Vet riders are the ones that drive the mx community. They are the only ones who can afford it and usually bring their kids to the track keeping the generations going in mx. Well the vets are quitting racing. The disposable money is not there anymore and we are tired of racing/riding on tracks built for 18 year old pro riders. Most of the track owners only listen to young fast guys who want supercross tracks. (Why build tracks for a handful of guys that show up once in a while? I'd rather have 30 old guys enjoy my track than 4 local pros.) The majority of us need to get to work the following Monday to put food on the table for our families. Also, most vets don't show up at races anymore because they don't want to line up against Dickson, Carsten, etc... in the older classes. Nothing against them. They are fantastic riders and have earned their keep. But most guys including myself would never go to a main race knowing I would be lining up against them or anyone of their caliber. No win situation before I even get my bike unloaded.
I think the only way it improves is when/if the economy ever comes back. That isn't happening anytime soon. Get the government out of our pockets and drop gas to 99 cents/gal and you will see an economy come roaring back like Niagara Falls. Until then, we have to deal with what we have.