OzVMX Forum
Clubroom => Vintage Track => Topic started by: VMX247 on December 22, 2008, 05:35:38 pm
-
Want to keep Dirt Track Future going ??? ,then stay on ya butt on the computer and rev into the MA survey website. 8)
For immediate release
December 22, 2008
Dirt Track survey available online
As part of Motorcycling Australia (MA)’s continued effort to develop the discipline of Dirt Track racing, a survey has been created which can be completed online.
The survey can be found on the MA website at www.ma.org.au/dtsurvey.
Following two recent successful Dirt Track forums held in New South Wales and Queensland, this survey covers issues such as classes, venues, competition, safety, clubs and more, and is a fantastic opportunity for people to contribute to the advancement of Dirt Track racing into the future.
We encourage anybody with an opinion or interest in the future direction of the discipline to take a few moments to complete the survey, which will be available to complete online until 31 January 2009.
Please feel free to forward this onto anybody who may be interested.
For further information please contact:
Paul Fink
Communications Officer
Motorcycling Australia
Tel: (03) 9684 0507
www.ma.org.au
-
Something has to be done to rid the sports administration of those weezils that are trying everything they can to see the end of the traditional Aussie dirt track slider and try to change the whole concept of dirt track. Proposed changes that will see the end of the slider are ill advised at best and just plain stupid at worst. There are rumblings behind the scene sparked up by some of the sports heavy hitters that will fight the new legislation head on .I'm meeting up with a couple of those involved tonight and I'll give more information as I learn more. If you like traditional dirt track, Australias own sport you should be very very worried.
More news at 11!
-
Take the bull be the horns. :o
Those that wish to keep there sport or discipline need to get on the move with the task.
Not that I'm a bowl of knowledge on this,but if you want something bad enough :-\
-
What does all this mean? Being a complete new commer to DT for the 2009 season, being an older rider with a similar aged bike, will i be shown the door at my first meet because my bike isn't so and so, or i am to old etc etc, will my bike be required to take on jumps/ruts? I am located in South east queensland and was intending racing at Maryborough and Nudgee in the classics class. Can anyone elaborate what the potential future of my ambition of partaking in this great australian motorsport will be for me and my kids (if i get lucky)?
-
Get onto the survey guys and send them the feedback that they need and our collective opinions to get it right. No sence in sitting back and wondering what happened when we have the chance to influence what happens.
211
-
What does all this mean? Being a complete new commer to DT for the 2009 season, being an older rider with a similar aged bike, will i be shown the door at my first meet because my bike isn't so and so, or i am to old etc etc, will my bike be required to take on jumps/ruts? I am located in South east queensland and was intending racing at Maryborough and Nudgee in the classics class. Can anyone elaborate what the potential future of my ambition of partaking in this great australian motorsport will be for me and my kids (if i get lucky)?
Your best bet would be to contact your local DT club Secretary and they should be able to help out with the dirt future riding.
Firko did you get to go to the meeting.?
cheers
-
I'm meeting up with a couple of those involved tonight and I'll give more information as I learn more. If you like traditional dirt track, Australias own sport you should be very very worried.
More news at 11!
Just completed the survey with some interesting questions, dont know exactly where MA ar going with this but interclub DT would be OK in classics, could see it now Hunter Club, Penrith, Coffs Harbour and Canberra, one round at each venue couple months apart so there is no overkill, would also get clubs talking to each other
How did your meeting progress the other night Firko
-
i filled it out, but the questions are very well lead and set up to gleen a certain response in a few areas, its interesting to see that there are some areas that are obviously being led in a certain direction and give a hint to some issues or hapening behind the closed doors
-
Baically it's about Paul Caslick and Wayne Gardner proposing changes to the whole makeup of dirt track that if adopted will see dirt track as we know it today go through some drastic changes that will see the traditions of our sport lost forever. I'm finding out more information before I say any more in case I miss some details or get it wrong. One thing is for sure, this is going to upset a lot of people.
-
attemt No 2.when i get home after the christmas break and get in front of our old p.c. i will fill in that survey and i recomend that anyone interested in short circuit,dirt track miniture tt or whatever you've heard it called does the same. however THINK carefully about the repercussions of some aspect that may sound good at first. this fancy laptop keeps outsmarting me!
-
the dirt track changes that are being talked about should be good for the sport....
Firko, what are the traditions of dirt track that will be lost forever out of all this???
A lot of the changes to dirt track will be in the junior classes, trying to eliminate the $15,000 engines in little johnny,s XR80...
