Smith Road cancelled.

[Dale Fisher]

A review of the AHRMA schedule today shows the Smith Road event cancelled?

1972 Cheney Sachs
1972 Suzuki GT380
1972/73 Cheney Sachs Project
1973 Triumph TR5MX
1973 Penton Jackpiner Project
1974 Penton Berkshire
1974 Honda MT125

[rob w]

Not that this relates to the cancellation of Smith Road - but...
Overall, the entire vintage racing scene is hurting, if not dead.
(maybe not Diamond Don's, or Chehalis, WA)
I look at the ahrma results and see one entry in 50% of the classes.
When is a race not a race ?
When there's less than two racers competing.
I not sure if there's an answer to the problem.

[Dale Fisher]

Log road had about 85 pre-entries with almost as many suprising post-entries.  Portland had about the same although the weather which eventually turned out great may have kept many away.  Broom Tioga only had 40 some pre-entires as did Glen Helen.  The numbers are certainly declining but hopefully too early to throw dirt (pun) over vintage racing.

1972 Cheney Sachs
1972 Suzuki GT380
1972/73 Cheney Sachs Project
1973 Triumph TR5MX
1973 Penton Jackpiner Project
1974 Penton Berkshire
1974 Honda MT125

[Larry Perkins]

I think the answer is less races and hold them at the bigger venues that have all the disciplines(MX, PVMX, Cross Country, and Trials).  It does not hurt to have an organization running it that looks like they have their ducks in a row also.  This is something that has hurt AHRMA for awhile.  

Have 2 West, 2 in the middle, and 2 East.  Then have a Grand National in the middle.  Have the Championship be your best two races plus the Grands and make the Grands double points.  Make the Grands someplace like Diamond Don's or Mid-Ohio.  Much more affordable.  I think the attendance per event would go up and the people that would pursue a Championship would increase. I think attendance at the Regional and homegrown events would also increase which would perhaps snowball into even better National attendance in time.

Larry P

[rd400pi]

There may be more to the cancel story.  I'm just sayin'.

  Mike H.

[joe novak]

I am very sorry to hear that the Smith Road Raceway AHRMA event has been cancelled.   I attended last year, and it was the first time in about 30 years that I had been at that track.  I had such a great time on Sat. for Vintage, that I retuned on Sun. for Post-Vintage.  It was almost like "time travelling".  When I raced from 1971 to 1982, Smith Road Raceway was one of my "home tracks".  In fact, it was the first track which I ever raced!  It is just hear-say, but I heard that George Singler said that he thought he could run both Vintage and Post-Vintage on the same day.  Joe

[garrettccovington]

Vintage racing is not for the faint of heart.  It takes a real comittment to do it.
  The days of the "Get it out of here!", old bike finds are over.  Yea, some of us luck out and get them now and then.  You fix them up, the best you can do, but if they break, its tough getting spares.  We are a clever lot!

We are lucky to have the POG and the members that are in POG.  Plus the Supplier's like ALB. I haven't found any other Vintage Group like POG
 
I am constantly telling my friends, co-workers, people at the gas stations who see my bikes about vintage racing, but trying to get them in it is another thing.  
I see it all the time out here, people spend all the money to fix up their old bike to park them in the garage to show them off.  Which is cool! My 6-day is in my living room at my Barstow place.  I just sold most of my collection of vintage bikes, all to collectors.  They had no intention of riding them.

I like racing American Retro-Cross.  Its racing, but its not that serious. No dirty tricks, Yea, somebody might enter a 400 in a 250 class or enter a 72 in a 71 and before class. Its no big deal, at least not to me it isn't.  But anytime you start spending 5-6000 dollars, I can see how it can be.  I think thats what happens in other racing groups.

I've been thinking about restoring my KTM after this season, park it next to the 6-day and get a newer 1980's vintage bike to race. Plus its easier on the body.

Pretty soon all the old bikes will be sitting in the living room.

Its gonna happen.









72 six-day
79 KTM MC80 250

[Lew Mayer]

Just my two cents, but it appears to me that the guys that raced the "vintage" bikes are getting older and dropping off. The guys coming up are racing the post-vintage bikes because to them that is their vintage bike that they raced in the past. Also some of the vintage guys are racing PV bikes because they are easier on the old bod. Or so I'm told. Personally, I've never raced a PV bike. Heck, my "new" bike is an '88 KDX 200 that I ride in dual-sports. Never had so much suspension before. This is my take on it, such as it is.

