The Nats

[GD66]

Combine this with the old discussion re compatibility of tracks for Pre 65 through Pre 90 and the obvious conclusion is Nats need to be held separatelyfor Pre78 etc[for example ] and Evo to Pre90. The way it is going it is accelerating the demise of Pre 75.

KAPOW ! A bolt from the blue ! Jeez, you've got the old thinking cap on there, SS50. That's actually a pretty good idea. Now...could you hold the nats over a long weekend in the one town ? Two tracks, pre-'78 practice Friday, race Saturday....'78-on, practice Saturday, race Sunday....

[Nathan S]

....
I note Pre 75 age races are "all powers" meaning if older riders wish to ride more than one class they have to line up with the teenagers.

Huh? "All Powers" refers to all capacity classes being combined. If its an age race, then you'd be racing against other riders of your age group.

The MA website is short on detail - no doubt because they don't know who will enter yet. Based on last year's event, I'd strongly doubt that any 40+ riders will have to line up against the teenagers in their age races.

A factor in this is no doubt the increasing difficulty in fitting it all in with introduction of Pre 85 ,Pre 90 imminent ,and increasing interest in sidecars packing the programn. Combine this with the old discussion re compatibility of tracks for Pre 65 through Pre 90 ....

The old discussion about track compatability is still bullshit. A good pre-75 track still puts a smile on the face of the pre-85 riders - just like Conondale did in 2009. The worst you can say about the riders of newer era bikes is that they are indifferent to pre-75 unfriendly tracks. I am yet to hear a single pre-85 rider ask for bigger jumps/deeper whoops.

I strongly agree with the rest of your post.

[Rossvickicampbell]

not trying to hijack but this topic ie spilt Nats has been covered "several" times prior to each Nats for the last couple of years.  Was even discussed for the 2010 even when WAVMX was looking at it.

Rossco

[Tossa]

I hope the two clubs in WA get together quickly and bid for the whole event.  Would be interesting, will wait and see though

But back on this years Nats, I'm just wondering how many guys from the west will make it over this year with it being so early in the season and due to travelling time they probably won't even get a chance to run there weapons before the event

[Tossa]

would love to go, but taking the feral photographer to karajini, Exmouth and Shark bay over that period.  Sometime you just have to make sacrifices for peace of mind, or was it house

[EML]

The number of sidecars shouldn't be a problem as we can all run together, fantastic starts with 40 on the grip-that will make the national nightly news for sure- one way or another!!

[albrid-3]

European Tracks need to be a focus when track committee prepar them, most Australia tracks are not long enough these days and are goat tracks, they were better made tracks back in the sixties and seventies fast and flowing.

[Old Husky]

Firko, good idea drumming up support for the Pre 65 250 class, last year at Conondale they dropped this class because of lack of entries, I believe they had 9 entries, I think 10 is required.
What got me was that a couple of other classes had less entries and they still were run
I built up a Pre 65 250 Husky just for this class and then had to ride it in Pre 75, it was underpowered (and under prepared) and 4 speed righthand gearchange, however being a Husky, it still went and handled very well.

[GD66]

The number of sidecars shouldn't be a problem as we can all run together, fantastic starts with 40 on the grip-that will make the national nightly news for sure- one way or another!!

40 ?     How many ran at Conondale - about 8 in total, wasn't it ?

[Nathan S]

I built up a Pre 65 250 Husky just for this class and then had to ride it in Pre 75, ....

 
I asume that you also had a pre-70 250 there?

[VMX247]

here you go Wasp ...get YSS to sponsor this bloke to come over and do the Nats track 
Acclaimed track designer Johnny Douglas Hamilton, noted for his excellent work at Arreton on the Isle of Wight, Sun City in South Africa and Matchams Park this year for the British Grand Prix, will be onboard to lend his expert touch in re-shaping the circuit, ensuring the course presents a challenge to a new breed of competitor, while retaining the character of the Farleigh layout that saw the great riders such as Dave Thorpe and Roger de Coster do battle through the decades.
cheers

[090]

One more thing to keep in mind is to cater for the weakest class and rider , and when that has been achieved , everyone has a ball.
Its like a sucsess full band , the strongest players wait and support the weaker ones to make an overall sucsess. 

At a national event? This thread is about 'The Nats' is it not?

CD7 or a special social event...sure, but a national competition vying for an Australian title? Yeah right!

[090]

Yeah but you peddle the same thing at every opportunity. The reality is that 90% of vmx tracks ARE pre 75 friendly.National title tracks for example; Conondale, I wasn't at Tassie but it looked flat as a tack and Coffs. I wasn't involved in vmx before that but I would think that previous years are the same. I am yet to ride on an unfriendly track at all, not to say there aren't any ever. Myself and two other forum members went riding on a modern track on modern bikes on the weekend. We are so spoilt on our tracks, the modern ones are so rough and unforgiving. If you don't ride a modern track you don't know how easy we have it. Shit its mx FFS, arguably the toughest of all sports. 

[090]

Personally, I would love them to leave it as is. That's right up my alley. But reality is that the track will be heaps different. There won't be any crazy or even hard stuff. It will be vmx people sorting it and will bet my left nut it will be very pre 65 friendly. I wouldn't think someone like Drakie would let that happen.

[090]

If you are talking about the Bonanza, it seems that MA are the ones that didn't bother to put any time into track prep. That is one shitty track.
This time it will be sorted for the two events so the there won't be the short cut that MA did last year ( as Drakie posted elsewhere).
Seriously, anyone would think that vmx is struggling because of the 'modern supercross tracks' that are around. All I have seen on the forum is one track for one event, being the Bonanza. I reckon vmx is blossoming and tracks are pretty dam good.