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Racing at Mission - dwindling numbers

10K views 82 replies 29 participants last post by  Cuff 
#1 ·
I've been hearing this consistently from the long-in-the-tooth folks at WMRC; the number of racers showing up year-over-year is going down. As someone who just got their novice race license and who wants to keep racing for the long-term I feel like I need to figure out why by asking the folks that enjoy going fast, but don't show up to race.

I've seen two seasons of race students come through (me being in one of them) but very very few of those people actually show up to race again.

What's up? Where else are you going for track days or races? Are people just not riding as much in general? Are people having a hard time justifying the costs? Can't stand the other racers? Don't feel like you're getting the support from the folks that have been doing it a while? Your friends tell you you're crazy?
 
#2 ·
The track has several critical flaws.

None of them can be permanently remedied.

There are many people who ride there who will defend the facility passionately but if you took a rider who'd been on various other racetracks around North America and did a track walk with them they'd point the flaws out.

Those flaws are the reason you'll never see a large sanctioned motorsports event run at the track (other than drag racing).

The lower mainland and all of B.C. in fact deserve a better facility but there's no way for that to happen given the current climate of greens, and no-fun NIMBYs and the amount of money to be made from a golf course or housing development vs. a race track.
 
#4 ·
It is not so much that the track has flaws as it is a little boring in comparison to other tracks.....but the thrill of racing is still a good experience.

One of the problems in my mind is the cost for what you get......I would prefer to spend the same money (or in some cases less money) to get a full track day at a big track in the US rather than a couple of races at Mission. Others may argue that racing is a whole different ball of wax but to me they are close enough that the track time is more important.

Another problem is that because of Mission sound by-laws only 1000 cc bikes can run an after market pipe......750 and under need to run a stock pipe which if I guy builds and tunes a track bike to an after market exhaust makes for a pain in the butt.

One last thing that was a real piss off was setup and takedown. I have not been involved with the club for 2 years so my experience is not totally up to date but the way things were managed was not really fair in many regards. I attended almost every track set up and tear down in 2011 and for a few of the events there were only 5 or 6 of us doing it. We spent 4 or 5 hours of hard labour doing setup...then went to bed in our sleeping bags sweaty and dirty to get up the next morning to race while other guys stayed at home, comfy in bed, had a shower and then showed up nice and fresh to race......or in other cases guys sat in their pits, drank beer, bbq and watched us do the set up. It was total bullshit but no one ever enforced any type of rules or fines....or gave any benefits to the people that did setup.
 
#8 ·
Couldn't agree more.

I race with WMRRA for all of the reasons listed - I get to race on larger, more technical, and IMO much safer tracks and have no hassle to swap my exhaust or be involved with set up or tear down - unless I want to of course.

I wouldn't consider WMRC any longer - ever since last year when the track yanked all of their race days and gave them to car guys leaving the WMRC to beg for scraps - week days I believe... 2 double header race events to decide a club series and none in peak season? No thanks, I prefer WMRRA's race every month from May-September, 2 tracks to play on, and plenty of Track Day providers so get practice and set up dialed in.

Kudo's to the guys who race there but I have to take a ferry and drive 1.5 hours anyways, I might as well do it at a track and with a club that I think caters to my needs best.
 
#5 · (Edited)
A matter close to my heart, it's true every race club loses some number of racers every year and the wmrc is the no different, motorcycles are a luxury -racing even more so. Unfortunately racing at mission has its drawbacks - it's not a world class facility, it has a high overhead so racers pay a premium to race with us, there's the setup and teardown to deal with.. all matters we have to deal with to be the local race club. We are constantly working trying to improve these things listed, and while I can't tell you exact details right now.. I can tell you things at mission will be a bit different next year. So stay tuned.

It's not all bad, we have passionate motivated people who want to run the club, the track is safer than ever, track setups and tear downs are faster and better organized, and in some ways the club is actually growing.. the 250 class is pretty jumping right now!
 
#7 ·
Dont take it too seriously...I have been around long enough to see the good times and the bad...It happens all the time. As a moto x racer I watched 200+ at an event dwindle to 60 or less...Westwood days I cant remember but there were amazing turnouts that made some world class racers then there were very few...In the cross country races it was only 7-8 years ago when they had to set limits on how many can enter an event then with the last recession we had 60 ish at some events and now we are back to 150 -170 sign ups.. It seems to have a bit of who has the most disposable cash...Lately with the cost of fuel, sign up, food for the weekend I easily drop $500+ just for a weekend away and not counting the wear on the bike and tires ect. I think people that love to ride find ways to make it work but families cant spend that much for a weekend away to ride a 2 hour event. In Moto that was a big issue for me. I would drive 4 hours to send a day at the track get 2 laps practice, wait all morning do a 6 lap moto, wait till late afternoon then do another 6 laps that for most tracks takes under 3 minuets per lap so you ride for a total of about 40 or so minuets. Then I did cross country and at least you got a 2+ hour long ride in and after you could still go for a ride. The good thing about not many riders showing up at Mission is you get more track time. And at the very least we have a track to go to. I think for a while anyone who wanted to ride had to go to Seattle or Alberta to get any track time. Mission is a good track! The guys work hard to make it what it is and I am happy and thankful that there is a place like that. All the bullshit with loosing Westwood and Mission MX and the empty promises from the towns saying we will get a track to replace it never happened and may never on the future. Just get out and do it..that alone will support the club..as soon as riders start showing up it might give the club enough reason to improve the facility and the motorcycle side of it will grow for the future riders.
 