Lew Mayer

[Dave Mitchell]

What I heard at our N.W. AHRMA event outside of Spokane sunday at least from the local riders was,the economy is kickin everyones butt they are tired of having to travel to the coast and beyond and lets get something local going like the old days.Bottom line is we love riding, racing and working on our bikes.We could get smaller events going right here at home have a ball and spend far less money.I had a less than stellar day personally performance wise, but you know what it didn't mean squat,the weather was perfect,the track great and I visited with alot of good poeple. I was blessed.
Ride on............
Dave

[Lew Mayer]

Dave, I agree. The economy is hurting everybody.

Lew Mayer

[Gordon Brennan]

I'm curious if you folks are concerned about ahrma's series and Championships, or are you concerned about True Vintage racing in general, at any level.
Gordon

[brian kirby]

quote:Originally posted by Larry Perkins

It does not hurt to have an organization running it that looks like they have their ducks in a row also.  This is something that has hurt AHRMA for awhile.

I sure hope you dont mean the AMA. AHRMA has it issues, but compared to AHRMA the AMA looks like the Keystone Cops. I do agree with you that the National Series, especially MX, need to have fewer but bigger events. The CC series is a little different since its relatively condensed in the East.

Also, attendance is not declining at every event. For example, the Cross Country series has done well for the most part and the ISDT events are setting new rider records all the time. I think like Diamond Dons, Chehalis, and the ISDTRR, the key is you have to have a special enough event to make it worth the travel in these tough times.

Brian

[Larry Perkins]

Brian,

Not to argue but in my opinion you are so far off base it is not funny.  I do respect your opinion but I have raced AMA for over 30 years and can count on 1 hand the errors I have had with the AMA and racing and they have sanctioned 1000's more races than AHRMA ever has.  In the 10 years I have raced AHRMA I have had major troubles with them over a dozen times.  

In head to head comparison signup & registration and errors at Mid-Ohio AHRMA was always a pain and a joke where with the AMA these last 2 years there was online easy signup and smooth Tech and a program that ran on time.  So yes I DO mean that AMA has their ducks in a row and AHRMA still DOES NOT!  

AMA NEVER made me wait over a year for my National award, AMA NEVER charged my credit card 3 times when reupping my membership, and AMA NEVER told me to get my money back that I would have to go to my bank and send them something to show the charges and then they would send me a check.  Also EVERYTIME I raced an AMA race they had my trophy where AHRMA now has owed me one twice and I have never seen either of them. If anyone is the Keystone Cops it is AHRMA in my opinion.  I always want to tell David L., "I love playing this racing game with you guys because I love the sport but I hate the way you guys never quite have it together."

I know you feel that AHRMA CC is doing well but the turnouts are surely not profitable and the competition in most classes is non-existant.  AHRMA CC is actually more of a Regional thing than National anymore also.  In all of it there are TOO MANY races and that is why so few pursue a Season Championship I think.  I think less races and hold them in the big draw venues is the only way AHRMA will survive.  The AMA will survive racing Vintage just once a year and even will survive if Vintage folds.

Larry P

[brian kirby]

We will just have to agree to disagree, which is OK. I've had my issues with AHRMA in the past, and I still have some today. Yeah, they run things more like a "mom and pop" business than a club with thousands of members but I will still take them over those clowns (NOT including Jack) over at the AMA. I cant tell you how aggravating it is to me to have to continue to pay my AMA membership just to race local modern enduros and harescrambles. I wish those clubs would break away like all the local MX tracks did and do their own thing.

Brian

[G Ellis]

So what do you think about pay $65.00 to join ARHMA a year. Is this because of less members? Also $50.00 an event, or $65.00 post entry. I know the post entry fee is more, but I think if you don't know if you can get off of work before the dead line you shouldn't have to pay more.  I think if the entry is the same for both, there would be more riders that would show up. Most modern races now have a vintage class. $30.00 to race for an hour. I think that the fee should be the same pre or post entry. 2 yrs ago I pre- entered a CC, the promoter was running modern class after the vintage. We were changed $40.00 to race and modern was charged $30.00. The promoter said it wasn't fair, so he refunder $10.00 back to the vintage riders. I did't get the money back because I pre-entered. I do like to ride vintage, but like both.   Will see you at West Point.   Later Gary