So…..Why are you NOT racing???

[William Doe]

Of course this type of racing  may not suit everybody

[KTM47]

Like this Kev see you there   

Run by QVMX
19 Oct 2014
   
QVMX and BMCC Interclub Echo Valley
Race Day - Echo Valley Toowoomba

Yes I will be there.

But based on what was posted earlier, why not take the sidecars off the sup-regs and give everyone else 4 laps.  Even more value.

[foxy999]

If they do not turn up as you know that could be arranged. lets see what happens on the day..
money wise the sport is not getting cheaper, all cost keep going up, ambo's, flaggies, tracks, permits ect .


 

[Viper666]

On top of that if you haven't got an M.A race license, you need a one day license @ $55.00, all this to be "covered" by M.A insurance. I don't know anyone who's actually called upon M.A after a racing accident (big or small), & been helped by it, can someone give an example?

Necessary evil. Without going into detail we are embroiled in a case of a rider that was injured 2 1/2 years ago. The club is not being sued, MV as the organisers are.

The thing is though if we didn't have their insurance it would be the club/volunteers that they would come after. Quite easy lose Monza to them if that was the case.

There is talk of reducing permit/fees but just talk ATM.

An example for you. Club Permit costs $165 (Up to 75 riders) ($265 + $2 per for every rider over 75) We charge $20-$25. We sometimes only get 20 riders. So we might get say $450 from sign in, we pay $165 for permit & $220 in rider levies, total $385 goes to MV, we get $65. Does this seem fair? Sure we can raise the price but we are trying to make it as cheap as possible for our riders to use Monza. We raise the price & we get less riders.

Members/people are going in droves to these ride parks & who can blame them. $50 to ride all day, no segregation (That's good & bad) which means no waiting.

I don't know how to fix it but somehow pricing has to come down. It's not just permit/licences etc. When I first was on the hunt for clubs to do corner marshalling we had them lined up for $350 a day (20+ people). I then had to raise that to $500. Our Western Region cost us $1500, more than what we hire the track out for. It is added to their entry but it is another cost.

[Richo52]

I absolutely LOVE racing be it VMX or modern.......having time out this year due to.....
1.I don't enjoy the long distances you have to drive to get to events.
2. As someone has already mentioned too many bikes to maintain LOL
3.Too many cars Im currently playing with too LOL
4 .I will be hungry to race next year ......so all good cheers Richo

[Nathan S]

Entry fees for bike events are a very small part of the cost to go racing. Fuel for the car, fuel for the bike(s), accommodation, food (which is usually more expensive than eating at home), bike maintenance, licence costs, all add to WAY more than the entry fee...
I'm not saying that nobody is feeling the pinch, just that they should have a closer look at where their money actually gets spent when they're complaining about a $5 or 10 increase in entry fees.

[bigk]

Just done the sums for the Clarkefield Grass track: Total costs to VVMXC -$7219.00. Total takings for the event = $5855 which leaves a $1,364.00 loss to the club. M.A costs equate to $2450 alone.
K

[Rookie#1]

Just done the sums for the Clarkefield Grass track: Total costs to VVMXC -$7219.00. Total takings for the event = $5855 which leaves a $1,364.00 loss to the club. M.A costs equate to $2450 alone.
K

WOW thats insane!! id be appreciative of knowing either publicly or privately the breakdown of the costs or what component of them is responsible for the majority of the losses to the club. MX clubs running as a charity is not a good thing, there is no need for large profits but those kind of figures will obviously send any organisation/business broke in no time!

[FourstrokeForever]

I'm all for the club charging what it needs to to run an event. Each and every club has it's own costs.
Venue Hire
Water Truck (when dusty)
Ambulance or First Aid
Insurance
Some even pay for flaggies.
Toilet Hire etc.....
 So for me, whatever the club asks for is USUALLY fair and reasonable.
Like Nathan said, the biggest expense is:
FUEL
FOOD
ACCOMMODATION (if you are that way inclined)
RACING LICENSE COST(s)

Bike maintenance is par for the course and it wouldn't matter if you trail ride, free ride or race. It still has to be done.

What gets me is why MA and MV (Victoria) put their hand out every time a club holds a meeting. To me it seems like double dipping.
Surely it would be enough to use the money from racing Licences, be it yearly or a meeting only license, to cover any insurance issue that might arise from some tosser that wants to blame someone else for their mistake. Permanent disability aside, no one should be able to sue anybody for a broken bone or 2.... But that's another topic.
I really can't get my head around any need for a controlling body for old people on old bikes having a bit of argy bargy on motorbike in a paddock for a day or 2. Our days of becoming professional sponsored racers are well and truly behind most, if not, all of us. Why are us recreational racers treated like the pro's?
It's just another bureaucratic money grab to keep these people in a job and it adds to the clubs expense and in turn, our expense.