#34 ·
I don't know about roadracing, but, this ^^^^
Unless you have a good sponsor(s) motorcycle racing is a money sink, the more accessible cost wise, the better to get people out on the track.
If you are able to run 1 bike in a couple of classes, ride time is effectively doubled. A class for nubies on mostly regular street bikes (maybe you already have that?) Advertise it as such...

Back in the day, motox and ice racing, you could run 125s with the 250s if you wanted, 250s with 500s... At the end of the day they would run a Grand Prix... open to all. Sometimes it was surprising who was fastest.

It doesn't matter what the guy beside you is riding, as long as he's beside you and racing.
 
#9 ·
It's not just motorcycle racing. A buddy of mine, who's raced spots cars for 50 years and announced at Mission for 15, sees dwindling participation every year. It's part of a trend IMO, with younger generations becoming less involved in any manner of activities, quite happy to undertake 'virtual activities' as their life outlet/passion.
 
#10 ·
i'd say cash flow.. like steve said.. all racing has taken a hit in the last little bit.. i mean down at skagit dirt cup is a 360 show this year to get the car count back up. people who race just don't have the cash to throw together a program it seems.. as for younger guys, I know plenty of people that can barely check their own oil and it seems that kind of mentality isn't that far off from the norm.. so getting people out and racing.. well good luck.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for all the responses. This is pretty interesting.

* lack of race days
* dB limit - associated trouble to bring your bike under the limit
* Track setup/tear-down - frustrating watching others not help and it's a tough job. No benefit for those that actually do help out.
* General lack of disposable funds - $500 (or more) just to get to the track for a weekend is more than some are willing to drop
* for those on Vancouver Island it's just as easy and costs the same to head to south
* Fewer people interested in motorsports in general, seem to prefer the virtual/online domain

So far the one I don't hear anything about is feeling like you're part of the team. Think this would help encourage return attendance at all?
 
#12 ·
I've seen two seasons of race students come through (me being in one of them) but very very few of those people actually show up to race again. What's up? Where else are you going for track days or races? Are people just not riding as much in general?
To this point, I believe many take the race school to learn, to get their first track experience, then basically "check the box". I imagine 75% of the riders in the race school never have any intention of competing (me being one of them).
 
#14 · (Edited)
Tra5is said:
So far the one I don't hear anything about is feeling like you're part of the team. Think this would help encourage return attendance at all?


you are new to us are you not Travis? What was your feeling? There's talk that the pits aren't friendly, and I have mixed feelings about that. It's a funny thing, I know almost everyone and they are great friendly people.. I was new once too and somehow through being around being involved I got to meet everyone. it's just me, but If I have a battle with someone I don't know I usually go find them afterwards and if they beat me, shake their hand and then tell them what they did wrong.. lol. ;)
Race events are not always the best time to meet people, during a race event people are busy, concentrating on their racing. At least I am -I can be a little grumpy at those times.. esepecially if i'm chasing kids too. but then that's not to say that I don't have time for people who come by or who need a hand.
One way to make friends and feel a part of something is to be involved. Come out to set up & tear down, come out to the meetings, come out to the banquet all these things are great places to meet people and could always be better attended.
 
#18 ·
you are new to us are you not Travis? What was your feeling? There's talk that the pits aren't friendly, and I have mixed feelings about that. It's a funny thing, I know almost everyone and they are great friendly people.. I was new once too and somehow through being around being involved I got to meet everyone. it's just me, but If I have a battle with someone I don't know I usually go find them afterwards and if they beat me, shake their hand and then tell them what they did wrong.. lol
.
Race events are not always the best time to meet people, during a race event people are busy, concentrating on their racing. At least I am -I can be a little grumpy at those times.. esepecially if i'm chasing kids too. but then that's not to say that I don't have time for people who come by or who need a hand.

One way to make friends and feel a part of something is to be involved. Come out to set up & tear down, come out to the meetings, come out to the banquet all these things are great places to meet people and could always be better attended.
I’m relatively new to racing at Mission as well and IMO the pits are as friendly as you choose to make them. Everyone that I’ve made an effort to talk to has been receptive, friendly and helpful. What are people expecting? Are we supposed to run up to every stranger we see and introduce ourselves?
 
