Is Our Sport On the Right Road?

With DV being the next person for "SX Only" season, what direction do YOU believe our sport is heading? My opinion? Down the tubes. As more outside sponsors come into our sport, I believe AMA MX will be no longer needed. McGrath, Larocco, Woods, Evans, (Soon to be Bubba, I think.) I also think MX is much more interesting. More demanding. Is SX heading towards comercialism? Big outside sponsors being seen by 40,000+ people. Live TV possibilties? Is MX done? Has our sport gone commercial? Is it better or worse? I am a MX fan. Am I holding onto nothing?[size=9][/size][size=7][/size]

i agree with you...

i heard Chad Reed is also looking for a SX only contract in 07.

the sport isn't called "Supercross," it's called "Motocross"

i think unless you earn it, like McGrath and LaRocco, you should have to ride both series.

Reed and Stewart don't deserve it, Vuillemin especially doesn't deserve it.

RC is the only real man left in 250 Motocross, except for probably Windham. he doesn't whine, he doesn't bitch, he doesn't make excuses, he is a champion. while everyone is anticipating the SX season he is destroying them outdoors.

thank goodness the new crop of talent seems to like riding the outdoors more than SX, for example, Broc Hepler, Mike Alessi, Jason Lawrence, etc.

these "big name" guys should be ashamed of themselves, I think it's pathetic and makes RC look even better

I agree with Motohead. I'm both a Motocross and a Supercross fan, but I think the $$$ are starting to depart motocross and flowing over to Supercross and X-games stuff. That's why I posted the "Motocross needs competition" subject a few weeks ago. RC just lapped all but 8 riders in the first moto at Broom-Tioga. That's just really boring, which causes people not to go to or watch races, which then causes sponsors to follow the money, which is increasingly not outdoor Motocross.

If I was RC, I'd go to the GPs next year. He's like Babe Ruth playing T-ball in the MX nationals right now. For all you guys that don't like Bubba, he is the one guy who if he gets in shape, gets his riding dialed, and gets on the 450 4-stroke, he might actually give RC a run which then may attract more people, money, sponsors, and could revive what looks to be a sport in trouble.

well if it ever went to supercross only...they would have to run supercross like all year round then...because people would wanna see racing all year long like it is now

Doesn't SX make more sense though? You sit in a stadium and you can see the entire race. Nothing is hidden behind the trees or hills etc. Personally i'm all about MX. I watch the SX series but i'm motocross to the end. The mainstream likes SX though. They want to see big jumps, tight turns and elbow to elbow racing. Ansley723 said it in his post...RC passed everyone but 8 people!!! That's so boring. At Washougal i was yelling for the 3rd and 4th place battle. I was screaming for Ernie to get that podium finally...RC was already done and drinking water and probably packed while K-dub was far behind and saying this is getting old...it was quite boring.

The 250f class (sorry but it's true) is so much more exciting. It's fun to watch...and i agree. All the bubba haters need to realize we need him. Kevin is an amazing rider but he cant beat RC...we need bubba to get his head straight for next year, or even for the SX season. He proved RC could be beat indoors...if he can get his act together and stay healthy things on this forum might be different next year...By the way, good post this time guys.

A couple things that give me hope for a more competitive season next year. At Broom- Tioga, Bubba had the fastest lap time of the day on an inferior bike when RC was riding his hardest. You gotta give the kid credit for having the stones to challenge him. Sometimes I think the field just gets mindfreaked when they hear RC coming. If JS can put a couple more arrows in his quiver for next year (fitness, 4-stroke, and calmness in battle instead of taking out rows of fence trying to pass RC) we could see a real contest. I guarantee you RC wants the same thing. He even said he was disappointed when Bubba went down. He wanted a head to head bar bang. Unfortunately, JS seems to banging everything but bars by being too eager.

The SX season looks to be very interesting. RC, CR, and JS all have a realistic chance of winning the title. I bet you see record crowds this year too. I agree with qbomb. SX makes more sense for the general public. You can sit on your butt, drink beer, and watch the whole thing.

