Two Stroke Motocross
Two Stroke Motocross Forum => General Two Stroke Talk => Topic started by: TMKIWI on February 22, 2011, 06:53:39 PM
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Quote from MS interview in latest MXA.
MXA: So, beyond the sheer dollar amounts being spent, as much as you can gauge, whatâ??s the biggest difference between being a factory rider back in the day versus now?
Marty: You know back then none of us wanted to be factory riders, we just became factory riders, whereas a lot of kids today have only one thing in mind and thatâ??s to get a factory ride. We rode because we loved to ride motorcyclesâ??we loved to race them. Iâ??m not so sure all the young kids racing today are racing for the same reason. I think a lot of them are racing for the business because it has become a big business. Iâ??m not saying itâ??s wrong, or, that I would be doing anything differently. Still, when you see these minicycle kids showing up with a huge coach and trailer and they have all the spare bikes and gear and their parents are out there with the stopwatches and everything, it does make you wonder what theyâ??re in it for. We used to take our bikes to the races in a trunk of a car! Today, Iâ??m not sure itâ??s really for the love of the sport or not. I actually wonder if the kid is really having any fun.
Pretty much sums up sport today.
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I believe he nailed it on the head. Even the practice tracks have become a show-and-tell event.
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Motocross here in Canada has actually been a "prima donna" sport for many many years and is what drove my friends and me into the much more "grass roots" offroad scene.
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I remember those days, Marty was my hero until Hannah struck like lightning :D
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Everyone I know is in it for the fun. (my age)
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To be fair, the model of arriving with the bike in the trunk of a car wouldn't work anymore, because all the cars have been pussified to the point where you could never get a bike in. Back in Marty Smith's day, when you weren't using your car you could rent the trunk out to a family of five, who could use the trunk as a three-bedroom home. And the bikes were smaller.
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I'm sure if someone really wanted to, today, they could do it :) Lots of straps.
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The point that Marty Smith was making is similar to what Bob Hannah has been saying... so many well-off posers have turned the sport into a fashion show.
The ONLY thing that counts is heart. Look at some of the best racers in recent history, like RC and James Stewart, these guys came from working class families. With the rules set to four-stroke friendly, meaning really expensive, families like the Carmichael's and Stewart's will be pushed out of racing long before they can reach their potential. This will be the largest destructive effect of the four-stroke rule.
The true determining factor must be about the person who straps on the helmet, not how much money they can put into racing...
End of rant...
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Let the rich boys show off in the pits,with there giant buses,etc. The last time I checked the riders are not allowed to race the bus. hehe. If would be nice to get a hot shower to loosen up, before a moto though. Don,t laugh when your over 40, a stretch in a hot shower is equil to a factory bike advantage.