Cycle News

Cycle News 2019 Issue 36 September 10

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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CN III VOICES W H A T Y O U A R E S A Y I N G P6 Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor "Sometimes you never know if something works better unless you try." Should Motocross Consider A Playoff Points System? Motocross is ultimately for the riders. Fans are great, sponsors are important, but the riders are number one. Look at the hundreds of tracks across our country with amateur races every weekend, and you will see who the racing is for. Often there will be more competi- tors than spectators. Most riders pay for all their own equipment (and energy drinks). Despite few sponsors and fans and no TV rights, racing goes on. A few rid- ers get good at motocross, real good. They get to race against other very good riders, and win- ners can receive money instead of trophies. National motocross pros have worked long and hard to get to where they are now. Some of the best riders, with a little luck, manage to pull away from others in their championship series. I say good for them. Every rider has the same chance at every race. Some fall or break down, may not be their fault, but they all started with a fair chance. The idea of running a championship series down to some kind of playoff leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Everyone loves an exciting final race of the season to determine the cham- pion. Well, everyone except the rider who worked the hardest and had some luck. Now some want to diminish this rider's big points lead so that the fans can have an exciting finish? I'm against it. It's not that I am against an ex- citing finish, it's that I am against taking anything from a rider who has done everything right. If you want an exciting single race, I suggest you watch the Monster Energy Cup and see if anyone forgets the Joker Lane. Ed Stovin I like the idea of having a play- off system. I'm in my 50s and have been following and racing motocross since I was a kid. I realize that most motocross fans are traditionalists and are set in their ways, and they are scared of change. But I don't like it when there's a run-away champion and when titles are clinched before the final round, too. Or, when championships end up being a two-rider affair, so, to me a playoff system would be worth considering, or perhaps incorporating throwaway motos. That would be fair and keep more racers in the running. I just don't believe in "…because that's the way we've always done it," logic. Sometimes you never know if something works better unless you try. You can always go back. Jeffrey Long A more sensible solution would be to give each rider one or two throwaway races. Such as in a 12-race series, only your 10-best scores count. That way, a crash or breakdown early on would not put them out of the chase. It would keep the enthusiasm up for the riders and fans. Ken Hetherington No, no and no. Jeffrey R. Evans No! It's fine as it is. Rob MacIsaac

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