What Track Features Create the Most Injuries?

[Still Bill]

Without a doubt - it is the Ground!

[motoxvet]

Was only talking about this the other day

 

IMO Jumps on the Mx tracks are bigger than ever. Look at early 90s des nations vs modern day des nations and you will see what I mean, the racing back then looked fun more bar bashing etc less about the air time. Now your amateur track down the road has bigger jumps than the early 90s pro mx stuff. I did read a good comment on how its half honda's fault as when they pushed the 4t in early 00's tracks started to develop rhythm sections, jumps straight out of corners and bigger air time.

 

I also had a friend who recently got back into biking since 99-00 and he was saying how intimidated he feels going to a mx track now as the jumps have got much bigger.

 

People might disagree but I have heard mx clubs complain about numbers saying its dying out but if they went back to the 90s style Mx tracks I am sure more people would take back up mx.

The whole idea of MX originally was to have it on NATURAL TERRAIN. If there happened to be some kind of jump on it - fine.  Look at a track now and there's nothing natural about them. They're designed to shoot you up in the air.  I quit MX just when doubles were getting popular.  I'm glad I quit when I did.

[used2Bfast]

Agree on the huge jumps. I too raced MX for 12 seasons as a young man. I'm 58 now and been busted up all to hell (all from a life time of 2 wheel racing), and just can't do these huge arse jumps anymore. When I go to a local moto park, Rarely do I ever see the local riders do the big doubles. They either go around them, or ride the "beginner" track only. I don't blame them. If there was more tracks like what I raced in the 70s, I think there'd be more participation. 

[motoxvet]

Agree on the huge jumps. I too raced MX for 12 seasons as a young man. I'm 58 now and been busted up all to hell (all from a life time of 2 wheel racing), and just can't do these huge arse jumps anymore. When I go to a local moto park, Rarely do I ever see the local riders do the big doubles. They either go around them, or ride the "beginner" track only. I don't blame them. If there was more tracks like what I raced in the 70s, I think there'd be more participation. 

I TOTALLY agree.  There was kind of a push in Mn. a couple years ago to have a couple of locations lay out a "traditional" track but that seems to have fizzled.  In fact, one of the riders that pushed it- as a rider - to see these tracks done, injured his shoulder pretty badly on a practice track, trying to do a double and apparently didn't make it. He doesn't really ride any more. He had some contacts but that whole push kind of faded away.

[DEMI]

steep faced/peaked/sx influenced jump/landing angles, whether they are doubles or whatever. I will do step ups and tables with a slight downward slope all day, but these days, anything with much of gap is a total mindscrew and something I don't wanna do. 

[stronius445]

In my experience racing harescrambles and motocross Ive had more friends hurt from running into trees from harescrambles than motocross , jumps yes are dangerous but with proper technique and skill they're some of the safest things I know in riding. Ive had more friends hurt on log crossings then MX jumps

[Kalamazoo]

IMO tabletops are deceitfully easy, I never crashed on one but used to launch off them without much MX experience because they looked safe. I'm sure lots of rookies do the same and crash hard while rolling the doubles.

[Brian]

I should add a poll to this topicturn this topic.

Here's the choices I'm thinking.. Am I missing anything?

What area of a motocross track have you suffered your worst injury?

1) starts

2) whoops

3) table top

4) doubles

5) high speed straight

6) corners

[used2Bfast]

Age has everything to do with it.

 

When I was a young 18yr old 125cc A class hot shoe, I was seemingly invincible. But my time came too. While dicing for the lead with a rival, he crossed my front end in a turn. High sided me while my outside leg was trapped between the tank and bars, destroyed my knee. 4 months later, while leading another race, I washed the frontend out..trapping the leg again..destroying the knee yet again. Since then, after 4 seasons road racing superbikes, a life time of motos..and been racing XC mtn bikes the last 12yrs, my knees have been injured countless times. Don't even have an ACL currently in one knee.

 

Never got hurt bad on a jump those 12yrs of comptv racing.

 

But, as I said before, at my age (58), its the big steep-approach blind-landing reverse-ramped (table tops are nothing imo. just slow down if you need to) jumps that I can't afford to crash on. Hell, just 3 yrs ago I was in a bad (road) track bike crash that crushed my back in 7 places, broke my neck in 2 places, all my ribs but 2, punctured both lungs, knocked out the 6 front teeth, broken eye socket, broken hand, lacerated kidney and liver, plus a bunch of little shit. Plus 7 broken collarbones over the yrs, and countless arms, ribs, ankles, torn rotator cuffs (both still are), etc. I'm lucky to be riding at all. ..leave alone doing huge arse jumps.

 

Having said that, IF there was more tracks that used the natural terrain only, I'd prolly start racing again.

Edited August 15, 2016 by used2Bfast

[Rage232]

For what it's worth -- 16ish years ago when I raced MX:

 

I over shot the biggest triple at our local track by 5ft or so.. Landed hard into the corner berm and went over the bars.  Amazingly - No injury's.

Same track - Undershot a 70ft table top, right foot slipped off the peg, toes dug into the landing, peg proceeded to run over my ankle.  When I landed on that one a flag guy came running over to see if I was ok, I stopped the bike and stalled as I didn't realize what had happened.  He told me I probably broke my ankle.   I was like nope, I'm fine.  It was when I tried to kick start the bike back up that I realized I was not fine... Luckily I didn't break anything but was the worst sprain I ever had.  They had to have the boot cut off due to the swelling.  I couldn't drive a car, obviously no riding for at least a month or two. 

