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No more WIM series!

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
As most of you probably already know or have figured it out... Round and Round will no longer be doing any DH races or XC for that matter:( . I know alot of people were a little bitter about WIM but I must say that I'm a bit sad. As much as I hated the long drives to Spokane last summer I always had a great time at all there races!! I was really hoping that Silver Mountain was going to get them back into racing spirit. Anyways...Just thought I'd let you guys/gals know.
 

oly

skin cooker for the hive
Dec 6, 2001
5,118
6
Witness relocation housing
Spokane was one of the few races i wanted to do next year. Oh well.

Im sort of suprised that they are canning XC as well. I know us DH'ers require alot for a race, but isnt XC money in the bank?

There are some races at whistler. Theres also Canaduh and Hood. I for one am lookign forward to more freeriding. Anyone looking for a slightly used race bike?
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
Dang, I was hopping to race Beacon a few times:mumble: .I guess we'll just head over to push it. More time and $$ spend on the Oregon and BC races.
 

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
oly said:
Spokane was one of the few races i wanted to do next year. Oh well.

Im sort of suprised that they are canning XC as well. I know us DH'ers require alot for a race, but isnt XC money in the bank?

There are some races at whistler. Theres also Canaduh and Hood. I for one am lookign forward to more freeriding. Anyone looking for a slightly used race bike?
Yes, I hope that this will have a good impact for Mt. Hood races along with the BC Cups series. If any of you want to do some real courses...The BC Cups are the way to go! The only bummer about Hood is they always use the same course. I wish they could get some more trails to race on. That place is alot of fun too!
 

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
KNine said:
This blows, next season i was going to make my foray into DH at least as a begginer.It still something i want to do. Any suggestions as to what race i run?
Any of the BC Cups are good. The only thing is they usually run the beginners down the same course as everyone else including pro's!
 

riverside73

Monkey
Nov 29, 2004
362
0
Eric, formerly with Round and Round, here. While the WIM Series is dead, stay tuned for some racing at Beacon. I hear rumor that one of the local shops may be stepping up to fill the void. Or at least throwing someting together at Beacon. And i know that Silver will be doing something next year too. Just no series. But still lots of fun.

While I am not with Round and Round anymore (I work for a timing company now) I am still in the loop and will let you know if I hear of anything going on on this side of the mountains!

On a seperate note, congrats to Ethan and Joy! Kids rock!!
 

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
riverside73 said:
Eric, formerly with Round and Round, here. While the WIM Series is dead, stay tuned for some racing at Beacon. I hear rumor that one of the local shops may be stepping up to fill the void. Or at least throwing someting together at Beacon. And i know that Silver will be doing something next year too. Just no series. But still lots of fun.

While I am not with Round and Round anymore (I work for a timing company now) I am still in the loop and will let you know if I hear of anything going on on this side of the mountains!

On a seperate note, congrats to Ethan and Joy! Kids rock!!
Good to hear from you Eric & thanks for the congrats! We are really excited. Ethan is already thinking about all the places he wants to take our little one (he's hoping for a boy of course!) riding when he gets bigger!!
 

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
They cancelled our race series in Missoula this year too. We use to have 3-5 DH races called Jedzilla.

They also cancelled all the Big Mountain DH races this year. Our DH race league we had on every Wednesday was cancelled too, even though 20-30 riders usually made it.

Screw em, Im going out to build FR trails........
 

fattyfat1

Monkey
Mar 22, 2005
163
0
Kelso, WA
glad to hear its gone! wim races were lame, their courses were lame(x-cluding beacon) they cost too much, and were catered towards xc. never felt like a second class citizen on a bike till i raced a wim race. beacon is a fun course but who wants to drive six hours, pay 300-400$ for race,food,lodging, to ride 6-10 runs on a two minute course, then smell other peoples farts in the shuttle truck for two days. LAME!
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
Personally, I'm glad Round and Round is out of the picture. My rational for my boycott of WIM last year was that if R&R got out of the way, it would create an opportunity for somebody who wanted to put races on for racers. I know it's a lot of work and R&R was just trying to make a buck. However, I want my buck to talk so I'm taking it to the best race.