There are tracks that are 2 dangerous, and need to be restored with run off areas and there is talk of increasing laps, and making the tracks more technical and not horsepower tracks, where in the juniors the biggest pockets win...
the current state of dirt track discourages new growth into the sport in the modern bikes, eg a competitive 450 needs to have 55HP, it has become an expensive sport and in return competitor numbers are suffering...
the idea behind the proposed changes is to encourage growth into our sport, making the tracks more technical, and standard classes in junior competition....
the sliders will be getting a class of there own from 2010...
the track surfaces will also becoming into line with the majority, out with the oil, and in with the decomposed granite.......
stay tuned as there will be things coming through to the clubs in the near future
-
Somehow I remember similar arguments when the minibike dads started to castrate good MX tracks in the early 80 s and slowly turned them into SX tracks ;). Whats left today ,is only handfull MX tracks that are worthwile travelling to and get some enjoyment from riding . ( for me anyway) ( for example good tracks like Barrabool , Ravenswoood , Coonendale )
-
Yes I still remember the heated arguments at the Ballarat Rovers about chopping up Monza Park. I still have a chuckle talking today to Floody and Brooksy . They all listened to the Minibike dads and built doubles , studders and you name it. Then for the big event in 84 someone that hade the key to the track and" borrowed " the traktor and knocked it all down on Friday night :o. I then asked Ellis , Moates etc after the race next day what they thought of the track , and they all agreed it was now a great track again. ;D
-
one aspect i feel is the under rating of the spectator appeal of dirt track racing! to have a gate price of only $5 at nepean meets is under rating the appeal of the sport. even for smaller club events. even these events manage a full program.any body been to parra speedway on an ordinary sat night event?you didnt get in that cheap! 5 or 6 times that!i believe $15 minimum for a club event. use the money for advertising!...... in the '60s there were plenty of tracks around.[vineyards arcadia amaroo nepean as well as moorebank] various pressures closed these if we insist on adding more pressure like making it mandatory for all tracks to use a particular type of surface material will that be be the last nail in the coffin for some tracks? should tracks be designed for juniors? should they be designed for sliders? chook chasers? personally i think nepean is perfect! there are lots of things to be considered. maybe for spectator appeal track managers should look at other sporting venues and look at how facilities could be improved wih some money gained from a realistic gate entry charge. like i said previously every bodys imput is required. lets here yours.
-
Pay to go to a club day, :o is this a city thing, ??? as we have only ever paid to attend for a club day near the city.
Its Motorcycling Australia that should be giving there 100% support,as I think the common rider/spectator pay enough.
Its time MA stood up for what they are suppose to represent.
Why do we have to keep paying. :(
ps Wally this is not a personal attack to your above post :)
-
Firko, what are the traditions of dirt track that will be lost forever out of all this???
Where do I start Elsie! Let's go with tracks. The simple concept of dirt track has always been 'speedway with a right hand turn'. By increasing the number of corners, the length of the races and standardizing the sufaces we are taking away the unique Australian developed experience that dirt track currently is and turning into a hodge podge combination of American TT racing, European motard with a touch of motocross thrown in (if the bizarre rumour that a jump is to be included on some tracks is true!). The uniqueness of the Aussie dirt track and the machines that compete on it are being shuffled onto the good ship Obsolete.
the sliders will be getting a class of there own from 2010...
And hearin lies the whole bunfight that's about to erupt. Tradition in Aussie dirt track is the slider. With the proposed changes the slider will become dormant and unusable on the proposed "technical" tracks with their multiple turns. What a patronising joke it is to announce that sliders will have their own class in 2010. If the proposed rules are anything like the rubbish Penrith club are schlepping out at their meetings where sliders aren't permitted to race against motocross based bikes "for safety reasons" where the rocket scientists at that club have decreed that all of a sudden there is a safety "problem" that has materialised over the last 12 months. One of the unique features of Aussie dirt track since the Hagon style slider first appeared in the early sixties have been the competition between the two types of machines on the same track at the same time trying to achieve the same result....i.e. win the bloody race. The differing cornering styles has produced competition different to any other form of motorsport. Penrith club (and I presume MNSW and MA) in their illconcieved attempt to "make the sport safer" now plonk all sliders into the one class. This stupid decision sees an AT1 125 Yamaha powered slider in the same race as a fire breathing Godden or GM. Now if that isn't an infinitely more dangerous situation than running similar capacity "chookies" and sliders together I'll bare my arse on National TV!
Now we have an MA and MNSW that appear to have folded under the pressure from outside lobbyists to push the slider into the sad role of being a laughing stock by 1: putting all capacities in together and 2: putting them on tracks to which they are totally unsuited.
the current state of dirt track discourages new growth into the sport in the modern bikes, eg a competitive 450 needs to have 55HP, it has become an expensive sport and in return competitor numbers are suffering.
How are these proposed changes going to prevent people modifying their bikes? The whole tradition of dirt track harks back to the immediate post war when very few could afford new competition machines so, using home grown bush engineering they modified what they had to produce horsepower figures that the original manufacturers would never have envisioned.
