Where too with VMX your thoughts please.

[Tim754]

Been having a thread running in the sidecar forum about combining Pre and Post 75 classes. Not as in "all in" races but by making race day adjustments to the track course to compliment the type/age of motorcycles in that event.  Yes it is a very sticky one.!!!!! Fact is numbers in the pre75 pre70 pre65 etc classes have declined. Recall the early too mid nineties if can "One reason that is obvious and we cannot stop is the age of the older classes and  machine owners/ riders has increased too..Age does play a part.
 Questions,  is sticking to a rigid pre 75 and earlier classes format at meetings now going to bring machines that have been parked away in storage  or whatever out for all to enjoy?
 Should National Title events only be allowed for pre 75 and earlier machines? no "non title " classes and demonstrations?
By running an extended Title meeting with later era machines are you demeaning the status of the Australian Classic VMX Titles.
 If post 75 classes are taken out of the equation would any Club  be interested in holding an Australian or State title event?
 Can of worms isn't it .   My opinion "do what we have to do that will preserve this form of recreation, or it will fade away forever", no I dont mean include speedway machines or racing brushcutters, rallycars ,  vegemite jars or non VMX stuff. 
 Go on now say your piece please and thank  Ray Ryan for the non political non class bigoted fun event we call the Classic Dirts. Cheers Tim754

[pokey]

Pokey Breaks off a  few squares of chocolate and has a bit of a think.

Your right Tim. tis a big can of worms you have the tinopener stuck in  thats for sure.
 The purists wil say segregation. the more open minded  will mention cohabitation the more avante guard will say something  entirely different.
 ai a bit like the age restriction thang for riders  debate , should Young whipper snappers be allowed to ride VMX?

 My thoughts say the sport is the main  point  to be considered not  a personal preference, ergo anything that can keep the  numbers  in the game has to be a good thing .
 If the numbers you say  are in fact dwindling there is a reason , a summation or thought cant be used to make a decision but actual facts of why numbers are dwindling. then the trend perhaps can be  reversed or  atleast stem the tide.

 Breaks off another hunk of chocolate  and flicks a wayward worm back in the can

[Nathan S]

Having read the other thread, I don't get Walter's point of view (NB: I'm not say that it's wrong or anything, just that I don't understand it).

If - for whatever reason - there aren't vintage specific events, then pragmatisim suggests that riding in your own class in modern events is the only solution.
When you're a small sub-group of an already limited interest past-time, I don't understand why/how you could be choosey about events. Yes, we'd all love it if we could race vintage-specific meetings every second weekend, but it's never going to happen in a country as big and sparsely populated as this one.

Maybe my perspective is skewed because I've only discovered racing in the last 18 months, and still have that naive enthusiasm that only newbies can have, but I'd be happy to race my pre-70 bike on a modern track, provided I was racing against other short-travel bikes...  Definitely a better option than sitting at home!

As the saying goes: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

[gorby]

I have read and observed that most vmx riders tend to ride the bikes of their youth or the ones that they would have liked to ride back then.

as time moves on and the older riders retire,the new ones choice of bikes tend to be a couple of years newer,therefore the older bikes numbers slowly drop off.

But then there must be some like myself and nathan S that just like to ride old clunkers,

only my views

(I was wrong once and that was when I thought I was mistaken) famous quote from someone!!!

[Tahitian_Red]

This debate seems to be worldwide.  AHRMA has struggled with this at the Regional level for awhile.  In certain areas of the U.S. rider numbers are low enough for both pre and post that they must combine and sometimes have youth classes also.  Where pre-75 thrives the two are kept separate.

Personally I own and ride both, so I love the combined weekends.  The promoters get a bigger pay day, riders have more races (classes) to choose from.  Track layout is always the sticky wicket.  We once had a regional race at a track that had routing around the table-top jumps, so that each class had an option. Good luck!
 

[Tim754]

Hmmm lots of viewers , 4 genuine replies . Thanks to those Gents.
 It must be that all is perfect! So now there is "Taa Daa" no excuses for having those pre 75 machines locked up in your sheds.