So anybody who has been thinking about putting on a DH race, next summer would be the best timing.
 
Congrats Joy & Ethan - when are you due?

Back on topic: Things change - some for worse/some for better - I hope Mosely & the PA boys put on a few more of the Freeride Days.

I hope they do a race or two out there next year as well. The 4X race out there last year was some of the best racing I've seen in a long long time.
 

Earthmover

Chimp
Feb 25, 2002
88
0
Terra Forma
Pretty mixed feelings forom this guy...I loved the racing, and always had a descent time. But I usually left feeling that it could have been better. Hopefully, something will turn up where there can be several races, if not a series. Maybe when Stevens Pass opens their bike park, we can race there. Hogsback, here we come!!!
 

stinky6

Monkey
Dec 24, 2004
517
0
Monroe
Earthmover said:
Pretty mixed feelings forom this guy...I loved the racing, and always had a descent time. But I usually left feeling that it could have been better. Hopefully, something will turn up where there can be several races, if not a series. Maybe when Stevens Pass opens their bike park, we can race there. Hogsback, here we come!!!
Is Stevens going to open a bike park or is that just rumor? Anything concrete?
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
downhillracer said:
Personally i am very unhappy about the WIM series being cancelled
this sucks!!!
now i have to go twice as far to do racing :(

No you don't. The closest WIM race last year was 4.5 hours from Seattle. Mt Hood is a 3.5 hour drive. It's cheaper, the course is way more fun.
 

mplutodh1

Monkey
Nov 27, 2002
744
0
Sammamish, WA
Clearly those of you who are happy to see what used to be a 7+ race series and a good time for just about anyone I knew, know absolutely nothing about putting on an event.

My experiences with hosting the Broken Spoke has created a humbling feeling for Round and Round's efforts of the years.

Facts:
There is pretty much no money to be had hosting an event.
Time spent by those who do actually tackle it = lost wages
The constant bitching from racers = less desire to host them in the future


You are all entitled to your opinions, however until you take a year+ to plan an event, you don't know the half of it. So, why not show some respect to a company who kept the racing scene alive for numerous years and got a lot of us into the sport. I am sad to see the series go, but most of all to see the bashing monkeys and mountain bikers have directed towards R&R and other promoters.

The attitudes of so many have driven a lot of racers out of the sport, in my years racing I have taken 2 seasons off now to get out of all the drama, I am sure if I continue, eventually I will give it all up after being so sick of all of it!

With that, my suggestion to those of you who care about the racing scene, support the races that do try and show up, even if they aren't the best out there. They are trying, which says more then what you are probably doing to help keep racing alive.
 

Earthmover

Chimp
Feb 25, 2002
88
0
Terra Forma
stinky6 said:
Is Stevens going to open a bike park or is that just rumor? Anything concrete?
I wish. If you you close your eyes and clap your hands, and REALLY believe in it, maybe it can happen! That's what I'M doing.
 

fattyfat1

Monkey
Mar 22, 2005
163
0
Kelso, WA
total b.s.! r&r were in it for one thing, $! the majority of the courses were so lame, i vowed to never go back. 50$ per racer. 200 racers. u-haul truck, 200$ per weekend. wages for 10 people. this isnt adding up? how come petre @ hood can do it for half as much (25$) and be lift assisted? oh ya, he also pays the winners and has food and beer. those wim races were pathetic! you,re better off saving $ for 1 race in spokane to go to whistler. its closer and wayyy more fun. you dont have to ride in a truck, and the runs are way longer than 2 min. still feel like ya gotta be faster than someone? i'll race you to the bank with all the money i save by racing in oregon and keeping the rest for whistler with my bros.
 

