Ive searched and searched and Im having a hard time finding a place for my son to race. They seem to all be AMA or theres lack of information. Can any help? He's 7 yrs old on an lt80. Looking mostly in the northeast though (Im in Illinois). This would be our first time racing so Im completely ignorant to all this.Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

AMA is in the stone age when it comes to youth atv racing. They say you must be 12 years or older to race an 80cc machine. That means you were limited to LT80's and TRX90's for many years. If you were younger than 12, you could only run a machine that was 70cc and smaller (LT50 and later LEM50). Have you ever seen a 12-15 year old that is not on the "short" side trying to ride one of these machines? The rules killed youth racing and tracks either did not want to help or their insurance would not allow youth atv's -- mostly because of the three wheeler SNAFU.

Perhaps the most rediculous part of the AMA rule system is that today, people have built $20,000 KX65 and KX85 powered shifter quads that look just like the machines produced by Houser, Lonestar, Laeger and Roll. If you raced an LT80 that was not bone stock, you were forced to race against one of these machines.

What is even more of a joke is the fact that those KX65 powered machines are class legal to run with the under 12 crowd! That is the joke about the entire AMA rule system. The rules were intended to align with the CPSC guidelines on cc limitations for the age groups. BUT the AMA seemed to ignore the fact that the CPSC rules say 15mph max for 70 and under and 30mph for 80cc. Those KX powered machines can easily hit 50-60mph.

So, that leaves the majority of the population without a place to let their 7-11 year old younger kids ride their very popular 90cc modern youth atv. I ask > Why do we let the American "Motorcycle" Association make rules for ATV's???

Now for the good news there are a growing number of tracks that allow your "younger" kid to ride their 90cc atv. In fact, there are some areas that even have race series that run between two or three tracks or even across some State lines. As the magazine publishers come out of their "don't talk about it" mode and start talking about the reality of younger 90cc riders, we might actually have a common place in which news about the sport can grow.

 

well put. I dont understand why hed be able to race dirt bikes (which Ive tried to get him into because of this reason) but not the ATV's. He just wants to have some fun and race.

 

Out here in Southern California there are only a few tracks that allow atv's let alone youth atv's. Competition Park, PerrisRaceway, Sunrise and Glen Helen are all that I can find. When we race locally, thanks in a great part to the work of Bryan Fry (formerly of AC Racing), we do not run under AMA rules and we have a great group of kids. What I notice most on race and practice days is that the atv kids and parents tend to make the day a real party whereas most (not all) motorcycle guys tend to be so agressive that the kids do not have any fun. Perhaps that is one reason why I put alot of effort in the youth atv racing scene.

In Texas, there is the TQRA (Texas Quad Racers Association). They are another "run what you brung" group. They typically have multiple track and multi state races with a large youth atv following (modern 90cc atv's. In Virginia, they also have some good local races and multi state races. I know of races in a number of other states, however, I do not know of any local to you.

It would be really nice if ATV CONNECTION opened up a topic area just dedicated to the youth atv market. Manufacturers, racing, mods, tips, questions, where to get parts, etc. I am currently working on the foundation for the ATV section in the MX America magazine. Hopefully we can all get this thing moving forward.

 

ironically, i've seen some of the same things here in the northwest.
the non-sanctioned tracks have more youth ATV classes, and for that... tons more ATV classes for adults too. one local track (non-sanctioned) in particular has set up a complete series this summer that has only quads and vintage bikes running saturday nights and bike mx is on friday nights. the sanctioned tracks have one, maybe two classes for quads....if that.

which brings another question to mind, what advantage does sanctioning give a track?.... especially if following their rules significantly reduces the number of participants(and thus- track income)

 

There's alot of tracks in KY and TN that race little quads. They dont care about your age they just want your money.

 

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Not sure in Ill were you are located but in WI we do have a few places where the kids can race on the Lt's and Trx's. You can contact us throught www.36RedRocket.com. I can give you some of the races that maybe closer to you.


DJ

 

Ohio Has the CRA (Competition Riders of America) which runs Junior Mini Quad 70cc max 12 and under, and Senior Mini quad 90cc max, 15 and under. No minimmum age in either class. The majority in the junior mini class are now running Polaris, E-Ton, Alpha, Blazer or other that are all the same Taiwan made quads with different labels and plastics, with 68cc big bore kits, which will smoke a stock LT80, and with taller tires, the are about the same physical size. They have some events in Norwalk, which may only be a few hours from Il, depending on where.

Their website is http://www.alltel.net/~racecra/

 

New quad only series in upstate NY. Unfortunately it is AMA sanctioned and follows the age guidelines, but there are several youth classes. You can get info at Mad Beaver Motorsports. Part of the problem with non AMA events are insurance costs. The AMA events get better insurance rates because of the AMA's rules which have to be followed. However, most tracks do not check proof of age so you could always lie about your kids age and bump him up a class. This doesn't solve the problem of wrong age limitations though.

I understand the problems with the modified KX quads also. My daughter races an LEM and if I put a pipe on it she will have to ride in the modified class against these things.

Good luck to your son. It's a blast to watch your kid race no matter what the guidelines.