Chances of going pro

grube_14
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Winthrop, ME US
7/15/2015 12:06pm Edited Date/Time 7/17/2015 6:02am
I am 14 years old turning 15 in september. I started racing last year at my local track. I have not seen much sucess in my races as of yet. I am extremely dedicated to the sport and train on and off the bike constantly and get faster with every ride. I want to try to become a professional racer. Is it too late and am I wasting my time or is there a chance I could make it?
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Camp332
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Zoo Jersey US
7/15/2015 12:07pm
I have no idea Bro. Just lift weights, and get swole for the ladies down the shore.
7/15/2015 12:09pm
no matter what people on here say, if you put your head down and dedicate yourself to your goal, 100%. There is always a chance you will make it. Let the positive comments inspire you, and the negative ones drive you.

Doug
PNWOffroad
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7/15/2015 12:09pm
IMO you either know.. Or you don't.
grube_14
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7/15/2015 12:16pm
Thank you everyone for the positive feedback!!

The Shop

Justin345
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7/15/2015 12:19pm Edited Date/Time 7/15/2015 12:20pm
Anything is possible. With that being said, even if you started when you were 3 the odds are not in your favor. Earning your pro card? Very possible. Having a successful ($$) career? Let's see, the top 10ish guys make a great living. So that's 10 guys in the country in our sport that make good coin. Better start practicing (insert any other professional sport), your odds of going pro and making a living at it are much better than they are in MX. Good luck and have fun.
moto62z
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Placentia, CA US
7/15/2015 12:29pm
You actually could have an advantage because you are not battling the burn out syndrome. Maturity has a lot to do with it also. If you have the resources to stay after it, get to a good MX school and live it, you could do quite well. There are some riders who started late and did very well, Jim Gibson comes to mind, I don't think he started until he was 16! I'm sure he had some natural talent but it is very possible. I started at 13 and was local pro at 16. Just make sure you are enjoying the experience. You will know soon enough if you have what it takes. Good Luck!
mxer512
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Wichita, KS US
7/15/2015 12:32pm
so you want to go pro? do you still want to be pro when your 17 and all your friends are going to partys and having fun? Do you still want to be pro when your GF goes to college and you are moving to california to be closer to the industry? you still wanna be pro when you and your parents put every cent they have into you making it to LL'sonly to DNF at regionals. listen bud going pro maybe a dream but it takes huge sacrafices in your life just to try and make it. you may make it ...but it come at a cost ...the cost is your fun loving childhood. my advice have fun, moto it up, when you really start smoking people in your class.....then ask the question. if all you think about now is going pro you put way too much pressurte on yourself. just go out and be a kid and have fun.
logan_140
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7/15/2015 12:34pm
Gonna take a lot of money.. That money could be for college which would be a smarter route..
7/15/2015 12:35pm Edited Date/Time 7/15/2015 12:36pm
If you are very rich and can self-fund a professional racing setup .. you can easily become a PRO racer in the GP world championship. Qualifying for the sunday races will be done easily since there isn't even full starting gates the past years. If you choose to ride a 450 the chances at scoring points are even possible since some races there is barely 20 riders.

I'm joking ofcourse .. Still seems like a plan some rich as racer could pull off somehow lol.
7/15/2015 12:41pm
grube_14 wrote:
I am 14 years old turning 15 in september. I started racing last year at my local track. I have not seen much sucess in my...
I am 14 years old turning 15 in september. I started racing last year at my local track. I have not seen much sucess in my races as of yet. I am extremely dedicated to the sport and train on and off the bike constantly and get faster with every ride. I want to try to become a professional racer. Is it too late and am I wasting my time or is there a chance I could make it?
Well....you didnt get an early start but neither did John Dowd.
As long as you are enjoying being dedicated to something the possibilities are endless. Just realize that you are in a very injury prone sport and getting faster (pro level faster) is usually a result of taking some lumps along the way.

Just set realistic goals for yourself in steps ....example...get to B class in two years ....then A in two more...
from there go after your pro card.

OH! And NEVER ride with slower people than yourself!
RMT
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Lake Forest, CA US
7/15/2015 12:44pm
Look into the background/career of a great Northeastern rider John Dowd. He started racing a little later in life and had a very nice pro career that continues today. I think he did pretty good this past weekend up in Canada at the age of 50.
Juss
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7/15/2015 12:46pm
Ficking eh right you can!
Gringoe
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7/15/2015 12:58pm
put the bike away pick up some golf clubs

JW381
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7/15/2015 1:06pm
Juss wrote:
Ficking eh right you can!
"Aahhh dick!"
Mx4life320
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7/15/2015 1:12pm
mxer512 wrote:
so you want to go pro? do you still want to be pro when your 17 and all your friends are going to partys and having...
so you want to go pro? do you still want to be pro when your 17 and all your friends are going to partys and having fun? Do you still want to be pro when your GF goes to college and you are moving to california to be closer to the industry? you still wanna be pro when you and your parents put every cent they have into you making it to LL'sonly to DNF at regionals. listen bud going pro maybe a dream but it takes huge sacrafices in your life just to try and make it. you may make it ...but it come at a cost ...the cost is your fun loving childhood. my advice have fun, moto it up, when you really start smoking people in your class.....then ask the question. if all you think about now is going pro you put way too much pressurte on yourself. just go out and be a kid and have fun.
WELL SAID MAN!!!!!
ACBraap
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7/15/2015 1:13pm
grube_14 wrote:
I am 14 years old turning 15 in september. I started racing last year at my local track. I have not seen much sucess in my...
I am 14 years old turning 15 in september. I started racing last year at my local track. I have not seen much sucess in my races as of yet. I am extremely dedicated to the sport and train on and off the bike constantly and get faster with every ride. I want to try to become a professional racer. Is it too late and am I wasting my time or is there a chance I could make it?
If you want to be a professional racer as in making a living from racing, it's unlikely. If you mean competing in the pro class, it's certainly possible.

