Two Stroke Motocross
Two Stroke Motocross Forum => General Two Stroke Talk => Topic started by: westyzkx on December 16, 2009, 06:38:50 PM
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Okay John suggested I come up with this as a draft - once I started writing it I realised there isnt 'one size fits all' but we may need maybe 3 or 4 different flavours depending on who we are sending to. This particular one is aimed at governing bodies like the AMA etc - I think we should also draft one with same thread as this but with slight tweaks to all the motocross magazines. Also one to give to Honda and Kawasaki asking them to reimplement 2 strokers.
Then I also think we should create another draft to give Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM etc in our respective countries showing our support for the fact they still make 2 strokes - gotta give credit where credit is due to... :)
If we can encourage members to print them off, sign and send in the post I think we can make a positive impact. As I said before we take the time to post on here - lets post some stuff out to the people that matter!
Let me know what you guys think - Thanks Nick
Dear Sir / Madam,
I am writing in respect of something that is very important to my own, and many other motocross riders & fans hearts â?? that is the totally unfair and unjust mass elimination of 2 stroke motocross bikes from the racing scene.
For a number of years the decision to give 4 stroke motorbikes a huge displacement advantage has left 2 stroke motocross fans in a position whereby in most events they are no longer able to race competitively on their 2 strokes â?? this is because the displacement rules are massively biased in favour of 4 strokes. The rules we drawn up years ago at a time when even then they were too generous, but with the constant development of 4 stroke engines by the manufacturers the time has long since passed when these rules should have been torn up and replaced with a transparent, fair & equal displacement rule in all classes.
The net result of this state of affairs has been rather than creating a level playing field, 2 stroke motocross bikes have been unfairly and unjustly killed off on the back of rules that are bent in the 4 strokes favour.
The issues and how to address them are clear for a large proportion of racers and fans alike â??
The time has come for 2 strokes to be allowed to compete on a level playing field with 4 strokes, on every level â?? amateur and pro. There is a huge, and I mean huge ground swell of people who want this to happen. In the UK because the ACU body (UK Equivilent of the AMA) would not sanction this fair rule change â?? riders took matters into their own hands and started their own MCF Federation which now hosts the Red Bull Pro Nationals and British 2 Stroke Championship, these have both grown massively and are backed by heavy weight sponsors.
We racers are angry, angry because the unfair rules set by the AMA years ago have resulted in 2 of the 4 Japanese Manufacturers ceasing production of their flagship 250cc 2 strokes. For us 2 stroke lovers there is no way back, we canâ??t stand by and watch this travesty of justice take place. You may have noticed crowds dwindling and ticket sales decreasing â?? that is the price that is being paid for a monopoly of 4 strokes when we should be able to race side by side. In the UK Red Bull Pro Nationals crowds are flocking to see the races because they abide by rules which don't discriminate against one or the other (no other form of racing in the world gives a displacement advantage to one type of motor). In the UK MCF races there are 3 classes
1 â?? 125cc MX 2 Stroke and 4 Stroke
2 â?? 250cc 2 stroke and 4 Stroke
3 â?? Open class â?? Any bike
2 stroke lovers also feel that the only reason why the AMA wonâ??t change the rules to reflect a fair deal for all racers, 2 stroke or 4 stroke, is because they are scared that in doing so people will then see that the marketing propaganda spouted about 4 strokes being superior to 2 strokes will be seen to be over exaggerated and the big white elephant which it truly is. Is the AMA scared that if 2 strokes and 4 strokes competed on a level playing field and 2 strokes got some high profile wins then the manufacturers will be angry because they will sell less of their 4 stroke machines which usually come at a premium and make more profit? Thats certainly what the majority of people I speak to think.
But in truth what we are saying is, if you donâ??t act fast and make the rules fair - the sport will keep on the demise and the walls will come crashing in. We racers are not stupid. We are willing to fight for what we believe in. We know people want fair and equal displacement rules, and have seen how a large amount of racers in the UK have bypassed their equivalent of the AMA and set up shop on their own. If you do not want this to happen in the USA then now is the time to make a change.
We appreciate that you have been able to make changes to the amateur classes so 250 2 strokes can race against 250 4 strokes, but there is still much confusion about this in a lot of local clubs. And if this is the way forward how long can the pro classes keep up the charade of having totally different race sets than amateurs? We are somewhat aware that the issue has become a bit of a political football â?? but we are asking you as torchbearers for the sport to take action now to breathe new life into motocross.
If you donâ??t and 2 strokes are dropped completely - you will have been largely responsible for the biggest motorsport con in history â?? and believe me there are thousands of riders across the country who will abandon the sport for ever.
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Are you sure you want to send this to Honda? They might throw it away. I wouldn't know how Kawasaki would react to this.
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Are you sure you want to send this to Honda? They might throw it away. I wouldn't know how Kawasaki would react to this.
I wasnt saying to send this exact one to honda / kawasaki, this ones for the federations - but yes I certainly do think that I would like to send this type of thing en-mass to Honda and Kawasaki, they made some amazing 2 stroke bikes in their time (I own a KX 250) and I wish they would start making them again.
Even if they never do it can't hurt to keep the pressure up as part of a campaign to get our point across all the manufacturers and motorcycle bodies and magazines alike. The key to having the best chance of getting what we want is to be pro-active and not to just give up because 'they might throw it away' - you never know til you tried and yes it's easy to say 'why bother' but I know that attitude wont get us off the starting blocks.
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Great letter. We need to get this sent out as soon as possible, and continually follow up progress on the issue so that it isn't forgotten about. Also, sending a modified letter to manufacturers would also be a great idea to let them know that people do want two strokes, and demand will dramatically increase with a fairness in the rules returning. MOTOCROSS IS TWO STROKE !!!!!!
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I think we shall do something to make the sport authorities and factories listen to ourselves, show them our feelings and ideas of what we believe must be done. This shall be done in a respectfull manner and I believe this letter is a good example. I agree that this letter is for the authorities and sanctioning bodies (AMA, FIM, ...).
We shall make also a letter for the companies that dropped the two stroke and also for the ones that still believe in them to show them our support (and more important to show them that we are willing to buy their two stroke bikes)
I have sent recently (two days ago) an email to the FIM asking for the changes in MX regulations they announced two years ago, in which they will set the same displacement limits regardless of engine type (MX2 250cc 2 & 4 strokes for example) for 2010 seasson. And their answer disappointed me. They will not change a word about bikes technical regulations for 2010. So it seems the money of the big companies is playing a more important role than ourselves. Sad.