Bruce RE Orange Y

[Schmickity]

I cant post on the Vadge but I can tell you what goes on at the whY. Every child who takes part in the after school or daycare programs at the YMCA there gets and ABA membership when they sign the contract. i have long thought that it wasnt just that YMCA but every YMCA in Orange County because the numbers never added up. There was a time (10 years or so ago) when Cutting Edge and Lake Perris both had twice the moto count as Orange and still never got the state finals because they didnt have another entity selling memberships for them. That was confirmed by Brad at the ABA after many years of people saying, and Ruben denying, that that was the case. The Y has less than 100 parking spaces and that is to cover the track, the YMCA and its karate classes and the adult school next door and they rarely fill those 100 spaces so to be the #1 track never added up to anyone.
Last year the ABA changed the rules so that tracks would not get points for memberships until the member races. Orange dropped from the #1 spot, almost magically, after this rule went in to effect but the TO there still loves telling everyone that he is #1. The track never has an expert class race over the age of 11 or 12 and though the TO says that they generally have 2 racks of 5 and under novices, those racks are generally just 4 or 5 riders with some ghost riders thrown in.
That track is also the birth place of riders showing up to practice and then going him when motos are posted, a phenomenon I coined "Orange Whytis". You will have 60% more riders at the Y on any given day practicing than you will have racing. "Nationals Are The New Locals" is a term that gets thrown about, its also why the TO raised the prices to 7 dollars just for practice, even charges the pros 7 dollars... and why the Pros generally all moved out to Temecula and Murrieta where they could ride Lake Perris 4 times a week with other Pros and for free.
Simi Valley, Santa Clara and Roseville all have moto counts that crush Orange and they are never even considered the top track in the state
What is truly sad is that the 14 motos on weeknights and 24 motos on Sunday that Orange recently had is actually an increase in moto counts since Lake Perris has been closed down and their locals have been scattered about like refugees all over the place looking for places to race.
The Y has a good location as far as people seeing that races are going on but the track is cramped and small, there is no parking and they dont even manage expert classes in the teen aged age groups.... that would hardly say #1 to me. In my opinion Roseville is the #1 track in California, they consistently have twice the moto counts that the Y has, the track is better, there is more parking... The best tracks to ride on in So Cal are Bellflower, Lake Perris (if it reopens), Simi Valley, Whittier Narrows and Apple Valley but no where has the moto counts that you guys have in Utah, mainly because there are too many tracks, all of them race 3 times a week and well "Nationals Are The New Locals".

[sixstringsteve]

The best tracks to ride on in So Cal are Bellflower, Lake Perris (if it reopens), Simi Valley, Whittier Narrows and Apple Valley but no where has the moto counts that you guys have in Utah, mainly because there are too many tracks, all of them race 3 times a week and well "Nationals Are The New Locals".

Good insight. I'd be curious to see some stats regarding riders per capita. Not because I want utah to be "the best" but because I'm curious about the sport. I agree that CA has way more tracks to choose between when racing, but it seems that since they have a much larger population, they should still be able to get plenty of motos at each track.

And I'm sure the fact that Utah's families are typically larger than the average family helps us out a lot too. I also think our adult classes keep our scene alive as well. Lots of parents having fun out on the track every week. And when parents come to the races, the kids come.

Utah has about 2.8 million residents, which is pretty close to the 3 million of Orange county. How many tracks fall inside orange county? I'm sure the fact that different tracks in Utah don't overlap race days much (especially in winter) helps our moto count as well. I'd love to do a road trip to CA and ride some of their tracks. It sounds like a lot of fun.

[b2]

interesting insight, Jeremy.

Bruce, that 2.8 mil for Utah is ALL of the state, though. The Wasatch front is closer to 1.5 mil. Wouldn't you have to have an overlay of the area of OC on top of the SLC Metro area for that comparison to work better?

[Schmickity]

Orange whY is the only track in Orange County but to the majority of people from Orange County, BMX is a "dirt sport," and those from Orange County dont do dirt sports... unless you count baseball a dirt sport and they do not. Lots of skaters and surfers, very few who do BMX,
Also in CA there is no track in Los Angeles so you throw out the biggest, and most densely populated city in the state when it comes to BMXers.
Ironically, the Inland Empire is where those involved in "dirt sports" (BMX, MX, Off Road, Speedway) tend to dwell and the Inland Empire is now without a BMX track. Coal Canyon, Temecula, Elsinore, Riverside, Ontario, San Bernardino and now Lake Perris have all been closed down by cities, fairgrounds or the state in the 12 years I have been involved with BMX with my son. There are at least 6 motocross tracks closer to us than there are any BMX tracks, and that doesnt count all of the private tracks that the teams, that are all based locally here have. Before the economy crashed it was standard to see people in BMX for about 6-8 months and then see them graduate to MX, that isnt so common now that everyone is upside down in their houses

Orange was the #1 track until they started making riders race so the tracks could get the points, the first year that rule went in to effect their points total dropped 40% and they were passed by another track, theyre only #1 in their TOs mind. Lake Perris had the fastest locals, on any given Monday night you could go to Perris and get in the gate with Strombergs, Willers, KY, Nobles, Holmes, Ellison, Lambert, Siana, Sipkoi, Nhalpo, Kirkham, Whilloughby, Laralde, Tuttel and a handful of older teenaged NAG riders and older Cruiser riders.... none of them ever race locally but Monday is just a 4 hour practice session. Fastest Locals in BMX at Lake Perris, now we just need to get our track reopened.

[sixstringsteve]

sad to hear about so many tracks getting shut down.