20 Minute Motos?
There are several problems with the current AMA Motocross format that does not lend well to full television coverage. The first and biggest issues are the two marathon-like motos that can stretch to 35-minutes each on the larger tracks.
Now I am a traditionalist, and I hate change especially for the sake of making anything I love appeal to the masses. But I have to admit it is time for the AMA to make a change, and in this case it will be a change that will help the sport grow.
On television, it would take a four hour-plus telecast to show the AMA Motocross in its entirety, the proper way. That is an unrealistic expectation for the networks to deal with. Motocross is not big enough to garner that type of commitment from any network and it may never be.
What we are suggesting is to cut the motos down from 30-minutes to 20-minutes. Now before the traditionalist scream hear us out.
I see it at every race. 20 minutes into the moto and people are starting to lose interest in the race and start focusing on other things. The riders themselves ride into a groove for the last half of the 1st moto knowing the 2nd moto is the most important. And in the big picture they rarely ever have the energy to make a serious push last in the 2nd motos. No one wants to throw away a season late in a moto trying to make points as tired as they are. There is too much at stake now for the top 10 guys to take those chances.
This move would have a two pronged effect that will only help motocross. As it is now, these riders are stronger, faster and smarter. The bikes are light-years better than they were just ten years ago. Call it the RC effect, but the truth is that these guys just don't crash as often as they used to, and these races are won and lost within the first 15 minutes almost without exception. We almost never see a battle go the entire 35 minutes in either class.
What we end up with is a great first ten minutes that slowly settles into a pace. But MX is not supposed to be a marathon, it's supposed to be a sprint. If the motos were cut to 20-minutes the guys would be that much stronger at the end, and the pace would be that much more frantic for the full 20-minutes. Guys might even push harder knowing they will not have to settle into an energy conserving pace.
I have mentioned this idea to several riders and almost all of them thought it might be something to look at. A couple even suggested 25 minutes, plus-1, or 20-minutes plus-3. All interesting options. It would take little away from the conditioning effect, guys would still have to be in top physical condition. But what it would do is ease up the mental issue slightly. It is easier to stay mentally focused for 25-minutes than it is for 35-minutes.
What this would to for television is obvious. It would cut down the overall running time to 80-minutes of racing, which would make a 2-hour taped show a possibility in the future. And a potential 3-hour full live show. It would also make the in person event that much more exciting. As it is now people are looking for the exits with about 15 minutes gone in moto #2, you don't want that. You want people to see the finish, you want them to stay for the celebration.
This change would not effect the integrity of the sport, and it would not diminish the effect of the hard work needed to win. As it is the guys who are out of shape don't last more than a few laps anyway. It's not like they are hanging on for 20-minutes then fading the final 10. The fact is the "softies" are being dropped within the first ten minutes by the top guys. The pace it just too great in modern MX racing to "get by" like you could twenty years ago.
If anything the overall effect would tighten up the pack all the way through. The guy running 10th would be that much closer to the front and the back. It would keep the racing fresh all the way through the pack and make for great racing. It would also cut down on lappers, as the top guys would not have that extra ten minutes to catch the guys in the back. Again, call it the Carmichael affect. Many of the greatest athletes have forced change in their sport through domination, and maybe this is no different.
But the truth is it's more than just Carmichael, this has been an issue since MX started being televised. The AMA has talked about all kinds of ideas like switching to one 45-minute moto and such. But that would be the absolute wrong thing to do, that would create more of what we are already seeing in every bad way. Two 20-minutes, plus-3 laps might be the perfect way to push this sport into the future.
There are several problems with the current AMA Motocross format that does not lend well to full television coverage. The first and biggest issues are the two marathon-like motos that can stretch to 35-minutes each on the larger tracks.
Now I am a traditionalist, and I hate change especially for the sake of making anything I love appeal to the masses. But I have to admit it is time for the AMA to make a change, and in this case it will be a change that will help the sport grow.
On television, it would take a four hour-plus telecast to show the AMA Motocross in its entirety, the proper way. That is an unrealistic expectation for the networks to deal with. Motocross is not big enough to garner that type of commitment from any network and it may never be.
What we are suggesting is to cut the motos down from 30-minutes to 20-minutes. Now before the traditionalist scream hear us out.
I see it at every race. 20 minutes into the moto and people are starting to lose interest in the race and start focusing on other things. The riders themselves ride into a groove for the last half of the 1st moto knowing the 2nd moto is the most important. And in the big picture they rarely ever have the energy to make a serious push last in the 2nd motos. No one wants to throw away a season late in a moto trying to make points as tired as they are. There is too much at stake now for the top 10 guys to take those chances.
This move would have a two pronged effect that will only help motocross. As it is now, these riders are stronger, faster and smarter. The bikes are light-years better than they were just ten years ago. Call it the RC effect, but the truth is that these guys just don't crash as often as they used to, and these races are won and lost within the first 15 minutes almost without exception. We almost never see a battle go the entire 35 minutes in either class.
What we end up with is a great first ten minutes that slowly settles into a pace. But MX is not supposed to be a marathon, it's supposed to be a sprint. If the motos were cut to 20-minutes the guys would be that much stronger at the end, and the pace would be that much more frantic for the full 20-minutes. Guys might even push harder knowing they will not have to settle into an energy conserving pace.
I have mentioned this idea to several riders and almost all of them thought it might be something to look at. A couple even suggested 25 minutes, plus-1, or 20-minutes plus-3. All interesting options. It would take little away from the conditioning effect, guys would still have to be in top physical condition. But what it would do is ease up the mental issue slightly. It is easier to stay mentally focused for 25-minutes than it is for 35-minutes.
What this would to for television is obvious. It would cut down the overall running time to 80-minutes of racing, which would make a 2-hour taped show a possibility in the future. And a potential 3-hour full live show. It would also make the in person event that much more exciting. As it is now people are looking for the exits with about 15 minutes gone in moto #2, you don't want that. You want people to see the finish, you want them to stay for the celebration.
This change would not effect the integrity of the sport, and it would not diminish the effect of the hard work needed to win. As it is the guys who are out of shape don't last more than a few laps anyway. It's not like they are hanging on for 20-minutes then fading the final 10. The fact is the "softies" are being dropped within the first ten minutes by the top guys. The pace it just too great in modern MX racing to "get by" like you could twenty years ago.
If anything the overall effect would tighten up the pack all the way through. The guy running 10th would be that much closer to the front and the back. It would keep the racing fresh all the way through the pack and make for great racing. It would also cut down on lappers, as the top guys would not have that extra ten minutes to catch the guys in the back. Again, call it the Carmichael affect. Many of the greatest athletes have forced change in their sport through domination, and maybe this is no different.
But the truth is it's more than just Carmichael, this has been an issue since MX started being televised. The AMA has talked about all kinds of ideas like switching to one 45-minute moto and such. But that would be the absolute wrong thing to do, that would create more of what we are already seeing in every bad way. Two 20-minutes, plus-3 laps might be the perfect way to push this sport into the future.
posted by motoguru at 10:56 AM
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