SX definitely caters more to the nonriding public. They can just sit and see the whole thing, it is in a large arena they are familiar with...don't have to drive out to the middle of nowhere. It also evens the odds and forces tighter racing. One person is less able to get so far ahead. It is like the x-games, more of a circus full of in your face right now instant gratification.

I am with motohead though, it is dissapointing to hear about all these people seeking SX only contracts. I think outdoors is what separates the men from the boys. Supercross is fun as a season primer (kind of like arena football) but I am always eager for the outdoor to start to see who really is the fastest.

Ricky can be beat, but I wouldn't be looking to Stewart, he's already talking Nascar etc. Look down to some of these hotshots in the 125 class right now. They are who RC has to worry about. He's no spring chicken and they are going to be hungry!

Very good point on the 125 / 250f class hotshots being the ones that challengs RC. I miised that idea. Did anyone notice that Alessi's practice times were second fastest and only 2 tenths slower than RC. That is smoking faqt on a smaller engine.

Ansley723,keep in mind that JS lap times used to be faster than RC,that didn't pan out.I almost think RC might retire b4 bein beat,maybe not,doesn't matter.
The sad truth is that the majority likes SX better,sad but true.To say that CR doesn't deserve it is out there though,he is a SX speciallist & if he can pull off a SX only contract than more power to him.Big $$$ & summers off to spend w/a beautiful wife???
It's where the $$ is.A MX event pulls in 20-30000 people,SX40-60000.Plain & simple math.There have been rumors flyin for a couple of years now out here about the nats not bein held @ real tracks anymore & running them in, say the infield of MIS & the like,SX enviroment outside,& it ties it to nascar.I don't like it but I'm not the majority.
Also,I am a MXer from away back,love it like no other sport,but I can tell you I go to more SX then MX,cause in the winter I can make time for it,during the summer we're out livin life,ridin & doin the things we do.I don't know what the answer is but I think you people that keep sayin we need JS in this sport aren't lookin at this realistically.The sport was around long b4 him & will continue long after him,it's smart decisions from Clear Channel & AMA that we need.Have you seen the reviews from SX the Movie??? They're tearin it a new 1.I haven't seen it yet but if they were gonna make a movie bout SX,it sounds like they should've put some $$$ up & did it right,almost every review hints at the same thing,cheap.

I agree with everything you said. I have not heard the rumour about the non-natural tracks, but I can see why they'd do it.

You may be right about RC retiring before being beat. Anybody think he may go to the GPs before he retires to end that question mark about his legacy ? (Although I think the MXDN will go a long way. I think RC may lap some of the stars over there).

Sounds like the movie may be in the "Elvis beach movie" quality arena.

Not that I don't like Elvis mind you. (I'm 47)

What is your reason for saying we dont need James in our sport? Lets see, he beat RC's record in the 125's. He was posting faster times than him yesterday and he's the only one that has come close to beating him outdoors. The only reason RC even lost a race was because he went down. CR cant do it, Windham is second best 15 seconds behind him...What else? how about Stewart beat RC fair as can be in SX more than once. What if he had stay healthy all season? Stewart on the sideline...RC on vacation...when he's healthy RC is trying...Tell me how the sport doesn't need him. I'm not saying JS is the saving grace to the sport, but the kid is 19 and he's gotten closer than anyone else. He needs time to mature and realize you cant win in the first 5 minutes like he used to on the 125's. And I'll say this one last time, JS is struggling on a 250, give him a 450 and then we'll see. Turtleracing, I'm not bashing your post, i just want to know what else you think the sport needs.

