Supercross: the last straw
By TMX Archives on 9th Oct 08
BRITISH Supercross Championship organisers, Future West, announced this week that it will no longer put up with a loathsome, untidy and irritating problem that has persisted at the British Supercross Championship since its first event in the UK 12-years ago.
No, Future West is not talking about anyone's bad behaviour, it is simply announcing the replacement of straw bales used for track separation. Foam rubber blocks sometimes referred to as tough blocks' will now replace straw bales.
It's something we have been considering for the British Supercross Championship for a few years now and it fits in with our future plans to expand the series, says Future West's John Hellam.
It is a significant investment in the future of British Supercross that includes the purchase 300 foam blocks and a 45-foot enclosed articulated trailer (pictured) to transport the foam from event to event. Every year we acquire more equipment and the logistics of getting it around the country to different events has become a major undertaking, Hellam explained.
The purchase of the arcticulated trailer will make Future West flexible to do more events across the country.
Foam blocks will make life a lot better for everyone including riders, track workers, marshals and officials. We were always a little nervous about the hay bales we used. Different suppliers in each regions and weather conditions would make them scarce or inconsistent in weight, the size of bale we need was also becoming hard to find and no one likes handling the itchy straw bales after a long event. Foam is the same all the time and easy to work with and will not irritate anyone except perhaps the straw producers, concluded Hellam.
The first chance to see the foam bales in action will be round one of the British Supercross Championships at Sheffield Arena on Saturday, October 25.Tickets are on sale through the Sheffield Arena box office on 01142-565656. For information on the tremendous list of star riders and teams and much more visit the website www.fwsx.com