The home modified bike combined with methanol and a lot of individual chassis surgery produced very fast and efficient race machines. That hot up tradition has always been a part of our sport, going from the highly modified iron barrelled Beezas producing nearly 50hp in the 50's right through to Shawn Giles 90hp CR500 in the 80's to the trick CR/YZ450s of the present day. Modifying dirt track bikes is an integral part of the sport. How are the modifications going to be scrutinised? Whata shitfight it'll become if they start to limit engine or chassis mods. The cheats will have a ball finding new ways of beating the system and spectators will miss out on the sight and sound of of a full house race engine, to be replace by soullless proddy machines. You're never going to stop 15k XR80s or anyone spending infinite amounts of moolah on their bikes. If the rules change, they'll find new ways of beating the system, trust me on that! In all forms of racing, restricting machine development with the rulebook has alway failed in the end. What ever happened to 'proddy' road racing or series production touring cars? Gone as major clases because the rules couldn't be enforced. In a nutshell, restricting machinery in an attempt to control spending has eventually failed on most levels.
I fully agree that there should be moves to draw new blood into dirt track. Let's face it, without the vintage movement the sport would be in the shit in many areas. However, much of the blame on dirt tracks downfall can be thrown at our sports administrators who for years have treated dirt track as the second class laughing stock of motorcycle racing. Go back to the seventies and eighties when events like the CIG series saw International fields, the legendary Nepean 6 hour race and other huge promotions. Now there's nothing remotely like that on the calendar. I fully understand that MA is belatedly now trying to do something to revive the sport but by throwing away fifty years of traditions to follow Mr Caslick and Mr Gardners concepts of where the sport should head is an insult to the people who created dirt tracks traditions.
-
As a DT fan from way back I completely agree with Firko. But...
Why is DT languishing now? Can't only be because MA or MANSW is hopeless when it comes to DT can it? I suspect the sport is just too plain boring for the young guys today. In a time when even the most average of competitors is amazingly quick and huge jumps are the norm, plus the influence of freestyle and so on, I suspect traditional dirt track looks like an exercise in nodding off.
I can see the benefits of the Caslick/Gardner proposal in terms of encouraging greater participation. I know the ACT club has seen a real interest from Juniors in this new form of racing.
I'd hate to lose traditional DT, but I really do think those wonderful days of firebreathing sliders Versus the fast and agile chookies may be gone forever. Perhaps it IS time to start thinking outside the square. After all, we don't see kids riding short travel bikes around gentle rolling fields anymore, do we? MX has evolved, maybe DT has to as well, just to remain relevant in a different world...
-
while i agree with a lot of what firko said i dont agree with other parts. like i have said before- No1.dont rubbish people that make decisions on the basis of what they know, if any body has better ideas go to the appropriate venue and express your thoughts.No2 every opinion is valid. i dont know what mr caslic and mr gardener have in mind but i have no doubt that they have valuable input that should be heard.graeme reved me up a bit but i decided not to do a firko &had a cup of tea instead. i was thinking that coming into the speedway bend at nepean full chat would do more for me as a twenty year old [i was once] than gliding 20 ft up getting no power to the ground! to each his own ! by the way i think GP riders in training would gain more from riding on various tracks with various surface types and different corner configurations and alignments than they would ever get from posing in mid flight with NO POWER TO THE GROUND! in the good old days those antics would have been looked at with disdain.[rightly or wrongly].the blokes at moorebank fishers leap who did the biggest jump didnt win those who got the power to the ground did.
-
2 more points.firko says that tighter corners would muck up the sliders, this brings up the point of specials for instance for some of us who rode things in duplex bsa frames and never learnt how to get the max out of a slider can still have a lot of fun.my xt slider has all its gears so that helps a lot in a 'stop' corner plus i managed at the 2 day charity meet at nepean with my not very reliable special to get 6 hole shots out of 6 starts which i thought was great fun for an old fart ...and i got to the end of the main straight each time before all the pukka machinery caught me...so the specials are still here. there is one other point i disagree with firko, a variety of tight corners can make a big difference to the outcome of a race. but i agree with him in the other point about diferent tracks with different features being a good thing.... 2nd point gate entry money. if money is raised at the gate sufficiently to pay for REAL advertising the sponsorship for bigger and better events will follow, the sponsors want publicity thats why they sponsor..and the days when spectators will put up with lousy facilities at sports venues or any big event in near city venues is LONG GONE....you can't even park your car of the street for 5 bucks! cheers wally.
-
Our club has had a massive resurgance in Dt juniors and it has nothing to do with any of the above, i belive it has been soley on the grounds that al kids can take there Peewee fifty and ride it round a flat track with only one right bend. my girl wont ride the clubs MX track cause she hates the jumps and i see 50 kids come on DT ride days and 5-10 come to our MX track, so changes arent needed. Pissing about with Fees and gate cost isnt going to do anything but stop parent paying to come or enter there kids, its not a cheap sport compared to footy boots, what MA needs to focus on is making it Easy and cheap to take up, rather than blead the dwindling numbers with higher fees/licence costs. Actually lowering it lowering it and increasing numbers to get the same result in $$ with the upside of more envolvement.
i Cant speak for interstate but down here our club is strong due only to the soul of the club and its members, and know what is right for its memebrs and tracks and are getting it right without there interferrance. if it was for MA DT in SA would have been dead years ago which is where Vintage MX is right now here, its dead and they dont give 2 shits. its all about RR and juniors and some belief that motorcyling future is only based on feeding the next world 500 champ. what about everyother discipline ? how many DT training camps do they run ?