mplutodh1

Monkey
Nov 27, 2002
744
0
Sammamish, WA
fattyfat1 said:
total b.s.! r&r were in it for one thing, $! the majority of the courses were so lame, i vowed to never go back. 50$ per racer. 200 racers. u-haul truck, 200$ per weekend. wages for 10 people. this isnt adding up? how come petre @ hood can do it for half as much (25$) and be lift assisted? oh ya, he also pays the winners and has food and beer. those wim races were pathetic! you,re better off saving $ for 1 race in spokane to go to whistler. its closer and wayyy more fun. you dont have to ride in a truck, and the runs are way longer than 2 min. still feel like ya gotta be faster than someone? i'll race you to the bank with all the money i save by racing in oregon and keeping the rest for whistler with my bros.
First off, learn some grammar, your posts are horrible.

As for the costs, maybe that Petre (sp?) guy in Hood can do it for cheap, that's fine. You've got to remember what day and age we live in though. Each promoter runs the risk of million dolllar lawsuits. Insurance to cover this risk is not cheap (I can tell you from experience) if you are a NORBA sanctioned race, the cost isn't cheap for that either. Without NORBA, there are a lot of costs for insurance and liability that usually promoters who don't utilize NORBA forget or chose not to purchase, which is very risky with sue happy dumbcraps in this world.

Wages for 10 people? Man, again you know nothing about putting on an event. Round and Round I can't imagine was doing all that great profit wise, barely enough to pay a few employees. Without paying employees you are probably not going to have folks come back year after year to deal with all the crap that is involved in hosting a race. Not to mention dealing with inconsiderate jerks like yourself.
 

fattyfat1

Monkey
Mar 22, 2005
163
0
Kelso, WA
as for my grammer dickweed, this isnt english class. 2nd, petre's name is spelled correctly. 3rd, if you have not noticed, the vast majority of the people in this thread agree w/my side of this debate, not yours. next time you want to call names and insult peoples intelligence (i have a degree from CWU) you better think about who you are talking to. you don't know me, and we all have opinions. after you posted, i called b.s. you didn't see me call you names or correct your grammar. you are also entitled to your opinion. did i insult your intelligence? p.s. i heard from MANY a racer that your course in b-ham sucked ass big time, huge waste of a weekend, and i wasnt gunna (sp?) say anything but you pissed me off. all that terribly hard work for nuttin (sp?). looks like you'd be better served in something yo're good at, like supporting pathetic, washed up causes.
 

riverside73

Monkey
Nov 29, 2004
362
0
fattyfat1 said:
as for my grammer dickweed, this isnt english class. 2nd, petre's name is spelled correctly. 3rd, if you have not noticed, the vast majority of the people in this thread agree w/my side of this debate, not yours. next time you want to call names and insult peoples intelligence (i have a degree from CWU) you better think about who you are talking to. you don't know me, and we all have opinions. after you posted, i called b.s. you didn't see me call you names or correct your grammar. you are also entitled to your opinion. did i insult your intelligence? p.s. i heard from MANY a racer that your course in b-ham sucked ass big time, huge waste of a weekend, and i wasnt gunna (sp?) say anything but you pissed me off. all that terribly hard work for nuttin (sp?). looks like you'd be better served in something yo're good at, like supporting pathetic, washed up causes.
I worked for Round and Round and I am completely aware of what racers thought of our series. As for the "in it for the money" deal, maybe if it made money I would still work there. And while I agree that WIM Races were not cheap, the price did not creep up year after year as it does with most things.

And you are right, most of the courses did suck. Nothing compared to Beacon, and Beacon was too short. And last I checked, none of the 14 lift served ski areas in Washington State would not fire up lifts for summer ops. So that leaves you sniffing farts in the back of a Penske as you previously mentioned.

Petre is probably able to run his series cheap because the area is open for Mt Biking on a regular basis. And he uses the same course for all races. It's also in Oregon, which has the OBRA thing going on. Washington does not have that because, for one reason, of people like you who would rather waste their energy complaining about the local race series and I speculate NORBA too, rather than do something about it.

