This may sound counterintuitive, but it may be possible for the bad economy to have a positive effect on racing. At least, that's what the Kenai Peninsula Racing Lions (KPRL) team is hoping. Jackie McGahan and Barney Phillips, KPRL President and Vice Presidet (respectively) are claiming that the sluggish economy is brining more fans out to see their team race at the Twin City Raceway.

At the first motocross city race of this season, there were around 45 bikes entered in the competition --- a significant increase from last year's numbers. With gas prices about $1.50 per gallon lower than they were this time a year ago, more people were willing to gas up their RVs, throw their bikes on trailers and head down to compete. People from as far away as Alaska got into the race, and ticket sales for the event were up...way up.

"People are just looking for things to do closer to home," McGahan said.

It'll be interesting to see if this is an isolated incident, or something that is seen across the board. It certainly makes sense that more people would go to racing events when the economy is poor --- they provide great entertainment with a low cost of admission. And, once the major expense of a bike has been paid for, it's a relatively low-cost sport to get involved in...certainly cheaper than something like cheerleading, where the uniforms alone can cost upwards of $500.