The Sad Truth of the Worlds Dying Dirt Bike Tracks...and what we can do to SAVE them!

Dirt bike tracks are dying. Let's save them. Just trying to work out where the track is, was. It's hard to tell, isn't it, but I thought that was the whole thing. That's massively depressing. You actually can't tell that there was ever a motocross track there, can you? No. Got him. This place used to be Ellsworth Motor Park. One of the best tracks in the country. A facility unlike any other. Ellsworth was a staple of the British motocross scene for over 50 years. The circuit hosted many national and British championship level events over the years and was regarded as the best hard pack track around. This place was my local stomping ground. I grew up just a few miles from here and we could pretty much smell the premix from our backyard. This is where I fell in love with motocross. This was once Fengate MX track. The home of the Peace River Junior Motocross Club. My local race club. I raced my first ever event at this place as did many other young riders in this area. The track had been around so long that my old man even had his first race here back in the early 80s. This is where I learned to love racing. Now it's a wasteland. Once upon a time this was F15 Meeple. The roughest, toughest, sandiest track in the south of England. There were only a handful of other places like this in the entire country. It was the perfect winter training facility and helped many a fledgling MHGP rider develop their ever important sand riding skills. This is also where I practiced my craft behind the camera. My first ever YouTube videos were filmed right here. But now the place is dead. They are all dead. And these are three tracks that just so happen to be within a 20 mile radius of my hometown. Not meaning to be too on the nose or insensitive but there's currently an ongoing and seemingly endless epidemic plaguing the dirt bike world. We are under attack. The world has become an insanely busy and crowded place. Which has not helped the sport that we all love thrive and grow. There are countless tracks that I grew up riding and racing that are no more. Ellsworth, Fengate, Meeple, Mattrams, East Trax, Pinham, Mallory, Rockingham. The list goes on. They are all dead and buried. And there's countless more under constant threat and pressure. This isn't just a problem that's contained to my small island nation however. It's an issue that's causing serious problems in Europe and in the vast open spaces of the United States and North America. The sad truth is our dirt bike tracks are dying. But there must be something that we can do to save them. As I've said this is a universal problem. It isn't an issue that's confined by location, prestige or stature. It isn't just the local smaller tracks that are facing this fight. Over the years we've lost some of the biggest, most historic circuits in the game. Here in the UK by my count we've lost four of the last five circuits to host the British Grand Prix. Donington, Mallory, Mattrams and the Isle of Wight are all dreams of the past. The Isle of Wight and Mattrams being two of the best tracks in the world did not help save them from their ultimate demise. The situation is looking even more dire in Europe. We're losing legendary GP tracks at an alarming rate. Of course everyone knows that the original cathedral of motocross, the fabled Nemour, has long since perished. But even the GP tracks of the modern era are in grave danger. Word is that Valkenswaard is in serious trouble. Traditionally this Dutch circuit hosts the first European GP of the season. It's famed for its atmosphere and it has become a true pilgrimage for the real MHGP fan. But the future of that tradition is in some serious doubt. Currently the circuit is not being used and the battle for its future is well and truly on. Leerop is another GP mainstay that has been fighting for its life in recent times. Thankfully it looks like that track is still operating at the time of recording this video. Fingers crossed it stays that way. But to be honest we need way more than just that. Barely hanging on to the few locations that we have isn't going to help develop or grow the sport in any meaningful way. Fewer options also means that the tracks that we do have are getting busier and busier. Generating an overall lesser experience for the riders. The true horror story that should scare the crap out of all of us is what's happening over in Belgium. This small nation is a giant in the motocross world. They've won the motocross of nations 15 times and they boast more than 50 world championships. By far more than any other nation. But the sport is seemingly on its knees in the country. During the 1970s there were at least 60 different race and practice circuits in Belgium. Today there are only 6 tracks left. 6 in the entire country. In this article by our friends at GateDrop.com, 10-time world champion Stefan Everts voices his frustrations at the state of the sport in his homeland. There were so, so many tracks here and now they are all gone. A disappointed Everts said. They just took them all away from us. And that breaks my heart. Because I've been travelling around the world for 18 years having