So whether you liked it or not, WIM is over. No need to go on bashing it. The only part I feel bad about is for the Jr's that raced WIM. If you are a Jr, or know one that races, make sure they know about Hood and BC Cups, you need them to keep racing alive!
 

fattyfat1

Monkey
Mar 22, 2005
163
0
Kelso, WA
i stopped racing because of wim, and you are right, wasting time complaining about local series does no one any good. my point was not to come across whining. it was expensive. courses were lame. my money and time is better spent riding w/ my buddies, i don't have much free time, so the time i do spend riding i cherish. last thing i wanna do is waste it. life is too short. i dont race anymore because of this. my friends still race in oregon, and you know the best part? i can go and ride w/ my buds for the cost of a lift pass, practice all day on the courses, and that series is cool with that. as for knowing anything about puting on a race, i don't. what i do know is 50+$ entitles me to not care what it takes, thats your job. it also should entitle me to be treated like a fellow mtb rider, a racer, not a number. i personally don't care what happens to racing in WA. at one time i was exited to have my son start racing (he just turned three) he already has a downhill bike. instead i will instill in him the virtue of free will. ride with your buddies. build trails, ride the piss out of those trails. go big. don't race because you have to be faster than everyone, race because its fun! when its not fun, don't race! simple
 

mplutodh1

Monkey
Nov 27, 2002
744
0
Sammamish, WA
fattyfat1 said:
as for my grammer dickweed, this isnt english class. 2nd, petre's name is spelled correctly. 3rd, if you have not noticed, the vast majority of the people in this thread agree w/my side of this debate, not yours. next time you want to call names and insult peoples intelligence (i have a degree from CWU) you better think about who you are talking to. you don't know me, and we all have opinions. after you posted, i called b.s. you didn't see me call you names or correct your grammar. you are also entitled to your opinion. did i insult your intelligence? p.s. i heard from MANY a racer that your course in b-ham sucked ass big time, huge waste of a weekend, and i wasnt gunna (sp?) say anything but you pissed me off. all that terribly hard work for nuttin (sp?). looks like you'd be better served in something yo're good at, like supporting pathetic, washed up causes.
Never claimed to know you, never attempted to insult your intelligence, you do that on your own by posting in such a manner. But I am only trying to help open your eyes to the bigger issues in a hope that you'll maybe try to realize you don't know the whole story.

If you read my first post, I didn't direct this at you, you hadn't even joined the post until after I had said something. So yes, I did notice several others did not particularly like the WIM series. We all had our complaints, you are never going to make everyone happy year after year after year. Nor do I think R&R thought they would.

I just wish everyone would have a chance to see what is involved in hosting an event, it's a truely humbling experience. Now I know this would never become reality, so from a promoters standpoint I am only attempting to pass on some knowledge; hosting a race is not cheap, it's not easy, it's stressful, and you have absolutely no clue how many inconsiderate folks promoters have to deal with due to the reality I mentioned earlier, you're never going to make everyone happy.

As for the Broken Spoke, had you taken a chance to learn a little more about the event you might understand that the downhill course that was used for the event was a last resort to maintain the hope of a future for racing in the area. Racing on the proposed course would not have helped the racing scene, we made the decision to hold off for the year (or maybe longer) host the race on a course that I'll be honest none of us were happy about using but the reality was we were still trying to provide an event on the west side of the mountains and to continue our plan to host the first conference collegiate championships. So, yes, we knew the course wasn't great, we spent time trying to make the best of it, hours went into making additions to the course that were up to Park standards but unfortunately it all didn't come together, with as much as we had going that weekend, we couldn't make everything go off perfectly. So the reality, as hard as we tried, a not so great course was just that and we had to deal with it. I kept practice open and hoped to give everyone as many chances to get some rides in as they possible could, I tried to make the best of what we had to work with. And I honestly think a good majority of the racers who came noticed that and appreciated it. Now like I said before, we are never going to make everyone happy. Unfortunately many of those who did not enjoy the weekend failed to make an attempt to enjoy it. Although the course may not have been the best, our shuttle system was a bit rocky, you can go on and on about the things someone didn't like. However, walking into the beer garden after I was done with the racing and seeing everyone joking, having a drink, laughing, smiling, I guess I realized what I had missed about the WIM series, the folks who knew how to make the best of every event.