Now whats the go with the 2 round NAt series concept ? its near impossible to get to the otherside of the country as it is when the each event is in QLD or wherever, but to have to go interstate 4 times a year just to compete at the MX and DT nationals is divisive and very un-austrailian on the rest of the country , that just cant get there more than once a year to each event. May as well just call it state of origin, if it goes to rounds interstate as it will only service a few, i just cant see that working to get more bikes to events, quite the opposite
Personally on a local level i can see us this year, on our track licence fees sending back as a rain out after the event, and telling it was cancelled and wended upo a club open ride, rather than continually paying out, letterly funding administration fees to support Road racing camps again or other money pits that seem to only happen for a few interstate riders, or whatever there spending it on, and state MA admin costs that in a normal business cant be justified.
id like to see the proposed changes before i speak my mind, but reading between the lines that survey is very leading in the responses its trying to get to, but thats just my opinion. each question already has an agenda, its not a fact finding one but a leading one IMHO
-
i decided not to do a firko
What do you mean Wally?
-
Whats the go with the 2 round NAt series concept ? its near impossible to get to the otherside of the country as it is when the each event is in QLD or wherever, but to have to go interstate 4 times a year just to compete at the MX and DT nationals is divisive and very un-austrailian on the rest of the country , that just cant get there more than once a year to each event. may as well just call it state of origin, i just cant see that working to get more bikes to events.
Here's what you do Freakshow. Go to a meeting of your club and get together with like minded members and arrange a committee to set out a game plan to submit an application to MA for the right to run one of those championships at your track. Who knows, if your proposal is as good or better than that put in by one of the other clubs in other states, MA may just appoint your club the right to host the event at your track. That my friend is how the system works.
Until then you'll have to travel, just like the rest of us.
-
Enjoy your club while you can Freaky. :)
You pay for parking Wally................we have been in the bush too long. :o
I agree with Graeme M (different world) changes are coming for the future,weather we like it or not. >:(
It happened with the AMC in Britain in the 60's they all grew old and no one was there to replace them.
We also are getting older,sad but very true.While we are on this blue planet keep up the fight,then scream sideways into heaven.
Firko would love to see you in WA.
-
sorry firko all the club is playing soccer this year, the rest of us are going to ride our Race tracks as private property, national licences aint worth the price, and we ran a Nat a few years back IMMSMC, any how one doenst help if there is another anyway, which you didn t address, the whole national series thing, i still say thats interclub state title stuff
-
Sorry Freaky I misunderstood your post. In reality I have no idea what you are referring to re the
Now whats the go with the 2 round NAt series concept
but other than that I agree with you. :-[
-
a couple of things i'm picking up, 1... intentions are easily misunderstood in a forum that is not face to face.... i take on board the concept that dirt track racing is a pursuit on its own account and should not be seen as merely a training ground for g.p....the point i was attempting to make re increasing the reciepts at the gate was in relation to providing facilities that modern spectators [especially in city areas] have grown to expect. plus the need to provide through advertising the publicity that sponsors expect in return for there support. how much do city folk pay to see football supercross etc. at the same time i can understand the point of parents paying out for entry thru the gate plus race entry fees plus everything else,but this is a seperate issue. when i first started racing the entry fee included gate entry for rider and mechanic. the first time i had to pay at the gate on top of entries was at amaroo short circuit and i was pissed off slightly more than somewhat. the realities of economy of scale indicate to me that if the gate money paid for the promotion IN A PROFIT MAKING SCALE we could get back to the stage where entry fees paid entitled you to a gate pass....on the point about national championships. the 'tirrany of distance' makes this an impossibility for any thing but a big money sport and it seems to me that the dirt track scene should forget national title events in the form we now understand.may be some one can come up with some other system where results from state titles can be utilised to decide on a winner...but i guess that would have problems!
-
Wally ,sometimes it can get confusing on the internet with forums.It's a shame internet etiquette lessons aren't given out with each new computer sold.
I highly agree with your above posts,but not paying entry fees on club days.
With the numbers of members in WA country clubs,you can't justify charging them a gate entry fee.
No one would come to the events. :)
We have canteen,bar,showers and toilets.
We make more money from club days and interclub days.(MA Fees cheaper)
If we have OPEN events the only way to break even is to charge $10 ahead for camping.
The above is at our MX club.
I reckon Freakys club sounds the best yet on this topic.Seems to be running just right.
National events are hard work,but are very achievable on all discipline levels. ;D
The state results could also decide the winner,just got to get someone to do collate the information.Next lies the problem being,which state is the presentation night held in.