the Belgian flag on the podium. What do we get back now? Nothing. Continued Stefan Everts. That's a frustrated 10-time world champion Stefan Everts in the GateDrop.com article. And even in America, the mecca of motocross, the plague persists. We as Europeans assume that with all that vast wide open space, everything is just sunshine and rainbows over there. But the Vital MX Forum paints a very different picture. And to be honest, it becomes quite a depressing read. I guess it's more tracks, more problems. In Southern California alone, there are so many world famous tracks that have been shut down for good. It will always pain my heart that I never got to ride at Zacca Station. But what can we do to save, protect and defend our sacred ground? Let's try and work it out. As I stand next to what was once my favourite place in the world, the silence is deafening. But a silence could also be our saviour. I've not conducted any proper surveys, but if I had to guess I would say that noise issues are the specified reasons for most track closures around the world. And I would also say that every single track has had to deal with this issue at some point in their lifetime. Now I know that noise issues can sometimes just be the scapegoat for begrudged locals to get their enemies removed and shut down. And I know there's a fierce debate online between ourselves as to whether loud bikes, four strokes in particular, are the root of all evil and the cause of all our problems. Some say that yes, loud bikes are causing major problems and the introduction of the four stroke ramped up the rate of track closures. Others say that no, noise is just an excuse. People don't like us, they don't like dirt bikes and they don't want us in their community. And that's the end of it. But in my opinion, if we think logically that we can remove or significantly reduce one of the major cited reasons behind the majority of track closures, then we'll be in a far stronger position. Surely, if Captain Karen can no longer complain about the noisy motorbikes upsetting her precious Sunday lunch, then we'll be in for a much fairer fight. One less thing for her to complain about is one less hurdle that we have to remove her. So as much as it pains my pre-mix fuelled heart to say, I think we as a Motocross Brotherhood will have to fully embrace the electric revolution when it comes. The time for the electric dirt bike is right around the corner. And it might be here sooner than we first thought. And when that time does come, I think, in order to preserve our tracks and our sport for future generations, we will have to support the transition with everything we have. From government bodies to local racers. We need to get ahead of things and embrace this silent future. I've ridden an ultralegend. I'm known for a fact that it is possible to have an electric powered dirt bike that does feel and perform like a legitimate motocross machine. I fully believed that Alta was going to lead us into the future. But alas, our technological messiah is no more. Unfortunately, I think Alta were just a little bit too far ahead of the time. And the motorcycle masses were not willing to support them with their wallets. Which is fair enough because the bikes were so expensive. Nevertheless, a silent future might be a brighter future for our sport. But we can't count on that possibility alone. The green nature and the high public opinion of electric powered vehicles might just be another saving grace for us. Because noise ain't our only issue. Dirt bikes have a serious image problem. For the most part, the general population do not like us. But why? I wish I knew. I wish I had the answers. What is it about moto? Why do other sports thrive? And why are other motorsports so celebrated and not ours? Like I said, I wish I knew and I wish I had the answers. In a post-2012 Great Britain, when our Olympic legacy is supposedly being utilised to get more kids into sport and get them into a more active lifestyle. Why is it that our tracks and training facilities do not have government backing and are not supported by the local authorities? There are legions of young aspiring riders desperate for a local facility that help them learn their craft and hone their skills. There's a strong argument to suggest that a lot of these problems are caused by a general negative public opinion of dirt bikes and motorcycles in general. Let me explain. The Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton is an incredible world champion and wants to amazing stats. But his achievements are not unrivalled in the world of motorsports. Northern Irish world superbike racer Johnny Ray is a six-time world champion with stats just as impressive as Hamilton. Yet Hamilton is annually nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award and Ray is regularly left off the honours list. Why is that? Are motorcycles really looked down upon so much? It's worth noting that road racing venues such as Silverstone and Brands Hatch are nationally celebrated sporting arenas. But I sure as hell know that Silverstone generates more noise on a more regular basis. It's almost constant than Ellsworth Motorpark ever did. But will the residents of Silverstone