My thank you to Round and Round for sticking it out for years, putting up with the criticisim, red tape, financial hurdles and all of the wonderful difficulties of hosting an event, let alone an entire series. Without the WIM Series I wouldn't be a part of this sport and I can honestly say I wouldn't have the drive to attempt to salvage a small part of the racing scene here in Washington.

For those of you who have helped support racing throughout the years, I thank you also. The hundreds who volunteered at race after race. Those who offered to give rides to all of us juniors and younger racers who couldn't find a way to make it to Spokane, Chelan, Winthrop or wherever. Those who encouraged other racers to try a new line, move up in a category, or push it a little harder.

It's those racers and people who make racing what it should and used to be in Washington. Hopefully you are all still out there and hopefully racing isn't left to die.
 

Borregokid

Monkey
Aug 12, 2004
421
0
Cle Elum
Matt and his crew put on a hell of a race back in September in Bellingham. Of all the races I went to this year and I think there was something like 13 of them starting in Feb this was the best organized. If everyone can recall when WIMS moved out to the Spokane area Matt stepped up and put on the Broken Spoke. There should have been way more racers there on the downhill side of things as this was one of the only races in Western Washington this year. The xc race was maybe too late in the year and was bumping up again cx. The best way to keep the racing scene going is by racing some if not all of the local races.
Racing is way more than the 2 to 90 minutes on the course. Who cares if its lame. The real fun part of the race is before and after the race. Who hasnt spent way too much money on their ride trying to make it just a little faster or bought another bike for the big bucks$$$ then trained for 10+ hours a week for weeks on end. When the race starts you just say to yourself "dont kill yourself-its only a race". When its over you get together with some of the other racer and if its a nice race like the Broken Spoke or Leavenworth you can hang out and tell lies and listen to some cool music. :) There is also the good memories of a great race.
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
fattyfat1 said:
total b.s.! r&r were in it for one thing, $! the majority of the courses were so lame, i vowed to never go back. 50$ per racer. 200 racers. u-haul truck, 200$ per weekend. wages for 10 people. this isnt adding up? how come petre @ hood can do it for half as much (25$) and be lift assisted? oh ya, he also pays the winners and has food and beer. those wim races were pathetic! you,re better off saving $ for 1 race in spokane to go to whistler. its closer and wayyy more fun. you dont have to ride in a truck, and the runs are way longer than 2 min. still feel like ya gotta be faster than someone? i'll race you to the bank with all the money i save by racing in oregon and keeping the rest for whistler with my bros.
Have you ever put on a race? Or contributed to anything except talking smak?:rolleyes:
 

RhinofromWA

Brevity R Us
Aug 16, 2001
4,622
0
Lynnwood, WA
mplutodh1 said:
Clearly those of you who are happy to see what used to be a 7+ race series and a good time for just about anyone I knew, know absolutely nothing about putting on an event.

My experiences with hosting the Broken Spoke has created a humbling feeling for Round and Round's efforts of the years.

Facts:
There is pretty much no money to be had hosting an event.
Time spent by those who do actually tackle it = lost wages
The constant bitching from racers = less desire to host them in the future


You are all entitled to your opinions, however until you take a year+ to plan an event, you don't know the half of it. So, why not show some respect to a company who kept the racing scene alive for numerous years and got a lot of us into the sport. I am sad to see the series go, but most of all to see the bashing monkeys and mountain bikers have directed towards R&R and other promoters.

The attitudes of so many have driven a lot of racers out of the sport, in my years racing I have taken 2 seasons off now to get out of all the drama, I am sure if I continue, eventually I will give it all up after being so sick of all of it!

