14 thoughts on “2012 MTA 2 Stroke World Championship”

1. It would be nice to corral all of these sponsoring companies and try to get them to step up and start an entirely new series. A series that doesn’t go head to head against the AMA’s ( 4 stroke ) series, at least not yet anyway. Once it’s established, then “move” it to go against the AMA ( All Money Association ) series.

   Look back at the 70′s when the AFL merged with the NFL, it worked then and it can work now. I think it would be great to do a “Super Bowl” type of final. The top 10 winners in each league, compete ( fairly ) at the end of the season to determine the real champion. Open class weezers against open class smokers, 250 weezers against 250 smokers, wow, what could be better?

2. Ren that sounds like an amazing idea, we should try contacting them all and see what they say

3. hoew many of you remember the golden age of motocross, the Trans Am series, this was when motocross was truely international, and very very entertaining, what we have today is nothing but a marketing tool,.. its boreing and the bikes these guys are rideing are dangerious and over wieght, get back to reallity before it’s to late…

4. I have put a lot of time into thinking of the best way to do a race series.
   First off, it has to be a FAIR series, not a one-way biased(many here propose a 2-stroke biased series and that is almost as bad). It should also, in some ways, promote the ACTUAL sport, the consumers that ride for fun, as well as top professionals with factory bikes. It would be more exciting to also see the rare, exotic bikes (TM, Maico, Aprilia, etc). The biggest issues now are: biased rules against mostly superior technology, VERY expensive to compete pro, and unrealistic reliability. The following is what I have come up with so far to try and address all these issues.

5. 1) The working man’s class. 150cc 2-strokes racing against 200cc 4-strokes. They have to be STOCK engines, stock geometry, stock weight, stock compression and run 91 octane. Only pipes(94/92dB), levers, pegs, bars, etc. can be changed as well as suspension damping. You only get 2 pistons and 4 sets of rings per season, and no other engine rebuilds. For exotics(TM, Maico, etc.) all rules apply but displacement is limited to 125 2-stroke and 175 4-stroke.
   This class is affordable, fair and representative of REAL riders. Promotes reliability.

   2) The Pro class. 250cc 2-strokes and 350cc 4-strokes(exotics get the same). Must be production engines/frames, but may be modified. 2-stroke minimum weight is 200lbs, 4-strokes are 225lbs. 100 octane fuel. There should also be reliability rules, but more lenient than 125 class.

   3) The Unlimited class. 251-500cc limit: 2-stroke, 4-stroke, rotary, diesel, etc. Multi-cylinders legal. Custom engines/frames legal as well as modified production units. 200lb minimum weight limit, all bikes. 110 octane. Very lenient reliability rules. This brings back the old Works bikes, a true prototype class like MotoGP.

6. This makes the 125/250F class now affordable for the average man to compete in, and he has the chance to demonstrate his skills on a bike, not how much $ he spent on making it good, to potentially get a factory ride. It promotes affordability/reliability in the products for the consumer that rides for fun.

   It still leaves room in the Pro class to have full fledged, factory race bikes duking it out, but in a fair rules system relative to real-world bike tech.

   The Unlimited class opens the doors to new technologies to be tested bringing advancement to the sport and opens the doors to specialized engine or frame builders to demonstrate new technologies. If it is a production based engine it probably shouldn’t meet any other class restrictions(KTM 380SX, 525SX, Maico 500, big bores, etc). I know I would LOVE to see a rotary MX bike.

7. Other issues to address:

   Emissions. There should, at least after a few years, be SOME sort of emissions regulation. This would have been a MUCH better approach to modern MX, if they really did want reduced emissions. Plus instead of making 2-strokes obsolete overnight, it would have pushed to advance the technology (it worked in outboard boat engines and snowmobiles).

   Track design. I am tired, and know a lot of other people are, of tracks with boring layouts(especially SX). No more boring singles after every section, more variety, if you have a sand section make it longer than 10 feet, etc. Make multiple lines more possible, flat landings, transfers, side angled landings(land going left or right), deep sand and sand berms, etc.

   Podium sponsor speak. I am tired of hearing, “How was the race,” racer reply,”It was tough. I would like to thank…(enter 50 sponsors here).” I am tired of hearing all your 50 sponsors listed in a row, as if a t-shirt brand is really the reason you won the race. Let’s hear some real answers about the race.

8. @Gerald, are you kidding me? I would give anything for those days. The days of Hodaka’s, CZ’s, Husky’s, Maico’s, et al. When the pro’s walked around and actually talked to the fans, when the pro’s showed up in an old van, worked on the bike themselves and cared about racing, not just money and sponsorships. Guys of character, heart and soul. Guys who raced the best bike, not the bike they were told to race just to support an agenda.

   I even loved the guy who tried to get his overweight, under-powered 4 stroke on the podium, not because I liked 4 strokes ( because that is the furthest thing from the truth ) but because I liked the rebel spirit, the guy who followed his own drummer. What happened to that spirit, those days and how did one company get to decide what everybody has to race and watch? Who put them in charge?

   Rebuild your top end between one of three moto’s, golden spectro in your lungs, Preston Petty fenders, a Jofa mouthpiece and eating fried chicken with gritty fingers anyone?

9. I’d watch it, and I’d race in it. The question is who would bankroll and promote the series, given there would be stiff behind-the-scenes pressure and business opposition to anyone who tries to upset the current TV marketing machine?

   I can just about guarantee that all of the “big four” would immediately stop working with any supplier, aftermarket firm, apparel company, etc…that supported the new series. They’d also pressure all of the publications, under threat of lost access and ad revenue, to ensure silence on the new series efforts and on the work to crush supporters.

10. @Dinger Junkie, sadly, you are so right. I have e-mailed, snail mailed and done just about everything I could do, to get the big 2 ( mx ) magazines to test all of the 250f’s against a new KTM or YZ 250 2 smoker. It never happens, they will occassioanally test a 150SX against a 250f or a YZ 250 vs a YZ250f but never the 5 250f’s against a couple of smokers. Why? Because they do get pressure from the big 4 and there are advertising dollars at stake.

    For all of the mag’s, publicities and ex-racers who say that a 2 stroke does make more power than a comparable sized 4 stroke, but the track, blah, blah, blah and how they hook-up, blah, blah, blah, could mean the lesser powered 4 stroke might win against the 2 stroke, does not parlay to the big 4′s agenda of keeping smokers away from their protected 4 stroke babies.

    You are also right in regards to stoppage of support with suppliers, et al, if they assisted in helping the smokers.

11. Yes, that is the hard part. The only way would be to overthrow the AMA leaders. Who cares if Honda, Yamaha, etc. pull out, they will come back shortly if they want to continue selling bikes here. Or they would get replaced by better companies that CARE about motocross and dirt bikes. I thought before, it would be possible for a company like ISOC that runs Snocross to make another MX championship and eventually grow to replace AMA.

12. You have tired to argue on the obvious; to go easier on 4 stroke, to contain easier 2 stroke and if you not Villopoto and not Stewart c their sponsor’s support, of course, are more favourable to go on 2 stroke but if the result here and now-choose 4 stroke be desirable to receive!

13. Hey Ren, what did the Email ever say! You told me you were going to translate it and then your facebook got deleted, let me know dude or shoot me a email! blizzy34@hotmail.com thanks alot dude!

14. Pretty good turn out of riders. Mostly YZ’s, although at least three Husqvarna’s and TM’s were out there too. There was a decent showing of KTM’s on hand also. It sure was nice to see a full gate of smokers ready to go.