The Greater Outdoors
by Robert Beaupre

In the formative years of motocross, toughness was paramount. In the '70s, suspension meant six inches of travel; a race day meant three 45-minute motos; and head protection meant an open-face Bell helmet with a little snap-on plastic device over your jaw (and, with any luck, the sympathy of a good dentist.)

Not that I remember any of that. I was born in 1981, so I've never worn an open-face helmet or raced a 45-minute moto (with the possible exception of my first race--my Y-Zinger got stuck in the mud so many times that I think my dad eventually just carried me to the track exit sometime before twilight.)

Nonetheless, I have a lot of respect for the way motocross used to be. Sure, today's nationals are tough, but it's no secret that the outdoor series is losing prominence. It used to be unthinkable for a rider to skip the nationals, but it is now somewhat commonplace. While Jeremy McGrath was the first big name to sign a supercross-only deal, he might likely be joined by Chad Reed next year when the Aussie starts his rumored independent effort (Reed has made no secret of his lukewarm feelings for the nationals.)

So toughness aside, something has to be done before more riders begin to contemplate a similar move. We need a comprehensive set of reforms to show the riders that the nationals are still worth contending, or, at the very least, that they aren't as hard as they used to be. From my list of possible improvements:

--Thirty minutes plus two laps isn't as long a moto as those of the old days, but it's still kind of difficult for those who partied the night before. If we spice up the opening ceremonies with more fireworks and allow that 30-second board girl to shake her thang for awhile longer, the fans will hardly notice the decrease to, say, a four-lap moto. And for those purists who'll notice the shortened races, we'll try a new angle on the event promotions, noting that the new "guerilla" format produces the most intense form of outdoor racing known to man, in which racers desperately vie to stay upright for "the most intense 11 minutes on two wheels."

--If supercross has taught us anything, it is that braking bumps and ruts are unnecessary. Witness the results of supercross and motocross alike: Ricky Carmichael cleaning up, James Stewart flat-out flying between dirt naps, and everyone else just trying to get a good enough start to be on TV for a lap. So if the roughness of the outdoor tracks isn’t changing the results, then all those bumps and ruts are just superfluous hazards. Let's mow 'em down between motos, or better yet--have a break mid-moto to manicure the track a bit. That'll guarantee a friendlier track and more helmet-off time for the TV cameras.

--While the sunlight is great for bringing out scantily-clad women for TV segues, it does get awfully hot for the riders at some events. Perhaps--and I'm just throwing this out as an idea--we could urge the promoters to get some shade for the riders on the track. Like, I don't know...a retractable roof. And if we're going to have a roof, we'll need walls, which would be a great opportunity to post some prime TV camera posts and spectator seating. And for the imbeciles who would wonder what then makes it different from a supercross, we'll point out that--duh--an outdoor track doesn't have a Jumbotron.

--For the 38 people nationwide who get the Outdoor Life Network, the current TV broadcasts are great. But to get a higher profile on the tube, the races need a new angle. With reality TV now at the pinnacle of programming, maybe we could package the nationals into a different format. Maybe, instead of just having the same tired "race" scenario, we could have the riders dropped in an inhospitable environment--say, Zimbabwe--with only their bikes to get them to safety. The rider who reaches a town first (or survives the longest) wins.

--Or we could just ban Ricky Carmichael. Or, for that matter, any rider who selfishly claims all the glory for himself moto after moto. There's no "I" in motocross, Ricky.

If we can find the will to implement just a few of these changes, the grand, venerable sport of outdoor motocross might just live on.

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