Why a bottom age limit

[TM BILL]

Why is there a bottom age limit on VMX classes  this seems to be an international thing .

When i enter a meeting on my TM 125 why cant i enter Pre 75 , Pre 78, Pre 81, pre 86 and if it happens pre 90.

If im fit enough and keen enough and happy to pay my money why not.
Please dont give me the old But you wont be competitive enough story thats my concern.

I could accept a refusal of entry if the grids are full (but how often does that happen )

You cant change history and people have always ridden older bikes .Christ i still ride my vintage bikes at modern meetings , they dont say sorry sod off your bikes to old but they do at vintage meets 

When i go to a meeting i want to ride as much as i can , and its not always practicle to cart 5 bikes to a meeting .

What do you think , or am i as my Mum used to say "My boys the only one marching in step"

[Tim754]

Enter them all if you will TM What is to stop you entering a 1973 TM125 in a modern race? nothing! so by that right nobody should stop you entering any 125 class.

[Nathan S]

HEAVEN apparently has it in its constitution, but I don't know the history behind the idea.

I presume that part of the reasoning is that by restricting the age of the bikes in both directions, any race will be representative of an era.

[TM BILL]

Thanks Guys but it is in the rules , even here in good old laid back NZ 
Nathans point is probably right however i still dont get it as why would you want to change history 

[asasin]

Seems to me the rule book needs to be modernised or reevaluated to suit the moving target , lots of strange but true rules because "thats the way it has always been."

[evo550]

Bill,
I think the main reason is,
 if you enter on a pre '75 125 and "ride up" all the classes to say pre '85 and each class has three motos,
You would have approx 12 races pre day, where as the guy with a pre '85 125 would only get 3 motos for the day as he can't "ride down"
You both pay $30 for the day.....but you get to have 4 time the fun.
All the other 125 classes get to ride less than you, and they get cranky.

[DJRacing]

I thought it was to show the era's but I'm often known to be wrong, and you can ride up a class if you have entered it if that bike breaks down (over here in NZ),

[ba-02-xr]

I think this rule stinks. On onouther thread people are bitching that if we introduce pre 90 it will kill of older bikes then they have a rule like this. By the way what happened in 1980 when you turned up with a 74 model bike, did they send you home.

[cyclegod]

By the way what happened in 1980 when you turned up with a 74 model bike, did they send you home?

Yes, but only after laughing at you and pointing out how useless your bike was going to be against theirs 

[ba-02-xr]

HA HA & after the 74 YZ 250 kicks all the new 1980 bikes ass someone realizes its some guy called Gall.

[211kawasaki]

Any bike can ride up into any class such as for example a TM125 running in EVO or a pre 60 bike running in pre85. There is only one exception to this and that is pre 78 which is designed to replicate the first suspension revolution class and follows the AHRMA rules for the class almost to the letter.

There was an error in the rule book that stated for example "pre 75 bikes 1970 - 1975 and this caused some problems with one stewards interpretation of the bikes eligible to race. In fact the bigger problem was that it infact allowed 75 models to race. This has been rectified in the 2009 GCRs and the new classes will be described as " pre 75, pre 70 etc etc" this should end the confusion.

211

[TM BILL]

Thanks Dave  just to Clarify so if i want to enter the nationals i could if i choose ride the TM 125 in pre 75 and up in Evo and pre 85 but not pre 78.
There is point to this , if people are travelling interstate or from overseas its not always practicle to cart many bikes 

[STW996]

By the way what happened in 1980 when you turned up with a 74 model bike, did they send you home?

Yes, but only after laughing at you and pointing out how useless your bike was going to be against theirs 

Have you ever seen the Cavell bros up here in QLD they race pre 70 bikes and kick most peoples arses on even pre 85 bikes!! Im glad they can't ride up as it would be down right embarrassing if they did

[worms]

i will depend on the supp regs for each event, and when it comes to Nationals the controll body has the final say

Cheers trev

[Maico31]

I thought it was also to stop over subscription in some classes that are already full with era correct bikes as well as the guy in the newest era not being able to ride his bike in any other classes.