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AMA Motocross, 2 Race Nationals?

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Posted by: Whoops---------------------

AMA Pro Racing is proposing that the overall winner be eliminated in National motocross races and that each moto be considered it's own race. Two winners. Racer X has the story. Their explanation is that MX would be more TV friendly. Essentially, they're dummying down the sport for the uninitiated.

It smells like a big mistake and the AMA should leave just the format alone. Attendance is already up at National events. It's reasonable to expect TV audiences to follow. Where does AMA come up with this excrement?

Whoops


Posted by: XRpredator---------------------

I say if they're gonna change the format, make it Supercross style (heats, semis, lcq) and a 45 minute race. It may not be as TV friendly, but we all watch a 1 hour show anyway, so just a recap of the qualifiers and then show the main in it's entirety.

I should be running this! (yeah, right. :silly: )


Posted by: marcusgunby---------------------

FIM GPs were ruined by people trying to make it more TV friendly-the crazy thing is it was all done to make it easier to show it live-guess what no live coverage in 01:think :o


Posted by: oldguy---------------------

This smacks of the let the kids play little league and don't keep score. In the end everykid out there knows what the score is and at every National the winner of the day will be the Overall 2 moto points leader. Why change something as meaningfull as this:mad:


Posted by: mxracer724---------------------

Quote:
Originally posted by XRpredator
I say if they're gonna change the format, make it Supercross style (heats, semis, lcq) and a 45 minute race. It may not be as TV friendly, but we all watch a 1 hour show anyway, so just a recap of the qualifiers and then show the main in it's entirety.


I agree totally with you XRpred. I think that if they do change the format (Which I don't think they should in the first place) they should change it to the SX format.


Posted by: JimmyD2---------------------

Our sports (MX and SX) have never been more popular, yet it seems that AMA Pro Racing is trying their best to sabatoge BOTH series... Who are the decision makers at AMA Pro Racing? They certainly have made some questionable decisions and have some strange ideas about how to futher the success of our sport. What ever happened to the old saying... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it..." :think

HEY GUYS! IT AIN'T BROKE!!!


Posted by: cp380sx---------------------

Another vote for one 45 minute moto.

I'd also like to see three classes. 125 2-stroke, 250 2-stroke and open 4-stroke.


Posted by: huskyboy---------------------

The AMA - they're all idiots! :mad:


Posted by: Okiewan---------------------

Quote:
Our sports (MX and SX) have never been more popular
Not true.

I'll wait to see what ends-up being seriously proposed before passing judgement. For the sport to grow, it has to be in a format that TV can handle. 2 45 minute moto's is too long for the average viewer a two class national would end-up being 4 hours long... you can FORGET about seeing races live if it stays that way. Look at football and all the changes made to shorten the game. 1 - 1.5 hour total to televise a race may be the max. I agree that the SX format would be a good alternative.

Then again, NASCAR fans sit thru hours of cars going in circles, go figure.


Posted by: cp380sx---------------------

It seems like one 40-45 minute moto would be perfect for a 1 hour tv program. It would be easy for the uninitiated to underdstand who won as well.


Posted by: XRpredator---------------------

Okay, the more I think about this, the better plan I get!

cp380sx has the right idea--40 minutes + 2 laps. Even better, broadcast it live! They can show clips from the SX style qualifiers for about 5-10 minutes, then the start of the race at 10 after, then they should have about 5 minutes where they can do the winners circle interview.

So do I send the bill for my consultant fee directly to the AMA?


Posted by: Okiewan---------------------

What about the 125 class? The show would have to be 2 hours +, gotta leave 25% of the airtime for commercials.


Posted by: XRpredator---------------------

Quote:
Originally posted by Okiewan
What about the 125 class?

