Great racing again, but seemingly even lower turnout than last time. If anybody can think of reasons, please comment, especially those who did not take part. The biggest body of opinion seems to be cost. But the decline is in most classes, even the "cheaper" ones. However, great to see such a good Open 2 stroke turnout; 11 in all if I counted right. A certain competitor done a lot of canvassing and promotion by himself and I'm sure that this helped more than even he expected!

Photos have been uploaded. A big thanks to Norman and Natasha who toil away at every event

Main reason I think: Too much racing with Inland, Oval and Flat track weekend after weekend. Cost = too expensive for a Club meeting eg. family of say 4 people @ R150 per entry plus R200 for inland plus the cost of maintenance/tyres etc. Also we have to pay to practice, are expected to pay an annual membership fee (which is very high at Wildthing) plus expected to pay for hire of stands and maintain them. People are now getting choosy as to which race they want to take part in and are saving their bikes/quads for the inland. All this money spent and what for - a trophy at the end of the day - no incentives like nice prizes etc. Only 'prize' thing that's happened this year the van der Linde's donated cash for Whole Shot and some riders received free Dyno Tuning - (sorry if I missed out something)

For those interested: Christo Meyer has also taken photos at the oval. If you would like to contact him, send e-mail to acmeyer@lantic.net
He takes photos at the off-road races etc. and I can recommend his photos.

Last Inland race looked like the paparazzi were there

I think it's great - what I don't understand, is why there's no publicity about the Inland. Maybe I must start doing something about it...

Anon obviously was not at the inland race held at Wildthing and missed riders receiving Alloy Kit in excess of R 6 000.00, a rider receiving a helmet worth more than R 1 000.00 over 35 pairs of gloves, wallets,mohicans,grips,hydrapaks etc being handed out to riders.All arranged by Pierre for the riders.
E.T in two issues of quad 4 fun double page spreads about the inland have been published.But yes maybe you should do something more about it - we need all the exposure we can get.

Sorry forgot to say - Anon every club would love to give and give, yet all that costs the clubs money. No-one understands the costs of keeping the bikes on the track better than any parent who has a child racing - just like we do - but bear in mind the tracks cost money to maintain. You hire a grader for 3 days to prepare the track and then you can understand real cost. Pay for 108 trophies every race meet - no other club gives trophies up to 6th position when not a inland. i think the club is giving but you try to get sponsorship for anything then you hit a real brick wall there are very few who are prepared to give most just want to take.
No-one can fault the Van der Lindes generosity they are always there for Wild-Thing, but a club can not always expect them to give.

Anon I am a member of Wild-Thing who travels far to get to the club the reason being this is the only club where you can see where your money is going to - and that is back into the club. Peer is always improving the tracks and facilities. Trust me our membership monies can not cover all his costs. I was also not aware membership was compulsary so why don't you join a club whose fees are lower and you get unmaintained tracks and terrible facilities.

Though I would also defend my position in these circumstances, Anon has implied that the racing is costly and hence they are picky about which races they do. Thanks for your comment Anon and right now it is not necessarily relevant whether it is justified or not.
The perception is that the quads, especially modifications to them, are too costly and there are plans to address this in the future. I for know that they are costly but I honestly don't think the quad cost is the reason, and that is what we are trying to ascertain. Track owners also want to grow the sport, but changes they make need to be the right changes. What's the use if class restrictions are introduced to encourage more participants if that is not the reason for little or no growth in the first place?
Lets find out why many people raced only once this year, track and oval. Then track owners and organizers can make changes to address the real reasons.

i too chose to become a member of wildthing with my whole family for a safe riding environment especially for my kids. I was never "expected" to pay annual membership nor "expected" to pay stand hire. I dont have a stand, if you want a stand and the joy of such a place i do believe it was your choice and why shouldn't you pay for that luxury, and who would you have maintain your stand? Anon really!!!!

I would like to clarify further: The question was not where does the money go - the question is why is the sport not growing. If some feel the the ongoing costs are too high then let them say so. If the trend continues then another Capricorn will stop club races. I understand that at a recent race at Alkmaar there were only 3 quads!! We can't expect the club and track to continue giving us racing with that kind of support.
So, we have one person who thinks the ongoing costs are too high. Are the intitial costs prohibitive? Are newcomers put off by the high skill levels of the established guys? Too dangerous? Lack of media exposure?

I agree that Wild Thing is probably the safest environment for the kids. Also, one just has to stay away for a few weeks to notice the steady impovements that are being made all the time. I get the sense that a significant portion of what I pay in entrance fees is put back immediately into the facilities.

