Where have all the old boys gone

[Tom]

The last time heaven was in canberra my dad my sister and i made the effort as my dad is 41 and his balls werent big enough to race as he hasnt ridden in a while (  This is a joint conversation from my dad Jimson aswell  ) so he let me use his DT1 to race as the witnesses will justify (Nathan,Noel,Dennis any 1 else that was there) would know i didn't make the first corner  as i went down in a heap with the bike on top of me. Before the race i disscussed with my father about getting the holeshot he said not to bother and just have a good time as it was my first race my main thought was win win win but in the back of my head there was that voice saying what will these guys think if i stuff up  all i wanted out of the day was to gain some respect and enjoy my first race im only 16 and i hope to go to alot more meetings and ride and learn alot more skills from the more experienced riders wether their 30 or 70 as the saying goes we got old bikes in the ute and $20 in our pockets so we sought the other stuff out later right 

[Wombat]

Tom, beautifully put and I like your attitude!
I think we can all appreciate your apprehension for your first race and the thoughts going through your head.
Next year will be 28 years since I last threw a leg over a dirt bike and I'm wondering how I'll feel sitting on the grid for my re-entry to the sport?

Where have all the old boys gone?
I've read this entire thread and note the views are well over 2000; only Paris Hiltons video has had more hits!
There are some good points put forth and I've read all views with interest.
It's a real shame to read so many vintage riders are out there with their bikes but are disillusioned enough to stay away.
As I understand it, they've tried VMX but have had a gutful of petty rules, hissy fits and general aggravation?

Right or wrong, here's what I was told about VMX when I lobbed up to watch for the first time:
"It's mostly a bunch of older blokes; generally ex MX racers but also many who didn't race in their youth but now have the chance.
The bikes are all old school stuff; disc brakes and the modern stuff are excluded.
The bikes are separated into different classes based on age.
People race for the fun of it and it's nothing too serious.
It's just about getting out there and competing against like minded people - but it's not about sheep stations.
If you're in the first three you might want to go for it but other than that just enjoy having a blast around a track like the good old days", or words to that effect.
And that was pretty much it... 

I've been a spectator at a few 'modern' MX's over the years but nothing I saw inspired me to race again.
Ten jumps followed by a hairpin corner, ten jumps followed by a hairpin corner, ten jumps followed by.........................
To further annoy me the bikes and matching apparel look like Pro Hart paintings (all respect to Pro; but these are DIRT BIKES!).
Of course I bring my boy along and spin stories of how "I used to do that".

So, VMX was a deadset joy to behold!
I recognised all the bikes and everyone was my age, give or take a decade.
Why had I not heard of this sooner?

So, now I'm on a mission to locate a vintage bike and I've been looking since June.
I can't remember the last time I was so keen on 'doing something'.
This 'new' sport has even inspired me to lose some weight before I get into it!
That has to be a good thing right?
I've done absolutely zero exercise in the last thirteen years and I'm really looking forward to '08 and the new season.
This is my experience - and maybe you blokes aren't as excitable as me.
But I don't want to get jaded and cynical and bogged down in something which should be good ball tearin' fun!

Early in this thread VMX42 mentions a petty protest about a CZ having the sprocket welded instead of bolted in place.
Are you serious or is that a hypothetical?
Because that sort of crap and variations of it will ensure the old boys won't return.
We hear the 'sheep stations' quote so many times; in fact I'm going to print it on my helmet because that should be the VMX mantra!

Young Tom isn't of 'vintage age' but I hope to race against fellas with his outlook.
Their family has the old bikes in the ute and the dollars in the pockets.
They sound to me like the sort of people I was expecting to meet in the VMX scene.

[firko]

You've got it in one Wombat. You have nailed what vintage racing is about in one fell swoop. Whoever it was that gave you the advise on what VMX was like was 100% right. The whole concept of what we were aiming for back in 1988 was to get old blokes back into the sport riding the bikes that they rode back in their glory days. That philosophy is as true today as it was then with a couple of extra points. Back then we didn't ever consider that young guys would ever want to ride old bikes so they were'nt really catered for. In retrospect, that was wrong. There is nothing better than seeing young blokes enjoying the toys of another era or seeing father and son race togrether. Tom and his Dad are a great example of what can happen within our sport.

Occasionally old school vintage enthusiasts (I was going to write racers but many of us dont race any more but are still enthusiastic!) like myself go off on political campaigns calling for this rule to go or that change to be made but that's just the over protective 'dad' in us not wanting to see our 'baby' harmed or tainted in any way. Like most parents we do mean well but sometimes we are slow to let go of our dreams of how we'd like to see our 'offspring' grow. In the end, you'd hope that some of the good advice sticks and that the 'kid' recognises it when we don't get it quite right and goes on to do what he thinks is right anyway. 

Having said that, we need to care about the sports future by carefully introducing new categories when they are needed not when we personally want it . Look at the big picture and ask if introducing new divisions will help the sports current structure or will it harm an already existing area. I'd also like to see a push more for the fun side of the sport to come more to the fore. The Classic Dirt philosophy is too strong to brush it aside in favour of all race programs. Both facets need to operate hand in hand.
Another aspect that needs to be addressed is to put more emphasis on the bikes. What seperates us from all other forms of off road sport is the rich variety of bikes we get to play with. We need to continue to preserve the bikes of the past for future generations. That is especially relevent towards the less than competitive race bikes that are often overlooked as restoration recipients. If the more obscure or uncompetitive bikes aren't restored or preserved they will be lost forever. I have a couple of non competitive bikes in my collection that I find equally as interesting as my so called competitive race bikes. I'm currently building a 350 Hindall Ducati MXer that in a real racing situation wouldn't pull your undies down but as far as being an interesting bike, it's top of the hit parade. The bikes don't have to be expensive top shelf items. When was the last time you saw a restored Honda SL350 or a Kawaski Big Horn? Get my drift?