Keep at it :)
Cheers Alison WA
-
my point firko wasit was eluded in the survey that it would be a Multi round series ? now if that was introduced VMX or VDT how do interstaters get the time off to travel to more than one winner take all event like we currently have ?
i cant go to more than 1 VMX or 1 Dt Nat a year and thats only when they are in a resonable drive, its too far and too much time off work. if you made it a series you would essentially kill off any interstate representaion at the even other than qld and nsw needs being met, so unless its one event its not going to be a true Australiain title, hence my coment on a "state of origin" cause thats all that willl be there on more than one occasion.
Ali, I cant see a point system working as how do you rate a state tilte win over 20 guys, vs another state were the title holder only had to beat 5 ?
I saw RR Die at mallala due to fees, hardly anyone road racers anymore other than a few kids, and there are no spectators cause of the gate fees.
who in there right mind would pay to see such a pathetic show ? Gate fees are only ever paid by parents and girlfreinds anyway so charging gate dont help anyone least of all the already stretched familes involved.
IN the US Promoters PAy riders and have purses, not plastic trophies, until MA pay out at the local level from the pool of fees they leach out of the grass root sports, its always going to be an enthusiats only sport, run and enjoyed by those who do it for the enjoyment, its a balance.
-
quote= Ali, I cant see a point system working as how do you rate a state tilte win over 20 guys, vs another state were the title holder only had to beat 5 ?
Transponders supplied by MA ;) :D
ps we are just discussing amongst our selves here ,doesn't seem to many others posting :-\
-
it seems that we all agree pretty much about most of this...wouldnt it be a beaut system for a national championship event if all the state c/ships produced a state champ who then was sent to the aust.championship event [where ever] WITH ALL EXPENSES PAID BY MA and meeting the winners from all the other state champs in say a 5 round event decider at a national champs event with support events. should this remain a pipe dream or can we get the big ma to support the australian home scene instead of trying to make individual ma office bearers look big on the intrnational scene? i have been already involved with submissions on other matters that have been made to ma after considerable thought & investigation only to have the submissions in effect ignored. must be time to go to bed im getting over reved ..cheers wally.
-
That's interesting Wally,we know that MA pushes big for the junior modern MX riders to head over and beyond our blue waters,it would also be interesting to know how much of a hand MA have put in for Jason Crumps career.All down to sponsors I suppose. :-\
I reckon MA are doing a great job getting this Broadford event going with all the disciples, 8)
This is a prime time to get those DT people and bikes out to show MA how popular/strong it can/will be.
cheers
-
All of this multipe round championship stuff may be OK for the moderns but it's not suitable for the more relaxed and not so dedicated vintage racer. The carnival style one weekend Nats format is perfect for our movement and shouldn't be changed.
I go back to my original post on this and repeat that making wholesale changes to dirt track that will overnight disadvantage and eventually make the slider obsolete is just plain wrong. I agree that we need to encourage new blood to the sport and that some of the suggestions have merit but my stand is to keep the slider in its rightful place as the premier dirt track vehicle.
With all of this new track format and uniform surfaces, who's going to pay for it? I can't see the Nepean Motorsports Club going into debt to revamp Nepean and I'd be pretty surprised if the local council would approve a DA anyway. The more I think about this the snottier it gets. Are Wayne Gardner and Paul Caslick going to donate the millions of dollars needed to revamp the tracks?
It's all very well to start developing young riders into future World Champions by nurturing them through the ranks from Pee Wees on but at what cost to the general dirt track racers like you and I does it come? MA money would be far better spent in developing an Institute of Sport style development program for gifted young riders from all the different disciplines not just dirt track/road racing, with them being full time students just like our swimmers and track and field athletes. The government should be lobbied to contribute X amount of dollars to kick off a system, perhaps tying it in with the Institute of Sport to take advantage of the training, nutrition and health experts and facilities. A training track complex could be set up in the A.C.T, perhaps enlarging on an existing venue by adding a speedway, motard and supercross tracks to the current venue. Perhaps Garry Wilmingtons new car racing training facility at Marulan and Wakefield Park could be utilised for road race training, and people like Steve Gall and even Wayne Gardner and Paul Caslick employed as full time coaching directors. We have some of the Worlds best sports trainers in this country so why not include motorcycling under the Institute of Sport banner to utilise that expertise. Motorcyce racing would achieve far better results for the Aussie tax payer than the sadly underachieving track and field bludgers who, with the exception of Cathy Freeman have achieved little over the last 20 years. Imagine the success we could achieve in Motocross, Speedway and Road racing if talented youngsters could be professionally guided from day one. We would also help avoid human train wrecks like Anthony Gobert and Kym Ashkenazi who were good enough to be the best in the world but lacked the dicipline and focus that the professional training and sports psychology that a system like the Institute of Sport would ingrain into them.