This has meant that other tracks like ERORA and HNK have started to follow the lead. (Daytona seems to stay the same, even to the tyres on display in the shop)

We travel from Midrand to WT because we are happiest there. I must however add that the ERORA crowd seem to be just as great and would not be surprised to see some sort of co-ordination and co-operation developing between the tracks in terms of events. There is the potential for ERORA to provide the entry level competition, grooming riders for the more serious inland circuit at WT as well as the WT club racing.

The TOP ERORA based riders would still provide the bench mark for newbies as they are equal to the best anywhere.

In terms of Photos, Mr Meyer tends to cover a lot of ground during a race and even crosses the track during a race. At one stage he was even standing on the track, in front of the tyres at turn 2.

Luckily a marshall spotted him and he repositioned himself.

I have no doubt however, that he has got some great pics. If his pics are as good as his gear and positioning, it would be worth while contacting him.

Costs? With one youngter starting out, race day is not as cheap as when we were spectators. We are getting value for money.

Anyone who knows me would know that it would be remiss of me to sign off without a bit of a ping.

The amount of money being spent on modifying 100cc quads is incredible. I believe it can be more than a Blaster with all the bolt-ons.

I cannot help but wonder if the amount of money spent on juniors mods is indirectly proportional to the size of Daddy's...........

Hehehe

Where there's smoke there's fire!
The question posed was why are the numbers dwindling. Poor anon has been attacked for giving an honest reply and voicing an opinion. But honestly if you look at the track condition for the last inland and club race at Wildthing, not too much time was spent on the track condition. Example:Gatsien hoek was not in great condition from the start of the race also the corner leading up to Gatsien still had the last year's break bumps if the track had been scraped they would not have been there. Again, where there's smoke there's fire Jill

Sounds to me like Anon has just got financially in over his head. News flash anon anything with a engine costs money.

I am at wildthing nearly every weekend and there isn't a week that the track is not being worked on so Anon get your facts right before making your statements. If you are so unhappy with wildthing why go there? I am sure your kind would not be missed. Stop hiding behind anonymous if you feel so strong state your name.

Many people who purchase quads have no place to ride them, with police cracking down on us everywhere. We must be grateful for places like wildthing which provide us with great tracks, and to the owners who care enough to improve it all the time. We could do with a few more clubs like wildthing. Yes there is Erora but they do not even have running water. to the owners of wildthing you can't please everyone - I am pleased and thank you!

Folks we appreciate the feedback, but we're still not attempting to adress the issue of dwindling numbers - in fact we've now told a regular to also not come.....

I know how expensive this sport is,and how hard it is to get sponsors,but if i may i would like thank pierre and jill for the wildthing raceway.You guys are really doing a great job of promoting this sport.I have not been there in over a year and it is nice to hear that you guys still give trophies to 6th place and on top of that there are numerous lucky draw prizes.

It is a known fact that if you want a private pit at a track anywhere in SA,you have to pay for it,and at most places you have to maintain it yourself.

It was nice to hear that our cape town guys were treated so well,especially to nathaniel(factory racing) who looked after the guys.
Hope to see you guys soon.

Gavin
linex yamaha cpt

Come on guys anonymous was just voicing an opinion after all whether you agree or not and was responding directly to the question asked. Wildthing is our home track, we paid the membership fee gladly, have a stand that we share - by choice - (actually all Eugene's fault he REALLY pressurised us - joking), but I agree racing has become expensive compared to last year and I am one of those who has become 'selective' about what race I do (my choice). Lets face it to be competative in the classes in which my family race, vets, under 16 blasters, over 17 open and even the ladies, one has to 'sharpen the pencil - haal uit en wys - k@k en betaal' otherwise you don't stand a chance. Personal opinion: numbers are dwindling due to the cost factor involved eg. number of races per month and high maintenance of bikes/quads.
Here's a Scenario: we have had months where there are 3 events in a month, inland, flat and oval. There is very little time to prepare for the next race meeting, eg. repair a broken bike for instance especially if you want to race the following weekend and I think this can put people off and they then decide to maybe only race once a month due to maybe family pressures as well, not everyone is lucky like I am, the whole family wants to race.
Andre's way of thinking, and I am not saying this is even possible or can even be arranged, have one major race meeting a month, you will draw more people from all over eg. Alkmaar, Polokwane, Nigel, Erora etc. it will be huge ... fluit fluit, my storie is uit!

