It took riding a slightly rock-infested GNCC then hiking around the course for three hours to make me realize why I like this environment.You see, the best part about racing off-road, whether it's on a quad or a bike, isn't the choice of venues or the variety of terrain and challenges (which do keep it interesting to say the least). It's the fans who make it a truly meaningful experience. Sure, supercross fills expensive stadiums, and motocross spectators (a closely related species who'll also endure torturous conditions to cheer on their favorites) pack the hills around a track. But in my book, off-road fans are the truly loyal and certainly more committed-you'd have to be to hike a couple of miles into the woods lugging your cooler to spectate in proper fashion or to drive out to the middle of the desert to root for your idols under the scorching sun.
Naturally, the flocks are almost always concentrated around the ugly sections (a good warning sign to racers that something bad is in the area) to watch the riders tackle the obstacles and catch some crash action. But they don't just stand by and gawk at the unfortunate. Nope, you can count on a handful of volunteers to jump out onto the course, whether it's mud, rocks or steep hills, and help the racer get going again. Or at the very least, there'll be one or more pointing out the optimum path through the questionable terrain.
Perhaps emboldened by several doses of liquid courage, these selfless souls proffer a dedication that has saved more than a few competitors from certain doom. I've been on the receiving end of such aid and witnessed it several times at the Wisp (the aforementioned rockfest).
Besides being rabid fans, the guys popping out to help are often amateur or ATV racers who've been in the same predicament on the course earlier that weekend. It's a unique bond that forms in the off-road environment, a "I know how you feel." It doesn't make for great TV-although the Racer Productions crew is beginning to get cameras out to some of these spots now, if only to cover the pros.
Not to say moto fans can't relate, but without a method of spectator involvement other than a long autograph line, there is a much greater chasm between the fan and racer. In a stadium or fenced-in motocross field, it's easier to pour in a crowd and entertain them for a couple of hours. Perhaps that is why off-road-race promoters have a hard time drawing in sizable numbers of pure spectators: The true off-road fan is often an amateur racer or a friend or a relative (read: sponsor or driver) of a competitor happy to trudge up hills, over the desert or wherever to see the action. No bleachers needed. Better access to spots on the course that are safe for fans and racers is the answer. Take the cameras to where the spectators are gathered; they know where to find the good action. This will keep the racing intense and challenging and perhaps draw more spectators into our segment of motorsports.
In the meantime, here's to those guys (you know who you are) getting roosted while they grapple the struggling rider and boost him or her up and over that obstacle.