I think this is a far more positive way to nurture champions than by inconveniencing the many to help the few.
-
All of this multipe round championship stuff may be OK for the moderns but it's not suitable for the more relaxed and not so dedicated vintage racer. The carnival style one weekend Nats format is perfect for our movement and shouldn't be changed.
These must be others pushing for this other than Wayne and Paul,surely the real slider people are involved as well ?
I go back to my original post on this and repeat that making wholesale changes to dirt track that will overnight disadvantage and eventually make the slider obsolete is just plain wrong. I agree that we need to encourage new blood to the sport and that some of the suggestions have merit but my stand is to keep the slider in its rightful place as the premier dirt track vehicle.
With all of this new track format and uniform surfaces, who's going to pay for it? I can't see the Nepean Motorsports Club going into debt to revamp Nepean and I'd be pretty surprised if the local council would approve a DA anyway. The more I think about this the snottier it gets. Are Wayne Gardner and Paul Caslick going to donate the millions of dollars needed to revamp the tracks?
Surely two or five people can't pull this off,you need a number of riders too
It's all very well to start developing young riders into future World Champions by nurturing them through the ranks from Pee Wees on but at what cost to the general dirt track racers like you and I does it come? MA money would be far better spent in developing an Institute of Sport style development program for gifted young riders from all the different disciplines not just dirt track/road racing, with them being full time students just like our swimmers and track and field athletes. The government should be lobbied to contribute X amount of dollars to kick off a system, perhaps tying it in with the Institute of Sport to take advantage of the training, nutrition and health experts and facilities. A training track complex could be set up in the A.C.T, perhaps enlarging on an existing venue by adding a speedway, motard and supercross tracks to the current venue. Perhaps Garry Wilmingtons new car racing training facility at Marulan and Wakefield Park could be utilised for road race training, and people like Steve Gall and even Wayne Gardner and Paul Caslick employed as full time coaching directors. We have some of the Worlds best sports trainers in this country so why not include motorcycling under the Institute of Sport banner to utilise that expertise. Motorcyce racing would achieve far better results for the Aussie tax payer than the sadly underachieving track and field bludgers who, with the exception of Cathy Freeman have achieved little over the last 20 years. Imagine the success we could achieve in Motocross, Speedway and Road racing if talented youngsters could be professionally guided from day one. We would also help avoid human train wrecks like Anthony Gobert and Kym Ashkenazi who were good enough to be the best in the world but lacked the dicipline and focus that the professional training and sports psychology that a system like the Institute of Sport would ingrain into them.
I think this is a far more positive way to nurture champions than by inconveniencing the many to help the few.
I believe this has been going on for years over in some European country's
[/quote
We will have to wait and see how many sliders etc rock to Broadford Vic at Easter 09
-
With the biggest depression since 1930 coming up, just about around the corner , there will be bigger things to focus on soon. ;) I am glade I am over 50 now ;D
-
With the biggest depression since 1930 coming up, just about around the corner , there will be bigger things to to focus on soon. ;)
Lucky West Oz got in on the revival of pre75 solo and pre75 sidecars before the depression hits ;) :P
Hope the DT can get on the right road as well. ;D
-
With the biggest depression since 1930 coming up, just about around the corner , there will be bigger things to to focus on soon. ;)
There is no certainty that Australia will suffer a depression. The Yanks and Poms will though.
Part of my preparations for a tighter budget has been to start racing Dirt Track in 2008
(I have been Road Racing) and I'll be doing Vinduro too in 2009.
I'll be needing some shocks for the PE175 and some PD valves (from YSS).
I'll be supporting the companies and individuals that support my sport.
That means you, Les at Mainly Maico, Scott at Concourse Spares, etc.
I am hoping to bring a few of my friends from the Dark Side (Road Racing) over to the dirt too.
Dave G had his first Dirt Track meeting when he raced my IT250 at a recent ACTMCC meeting.
Dave R is getting an IT200 together.
When I last spoke to him, Devo was looking for a Dirt Track bike.
Maybe things won't be so bad after all.
-
I didnt have a go at dirt track , what I meant was , that is not the time to go through the expense of building special tracks and academies.
-
I didnt have a go at dirt track , what I meant was , that is not the time to go through the expense of building special tracks and academies.