This thread has shown that many folks are genuinely keen on improving what we've got. In the grim reality of it all, we're probably not going to get most of the missing old blokes back to racing any more. That part of their life is over. What we can do however is to encourage as many retirees to come back for the fun and cameraderie of the 'Classic Dirt' side of the movement. If that aspect becomes as big a focus as racing we're sure to see a positive resurgence in numbers.

The 'bolts instead of rivets' CZ hub incident actually did happen Wombat. That, and a few other notable situations have come along over the years and are a product of the overly complex rulebook and overly pedantic interpitation of it. I'm the first to admit that at a National title level the rulebook must be adhered to as sensibly as possible. We need to have rulebook parity to prevent those less than honest racers from abusing the situastion at the expense of the honest among us. Thankfully those pedantic situations are becoming less and less as time goes by but as long as we have a rulebook and humans are interpeting it, we will always have these little hickups. It's up to us to be as sensible about protests as we are about making our bikes legal.  This situation is only relevent in National title or big meeting situations. The 10 foot rule is all we need on club days.

[Freakshow]

I humbly appoligies for my ignorance, i never realised there where that many bikes out there, and to be able to get that line in WA im floored.

iD have been lucky to have see more than 10 pre 75 bikes all year,
now i can see why your wondering where have they all gone, im asking that question myself after finding this ->

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1EXSf0Ga24&feature=related

[VMX247]

Great stuff  WA  Mill Farm.Don't matter if its two or twenty two years ago, it's all good.
Participant's do come out to play when its a fantastically organized and friendly event doesn't matter what state it's in.Just plain special times.
Just watched the nice line up of  Suzuki's (Coffs) from the Mighty TS Man youtube video.Good gear

[firko]

What a great video featuring the WA bikes. There is some tasty machinery in there. They have persevered with the "only pre 75" format and it obviously works.
 We could all learn from them regarding introducing new classes willy nilly. Introducing new age cut off divisions while the current ones (evo & pre 85) are still in the growing stages is a giant mistake.

[maicomc490t]

OK - here is my take on the VMX scene as it currently stands.

Most guys do it for FUN, which, my friends, is a given.

I couldn't give a shit what age group there is or what capacity class there is so long as the racing is available. If we create additional divisions in the current range of actual classes the whole thing could well become unmanagable and see little support when commities are called for - who would want to run a race day with a twenty plus race event round x 3?

One of the reasons I usually sign off as I do (see below) is because, if most of us are honest, we are riding purely to entertain OURSELVES whether it is in the bush as I have done (until my re-emergence on the race track in 08 - lookout, lol) or hacking around on bikes we either remember with fondness from our youth, those we lusted after (eg MC490T et al) or ,as in many cases these days, bikes that were built and raced many years before we were born.

Most of us are familiar with racing so we are only too aware that when the gate drops a form of 'natural selection' takes place, for the most part by corner two! After a full lap the groups are well established and by the final lap most places are locked in. Now using this as an example a fifty year old fronts the line with his son (17) a few places down the gate and the board counts the five with the fall of the gate to follow...... Short of a miracle, and irrespective of the bike type or capacity, sonny Jim (funny that's his name, lol) hauls arse out of the box well ahead of most older guys whose reaction time is a little jaded. Likewise, the 36 year old next to me who still maintains awesome fitness and reaction, pulls away, showering me in roost. You see a pattern emerging here?

Lets just keep it simple and gradually fine tune race days with the emphasis on the FUN factor which will be the key to maintaining a high interest in this facet of MX. If we must have age divisions thrown into the cauldron of confusion regarding this thread why not simply work it out at the end of the day?

See you at the back of the pack 

[magoo]

You got it perfectly Dave. 100% right.

[Rossvickicampbell]

to just quickly pick up on some of the last few comments (coz I aint going back over all this thread!!!).  The Fun factor is definitely it.  I race here in WA - we run grades A, B, C and if enough D and then over 55's.  It doesn't matter what the guy next to me lines up on we bash bars all race long (use the term long loosely here!) and have a ball. My young fella has started C grade will soon race against me in B grade and once he flogs me will probably move onto A Grade - so what - while our "skills" are level enjoy it whether it be A, B or C - and then spend all afternoon bullshitting about how fast you were!

Couldn't ask for better fun on bikes I raced as a kid with new friends I would never have met otherwise!

Thats why I keep coming back - I'm hooked

Thanks VMX

Rossco

[suzuki27]

On the Jack Hogg event at Moruya in early Feb.It started life as the Coastal Classic back in the 80's from memory. The father -in-law started it in dedication to the the memory of old Jack.It was aimed at classic bikes and  sliders and sidecars made a turn out at times also.The thing that has been missing the last few years-besides the old Speedcars-has been poor numbers in the static bike display.It would be good to bring another along just to show-this display happens beside the canteen area and was a big hit for riders and spectators alike.I will find out if the display is still catered for-and show some of the old wares off.

[VMX247]

Where have all the old boys gone:
Greenstripe
colj500
Noel
and
anyone heard from Wombat since the Nationals 09 Qld
cheers A

[JohnnyO]

Wombat flew the coup and has moved on with twin brother Ji Gantor.

[JohnnyO]

Wombat flew the coup and has moved on with twin brother Ji Gantor.

Wombat and JI Gantor are nice japs that are  polite to everyone  .  Its not a must to be on this forum and receive insults 

I know the both of them old mate

[VMX247]

Tom,jimson and maicopunk     

[albrid-3]

Hi Al, I am here, and always will be, blokes and their bikes Rule, and it will never die, because rust never sleeps.