As others noted, I think hanging your hat on going pro at the expense of college would be a mistake. OTOH, training hard, practicing, striving to attain a goal, etc. are good life experiences no matter the outcome of your pro racing career.
Aryen
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Eindhoven NL
7/15/2015 1:18pm
Go for it kid!

I admire people who dream big. If you keep getting faster every ride and commit 100% to it who knows how far you reach?

I'm a fan already. Cool
7/15/2015 1:21pm
It's really not hard at all to go pro, all you have to do is be pretty decent and go to a shit load of pro ams and get 75 points, if you do 10 pro ams you only have to earn 7.5 points/race

My first A class race was last year and couincidentally it was the pro am at redbud, I got 14th out of 42 and earned 11 points so yeah it's really not that hard if you're at least decent.

The only "long shot" for pro racing is making money, that's about .1%Laughing
Mx_Pain
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Skiptvet NO
7/15/2015 1:23pm
It has been done before, so why not.

Here are some inspiration:

Joel Smets born 1969 didn't start racing until he was seventeen years old (1986) and found his feet on the Grand Prix scene rather quickly.
By 1995, 9 year later and racing for the Husaberg factory he was set to clinch his first ever world title, winning the 500cc championship from American Trampas Parker.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%ABl_Smets
FIREfish148
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Kirkland, WA US
7/15/2015 1:32pm Edited Date/Time 7/15/2015 1:37pm
Local pro sure. Even making a national is very possible with a solid work ethic and some financial help. To be a top 20 pro your parents are going to have to help you out quite a bit financially typically. To put things in perspective as far as progress, I was watching villopoto damn near podium 125/250 pro classes around here in 2001 on his yz 80. However old that made him. I've watched a ton of fast local kids around here grow up with the talent and money never crack the top 20 in a national let alone earn a good living.

Honestly if I had it all to do over again with what I know now I would have free rode a lot more and never quit AAU basketball for moto in 7th grade. Not even bitter the least bit, but I was a big time moto dreamer. It can cause some turmoil in the family too when your dad just decides to stop taking you racing and there's no way to continue. Watch some Gary Semics videos to get a solid foundation for fundementals you can build off of. It will save you from hitting the dirt possibly here and there too.
IWreckALot
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7/15/2015 1:46pm
Going pro is almost a 100% guarantee anymore these days right?
MXant15
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7/15/2015 2:08pm
Look at Weston pieck. Didn't he start racing when he was in his mid-teens?
Grizz
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Los Angeles, CA US
7/15/2015 2:44pm
Depends what you mean by "going pro." If mean racing for an income, probably not. But if you mean doing it for fun and earning your pro license and racing pro events, definitely possible.
mx510
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7/15/2015 2:48pm
Grizz wrote:
Depends what you mean by "going pro." If mean racing for an income, probably not. But if you mean doing it for fun and earning your...
Depends what you mean by "going pro." If mean racing for an income, probably not. But if you mean doing it for fun and earning your pro license and racing pro events, definitely possible.
This.
LappedU
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7/15/2015 2:48pm
Going pro is easy, making it as a pro is a totally different thing, good luck!
KMC440
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US
7/15/2015 2:50pm
Todd is that you? Dude you're like 34 by now ... Arva isn't dist ref anymore ... he doesn't have any pull with Pickerington ...

Oh ..... what ?....

never mind ...

Go big kid.
731chopper
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7/15/2015 2:51pm
IWreckALot wrote:
Going pro is almost a 100% guarantee anymore these days right?
Well having different classes will be illegal soon enough as it is clearly discriminating. I'm sure so we'll all get to race pro and hold 1st place trophies at the end. It will be a mandatory tie.

Sort of like some of those peewee soccer leagues. And we all know the truth about soccer...
https://youtu.be/FZaGWGAMjus
tmx860
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7/15/2015 3:04pm
Take the Weston Peick route.
MotoMan12345
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7/15/2015 3:23pm
mxer512 wrote:
so you want to go pro? do you still want to be pro when your 17 and all your friends are going to partys and having...
so you want to go pro? do you still want to be pro when your 17 and all your friends are going to partys and having fun? Do you still want to be pro when your GF goes to college and you are moving to california to be closer to the industry? you still wanna be pro when you and your parents put every cent they have into you making it to LL'sonly to DNF at regionals. listen bud going pro maybe a dream but it takes huge sacrafices in your life just to try and make it. you may make it ...but it come at a cost ...the cost is your fun loving childhood. my advice have fun, moto it up, when you really start smoking people in your class.....then ask the question. if all you think about now is going pro you put way too much pressurte on yourself. just go out and be a kid and have fun.
+1
moco
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CA
7/15/2015 3:25pm
I can tell you my perspective from personally failing to become a paid pro. It was in another sport, but that doesn't matter because the principles are the same regardless of the discipline.
If all it took was hard work, dedication, and time, there would be countless numbers of pros. That's the easy part. Millions have that. I also put trust in coaches who had no real merit.
If I could do it all over again I would have found coaches that produced professionals and followed their program. Period.
Have a plan B like becoming a rockstar or president of the USA.
Do your PEDS now to get a head start while you can get away with it.

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