LS@GtThunder
04-26-2004, 12:29 PM
Just a few notes on sound testing:
The atva/ama has set sound rules in place for several reasons which include environmental issues, and the general perception that the public has of our sport. As well as many other reasons. Of the atva/ama members, there is a much larger percentage of members that do not compete in closed course competition than those that do.
There are a lot of facts that effect this whole sound level issue.
1. AMA Pro Racing has tried on many occasions to implement sound rules at Pro events such as outdoor Nationals. They do enforce some level of control but it is not consistent from race to race.
2. How do you tell half of your top riders – You cant race this weekend since you are to loud.
3. Unless they take a hard line approach to the issue, it will remain a controversy.
4. If they take a hard line approach it will eliminate a few top riders whose paycheck depends on their racing for a race or 2 and may turn into a legal issue.
5. If they take a hard line approach they will have a lot of pressure from the exhaust companies for a race or 2 regarding a lot of then obsolete exhausts and upset customers.
6. These same exhaust companies are sponsoring many of these events.
7. I was told by an AMA official, that these rules were never intended for closed course competition.
8. Most people want to ride their bikes with the same exhausts installed during the week as what they race with.
9. These load exhausts turn many neighbors into enemies, and create a lot of ill will toward this sport.
10. An exhaust that is built to make good power with a low sound out put is more expensive to build and is more than just a quiet core.
11. GNCC and racer productions is not alone in this issue – this issue is being raised all over our country and in many other countries.
12. If Racer Productions successfully implements a sound level rule and takes a hard line approach – there will be problems.
13. If they don’t there will be problems.
14. If they do they will be used as an example by other organizations as a way to do this correctly.
15. It is just a matter of time till it will be enforced in one way or another – this is the results of several things including more population and more riders which results in more rude riders annoying people who in turn will take action.
16. Do I like the rule – no.
17. Do I think it needs to be implemented – yes.
18. Why is GNCC pushing it??
19. I don’t know but I can see several reasons that appear valid and a few that don’t.
20. One reason – I heard one GNCC official say “they are making my score keepers go deaf” – solution – wear ear plugs. It is not that easy, from what I understand they need to listen for the beep from their scanners to score efficiently.
21. The perception from many GNCC officials is that the ATV’S are louder than the bikes.
22. This perception has a few valid bases.
23. Some of the exhausts are louder.
24. The ATV is heavier and to accelerate at the same speed out of a corner, the rider will be using more throttle.
25. The nature of how a ATV corners lets the ATV rider use more throttle thru many of the same corners.
26. The way a ATV gets the best forward drive also means that many times the ATV will leave the scoring tent at full throttle and the bikes will not.
27. As I left the scoring tent this weekend at a OMA race – I thought to myself that if I was the score keepers, I would hate a rider like myself. They had a 80 foot straight stretch coming out of the tent. Guess what, full throttle out of the tent, I am sure we roosted them as well as turning them deaf.
28. Many complaints have been issued regarding the accuracy of the testing at the GNCC races.
29. The type of equipment that Racer productions is using leaves a lot in the hands of the user to determine its accuracy, and it is very difficult to do accurate testing with the types of terrain and background noise that they have at a National.
30. No matter what the problems, we will eventually see some form of enforcement so why not get it over with and start now with a hard line approach using methods that are consistent.
31. Put yourself in racer productions shoes for a moment.
32. This is a business to them.
33. They do not want to lose riders – that is where their profit comes from.
34. They want to implement a usable rule – that is why it is 104db instead of the atva/ama rule that is much lower.
35. If they spend a lot of money in extra man hours for training and sound testing they would need to raise the gate fee or entrée fee to maintain the same profit.
With all this said – I am glad that I am not in their shoes with the decisions they need to make on this issue.
LS
The atva/ama has set sound rules in place for several reasons which include environmental issues, and the general perception that the public has of our sport. As well as many other reasons. Of the atva/ama members, there is a much larger percentage of members that do not compete in closed course competition than those that do.
There are a lot of facts that effect this whole sound level issue.
1. AMA Pro Racing has tried on many occasions to implement sound rules at Pro events such as outdoor Nationals. They do enforce some level of control but it is not consistent from race to race.
2. How do you tell half of your top riders – You cant race this weekend since you are to loud.
3. Unless they take a hard line approach to the issue, it will remain a controversy.
4. If they take a hard line approach it will eliminate a few top riders whose paycheck depends on their racing for a race or 2 and may turn into a legal issue.
5. If they take a hard line approach they will have a lot of pressure from the exhaust companies for a race or 2 regarding a lot of then obsolete exhausts and upset customers.
6. These same exhaust companies are sponsoring many of these events.
7. I was told by an AMA official, that these rules were never intended for closed course competition.
8. Most people want to ride their bikes with the same exhausts installed during the week as what they race with.
9. These load exhausts turn many neighbors into enemies, and create a lot of ill will toward this sport.
10. An exhaust that is built to make good power with a low sound out put is more expensive to build and is more than just a quiet core.
11. GNCC and racer productions is not alone in this issue – this issue is being raised all over our country and in many other countries.
12. If Racer Productions successfully implements a sound level rule and takes a hard line approach – there will be problems.
13. If they don’t there will be problems.
14. If they do they will be used as an example by other organizations as a way to do this correctly.
15. It is just a matter of time till it will be enforced in one way or another – this is the results of several things including more population and more riders which results in more rude riders annoying people who in turn will take action.
16. Do I like the rule – no.
17. Do I think it needs to be implemented – yes.
18. Why is GNCC pushing it??
19. I don’t know but I can see several reasons that appear valid and a few that don’t.
20. One reason – I heard one GNCC official say “they are making my score keepers go deaf” – solution – wear ear plugs. It is not that easy, from what I understand they need to listen for the beep from their scanners to score efficiently.
21. The perception from many GNCC officials is that the ATV’S are louder than the bikes.
22. This perception has a few valid bases.
23. Some of the exhausts are louder.
24. The ATV is heavier and to accelerate at the same speed out of a corner, the rider will be using more throttle.
25. The nature of how a ATV corners lets the ATV rider use more throttle thru many of the same corners.
26. The way a ATV gets the best forward drive also means that many times the ATV will leave the scoring tent at full throttle and the bikes will not.
27. As I left the scoring tent this weekend at a OMA race – I thought to myself that if I was the score keepers, I would hate a rider like myself. They had a 80 foot straight stretch coming out of the tent. Guess what, full throttle out of the tent, I am sure we roosted them as well as turning them deaf.
28. Many complaints have been issued regarding the accuracy of the testing at the GNCC races.
29. The type of equipment that Racer productions is using leaves a lot in the hands of the user to determine its accuracy, and it is very difficult to do accurate testing with the types of terrain and background noise that they have at a National.
30. No matter what the problems, we will eventually see some form of enforcement so why not get it over with and start now with a hard line approach using methods that are consistent.
31. Put yourself in racer productions shoes for a moment.
32. This is a business to them.
33. They do not want to lose riders – that is where their profit comes from.
34. They want to implement a usable rule – that is why it is 104db instead of the atva/ama rule that is much lower.
35. If they spend a lot of money in extra man hours for training and sound testing they would need to raise the gate fee or entrée fee to maintain the same profit.
With all this said – I am glad that I am not in their shoes with the decisions they need to make on this issue.
LS