Thanks Andre, we struggle with 1 never mind a whole family. The number of riders that came to race the flat track ONCE and never again, are as follows:
50cc - 2 80cc - 1
100cc stock - 1 100cc modified - 2
200cc U16 - 3 200cc O16 - 2
Open 2 Stroke - 3 Ladies - 3
Open U17 - 6 Open O17 - 8
Vets - 8
I read that quad sales from all sources exceed 5000 per month. Now normally boys+wheels=race?????? They even race their little black scooters as soon as they can walk. It bothers us that so many raced only once and the numbers are not readily replenished by new faces.

Seems to me Anon can't even maintain his stand yet sees fit to criticise the maintance of the track.

i don't even think one race amonth will do.... i ride three legs (wildthing club - oval and flat track, plus the inland) and the biggest turnout i've ever seen was the inland before last, held at wildthing, since then, ok alkmaar was packed, but wildthing club races have taken a dive! if people cant even make it to one of the 3 events held every month, something must be terribly wrong

i agree with anon re the costs incurred this year compared to last year.this is more due to pesonal circumstances where i can no longer afford to pay for the 5 of us race 3 times a month.inland ,oval and flat track---- so i will also choose my races.this being the case another possible reason for the dwindling numbers is due to there not being any std /non mod classes in the blaster and 4 strokes.a lot of youngsters wont race because their bikes are not competitive,again due to the costs invovled in modifying a bike.a 400 stock class should be introduced to entice the guys who go on outrides to rather race where they dont compete against the 450,s.now i,m just waffling.another point of concern is the fact that the over 16 blaster class has all but disappeared.this because the younsters want to move to the 450,s which is crazy.they should remain on blasters until they are 17(obtain a learners licence)before moving to the open class

Racing costs have increased tremendously in comparison to last year(bike mods,maintenance,entry fees.etc)Yet at the same time the competition level and rider skill has increased tremendously.As for the Wild Thing raceway,costs have gone up,BUT so has there effort(Pierre and Jill) and time and financial input into the tack increased.Thus it is clear for all to see where there money is going 2.I,a member and partnered stand holder am happy 2 be part of Wild Thing Raceway. You can go to all thee other tracks,You cannot help but realise that Wild Thing is THE BEST.Thee other tracks are good(before i upset anyone).
As a father of two racing in ihe 100 cc mod class,I can talk about the costs.A mod blaster is cheaper 2 run.IF you want your kid 2 achieve in this class,you have 2 k@k and betaal.All the imported add ons you now get,it just becomes ridiculous.BUT,bottom line-if you want your kids to achieve in this class you have to write the cheque.Ability can only make up 4 so much.This applys for all mod classes.One parent buys Elka shocks,so the the rest of us follow suit - END RESULT - we are all equal again on track,just out of pocket.And so it goes on.Because I have 2 boys in this class,which means any purchase is times 2,my bikes in this class remain some of the lower costs bikes on the track.I have spoken about this point,on this site before,and comment was not forthcoming from any of thee other parents.Thus,I assume,although they MOAN constantly about this classes costs,they must be content with it.

WILDTHING RACEWAY HAS BECOME VERY EXPENSIVE, NO MONEY IS PUMPED BACK INTO THE TRACK FOR RACING PURPOSES, PEOPLE WERE TOLD BY JILL THAT THE FEES HAVE BEEN INCREASED TO PAY FOR TROPHIES AND ADVERTISING, BUT THERE ARE STILL REQUESTS FOR THINGS TO BE SPONSORED. THE TRACK IS NICE TO RIDE ON AS A CASUAL RIDE, BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DO NOT RACE, GO AND LOOK AT THE TRACK CLOSELY...
TAKE THE FOOD FOR INSTANCE, AT ONE TIME THERE WAS GREAT FOOD ON OFFER, NOW THEY HAVE ONLY ONE LITTLE TUCK SHOP TRYING TO SUPPORT A WHOLE RACE MEETING, AND THEY CAN'T KEEP UP, WHAT HAPPEND TO THE CATERERS !!!!

Wild Thing is our 2nd home and we love the place. Pierre and Jill, as said here, are constantly changing and improving the place and we have always found them to be receptive to suggestions. Yes entrance fees are high, especially if you have multiple riders, but I honestly can't see the organization and preparation leaving much change!
-------------------------------------------
Most of the comments are from people who do still race regularly and its clear the ongoing maintenance and other regular costs are a problem.
I think Eugene's suggestion about 400s is great. There are a huge number of LTZs out there. Yamaha are going to discontinue manufacture of 2 strokes so a "middle" class needs to be planned as well. I know for a fact the majority of quad owners are unaware of this form of racing; many of them take part in poorly organized bundu bash type races with all the dangers that that entails. So publicity and promotion can also help to entice new blood.
Andre has an idea that there should perhaps only be 1 race per month to build anticipation. I personally agree but guess where we will be on non race weekend? You're right, at the track practising doing 60 laps instead of 12
Those who are going to make changes for next year have our fun in their hands, we are just trying to let them know what people think and want. I think modification restrictions now, to existing classes, might be a problem; just look at the discontent among the 100cc folk. It will be difficult to police, the level of "politics" will increase and protests might fly every which way