Village ever get the circuit shut down for good? I don't think so. So how do we go about changing this image? As much as we all like to think that we're badass biker bros, that's not all we are. Maybe there's some way that we can show the general public that we're not simply just dirt bike hooligans. I think the general population fails to see pro motocross racers as real athletes. I think a lot of people just don't realise that our top level guys truly are some of the most elite athletes in the world. How do we fix this? I don't know if there's a correct answer, but I've been pondering a few things. Perhaps we are in dire need of a true global dirt bike superstar. Yes, I know that we do have superstars. Hurlings, Roxen, Bubba and Arcee all were and are giants in the game. But I don't think any of those guys were ever able to cross over into mainstream celebrity. Well, I guess Bubba did have a TV show there for a while. But I'm talking about a megastar that can take moto to the masses. Like Tony Hawk and Rob Dyrdek did for skate, or Shaun White did for snow. We need someone that can sit on the late night talk show couches and tell the world how cool our sport is. Maybe that could help our overall image. Travis is the only guy that I think has come close to this in his time, and he's done an awesome job for the sport. Although he might be responsible for that one question that every moto racer has had to answer. Can you backflip? No mate, I cannot backflip. This might just be a pipe dream with no chance of ever coming to fruition. But we're allowed to dream, right? Back to reality and let's talk about some more down to earth, legitimate methods that we can all put into practice to potentially save and protect our tracks. Here's a quick fire list. Number one, be good neighbours. If the locals are already ticked off by our noisy motorcycles, the least we can do is be kind, courteous and respectful when we're in their community. Sounds easy to me. Number two, respect the environment. For us, our dirt bike tracks are our sacred ground, and we should treat them accordingly. You wouldn't litter, leave your trash or vandalise any other holy place, so don't do it at ours. Both for the sake of the riders, the track owners and the locals. Number three, ride only where allowed. I know it's a vicious circle. Our tracks get closed down, so we have nowhere to ride. So we then have to resort to unofficial or illegal riding spots. But this isn't a good look for us. And street riding also seems to be on the rise. And I think that seriously harms the overall public opinion of our entire sport. As cool as it may be to see a dirt bike send a stair set or wheelie down our highway, in my eyes, it's just not very helpful in improving the image of our game. It sends the wrong message to the general public. Let's agree to stick to official tracks and legal off-road riding zones. Number four, support local businesses. If one thing in this world is true, it's that money talks. Even if the locals don't get the sport and they don't appreciate the noise, they might just be more forgiving if the local dirt bike track helps put money in their pocket and gives a boost to the regional economy. For example, I should imagine that the town of Benicassim in Spain absolutely loves Red Sand MX Park and the boost to the local economy that moto tourism brings to the region during the off-season. So let's try and support local businesses when we visit our tracks. Perhaps together that will help shift the overall public opinion of our sport into a more positive light. For the good of the sport, we need to save and protect the tracks that we already have. Let's cherish and support them whenever we can. Whether that's simply by riding there as regularly as possible, respecting their locations or supporting their cause whenever they need help. If a track is in trouble, sign those petitions, share them far and wide and donate if possible and if needed. Because after all, it is expensive to fight. If you're local to a circuit, maybe you could become a member of local government or local councils and become an advocate for your track. Let's try and organise ourselves because together the moto family is way more powerful. Perhaps we can come together to create a source of information, advice and maybe even funds for tracks that are facing legal battles. Let's fight for our tracks and fight for the future of our sports. I've dabbled in a lot of different sports and I've experienced my fair share of adrenaline-inducing moments. But nothing has ever or will ever come close to motocross and the moto family. I just wish that more people knew about us. Thanks for watching everyone. What do you guys think? What other things can we do to help support, save and protect our tracks? Share your thoughts with the community in the comments section down below. And if you're currently fighting the good fight and trying to save your track, put your links in the comments down below and I'll put them in the video description. Let's make this video the international hub for the global MX community to come together and support our tracks. As always guys, I've been Max, this has been 999 Laser. I'll see you at the track.