I don't think any "One" rider can make or break our sport. Nor should the responability be put on a riders shoulder. I think one needs to look a little deeper, beyond the riders. Need to look at the relationships between AMA- Clear Channel- Factories. These three organizations all operate together and I am pretty sure they have a bigger picture in mind. In my opinion, AMA doesn't give a crap about motocross. No money. Clear Channel doesn't care. No money. Factories are contracted with AMA (Except Yamaha, I believe). Why doesn't AMA make motocross more disirable to mainstream world? Such as Supercross. What has AMA done for YOU lately?

motohead wrote:

I don't think any "One" rider can make or break our sport. Nor should the responability be put on a riders shoulder. I think one needs to look a little deeper, beyond the riders. Need to look at the relationships between AMA- Clear Channel- Factories. These three organizations all operate together and I am pretty sure they have a bigger picture in mind. In my opinion, AMA doesn't give a crap about motocross. No money. Clear Channel doesn't care. No money. Factories are contracted with AMA (Except Yamaha, I believe). Why doesn't AMA make motocross more disirable to mainstream world? Such as Supercross. What has AMA done for YOU lately?

Thanks motohead,that's exactly what I was getting at.All of these Bubba fans want him to be the second coming!!!!It goes far deeper than that,There is more than 1 rider out there,everybody is complainin bout RC winnin all the time but the bubba ites would like to see him winnin every week.So he had faster lap times then RC,what,in practice???In a race he wasn't winnin??It wasn't when he was ahead & Ricky caught him!!!!!As far as as bubba beatin him in SX,so did CR,so what,it's well known that MX is RCs specialty,& he's unbeatin there,even the "DREAM" hasn't beat him.
All that aside,quit acting like Bubba is gonna save this sport,get a clue!!!He's not all that.AMA sucks major league,clear channel doesn't care,motorcycles are a very small part of their market,have you noticed how many radio stations they own???Almost all.They don't have to care.You'd think AMA would do a better job,but they don't & won't,pay ur membership & distric fees & shut-up.Even in my day they were the same way they just didn't bang you for distric fees,but they didn't do anything for MXers then & it's the same now.

And I'll say this one last time, JS is struggling on a 250, give him a 450 and then we'll see.

Please...... 450F's don't have quite as big as an advantage over a 250 2-stroke as a 250F over a 125 2-stroke, for one. I would hardly say Bubba is 'struggling' considering he took 3rd place in the first moto and would have probably held onto second in the second moto had he not crashed. Plus, Michael Byrne is in the top 10 in points and he's doing pretty damn well on a 250 as well. You're just trying to bash 2-strokes and you just assume that Bubba is better than RC and that it's his wretched 250 that's holding him back. Since when was bubba so much better than RC anyway? Bubba is fast and aggressive and he'll be a great rider as he matures but he lacks the consistency and smoothness of RC AND RC is almost 7 years older than he is. The fact is that RC is an amazing rider and 250 2-strokes are great bikes that are very competitive against 450F's. Yes, Bubba beat RC in Supercross but RC is also human and even he loses every once in a while.

About the only thing you got right on that post was "450F's don't have quite as big as an advantage over a 250 2-stroke as a 250F over a 125 2-stroke, for one." For starters why would the rest of the class ride a 450 instead of a 2 stroke? Answer me that and dont give me this commercial crap about the factory paying them to ride them. Why isn't RC on a 250 anymore? Remember when Windham handed RC his first loss outdoors at Washougal? What was he riding? you guessed it, the CR250 and Kevin was on the 450. Have you ridden a 2 stroke on a motocross track, and a 450 on that same track? It's so much easier. At Washougal's horse power hill the 250's were screaming to stay next to the other bikes. Enough said on that.

Since when was Bubba better than RC anyways? Well I never said he was, but last time i checked Bubba beat RC's 125 record. Remember that? Why do you think all the hype is about? Bubba didn't beat RC once in SX, he did it more than once and they were on the same bikes right? Think about that. And the last thing you said and you are right, he's a couple years older than him, i think everyone expects way too much from him.

Just incase you are wondering too, i'm not picking bubba over RC because he's not even my favorite rider, he's just the only won putting up a fight, even if he's going down trying. I also ride a 2 stroke so i'm in no way favoring a thumper. Sure Bubba will jump on a 450 next year and he might not beat RC still, but the fact remains the same, he's the only one getting close to beating him, and sadlly, next year the outdoors will be called the 250f and 450f class.