ANONYMOUS, I can't believe that the food can be a reason for dwindling numbers. As for the quality of the track; this is off-road racing and quads don't require highways. You clearly do not go there often enough - it never ceases to amaze us how much time Pierre spends on the track with some piece of heavy equipment. It is a standing joke with us that he is not happy unless he is behind the wheel of a frontend loader! No, I cant imagine your points being a reason for dwindling numbers.

forgot to mention,that whilst the inland is a great idea,most of the support to p/burg and alkmaar and nigel(especially vets)comes from wildthing members.they do not support us.with the exception of raydon and brian.can the inland as it is now formatted and bring in a gauteng championship with us ,erora ,daytona etc.very important a commitee must be formed to control media,prize money,sponsorships etc.maybe a commitee should be formed at w/thing to eradicate some of the complaints and release pierre of some of the unneccessary pressure that he is being put under.pierre cant do everything himself which is what everyone seems to expect.

Eugene, you sound more and more like the man that's needed You've clearly given this more than a little thought and I for one like your ideas!!!!

Pierre and Jill you only have yourselves to blame. You have spoilt your riders so that they are no longer able to appreciate anything. Shut the place down and see where that leaves these bunch of moan-gatte. Do you need all this shit in your lives ? I feel for you.

Give them a break, Pierre and Jill work so hard to keep this track running! It's one of the best tracks in the inland this year...

I have read all the comments and it seems like poor Anonymous (the 2nd comment) opened up a HUGE can of worms, however, judging by the comments from various people that followed, the point has been missed totally, the original question was "why the dwindling numbers". Anonymous was voicing an opinion and was not bad mouthing the track, jill or piere, the food etc etc. but was just stating facts as they see it. Obviously judging by the comments people have had they have issues themselves and Anonymous' comments gave them the gap they've been waiting for. So come on people get off the band wagon and stick to the point and stop attacking people you don't even know - I am referring to Tony and Goigens comments specifically - not nice guys, lets keep this forum positive.

Hey Eugene - great suggestion a committee works but choose carefully - I vote you for Chairman !!! Don't want to put my name to this coz you'll want to 'moer' me for the vote !!

Still love Wildthing the best XXXXX

Back to the point then.

My kids would have been racing long ago if there were appropriate classes for them.

A stock Dinli or modded Dinli stands no chance against the matching Revos. Similarly all the Pick 'n Pay and Macro specials stand no chance against the Dinli.

Surely if we concentrated on even just a few of the brands such a Suzuki (Dinli), the Revo's and got the retailers to sponsor their own classes. If Suzuki, Kawa, P'nP, Makro and now HiFi Corp sponsored the entry fee for the first 2 races for every quad in a specific class that they sell, then you could quite easily get 6 Dinlis competeing against each other, 6 Kazumas, 11 stock revos etc.

Let the Dads compete with their cheque books in an open class.

Blasters: My older kid is a big lad to say the least. From a weight point of view he is at a disadvantage already, then his competition are running 240 kits on top of that.

If Yamaha were to be involved in even limited sponsorship of a stock and/or bolt-on class more of these popular machines would be competing.

I'm looking for somewhere to race a stock Dinli and Bolted-on Blaster.

There are two or more Dinlis at Daytona, 2 at ERORA and we have had two at WT. Add a bit of interest from Suzuki and we'll have more than enough to sustain a series.

You just have to look at any parking lot to see the number of new blasters being offloaded each weekend. Some stock, some modded by Linex. None competative with the 240cc boys. Give them a class, get them hooked and off we go.

Surely we are not the only family whose dilemma would be solved by this approach?

Regarding Evan's weight disadvantage; I'll say! Last week I heard that Dustin weighs as much as a dirty air filter

I agree with Norman.If there had been a stock 100 class last year,my kids would have raced stock.Unfortunately,there was not,and to make a change backwards would be stupid.Thus I try with a "small" cheque book and rider talent to keep competitive.A junior stock blaster class would be fantastic,I know where my kids would be riding.

I agree it would be great. But imagine the number of classes how long it would take to get through a race meet

There are any number of solutions:
1) Race the stock juniors <100cc on the small track. A few modifications would do it.
2) Split seniors and juniors between Oval and flat track - alternating.
3) Let the tweelies have their own day or split them off in Junior and senior between oval and flat.
4) Have a seperate day for the new classes once they warrant it.
5) Split seniors and Juniors. Seniors = Chequebook revos, mod blasters and rest> 200cc. Juniors = all 50cc, Stock 100cc varients, stock blaster / bolt-on blaster.