 

I got back on the practice track and collided with another rider mid air, over a big double directly out of a corner, we landed on top of each other and I think his handler bar, maybe footpeg went through my pipe, huge hole in it... My ankle was really sore after that, but nothing like last time but that was it.  I haven't been on a track since, mainly due to going to college though...

 

16 years later - that track is still there, but no idea if the jumps are bigger, etc.  I sure hope not, they were huge back then!  I'm sticking to the trails and single track now in my mid 30's.

[DEMI]

I should add a poll to this topicturn this topic.

Here's the choices I'm thinking.. Am I missing anything?

What area of a motocross track have you suffered your worst injury?

1) starts

2) whoops

3) table top

4) doubles

5) high speed straight

6) corners

4/2 in order, the rest is just part of a good track

[temporarily_locked]

The other riders on the track. People wouldn't be hitting half the jumps if other people weren't hitting them, the tracks wouldn't be rough. There would be the same number of injuries racing corner only or natural tracks.

Edited August 15, 2016 by Blowin_Trannys

[ThrustWasher]

From a risk assessment standpoint, if you wanted to reduce injuries what would you eliminate or change in track prep and design locally? 

 

It is obvious from the 3 pager on Tibial Plateau fractures there is a lot of experience with that on this site (and I broke mine in December too). We could even limit this to personal experience, but mine had nothing to do with a track feature (front brake endo).

 

I'm sure it's not cut and dry, and opinions vary. I'm don't think Pro tracks count. Just us weekend warriors that would like to see the sport stop trying to eliminate it's customer base. I've never been to LL's but I don't think they are constantly loading the helicopter there?

 

You would think in the only motorized sport with a starting gate it would be starts, but I don't think that is anywhere near the top issue.

Get rid of the do or die jumps, Problem with a lot of people getting hurt is kids now a days are going straight from 85s to 250 4Ts and their riding them too fast because their easier to ride fast than say a 125 2T. RC and RV2 have even said this!

Edited August 15, 2016 by PelvicThruster

[motoxvet]

The other riders on the track. People wouldn't be hitting half the jumps if other people weren't hitting them, the tracks wouldn't be rough. There would be the same number of injuries racing corner only or natural tracks.

Yup.  Get rid of the big jumps and a-holes and I might start again! (Had experience with both of them)

[Bill_B]

Agree on the huge jumps. I too raced MX for 12 seasons as a young man. I'm 58 now and been busted up all to hell (all from a life time of 2 wheel racing), and just can't do these huge arse jumps anymore. When I go to a local moto park, Rarely do I ever see the local riders do the big doubles. They either go around them, or ride the "beginner" track only. I don't blame them. If there was more tracks like what I raced in the 70s, I think there'd be more participation.

Geeze you should come out to California for a perspective on the local crowds here. I am right in the heart of the moto industry here in so California, there are 9 tracks around me, closest one is 10 mins away and the farthest is about an hr. I am always blown away at all the talented local riders. A lot just out to ride and a lot are racing competitively. Most days at any given track probably 80% of,the guys out there are doing all the jumps including the bigger doubles. I think on average doubles are about 30-40 feet at most local tracks. I think?

[used2Bfast]

Yeah, admittedly, I'm pretty isolated here in the NC mtns. Closest track is about 1.5 hour away. 99% of my riding is typically close-by fairly remote steep narly rocky stuff. Nothing close to MX. Back in the day when I raced in Ga, there was countless tracks nearby, with some racing 52 weekends a yr. Even raced once on Xmas day.

 

I guess my point was, is give an option other then do-or-die. As many jumps now have no option other then make it..period. Otherwise those jumps are very awkward to ride, other then at do-or-die speed of course.

 

Theres plenty of older riders that will ride everything else aside from that. One of the reasons they are still riding et all, is because their trying to be somewhat smart about it. We don't crash or heal like we used too haha But still like to mix it up.

Edited August 16, 2016 by used2Bfast

[temporarily_locked]

...

Edited August 16, 2016 by Blowin_Trannys

[lowmass]

Almost all of my more serious injurys were NOT big get offs at high speed or big air. Most have been smaller slower stuff where you land or hit just so. Been in some wicked fast end over end crashes and in most walked away with a little blood. 

 

stainless plates in collar bone- endo at about 5 mph

stainless plate in ankle- just a mild rear end slide out in a rut

2 serious anke sprains- one slow speed corner twist , one higher speed bike land on me crash down straight

1 serious wrist sprain- head on collision with friend ( this one still spooks me ha)

1 acl rupture- short landed a short double jump but fairly slow speed as I fell of bike

2 broken ankles- both slow speed stuff , one turn wash out , one super rutted straight caught foot

 

This all over 30 yrs. Point is I cant point to a specific track feature above all others AND most were at slower speed just happend to hit just so.

Edited August 19, 2016 by lowmass

[axeman]

Track maintenance and surface conditions are huge. A well-groomed loamy or sandy track is WAY safer than a neglected hard-pack track littered with rocks, kickers and sun-baked ruts.

[EnglertRacing]

I LOVE THE JUMPS

favorite part of the track