(A few reasons to keep our motocross tracks open).
Okay, I get it. Motocross bikes are loud, dangerous, and disruptive to the tranquility of country living.
From many angles, this sport seems like a waste of fuel, money, and time. Teens and adult teenagers drive for miles only to unload bikes and ride full throttle around in circles until they’re either exhausted or hurt.
On the face of it, it’s understandable that people want to shut down tracks or limit their operation.
But here’s the thing…
The noise of bikes probably represents teenagers growing into better adults.
Psychologist and Author, Karen Young writes that:
“…there’s a really good reason they do what they do. They are experimenting with the world and their place in it. It’s one of their main jobs during adolescence.
“The drive to take risks gives teens what they need to explore and experiment with the world. From this comes resilience, resourcefulness, creativity and ultimately, a well-adjusted, pretty amazing adult”.
Why Do They Do That? Teenagers & Risky Behaviour – And Why Punishment Won’t Work. Karen Young, Hey Sigmund.com
From my own experience, racing bikes from 15 was the foundation of personal responsibility and a timely chance to learn about consequences of actions. (I still remember some of the bigger crashes and the drive to learn from mistakes so that it didn’t happen again!).
I was extremely lucky to have parents who never punished me for the damage I did to a farm bike by doing jumps and riding it too hard. Instead, they helped me get a bike that was built for the task and sent me racing.
Ultimately, motocross in my teens led to other motorsport pursuits which led to my current career and a range of skill sets in life. More importantly, it accelerated my transition into adulthood fast enough that I never fell off the rails.
Now, I’m an adult who faces the difficult task of understanding the psychology of teenagers as it relates to driving for The CoDriVR Project. As we get into this work, it’s starting to become really obvious that boys especially, need a way to push the limits and experience risk.
To put it bluntly. If we don’t help them find ways to take risks in controlled environments and learn how to be responsible, it will happen on the public roads. Most modern cars can do 200kph, all it takes is a willing individual to hold their foot down and see what happens.
Motocross tracks aren’t the only place for this to happen, but they’ve proven to be pretty effective at catching the attention and passion of a risk seeking teenager for decades. It seems like a pretty easy place to start.
What does all this mean?
Next time you hear a bike revved out on a track or trail near you. Stop for a moment and consider what that sound could mean.
That sound could be a young guy satisfying a hardwired need to take risks and find their own limit. They’re doing it on a closed course instead of in a car down the street in the middle of night.
That sound could be a teenager finding a level of excitement far better than the street drugs which destroy lives and wreck families. Surely this sound is far better than being woken by an ambulance in the middle of the night.
That sound could be the social connection, sense of achievement, and fresh air that gives just enough perspective that maybe life isn’t so bad after all.
I have no doubt that we could get most of the motocross tracks in the country shut down pretty easily. Our Councils certainly respond to complaints and it doesn’t take much to rally public support to cancel anything in our current age. That’s certainly happening in some locations.
The important question to ask is, where will that noise move to?
Rhys Gardner
Founder & CEO of Gfactor, The CoDriVR Project, and advocate of action sports for mental health and youth development