cool bananas.....yep tracks and academies ,now that is big money :o
-
It's all very well to start developing young riders into future World Champions by nurturing them through the ranks from Pee Wees on but at what cost to the general dirt track racers like you and I does it come? MA money would be far better spent in developing an Institute of Sport style development program for gifted young riders from all the different disciplines not just dirt track/road racing, with them being full time students just like our swimmers and track and field athletes. The government should be lobbied to contribute X amount of dollars to kick off a system, perhaps tying it in with the Institute of Sport to take advantage of the training, nutrition and health experts and facilities. A training track complex could be set up in the A.C.T, perhaps enlarging on an existing venue by adding a speedway, motard and supercross tracks to the current venue. Perhaps Garry Wilmingtons new car racing training facility at Marulan and Wakefield Park could be utilised for road race training, and people like Steve Gall and even Wayne Gardner and Paul Caslick employed as full time coaching directors. We have some of the Worlds best sports trainers in this country so why not include motorcycling under the Institute of Sport banner to utilise that expertise. Motorcyce racing would achieve far better results for the Aussie tax payer than the sadly underachieving track and field bludgers who, with the exception of Cathy Freeman have achieved little over the last 20 years. Imagine the success we could achieve in Motocross, Speedway and Road racing if talented youngsters could be professionally guided from day one. We would also help avoid human train wrecks like Anthony Gobert and Kym Ashkenazi who were good enough to be the best in the world but lacked the dicipline and focus that the professional training and sports psychology that a system like the Institute of Sport would ingrain into them.
I think this is a far more positive way to nurture champions than by inconveniencing the many to help the few.
I believe this has been going on for years over in some European country's
[/quote
FIRKO FOR PM !
-
in addition to my earlier suggestion for a national title event where winners of state title events compete at the"national" event,... this nat. event could consist of say a '5 moto' competition between state winners in there own speciality i.e. all-in [modern dirt], junior dirt, & classic dirt. and a "masters" class for over 55s with these state title holders all travelling to the nat event, expenses paid by thier local controlling body...that would indicate to me that the controlling bodies were interested in the majority of motorcycle sports people not just the international stars, while giving encouragement to those with the potential. after all it is the majority of clubmen that pay the bills through licences etc.
-
G'day all, please forgive me for I may well be speaking from my blurter as I have had nothing to do with dirt track juniors but would a claiming rule in jnr classes help to alleiviate "$15,000 engines".
Just a thought
-
Being new to the Dirt Track scene I dont yet fully understand all the rules, regs and history
I have been a big Dirt track fan scince i was a kid, and only been competing for 12 mounths
But one thing i have notice is that the sport is slowly dying....
Numbers are droping open meetings are being cancelled
But it seems club meetings are still strong ?
What i can not understand is, Quote ( Dirt track is a good stepping stone for Road racing, Speedway and motorX etc )
WHY CANT THERE BE A FUTURE IN DIRT TACK, like in USA or Europe.
???????????????????
Dave
-
http://thevintagent.blogspot.com/search/label/dirt%20track
heres something to cheer you up, ;D the days of Horse track.
-
Bo y I havnt posted anything for a while and this wasnt what I was going to post but cant help myself, not sure about the survey as some of the questions where already following a direction but I filled it out anyway. Interestingly the Coffs track was designed and built to give equal opportunity to both sliders and chook chasers and has lead to some of the best racing seen in NSW between both types of bikes.Our current club has some of the best people running it at the moment and the dirt track numbers are growing again with a lot of mxs giving it a go.The biggest cost incurred for them is having to buy a new rear wheel to be able to fit an 18" tyre. If a good 19" tyre was available more would try this form of racing.Forget any of the proposed limitations to machinery to level the playing field.I have had and ridden some very fast bikes sofar in my short career (that just means there is more to come) and still can only finish near the pointy end and if I was offered one thing to help me win I would take a lot more ability any day.
-
Paul Caslick made this comment on his website after the recent Dirt Track forum at Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie, The Dirt Track Forum.
Sun 16 Nov 2008
… travelled to Port Macquarie for the long over due, Dirt track forum, conducted and hosted by MA CEO David White. I believe it went very well and the host put together a well orchestrated forum.
Firstly we introduced ourselves, then we discussed and agreed upon a purpose statement. From here we spoke of what is good about dirt track racing, what is not good about dirt track racing and what can be done to improve it, what obstacles we face to make these improvements.
This part I loved as everybodies positive points for improvement all motioned towards the Revival Plan, so it showed after this that all of the negatives were based upon personal choices that effected someone and prevented the sport from going forward.
May I congratulate David White, not sure wether this was the plan to expose the personal issues and show that the Revival is a REAL step forward, thats how I seen it, fantastic job well done.
Wayne Gardner was then introduced and he went on to explain how he became involved again with his kids and how the Revival Plan came into effect from an accident that Remy was involved in at Somersby. He had spoken with myself and a number of parents over safety issues, then he discovered how much money needed to be spent to make a CRF 80 competitive. One thing lead to another and the Revival Plan came into reality.
From all the rumours I heard before we arrived how this one was gunna do this and this one was gunna do that because they didnt agree with what was put forward, they were certainly quiet. Some did put their views forward which lead to productive discussions, that is what a forum is all about, not the farce we experienced earlier in the year down at Temora and still waiting for changes from that.
One thing, nothing has been put forward like this Revival Plan to rebuild Dirt Track, ever. By 2010 dirt track will become a new entertainment attraction for all disciplines to enjoy and may the best man win. That will be Dirt Track.
