2009 qvmx sunshine coast mcc vintage nationals update

[VMX247]

You gotta be joking--- three         You sure ?
Walter 

[paul]

1st 2nd and 3rd

[firko]

What happened to all of the sidecars that were at CD6? Very disapointing.

[VMX247]

We only need six -   -Its better chances than buying Lotto for a win or place 

[vandy010]

gee! if i throw a chair on the side of the big MX125a..........
i can smell a trophy.................

[STW996]

how did entries go for some of the older classes?  I am led to believe pre 85 etc is bursting but how about pre 75?



RVC, the strongest fields are in pre 75 and pre 78 open, evo is good but evo 125 is down the pre 85 classes are not as strong as one would have thought with on 10, 15 and 18 (for 125,250 and open, we had 35 250's to a club meeting??) some other noted are the pre 65 class with currently only enough numbers to run one combined race class!!!

The organisers have left postal entries open for another (approximately) 10 days (until program goes to print) to try and boost numbers (No late fee would be charged), the online entries via nominate are closed and forms can be downloaded from the QVMX website.

At present the rider numbers are 170 with around 375 bikes with very strong entries from WA and Victoria and a piss poor roll up from Queenslanders to an event in their backyard

So if you thought Im not running at the nationals due to to many entries in your class think again!

Shane

[firko]

I'm disapointed in the low overall entry figure. 175 is not a huge number of entries considering the numbers of potential racers out there. All of the talk that the sport is in good condition seems a bit over enthusiastic when one considers that in the mid to late 90s this event would attract upward of 250 entries...All pre 75 and earlier! Now with every class from pre 65 to pre 85 on offer and with the sport supposedly in a resurgence, the Nats can only attract 175 entries and only 3 sidecars. Something 'ain't working.

RVC, the strongest fields are in pre 75 and pre 78 open, evo is good but evo 125 is down the pre 85 classes are not as strong as one would have thought with on 10, 15 and 18 (for 125,250 and open, we had 35 250's to a club meeting??) some other noted are the pre 65 class with currently only enough numbers to run one combined race class!!!

The above paragraph evokes a number of thoughts. With such low entries in the pre 85 class, it's now more than obvious that the time still isn't right for a pre 90 class. It also shows that the pre 75 division is far from dead, despite the neighsayers attempting to throw soil on the coffin. Evo 125 has never been well supported which surprises me considering that 125s were the hot ticket during the Evo classes 'era'. The pre 65 class is going through a period where many of the blokes who own such bikes are past their racing age and have turned their bikes into Lounge Lizards. The recent resurgence in interest in the class from younger, second generation racers is a glimmer of hope for the classes future.

To my way of thinking, the lower than expected turnout comes down to a number of different reasons. The QVMX and Sunshine Club have done an exemplary job in promotIng and organising the event. The success and smoothness of CD6 showed us all that both clubs know their shit and have good people at the pointy end. They've done far more than should be needed to attract entries and no blame on the lower than expected entry level should be placed on them. The track is up there with Barrabool in Victoria as one of the most perfect VMX venues I've personally seen and I've been to all bar three out of eighteen Nats.

So if it's not the promoter or the venue at fault, where does the problem lie? The recession hasn't done the event any favours. Times are tough and it's understandable that many just can't afford the serious road journey from the southern states. Another cost factor is the cost of the needed open licence. A notable percentage of vintage riders use the one day licence system on an 'as needed' basis, not being prepared to fork out the $300 plus for a licence they'd only need once or twice. This is one aspect of our sport that needs some serious thinking if we want the Nationals to continue to be the acing 'holy grail' of our sport.

The main problem however lies with us, the general VMX public. Two years ago the Coffs Harbour club was in an even worse entry   situation than the QVMX/Sunshine clubs for the Coff Harbour Nats. It took some serious arse kicking on this forum to get many cyber racers and who couldn't have bothered entering to have a rethink, get off their arses and get their entries in. The last minute resurgence in entries, prompted by this very forum achieved the unthinkable and boosted the entry tally to an acceptable level.

It's time we did it again. As Shane has above stated, the organisers have kindly left the entries open for another 10 or so days in an attempt to drum up some more entries. If you were considering riding but were too slack to get your entry in in time or just plain haven't entered because you didn't think you'd have a chance at a trophy or some other limp dick excuse, please reconsider your attitude and give them a ring. If you know of a racer who hasn't entered but think he should give him a call. I'll be ringing my own mates who haven't entered and trying to get them involved. It's up to us to keep this event alive. As I said earlier, it's our sports Holy Grail and deserves full support. There was a time when very few racers would ever consider missing the Nats. The Nats, its dirt track brother event and the Condoblin Greybeards were three meeting that had icon status and attracted up to entries in the high 200s every year.
Let's hope we can get at least another thirty racers to break the 200 mark and put the event back up on the pedestal where it rightly belongs.
PS.

The problem is , some are not allowed to enter , due to ASA politics

What kind of bullshit is this? Is it true? I was aware that there was some bad blood among the chair fraternity but being prevented from entering seems a bit Nazi to me. If it is true, you sidecar blokes need to hang your head in shame.

