro and spent your life trying to be a professional in the sport you love wouldnt you think that you would do better as a pro in the top 20?let alone top 40? all the money flowing through nationals with 257.00 to sign up and i couldnt go on forever with all the stuff that is mandatory. Who would want to be pro unless you have a wealthy family or had money somewhere for afterwards. What happens to all the pros that arent top 5 and spent their life doing this and at 25 say now what?

Now on to my 2nd part. How could it be possible to start nationals/series for privateers so that at least they are making some money and getting same treatment. theres no way this sport will keep growing with these numbers and since its so hard to quit doing "your job" why not find a way to make it better or more beneficial for the ones that are favorited?
 
What about arenacross? How does that compare? If you are a top rider in arenacross is the payout better than 16th in a national? Sorry if this is a stupid question. I hear a lot about the payouts at a national but not in arenacross. I guess what I am trying to ask is that is someone better off that is outside the top ten to just stay racing sx or nationals or go try to clean house in arenacross?

The fact that you guys have to pay to enter a supercross or pro national is just stupid. You are the show. And the pay scale is way way off between a top five and the rest.
 
it depends on what you race in ax. for the turnout in arenacross vs, outdoor motocross it is a good payout. payout just falls off so hard after like top 3. Thats the problem. Lites class in ax pays 200 a win. Its cheaper to sign up but still your losing alot of money traveling around. There has to be a way to make it better for everyone. My advice as of now to all the people racing to try and become pro is to have fun at races and with your family and go to your local tracks that love to have you there. Stay in school dont get homeschooled and dont waste your money. Support local and amateur motocross cause once you turn pro and spend day in and day out you find out theres nothing good about being at those races. Im not saying not to put effort in but remember motocross ends early in life and there has to be another plan.
 
I think you are very wise Mike. You sound like a business man with an idea that could work. Take what you love and make a business out of it. It is such a shame that it doesnt pay more for someone like you to go pro because you are riding awesome & i know its in your heart. 10 years ago we took an idea of something my husband enjoyed doing and was good at and made an adventure business that we have been blessed with so i encourage you that you have all the skills you need to be successful (& it didnt require us any type of big $ 2 start) God bess :)
Also nice job at kroc you did awesome ... So glad to see you win the cash. You have earned the respect of so many this year and your name and reputation will help you grow this vision you have been dreaming.
 
Alot of guys prolly end up in your shoes...with racing. That is the current status quo in our sport. I don't know about national level stuff, but locally, it can be done. More pros on the line with amatuer quality racing in line with primo events should bring spectators. It can work locally...it can, and with what is unfolding, it probably will. Keep pressing forward.
 
Is wonder warthog still around? I haven't heard about them in a while. I don't remember exactly what they did either but I thought they were out there for the privateers.
 
It is as the tops riders have huge million dollar contracts & don't need the purse money......the guys from 10th thru 40th (or 20th at SX) are the ones who need this
money & should get at least a grand or two each for making the main as they are part of the show that brings in huge dollars.

Everyone who enters a qualifer at a SX or Outdoor MX should also get at least 750 bucks start money as again they are part of the big show.
Think about how exciting the LQ is....

Just my 2 cents....

Maico Mark
 
Motocross Action magazine has ran articles on this issue numerous times over the past couple of years to bring it into light and show how ruthless the business and corporate side of racing has become.

Jody Weisel bash's the industry execs pretty hard about it and also on how the AMA has only worsened matters over the years.
 
Unfortunately as the saying goes "If you want to make a million dollars racing..Start with 2 million". It's not just in motocross. It's in any serious form of racing.
 
I ran around and did nationals from 04 yo 09 and my eyes were really opened up by how I was treated like a scumbag because I was a privateer driving a van. John Ayers with PMG wouldn`t let us anywhere near the main pro pits. Besides the license and entry fees it was clear how the ama felt towards non-seeded riders by purposly giving them roughest/muddiest practice sessions. Local racing is pays way way better by far.
 
mcdade12 said:
it depends on what you race in ax. for the turnout in arenacross vs, outdoor motocross it is a good payout. payout just falls off so hard after like top 3. Thats the problem. Lites class in ax pays 200 a win. Its cheaper to sign up but still your losing alot of money traveling around. There has to be a way to make it better for everyone. My advice as of now to all the people racing to try and become pro is to have fun at races and with your family and go to your local tracks that love to have you there. Stay in school dont get homeschooled and dont waste your money. Support local and amateur motocross cause once you turn pro and spend day in and day out you find out theres nothing good about being at those races. Im not saying not to put effort in but remember motocross ends early in life and there has to be another plan.
Click to expand...

Mike - whatever you pursue I'm sure you will be successful - watching your sportsmanship with Wil Hahn this year @ Southwick was a great example of the kind of person that you are and was such an awesome representation of our sport for a national audience to see! Look forward to meeting you at a track in the near future!

Reid Simpson #141
 
mx049 said:
It is as the tops riders have huge million dollar contracts & don't need the purse money......the guys from 10th thru 40th (or 20th at SX) are the ones who need this
money & should get at least a grand or two each for making the main as they are part of the show that brings in huge dollars.

Everyone who enters a qualifer at a SX or Outdoor MX should also get at least 750 bucks start money as again they are part of the big show.
Think about how exciting the LQ is....

Just my 2 cents....

Maico Mark
Click to expand...

Well said...sucks all the millionaires at the top while there are real fast local guys that are great ambassadors to the sport that can't make a decent living ....
 
ive seen the payout for mx sx and ax and its ridiculous across the board. The lites payout for ax and sx is a joke. I did the amatuer day at the dayton national ax a few years ago and ran expert class. 14 guys and and 100% payback, i got 5th and made money. The guy who won pulled more money for 100% payback than the winner of the lites main the previous night. Its crap.
 
not only do the non seeded riders have to make it to the races with less money, but they cant practice or train as much. Not to mention the difference in equipment from first through 40th. its shitty. i personally have thought they should implement some type of rule like nascar so that all bikes are basically the same quality. i know its the rider, not the bike, but when you look at the riders bike who got 30th, and the one that got 1st... give me a break, theres no comparison... it would definitely help.

the riders who are winning are getting so much money from manufacturers, gear companies, outside sponsors, etc... they do not a big purse for the actual moto win. make the overall payout more, and spread it out as evenly as possible.
 
I have said for a long time, if your a really fast local pro, I would take a 5 state area, and just find the biggest paying races in that area and hit those. Way cheaper, and you would make much more money.
 
It's a scam. It makes me not want to go to nationals because I feel like I'm supporting screwing the privateers.

I wish every last privateer would sit on the gate at a national. Or lay across it. There's absolutely no reason the national tracks that are pulling 100,000 fans + can't pay 80 riders.

The guy getting last should be making 50-70 grand a year. And then they may not be going sodeep in debt. That money would still go back into racing. But to ravage these boys in debt at the expensive of making millions off fans....it is ridiculous.
 
UNTIL the privateers organize and stand up for themselves, they will continue to get screwed and continue to complain about the screwing. Read the Five Year plan.
 
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