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[d kelley]

My son wants to become a PRO level ATV racer. Does anyone really know the salary it is possible to earn at that level of competition? I would like him to have a real idea of how important his education is to him, but I would like to have an idea of what I am talking in trying to get him to listen to me. He believes that the a top ten pro can earn over $100,000 a year, which I do not.

[Master LTR450]

so you dont think Gust makes $100,000 a year?

[ZeroLogic]

They earn a nice amount of money. Although, you have to be the worlds fastest and smoothest rider. Its not easy, and a lot of stress.

[Pappy]

You would be wrong as its no secret 6 figures is obtainable at the upper level.

You would be correct with wanting him to get education. Have him do the math with years needed to rise to the pro level and expenses incurred, years able to compete at a level to continue recieving that income etc

And then ask himslef he actually has what it takes to be in the top 10 in the nation or if his ability lies only in his quest. Next year and the year after will see the curtailing of the dollars associated with a Pro riders salary and the actual number of pro's that will be retained on a full ride as the economy tumbles(not verey pro makes 6 figures nor get a full ride). Even though we see pro riders finally getting a paycheck, very few can actually make the claim they live off their income and I dont see it becoming too numerous in the next 5 years as we at the infancy of this in our sport.

[SRH]

i learned quick that there is no come from the bottom pros out there they all have huge amounts of wealth to begin, or born into industry support from day one and get all the right breaks

its very very difficult to become a pro now unless your making well over 100 k a year now and then whats the sense of chancing death and all the other serious injuries that come with it for a measly 100k a year...theres no race quads in pickup trucks at a quad national....i wonder what the pt of alot of the kids even going pro is when they have everything that i raced for...

maybe things will change as quads become more race ready out of the box but its very difficult unless your already a well off business owner

also another thing for him to consider is hes prob got a better chance of landing a spot on a nfl or nba team than a full factory ride if you look at the odds im probably right

i doubt youll deter him, i had the same desires and it took a broken back for me to realize its not worth it....i skipped out on college , worked nonstop to have 2 race quads so i could finally put in a good season, by absolutely no ones fault or machine failure i wrecked and life kinda has ended for awhile for me...and you realize riding isnt the only thing in life and it can cost you everything

my advice is support him , be aggressive and serious with him on training and everything make sure he holds up his end of the bargain, grades college all that is mandatory, along with a job.....

this might sound crazy, but hes hungry now, take him to every race you can , most burn out on racing, the ones who dont go pro or are forced out by injuries, just hope for the first one

and like pappy said the money is there but you have to be the best

[jrspawn]

From what i know, there are VERY few(possibly less) riders that actually earned 100,000 per year from just their Factory sponsor(MX wise, not sure about XC). I dont think your gonna see anymore than that either. Last year i know of one Top pro that made that from a factory sponsor. The key thing to making any type of money is additional sponsors. All the backing you can possibly get adds up with Good results! But like posted, to get anywheres nowdays you almost have to start out with alot of cash in your pocket from the begining. Like most sports, it requires ALOT of money to get anywheres.

Thank you
Justin

I think the key is sponsorship. Most professionals in racing get way more money from sponsors than they do winning a race and getting the race prize money. Same goes for almost any 1 person winner sport. Tennis, golf...

[BlaineKaiser450]

i want to become a pro too, but i rode with sage baker for a practice and he is an animal when he rides. Im starting to realize how much work goes into being pro. And most pros do well with money, but not great. One of my friends had a chance to go pro but he went to school instead because he was making more money that way and could acctually have a life outside of racing.

[LT250Racer609]

Originally posted by SRH
i learned quick that there is no come from the bottom pros out there they all have huge amounts of wealth to begin, or born into industry support from day one and get all the right breaks

its very very difficult to become a pro now unless your making well over 100 k a year now and then whats the sense of chancing death and all the other serious injuries that come with it for a measly 100k a year...theres no race quads in pickup trucks at a quad national....i wonder what the pt of alot of the kids even going pro is when they have everything that i raced for...

maybe things will change as quads become more race ready out of the box but its very difficult unless your already a well off business owner

also another thing for him to consider is hes prob got a better chance of landing a spot on a nfl or nba team than a full factory ride if you look at the odds im probably right

i doubt youll deter him, i had the same desires and it took a broken back for me to realize its not worth it....i skipped out on college , worked nonstop to have 2 race quads so i could finally put in a good season, by absolutely no ones fault or machine failure i wrecked and life kinda has ended for awhile for me...and you realize riding isnt the only thing in life and it can cost you everything

my advice is support him , be aggressive and serious with him on training and everything make sure he holds up his end of the bargain, grades college all that is mandatory, along with a job.....

this might sound crazy, but hes hungry now, take him to every race you can , most burn out on racing, the ones who dont go pro or are forced out by injuries, just hope for the first one

and like pappy said the money is there but you have to be the best

yup, like you and me both....were both forced out by injuries and it sucks...im not even really into it anymore where as 3 years ago, I was racing 2-3 times a week....

bill you speak nothing but the truth!

how are you making out in leg movement??

[SRH]

Originally posted by LT250Racer609
yup, like you and me both....were both forced out by injuries and it sucks...im not even really into it anymore where as 3 years ago, I was racing 2-3 times a week....

bill you speak nothing but the truth!

how are you making out in leg movement??


pretty good, if my left catches up with the right ill be walking around in the next few months i think keep your fingers crossed