|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Received 3/9/01:
Subject: Too Late Rich!!
It's been a week and your page is still up so another e-mail is going in on
Monday.
We can go on forever if you choose.
Your Friends and track owners.
Moto Man
Rich's Response: This guy must really have some serious problems at his track because he keeps threatening us.
How about it California riders? We would like some feedback on Moto Man's
tracks. It's good to see that this guy is the minority. Most track owners are concerned with rider injuries. Maybe this guy's not really a track owner
maybe he's a sick spectator that enjoys seeing crashes and people hurt. If he's
a rider, I hope he thinks of my website the next time he comes up short on a triple.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The following four e-mails ask about guidelines. There are no guidelines or regulations that people can follow and this is one of the major problems in the industry right now. We suggest taking ideas from this website in making your tracks. For example, turn double and triple jumps into tabletops.
-------------------------
Received: 5/30/02
I just found your website and wanted to say thank you for the efforts. We are in the process of trying to build a public track.
We have lots of property, but need some design guidelines. Since this will be a public, no fee area it must be safe but still be fun.
Since this is a city sponsored project there is little money available, just lots of land. Volunteers will do the heavy lifting.
If you have any pointers to places we can find safe design principals that would be great. Even the basics of "don't do this" would help.
Thanks,
Shannon
------------------------
Received 5/25/02:
I'm considering building/opening up a multi-track facility in Kansas. I'm thinking of a PEEWEE
track, so that there is time to prepare the other track while we run the PEEWEE's, a motocross
track, supercross track, and a GP track.
I like your ideas concerning safety and would appreciate any info on building each of these
tracks. My boy rides in the 60cc class (currently leading the points race in the open class,
and second in the Sr. class) of our local motocross series and I'm becoming more and more aware
of how dangerous a lot of these tracks are run. One of our last races had a total of 2 flaggers
on the track...and there were at least 5 blind corners/jumps that needed to be covered.
Are there any specifications or guidelines for each specific track type other than what can be
observed........anything in writing, e.g. handbook to track building?
Thanks,
Matt Janzen
-------------------
Received: 5/15/02
Great site,
Thanks for putting all this info in one place. I am working on a complete re-design of a track in California and was
wondering just what the "ideal" track would look like. Do you have any suggestions? I would like for this to be done right as well as safely. This
would be a model for state of the art safe and responsible track design since the entire track facility will be redone. Any suggestions you could
provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Jim Lembeck
-------------------
Are there any web sites out there that have MX track designs? I am in Anchorage Alaska, and part of the local racing association, I am planning on building a private track, I have already purchased the 10 acres of land I have been told I will need. Now I am trying to find ideas on the best way to build a track.
Richard Hennagin
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Received 5/28/02:
I am so glad to see your site concerning safety at MX racing
facilities. I will pass the word to my fellow promoters. Please keep
up the good work. If I can ever help, you let me know.
Dub Trotter
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I think it is great that you have taken the initiative to openly discuss this issue. I am a promoter. I raced for 15 years. I stopped racing for two reasons. Because racing was turning into a jumping contest and I decided to sell my bikes to finance running my own racing events.
The majority of events that I run are night races on tracks that are called Supercross. However I catch a lot of flack because my tracks are not "Challenging" enough. You can check out some conversations that I have had with these kids on the posting board on my website, wwwJMXRacing.com.
It is not uncommon for there to be over 230 entries at one of my Supercross races and have no riders transported. That is one of the things that I am most proud of. That riders that come to my events can come out and ride practice, a heat race and a main and go home tired and happy.
Last year I converted what few double jumps I had on my track to step-down tabletops, camel backs, and tabletops. Now young riders are whining that "There is nothing to separate the men from the boys." That is about the stupidest thing I have heard. I guess this is partly to blame on the Freestyle movement. These kids have never seen a grown man cry like a two year old as they set a broken femur for transport. They have never known a friend that is now paralyzed from a riding accident and watched the despair that they endure.
Motocross has seen remarkable growth in the past several years but with it comes problems. Many new riders jump right into the sport without realizing the potential danger. Because of this and the fact that many promoters do not make attempts to build safer tracks there is about to be a major crisis in this business. That crisis is a lack of affordable insurance coverage for running racing events.
George Knight and Associates, the leading insurance company for liability coverage has recently stopped selling coverage because of the avalanche of claims. I think eventually for a promoter to get coverage there will be certain criteria that their track must meet. Maybe some limits on technical tracks will be one of them.
Joe Williams
JMX Racing Promotions inc.
www.JMXRacing.com
Rich's Response: Joe, good for you! Anyone with half a brain knows what you're saying is true. Too bad too many promoters fail to look at any injury prevention. A big problem also is the parents coaching little Johnny to do the big triple. I can't believe it's taken an insurance company this many years to bail. Rick Siemen told me unfortunately that the only thing that could reduce some injuries and influence track design would be lawsuits and insurance companies bailing on the sport. One thing riders don't realize is George Knight is in the business of insuring racetracks. For them to refuse to do supercross or motocross tells us how dangerous the sport has become. Joe, I'm sure the majority of riders and parents at your track realize that you are trying to look out for the best interests of the riders. I think from your post, several track owners may model after you. Thanks again for the post.
---------------------------------------------------------------------