If you require a copy of the Revival plan submitted by Wayne Gardner and Tony Hatton please send me your details and you will have it instantly.
So who has the copy of this plan ? and im assunming its all based around moderns and Manufactuers ? ?? Firko ???
-
Wayne Gardner and going forward.
Sat 18 Oct 2008
Recently Wayne and Toni Gardner travelled to spain and witnessed what they have in regards to junior development. You see in Spain, kids as young as 5 can start riding pocket bikes in witch hat marked out tracks throughout car parks, but are unable to begin racing on tracks until 9 and as most of us would agree is way to young.Unfortunately, Spain dont experience junior development as we do with their Dirt track being a graded 200 meter oval, no facilities, fencing or infastructure. That is why in Spain,9 year olds Road Race as they have nothing else. Motorcycling NSW and the board of directors are still working on a viable solution to junior road racing. We will have a solution which will set the standard for all junior road racing, being a safe system incorporating a developmental program should also be high on anybodies list of priorities when considering the safety of young children.Imagine having juniors utilising their motocross machines with slick tyres on Go-Kart facilities around the country in a controlled environment! Already parents from other countries are wanting to bring their kids into Australia to experience our system. Speaking with Wayne about the whole situation he believes australia has the highest standards of junior competition in the world.Our biggest problem is Dirt Track hasnt received any input or development for years.MA blames the competitors for this as we dont send in correspondence of what we think we need, I blame the commission for being incompetent,quick take the phone off the hook kids!Dirt Track for years has provided a fantastic grounding for road racing, motocross and speedway champions.This is about harnessing what we have let slip away in the past, from the world champions Australia have produced,hundreds have actually slipped away due to various reasons, burnt out, finances or no direction. At the time we are facing a world economic crisis. Controlling or changing Dirt Track could not come at a better time.
-
freaky the fact is ma needs a big boot up the clacker.as a member of a mnsw committee i for one am sick of making representations to ma for rule changes/deletionsetc to have those representations{which have come to us through the concerns & interest of riders]being ignored by ma without the courtesy of any rationale or explanation. it makes one think that these committees have been set up to give the riders etc the impression that they have a voice. well i have news for ma, the time for that kind of high handed bullshit has passed and those of us who put in time to be on these committees wont sit down quietly any more and put up with it!.all you blokes that are on these committees start socking it to em and demand that you be treated with the respect that those who voted for you assumed you get.cheers wally.
-
Agree, i hate MA money theavin pricks, there only looking after there on modern agendas, i for one will be pushing our club this year to be doing more club property rides and using any excuse like a rain out not to pay track and ride fees, particulary as we keep asking for changes and help and get treated like shit. IT just a business, and its worse when you over here MA SA wouldnt even be a blip on the radar but i know we paid out more then 50K in fees last year for next to shit and then they wanted to sell our track off even though it was bought and paid by members, but they though they could sell it off to help them pay for some land they bought in Murry bridge for some Road track that may or may not be finished by 2020 , umm and where would we be ridding till them < even assuming there is room for us tooo ? dont get me started.
-
Kiss the slider goodby.... just wait and see if I'm right.
-
who is going too the dirt track forum in sydney this saturday, to have a say in dirt tracks future????
-
Conspiracy Theory???????????
Funny that they have the forum on this Saturday.
The State Dirt Track Champs are on this weekend along with the VMX Nationals on the Sunshine Coast.
I've got a big job on this Sat or I'd be there.
Hopefully the Sliders are looked after.
-
Funny how they are interstate ....... does the location ever change or is it alway a NSW group descion on the sport ?
-
i was going but they where that slow with a reply i double book (pratice at nepean).
-
FREAKY YOU MENTIONED PAUL CASLICK
I SAW HIM RIDE AT QLD LONGTRACK TITLES
COPYBOOK PERFECT
-
From what i hear him and wayne are going to run out a MX based Dt series
-
I'm a Drongo, everyone knows the state champs are on the 29/30th of this month. I musta been on the turps.
-
Wake up to yourself Curly.
-
I managed to grab a couple of hours late Sunday to go have a look and was impressed. A good roll up of riders, some excellent racing, and a smooth operation. I felt for the ladies and guys in the canteen, it was about 35 or so and no clouds so very warm, but luckily an overcast rolled in about mid arvo for a bit of respite.
I gotta say the track does look good now. They've done some work on the surface and it looked nice and fast. But the earthworks are amazing. They've built up a huge mound all the way round the main straight. It's at least 20 feet high and offers plenty of parking and a superb view of the action. The mound also deflects the sound (the main reason they built it), so it should help reduce noise complaints.
I was so impressed I might try a few local club days there next year on the 05 YZ125. I'd love to see a full on vintage day there, but HEAVEN isn't really into that so unless someone convinces the ACT club to run one I guess it won't happen. Still, you never know, do you?
-
Any one got some pictures to post up of the changes since last year ? be interested to see what it looks like incase we need to start some earth works on ourt track in a preemtive strike