#16 ·
I’m absolutely amazed that we still have a track in the lower mainland at all. I prefer to support what we have locally and be glad we still have it rather than complaining about what we don’t have. YMMV
 
#17 · (Edited)
exactly, these people that have never been to Mission that continually smack talk it and doing so influence others to stay away, honestly do more harm than good. We are very lucky to have a local track and a great race club that has been around for more than 50 years. No, It's not perfect but what is? :flashy it's the best we have and we're always trying to be better.
If you want local racing, you've got it.. why not support it.

Personally i've never been concerned about the sound limit and stock exhaust issues. To me it meant lower expenses, money not needing to be spent on parts and tuning. Sound issues are problems at many tracks these days, not just Mission.

The problem with the race dates is complicated, the choice of dates given to us are not great. We could have more race dates, but they would either be early/late in the season or weekdays. If the club took on more race days that were very poorly attended we would go bankrupt very quick. Rain days hurt us too and we all know it does tend to rain in the lower maninlad.
 
#22 ·
Its no different any where else for smack talkers that have never been. My store is perfect example. It doesn't matter how good of a job you do some people will always hate for any reason they can find.

I left due to politics but that was years ago and once I ran tracks down south Mission just became boring.

Doing the race school up here then going south is an easier and less expensive way to get into racing.

Hope they have more track days at mission in 2015 can't wait to get the wife out there again. Thanks to all the people in the slow group for giving us space !! She's hooked on Mission till she gets her first taste of The Ridge....:flashy
 
#20 ·
Hey Jay. I tend not to consider my situation too representative of what we're after. We already have the folks that are willing to do it simply because they love it. This is due to their own internal motivation, and really it takes a whole hell of a lot to discourage someone like that. I think what we're after are those that have the funds and interest but choose not to do it for some other reason. If we can get these folks hooked, then we'll start to see numbers rise consistently.

Also, I'd hate to see the existing racers and volunteers become fractured. If we're being asked to choose sides for the upcoming WMRC vote, it doesn't help any of us. Lets show everyone how we can work together cooperatively, as a team, and improve things by helping out. The current exec get the short end of the stick since they become a focal point, but really, we should be here to encourage, not discourage.
 
#21 ·
It's actually an exciting time, we have a number of people who want to run the club. it doesn't have to be about choosing "sides" I'm not a fan of that attitude. It's about your feeling about what's best for the club. It's a tricky thing trying to make everyone happy :) sometimes things get taken too personally.
We'll get through this and then get down to business about making another great season of racing,:rider:canadian
 
#24 ·
Like any track, Mission has its issues, but it's still a fun place that's run by an awesome group of people. If you look at it as part of a larger context it makes sense. It is a logical step for people that race at GMR or ride at Pitt Meadows that is much more accessible and less intimidating than the Ridge or PR, and it's a motoGP track when you're on a 250. Also, it is way better for spectators than the Ridge (and closer too). I often get 4-5 family and friends to come out and see me race at Mission, and I'm lucky if I can convince my wife and my dog to come with me down to the Ridge once a year because it is so boring for them. It was super cool this year to have Bernie and the kids from Children's come out. It really felt good to see their faces as we rode by during the demonstration rides. You don't get anything like that at the Ridge. We're lucky to have a facility that allows us to race and put on an event like that to help promote the sport in BC.
 
#25 ·
Just seeing how many people have viewed vs comment seems to be more telling than any one reason listed here. Maybe the reason we don't see so many people at the track is because they don't want to be part of any social club political bullshit. They actually are discouraged by the idea of needing to be part of the club, not that they'd mind paying dues. Perhaps they'd love to come and go 'round in circles, but if it means being asked for an opinion or having to wrestle with people to get fair treatment, then no way.

Thoughts?
 
#26 ·
well politics and infighting can be very off-putting and potentially turn away some business, no doubt. In some ways its great, we have some very passionate people within the club. You need that. Ultimately people can choose how much they want to be involved.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I've been hearing this consistently from the long-in-the-tooth folks at WMRC; the number of racers showing up year-over-year is going down
this may change with the 2015 R1... :laughing


j.k :thumbup


for what its worth i think Jaybo has something there, in regards to what others have to say about the track, pushing new riders away... something ive heard many times before is how tight, and small the track is... when most bikers get into biking and want to take things to a different level most quickly become aware of what is available nearby in WA state & Oregon, nevermind down in California, so of course mission would have a tough time stacking up... with costs involved getting on the track to practice and develop your craft i'm sure most are much more likely to head south, i'm guessing once they're used to wide open tracks like those racing at mission will likely feel like a step down... noh?

i could see getting into track riding with a way smaller bike would be fun, R3 anyone? but i'm not really all that competitive the later into life
i get so actual racing is not on the cards at this point... thought of getting injured kinda scares most of us old wankers away... lol
 
#29 · (Edited)
If I were to do a trackday I think I'd prefer to do it at the Ridge. But if I were to race? I'd love to race at Mission. Tight, technical, hard on everything, tiring, and tough... the idea of actively trying to get past someone on that track seems like it'd be a blast. The only thing holding me back right now is money; saving for a down payment means the only thing I'll be racing next season is an XR100 in the PCMRC!
 
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