Return of the Zillion Dollar race Hybrids?
By TMX Archives on 1st Nov 10
There are growing rumblings of discontent concerning the return of the expensive hybrid machines to the British Championship.
A number of riders are known to have ordered hand-made quads featuring an aftermarket chassis fitted with a motocross engine unit, specifically a Laegers chassis with a ‘reverse head' Yamaha YZ450 motor.
The objectors, say that this is a return to the bad old days of the £25,0000 race quad, which made the sport ‘unaffordable' for the average pocket. They also point to the ‘production-based 450 rule' in the USA as the model for keeping costs at an affordable level.
The other side of the argument is that the rules allow hybrids and the total cost of one is not significantly higher than uprating a production machine to championship level specification. Additionally, this side also suggest that the sport is still inexpensive compared to most other motorised sports.
Whatever your view, in reality the rules won't change unless one or more of the machine manufacturers takes an interest and puts forward a case, or some hard cash as sponsorship for a production-based series. And that isn't going to happen in the foreseeable future.