I say this because it is a Clubs and Riders biggest expense other than the obvious already mentioned.

Keeping costs down and providing decent tracks will get more bums on seats.

Go with the Kiwi's model I reckon!

[asasin]

sounds like similar reasons to why we stopped racing back in the day . Another could be that some people have done 7 -10 years of VMX and are moving on , again Just as they did when young.

[William Doe]

Just done the sums for the Clarkefield Grass track: Total costs to VVMXC -$7219.00. Total takings for the event = $5855 which leaves a $1,364.00 loss to the club. M.A costs equate to $2450 alone.
K

Im sure the Pro MA mob will be along in a minute to tell me to butt out as I don't live there , aye Col .But anyway as a casual observer from afar you would have to question why the body charged with looking after the sport would rape an event for almost 50% of what the club takes in 

Big K s figures I don't think allow for the fact that each competitor has already shelled out $$$$$$$$$$$$$ to buy an individual race licence , as he is quoting the club figures. But factor in the revenue taken from each rider for licences and divide that by ( lets be generous and say the average licence holder does 12 events a year ) so 12 and add those figures to the pot and the people rubber stamping the event are on a good thing    .

I raised the question as a poll prior to the Connondale classic " what do you get from MA ? " but was asked by Dave Tanner to remove it as it may have been detrimental to that event , so I did .

That particular event is being viscously raped financially as it had to be upgraded from a club meeting to a national meeting and so the MA  cost skyrocket. They must print the permits on hand made parchment with 22crt gold leaf to justify the extra cost .

I agree with Nathan that the entry is only a small part of the overall cost of racing , but we are being fuct ( taxed if you like ) on everything we purchase already . It would be nice if you felt that at least those charged with looking after the sports interest would give the enthusiast a fair go .   

[FourstrokeForever]

Just done the sums for the Clarkefield Grass track: Total costs to VVMXC -$7219.00. Total takings for the event = $5855 which leaves a $1,364.00 loss to the club. M.A costs equate to $2450 alone.
K

I wonder whereand how that $2450 for MA gets delivered back into the VMX side of their money grab? Can anyone give a reasonble explanation as to how it helps fund our sport?

Maybe it's about time MA officials got off their collective fat arses and started coming to race meetings and do some flag duties or water a track for the club...That way they don't have to justify why that get so much money for doing sweet FA. Or don't they have time in between flights to various other major race meetings all over the world as "delegates" for Australian motorcycle sport?

[bigk]

The figures do include MA one day licenses, it is an expense and has to be accounted for.
Here is the break down of the weekends event.

Total takings: entry fees, one day rec & race licenses plus a few one day memberships: $5855
Costs to run the event:
Venue hire: $2000
First aid: $900
Flaggies: $775
Steward: $200
CFA: $200
Toilet Hire: $430
Trophies: $275
MA permit: $150
MA rider levies: $539
MA one day licenses: $1750
Total cost: $7219
Balance = -$1364.00 (DB) to Viper club.
That's without taking into account any personal expense by all the workers & volunteers to whom much thanks is warranted & their time & effort much appreciated. For the most part, the weekend was a big success with those who love grass track racing, having a ball. The racing was close with some ding dong battles by a few. While we don't expect to make huge dollars by running events, clubs should be able to at least break even which seems to be becoming increasingly difficult of late.
K

[g465b]

 our old mates at the MA announced $56 000 in prize money for 2014 ASBK (superbikes), where is the prize$$$ for all the different
dirt bike comps. that are way more supported in rider numbers and $$$ fees back to MA.
compare  entering aust. offroad champs to U.S GNCC  (similar enduro/multi lap event)  MA license   $290      US ama license $49
 per round entry fee inc transponder    oz $195    u.s.  $50 .
raced post classic nats,crawford river classic and conondale classic this year  $290 license  about $540 entry fees total- riding time about
6 hours (2 bikes-3 to 4 classes) plus travel costs etc etc etc ,its f..king expensive bum on seat time .
as one "not racing anymore" friend said-  'for the same  $$ thats two weeks in Thailand with some miss world quality pros thrown in".
AT least he still wants to ride.

[Daryl Jones]

Converting some more of my MXers to Vinduro bikes.

eg.  Toowoomba MCC Murphy's Creek Vinduro weekend.

$50 for 2 Days (I did 8x45min loops on the SL125 - That's 6 hours of quality dirt riding).
(MA licence or a single event available)

Free camping, free firewood, real toilet.
Sweep riders, qualified first aid on-hand.
Friendly organisers & participants.
No pressures, except your own desire to push it.
Really Great FUN, and I ride dirt-bikes for the fun.