With that, my suggestion to those of you who care about the racing scene, support the races that do try and show up, even if they aren't the best out there. They are trying, which says more then what you are probably doing to help keep racing alive.
Matt you shoul dcome and chill at my motorcycle club race this weekend at Pacific Raceways. Come watch a rag-tag bunch of idiots put on a offroad motorcycle event. :D Heck if I am part of the group you know we spent some time on the short bus.

You can just hang out, volunteer to work(check point, flag on the mototrack, etc) and I will pay your gate fee. ;)

Just an last minute invite, if you haven't signed off this thread for good already.

RhinofromWA
Kevin
 

mplutodh1

Monkey
Nov 27, 2002
744
0
Sammamish, WA
Rhino, what day(s)? I am coming home for a brief period to see my grandma before she has surgery next week... might have time to come lend a hand and watch some moto.
 

RhinofromWA

Brevity R Us
Aug 16, 2001
4,622
0
Lynnwood, WA
mplutodh1 said:
Rhino, what day(s)? I am coming home for a brief period to see my grandma before she has surgery next week... might have time to come lend a hand and watch some moto.
Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th

Flyer:
http://stumpjumpers.org/WhiteKnuckle-05.htm

Long course and fast guys are on Sunday. Here is some info from the flyer (linked to above):

Sunday, November 13th
Long Course:
SIGN-UP STARTS: 7:00am
Race at 9:30am: AA, Open A, Open B, 200-A, 200-B, Vet A, and Unclassified
 

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
MUTOLI said:
As most of you probably already know or have figured it out... Round and Round will no longer be doing any DH races or XC for that matter:( . I know alot of people were a little bitter about WIM but I must say that I'm a bit sad. As much as I hated the long drives to Spokane last summer I always had a great time at all there races!! I was really hoping that Silver Mountain was going to get them back into racing spirit. Anyways...Just thought I'd let you guys/gals know.
The B.C. Cup series....I plan on going expert next season and was already wanting to hit a couple...but now it sounds like it'll be between those and the nat'ls west of the rockies...

Anywayz, any info helps!! Thanks!!

And oh yeah....Joy, clean out your PMs........haha..I almost made a funny!!

Oh yeah, congrats!! (you prolly don't know me, but I know you guys!! :sneaky: )
 

holliswood

Monkey
Mar 16, 2004
558
0
University Place
So since everyone is putting in their two cents....................


I have been doing the WIM thing for over seven years and I have seen alot of changes, good and bad go along with that series. For me, I started out racing WIM and would not have been exposed to the racing side of our sport without them. Yes, I do agree, the courses have been less than favorable over the years, but they were holding races when others were not. As for the people who keep saying WIM races were expensive......When was the last time anyone ever heard of racing being inexpensive! I don't know of a cheap kind of racing unless you are into the gerbil races at the county fair. I have seen other individuals (all good freinds) take a stab at the race promoter thing. They did an awsome job taking on an extremely tough challenge and offering us an alternative to the courses of WIM (Thanks Kevin Ryan, Eric Kack-ley, Jason Mosely, The City of Montesano). I appriciate everything these individuals did and are continuing to do for our sport locally! I don't know if alot of you younger riders know this but the WIM series carried ALOT of weight for national points, upgrades ect........ What that means is if you are a young guy who is trying to move up the ranks as a racer, obtain sponsors, and national points, things just got alot tougher for you. You thought WIM was expensive and the races were a long drive (this seems to be a big bitch I am hearing in this thread), now you are going to have to drive just as far (except for the Hood races and some BC Cups) depending on where you live. but the NORBA NCS races are going to be the big races you will need to hit and they cost a ton (travel, entry fee's$$$$$$$$$$$$). I am actually sad to see WIM go. I do hope this will help open up more avenues for locals to throw some races and give us some courses that we could actually race and become competitive with the rest of the country.

But then again, I"m old and I don't know what I am talking about!