Are modern mx tracks too dangerous?

[09.0]

I think it's all arse about. It's not the speed so much but the obstacles that create more injuries. If you had a fast flowing natural terrain track with room to pass, I bet there would be less injuries than a modern style track. Less desperate overtaking moves too.

[JohnnyO]

I think it's all arse about. It's not the speed so much but the obstacles that create more injuries. If you had a fast flowing natural terrain track with room to pass, I bet there would be less injuries than a modern style track. Less desperate overtaking moves too.

Exactly right!

[JohnnyO]

You only have to spend some time at QMP and regularly see ambulance cases in the middle of the whoop section and right at the big tabletops..
Story has it that some guy on a 85 CR500 had a big getoff on one of the tabletops and busted a collarbone and bruised his pride..

[Davey Crocket]

Is that the same bloke that got his arse whipped by a girl recently?

[09.0]

'84.... :'(
Piss of crock a shit aka splat boy

[JohnnyO]

Is that the same bloke that got his arse whipped by a girl recently?

Haha.. Ouch!

[firko]

I think it's all arse about. It's not the speed so much but the obstacles that create more injuries. If you had a fast flowing natural terrain track with room to pass, I bet there would be less injuries than a modern style track. Less desperate overtaking moves too.

In a nutshell.

[Viper666]

I think it's all arse about. It's not the speed so much but the obstacles that create more injuries. If you had a fast flowing natural terrain track with room to pass, I bet there would be less injuries than a modern style track. Less desperate overtaking moves too.

Totally agree

[80-85 husky]

Summarising for Johnny O.. when do we start???

[FourstrokeForever]

It would be great to live in an ideal world, one where everything suits our particular needs, but as we all know, that just isn't possible as we all have differing likes and dislikes, on and off a dirtbike!

There has been many very good points made here already. IE; the throttle goes both ways (reminds me of the modern Honda sticker, STUPID HURTS) and just because a jump has been put in a place you don't like doesn't mean you have to launch yourself off of it. "if I don't like the look of a track, I pack up and go home.... to name a few.

Personally, there was a time when I used to love big jumps on my then modern '84 CR250. I left the sport for a few years (like alot of us) then took up enduro after getting sick of being injured playing footy. But I missed motocross and banging bars with few of your mates.

So I decided on a CR250M as my ride for VMX. I thought VMX would be more laid back and without too many big jumps. Most of all I thought there would be less politics and cheaper racing. How wrong can a man be?

MA and MV have their grubby paws in everything we do, (apart from trail riding where the cops and wildlife types take over to make sure we don't have any single track through the spotted frill necked frogs backyard), and make what is a legitimate family past time so bloody expensive. We don't need practice on big double jumps, whoops and other modern obstacles. We don't plan on being world champions. Yet we have to pay not only financially but also with track designs for the wannabes.....

I say it's time to give MA and other governing bodies the boot from having a monopoly on controlling our sport. VMXer's in general are not wanna be pros. Most of us realised long ago that was never going to happen. Now we just want somewhere to ride our old bikes with a few others and have some fun in a mostly safe environment. We all know that any motor sport is dangerous and don't need to be told at every rider briefing.

If AASA are in a position to help us and our particular brand of motorcycle racing with safer tracks and less cost, bring it on I say!

[VMX247]

If you ever get the chance to attend the A4DE you will change your mind on how dangerous mx tracks are.
Just insane speeds through the untamed environment of the Australian Bush
These riders do not have the word fear in there dictionary's.
cheers

[KTM47]

Speed
The track must not contain any high-speed sections (i.e. where speeds exceed 100kph).
Average Speed: The maximum average speed for a lap of the track is to be no greater than
55kph.
The formula to work out the average track speed is:
Average Speed (kph) = Distance (metres) x 3.6 over LapTime (secs)

And here's the biggy;
Note that the lap time used is to be one achieved by an experienced “Pro” grade rider.

Ok if there are people out there using the average speed as a reason for putting in more jumps (obstacles) they are wrong. That average speed comes from the FIM Motocross track standards and I don't think you would call the World MX GP tracks slow and jump fests. Also speed does not cause as many injuries as what jumps and other obstacles do. If you compared Supercross injuries to Motocross injuries on a meeting average, there would be a higher percentage in Supercross and Stadium Motocross.

As for the 7 metre minimum width for Tracks with over 31 start gates, Queensland have had that for at least 5 years. If Broadford's tabletops are only 4 metres wide, put a complaint in in writing to M/C Vic. They own Broadford so they should make sure it complies.

As I have said before if you don't like the way tracks have become, put in a formal complaint to your SCB.

[FourstrokeForever]

If you ever get the chance to attend the A4DE you will change your mind on how dangerous mx tracks are.
Just insane speeds through the untamed environment of the Australian Bush
These riders do not have the word fear in there dictionary's.
cheers

Too right! I've had many an encounter with runaway trees and rocks. BUT, there are no insane man made obstacles to deal with either Alison. Take your Dandaloo track for example... Its very fast with some very well thought out jumps that roll with the lay of the land and don't catapult man and machine into space (or the face of another jump) unless the brain isn't engaged with the throttle controller!