OK, so some of the ideas are not that great, lets face it: I'd really battle to get all the pics.

Do you know how to kill good ideas? Say "we tried that before....." My comments are not intended to do that, but along those lines I have heard some reasonable objections made by parents who have kids on quads and on tweelies, so I can imagine you will hear the same about one on a 50 and the other on a modded blaster; they dont want to come 2 days, only one. Could you not set up your camera on a tripod with a remote thing which you operate by internet or satelite? Don't answer!

I think we should all go fishing.

hey normanb.to make u feel betta,in the states there are no revo`s!!dinl's,kasea's,vipers etc!would like to see a nicely modded dinli against a revo?could b interesting.don't u think so??

All the talking about classes and entries and .....we need to think about safety and focus on that by not allowing competitors to socialise in the bar between heats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i dont think the socialising part is bad...... i think its the drinking alcoholic beverages that poses a threat....

Ooooh, another BIG can of worms!! You culprits that drink between heats, you know who you are, start thinking of others and be concerned about their safety seeing as you're not concerned about yours

I am relative new to quad biking and love the sport more and more. I am glad that I have found this local website that could provide me with local information. It is just a pity that Mr Anonymous uses this forum to express what looks like a person vendetta. Please stick to the conversation topic and use other forums to sort out personal differences.

To come back to the topic of how do we increase participant numbers. Were is the MSA committee that looks after MX and quads? They must have had similar problems on other motor sport categories. I am not an expert in motor sport but do follow the local rallies. They do have a similar problem on the cost of rallying in our country. What they organizers have done (and I think it was MSA), is that have introduced many standard classes in rallying. The only modifications that are allowed was to improve the safety but not allowed to modify anything mechanically.

Should be not have all the small classes as stock standard, and then with one open class were we allow unlimited modifications? My suggestion is that there should be a 50cc, 100cc, 200cc, 400cc and then an open class. The 50cc to 400cc should be stock standard and open class any modifications allowed. We should have sub classes like masters and veterans for the 400cc and open class. We might even have a 500+cc standard class.

In these stock standard classes we will build talent rather than faster motors. In these classes one should be allowed to change setup of the suspension and tires for the venue and nothing else. This I hope that will bring out more talent that could eventually go into the open class. For the rest of us that does not want to race in the open class can stay in the 400cc or 500+ class and still have a good time on week-ends. On the issue of then having many races on one day and we will not finish in time, we can combine some classes that race at the same time but score in different classes. We can have the 50cc &100cc, 200 and 400cc comb

Maybe someone of the Inland Organising Committe (?) must contact MSA and request them to come to the Inland this weekend. I think it's necessary for MSA to be there and to observe.

chrisb the ideas are sound, but you have to try imagining getting through a race day, remember there are tweelies as well. Already it is a long day crammed with heats, yet each rider only gets to do 3 heats of 4 laps. I know you suggested combining some classes to be scored seperately, but their existance is also a safety issue and it is undesirable for "older" classes to race simultaneously with "young" classes. Don't take my comments as a kind of rebuttal, I am merely saying why it is not already being done.
As far as MSA is concerned; they are primarily a governing or regulatory body and as such are not the think tank charged with the development of the sport. There is always at least 1 MSA Quad representative at the Inland Races. The representative does submit a report to MSA after the event.

Thanks Clive, I do realize that it would not be an easy solution to the number of races, but we need to start thinking creatively or maybe laterally. There are bigger issues on the horizon that will have a big impact on our sport.The negative incidents that take place from our fellow quad riders give us all a bad name. There are people that spoil it for all of us by their irresponsible behavior in the public. Government is busy with the 4x4 fertility to restrict their freedom. With all the negative incidents that our fellow quad riders sometimes create, we might find our self next on the list. One can see it with the number of placed that are closing for quad riders. Just ask quad and MX riders in Ruimsig, Lanseria to Daytona and Centurion area.

There for I think we need to get solutions to involve more fellow quad riders in cheap organised participation. We should not make the same mistakes as the 4x4 drivers and think that nothing will happen. I am exited about our sport and think that it can grow in to something big. May be we need to create a think tank, it might be good for our long term survival who knows? Happy quading!!

Couldnt agree more with your views, which is why we asked the question up front. See you at the races!

Clive, mabe you can help me. I have never been at Wildthing and would like to start to race as well. Please contact me at chris.breytenbach@vcontactor.co.za