Safety, Super Hunky

[jim f.]

I recently raced my first motocross in 27 years. I found out the tracks are not natural terran like they used to be. I found the quote from Super Hunky at OFF ROAD ,COM that I would like to share with you. Jim Foster




I'd like to relate a story to you. Back in the mid-80s, Saturday Saddlebackgot shut down. This left a huge gap in the SoCal racing, as racers could go there and get in two 45 minute motos and still get home by 3 o'clock. They used to run a bunch of classes together and score them seperately.

Alexander Conrad (ACE/Alexander Conrad Enterprises) decided to run an Indian Dunes Saturday race, just like Saddleback. Since I was the editor of Dirt Bike at the time, I decided to back this schedule when asked by ACE. The first Saturday was great, with big crowds, lots of racers and a full schedule.

The next Saturday, the races went off as scheduled, but this time, they put in three sets of double jumps in the track. The day of racing barely finished before dark, and the second round of motos was only 30 minutes long.

Why?

People kept getting hurt on the double jumps and the ambulances were busy hauling injured bodies to the hospital.

The next Saturday, another half-dozen doubles and triples were built into the track. They finished one round of motos and never got to the second.

The ambulances were very, very busy.

I dropped the magazine's support after that Saturday. The course got more radical and more and more people got hurt. The motos got shorter and shorter. Then the lawsuits started. Shortly thereafter, Indian Dunes closed up for good. The lawsuits, you know.

This is where current motocross is headed. Stupid tracks, crazy jumps, immature kids trying to show off in front of their friends. More injuries. More closed tracks. Insanity. The end of racing as we know it.


***

 

[jake760]

Super Hunky is usually right, but I still love those big doubles! :cool:

 

[_JOE_]

Now that's my kinda guy!!!

 

[Ol'89r]

No arguments here Jim. :cool:

I was one of those guys that rode Saddleback before the big jumps. Do you remember when they had the TT track?

 

[jim f.]

1969, first year I raced I did half scrambles and half MX. I did not win my first race till 71 and it was a scrambles. But that was about the last year for scrambles, then it was a MX and ice racing,retired from MX in 82. I only raced a couple of races on non natural terrain tracks.

 

[longtime coming]

Last weekend, I rode a track for the first time in about 25 years. I had watched others riding this track a couple of times before. It was new style. I couldn't believe it. It was nothing, and I mean nothing, but jumps. The corners were a joke they were so easy. I think I was one of the fast guys in the corners that day (and I am slow). I couldn't believe how slow these kids were going in the corners, yet could fly these huge (blind) jumps with no fear. I did not fly the huge (blind) jumps with no fear, not even close. There are way too many blind spots on these tracks now. There are no real hills, no difficult corners. I need to find a real track somewhere, or I might just build my own. Real riders are not impressed by all this flying thru the air crap. Only uneducated fans. I know supercross has brought MX to the fore, but it has ruined the ridability and safety of all tracks, and changed how kids see riding in general. When pros are crashing and losing there careers all over the place, there is something gravely wrong with track design. In the old days, you could not put an MX track on a flat piece of ground, the ideal place was a coulee or a hillside.
my 2c

Going to the track again today...