Okay, maybe not live. :confused: But two seperate 1 hour shows, just like SX (which right now has been playing like a 2 hour show anyway)


Posted by: motomike137---------------------

This is all a bunch of bull. Golf didn't change to one hole for TV, Football has'nt done anything to shorten their format. If we keep fooling around with this stuff we throw tradition, history and continuity out the window. If our sport is interesting and exciting enough people will be compelled to learn about it and understand it. All this talk by both AMA and Clear Channel is about generating revenue, not making things any better for those of us who actually go out every weekend and participate in the sport. Hopefully the manufacturers can keep in mind that bike sales and not t-shirt and ticket sales are what grease the wheels and keep the sport rolling. Motocross is all about riding, not watching! I do enjoy watching the best in sport race each other in person and on TV, but if I had to choose between watching them or riding and racing myself I don't have to tell you which choice I would make! I personally don't care if the sport gets more popular. I'm not convinced that greater popularity will be that great of thing. OK, I need to go riding.


Posted by: MXFastGuy---------------------

Anybody remember the early 90's when they tried the one-moto format at Glen Helen? I think it was a "test." What were the reasons to try it then? Why was it dropped after one race? I wish I had a better memory!


Posted by: IBWFO---------------------

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$It's ALL about money!$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


Posted by: JimmyD2---------------------

Maybe I'm missing something, but when was MX and SX more popular than it is now? Certainly not during the 80s when I raced. I didn't follow the sport as closely in the early to mid 90s - maybe then?

If the goal is to shorten the races to fit into a one hour live TV slot, then the AMA's proposal makes even less sense. I see no reason how declaring 2 winners per class at outdoor nationals improves the TV viewing experience. It certainly doesn't do anything for squeezing the race down to 1 or 2 hours to air it live! Unless they want to air each moto at different times - which is more confusing. It's not a difficult sport to understand as it is now. If the sport is compelling enough, which it is IMHO, it will no doubt continue to attract new fans.

If the primary goal is to increase the exposure of motocross, why not just do away with the outdoor nationals completely and extend the supercross season through September. It's a more TV friendly format raced in front of 2-3 times the number of attendees. Why drive to the middle of nowhere in Mt Morris, PA in May and Delmont, PA in September? Just have the events at Heinz Field and PNC Park. :D

My point is that the sport has obviously grown in it's current format. I just hope they factor the continuity and tradition of the sport into the equation when they come up with these brilliant ideas. :think


Posted by: *william*---------------------

Quote:
Originally posted by JimmyD2
Maybe I'm missing something, but when was MX and SX more popular than it is now? Certainly not during the 80s when I raced. I didn't follow the sport as closely in the early to mid 90s - maybe then?


The only thing I can think of is back in the 70's when I was just big enough for my XR75. I remeber some crazy guys used race and jump through the arches out at the coliseum. 80's saw the end of works bikes. And the 90's - until maybe '96 was a slump. I would blame it on the pink and purple bikes. I can't speak for the mid-west, but out here we have what? Three sold out Anahiem SX's the last few years I've been back into it. And The US Open, and the MX opener at Glen Helen, and four-stoke nationals, and various enduros and harescrambles out here in the dez just about any weekend you want. Oh, and the FMXer's, but that's more like WWF.

Maybe it's a SoCal thing?

I gotta admit that the 2 moto National format does make for a long day. I do admit to leaving early into the last 250 moto as RC walked away from everyone. That parking lot traffic is nasty. But it ain't that complicated, I took my wife to her first last year.

I told her, "they qualify, then they run two races. Each rider earns points determined by their finishing position. At the end of the motos, they add up the points. The riders place by points, highest first etc."

"Oh, that's easy." she says. But then again, she's got a master's degree.


Posted by: osheen---------------------

I'm with motomike. It's our sport. I like it the way it is and the way it has been since creation. Football has 4 periods, hockey 3, golf 18, baseball 9. What is so hard to understand about 2 motos? The winner is deterined by lowest score (well sorta,the AMA points thing) Gee sounds like golf to me except they tally up 18 motos (holes) to determine a winner. Explain the rules of our sport at the beginning of the broadcast and through out as necessary.

Why are we supposed to conform to a bunch of barely interested channel flippers?


Posted by: DDNMC78X---------------------

The AMA wants to have each moto separated like that so they can sell each moto. It would be like moto1 would be chevy, moto 2 would be someone else. I think its a poor way of trying to take the sport forward and there are lots of good ideas out there to make it TV freindly. They need the TV coverage to bring the $$$$$ into the sport. Its pretty sad what riders make compared to other sports.



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