[E74]

I'll sum it up for you all then... Bureaucracy, politics and Scruitinazi's.

We are all to old and have seen it all before, some one gets a badge and has to throw their weight around and f*ck it all up.

Did everyone not realise that these bikes are not being ridden by teenagers or the country's elite?, they are being ridden by guys with older bodies and in most cases carrying long term injury's from days (race days) gone by, therefore the bikes need to be as safe as we can make them, we NEED good suspension on them as we are f*ckingwell middle aged and when we hit the ground we hit hard,;.... then we don't bounce back onto the bike like we did at Jilliby in 1981.

We also need good tractable power, we need the bike to handle better than they used to , so that we can reduce the risks of riding these old bikes.

I love my VMX bikes but I would rather go compete on my 09 Berg, "safe as" and no dood with a badge telling me how or what I can have on my bike.

I didn't enter, didn't enter anyone to ride any of my bikes and I don't think I ever will, imagine driving from melbourne to Qld to get told , No you cant ride because tou have "Such and Such" on that bike, when the mods to your bike would have no impact on your placing....Fark That!, and the entry numbers reflect that exact sentement!


The Vintage Nats will be dead within 2 years when Classic dirt and the like will thrive as it already does, why??
no bureaucracy, no Scuitinazi's, no one telling anyone what they can and can't have on their bikes, and no one telling any one what to do, we are all to old for that shit!

[paul]

just outa interest what were the numbers for tassie nats last year

[AjayVMX]

I think the need to pre-enter is still a factor in reducing entries in events.

The reason I say this is because I compare it to the system in the USA, where you either enter the day before or on the morning of the race itself.  This applies to AHRMA nationals which are much bigger races that we have here, so the comparison is valid as far as I can tell.  OK, so you don't necessarily have everyone listed in the program, but at the end of the day you get more competitiors.

The other comparison with the USA which is interesting is that they don't have Classic Dirt style events - they just have races and it seems to me that they are much better at attending National races for the fun of the event rather than getting too serious about side issues of elligability and ages of riders.  Sure, they race seriously when they are on the track, but they just seem to have more of a party atmosphere off track than we do here in Oz.  I don't know why that is, but the difference is very obvious to anyone that gets the opportunity to attend events in the USA and here.

[VMX247]

just outa interest what were the numbers for tassie nats last year

107 Entries with 214 bikes (according to my tallie)-not bad for a Island Adventure 
cheers

[E74]

There is some merrit in your post Darren and most people would go along with most points . But you tend to forget the poor club that is trying hard to put on the show with its hands tied  by the silly MA rules. I personally prefere the CD anytime myself , but I will give it one more go this year , because of the great location  and the efforts the Queenslanders put in. After that event its review time for me .

Exactly right Walter, why would the clubs bother when they put in the hard yards only to have to take shit from governing bodies that, from what I can remember wouldn't even recognise the movement 10 years ogo..

[firko]

I'll sum it up for you all then... Bureaucracy, politics and Scruitinazi's.

With respect Darren, have you ever raced or even been to the Nats? I forking doubt it as your post shows a total ignorance of the actual way things operate. Like I've said in a previous post I've been to 15 out of 18 Nats, have been a "scrutinazi" and have rarely seen anything like you've described. What I have seen is a lot of riders having a lot of fun racing the best in their class. The scrutineering has had it's moments from time to time but what would you prefer, an open slather with no class restrictions? Like everything in life, we need set standards to operate under. You're a successful businessman and I'm certain your products are built to specific industry and governmental standards. It's the same in our sport, we need those standards to adhere to to make sure the system works for everyone.

I think you're basing your opinion on some paranoid and pedantic rule nit picking on this forum.  Most of the rulebook pedancy has been fed by inquisitive newbys and cyber racers with nothing better to do than create hyperthetical rulebook situations that have SFA to do with the real world. The stuff on this forum has zero to do with what really happens.

[Phil]

The Vintage Nats will be dead within 2 years when Classic dirt and the like will thrive as it already does, why??
no bureaucracy, no Scuitinazi's, no one telling anyone what they can and can't have on their bikes, and no one telling any one what to do, we are all to old for that shit!

Anarchy, that's what you want. Lets just let everybody do what they want with their bikes and see what results. Thats when the system falls apart. I think calling hard working voluteers like Dave Tanners and others Scrutinazis is insulting and uncalled for. You're so far off the reality of what the Nationals is about its almost laughable. None of the dumb footpeg or other points raised on this forum have ever been raised to my knowledge. In my 8 or 9 Nats I've only ever seen 1 or maybe 2 scrutineering decisions that I questioned. Scrutineering is and has always been a breeze, even with tough blokes like Drakie or Firko. If you went to the Nats you'd find your asumptions of Nazis hiding behind every tre to be silly.

[JohnnyO]

Here in Qld we often get more than 100 entries to a club day where you can ride all day in several classes for bugger all outlay. I think the high price of entry combined with short races spread over 3 days put off a lot of the Queenslanders that i spoke to.