The racers are able to train, eat, sleep and ride together, but when they hit the track it’s an all new atmosphere that can go two ways. They pool their resources together to make the travel across the country, the training and bike work all that much more easier. They can either be enemies and take each other out, or they can go head to head, show respect for one another and let the best man on the day win and right after they come off the track they shake hands knowing they just gave the fans, the sponsors and the industry one hell of a show.
The DMX/IMX/MXA/MX Forum media ride day!
I first got into the sport in 2004. Not very long compared to most people but I fell in love with it right away especially after I traded in the politics of competitive hockey to come to a sport where it seemed almost everyone got along. Everyone camped together, practiced together and hung out at the races. You could still race a 2 stroke and be competitive as the 4 stroke domination had just started to swing in full force. The best magazine Canada has ever seen till this day, Racer X Canada, was on top of its game with content and the MX forum was in full swing!
As a kid I would bring RXC and every other motocross magazine I could get my hands on to school every day. I would read them over and over and would constantly have the teachers take them away or send me to detention for not paying attention .Everytime I was in the school library I would be on mxforum and every time the library assistant would come and kick me off it to the point where she had to ban the site from my account as I spent too much time reading up on the latest gossip. I slept, breathed and talked motocross so much that it really ticked my friends off and at this point I had never ridden a dirt bike in my life. “Some” people would likely think I was poser, but the proper word is actually a “fan”. You don’t need to be a professional rider, a past champion, a star photographer or an industry person to love this sport. Is it any different than a person who watches a hockey game who has never strapped a set of skates on in their life?
Testing the CRF 450 at the 2008 RXC shoot out!
A day I will never forget!
This week I am staying with DMX staff photographer and hardcore moto fan James Lissmore . James, formerly being the photographer at Racer X Canada has a very impressive collection of moto memorabilia including almost every issue of Racer X Canada you could ever imagine. I spent hours today reading past issues of the greatest publication the sport has ever seen in Canada and plan on spending quite a few more yet. What made RXC what it was were the people who were involved with it. No, hardly any of them were pro riders, former team managers or race series owners, it was because they were fans of this sport and were lucky enough to tie this sport we love into their careers. James and I have had many conversations this week about it and how much it meant to him as a member of the team and how much it touched me as a fan of the sport.
Luckily at DMX we have quite a few past RXC contributors and to this day they show the same dedication towards our sport. I will admit, taking on this new venture, dealing with politics and not having as much time to ride sometimes makes me lose focus and wish I was simply just a fan again. But after looking at these past issues of RXC it quickly reminded me why I chose to do this for a living. Although DMX is bringing Canadian moto fans the news through a different avenue on the World Wide Web because of changing times, I also truly hope we can touch you fans the way Racer X Canada did every time you held an issue of it in your hands. So remember, it’s ok to show up at your local national, take a few photos, wear your local dealer or team shirt, cheer for your favourite rider without knowing him, date a pro racer because you met him and really liked him/her before you knew they were good at something, work for the CMRC, or even raced a CMRC event for that matter. No, you are not a Poser, wanabee, Moocher or follower like someone for some reason has labelled you just because you have never podiumed at a national event. You may have never ridden a dirtbike in your life but love showing up and spectating because you have respect for what these racers do every time they line up. You don’t have to rake up a million frequent flyer miles either to be someone, as you may have the best days of your life riding in your back yard with your buddies. You’re a “fan” because for some reason Canadian motocross has touched you in some way. One thing we strive to do here at DMX is introduce new people into the sport and hope that someday too will enjoy it as much as we have.
A group of crazy moto fans enjoying the races. Some who ride and some who don't.
Who knows, maybe one of them will be the next JSR, maybe one of them will be a mechanic, maybe one of them will be a fan who checks out their local race track regularly and take a few photos and maybe one of them will never want to look at a dirtbike again because they simply weren’t interested in it. If we want our sport to grow and hit the T.V. stations live every weekend in Canada we need the fans who buy the T shirts, and come to the events to experience the atmosphere. As industry people, media outlet owners, track owners, race promoters, series owners, racers, sponsors and fans we need to look at how we’re going to get to that next level before it’s too late. I think a quote that summs it up perfectly “People who live in glass houses, shouldn’t throw stones”.
View the original article here
No comments:
Post a Comment