Taking away the S-pain...
By TMX Archives on 10th Feb 12
Having once again blown the family holiday budget on the Barcelona Indoor, editor JD wants to see it happen in Britain!
Having once again blown the family holiday budget on the Barcelona Indoor, editor JD wants to see it happen in Britain!
I don't need to tell anyone that we are not exactly enjoying one of the best of times economically speaking. But as ever we all do our best not to let it beat us and our sport remains as high on the agenda as it ever did.
We will collectively and individually sacrifice an awful lot of stuff before the sport goes. Totally unimportant things – like food. But if you think things are bad in Britain, they are a sight worse in Spain. This is in no way gloating, but actually written by way of sympathy.
This is because to my mind there is no more enthusiastic area in the world for motorcycling and motorcycle sport as Catalonia, with Barcelona the driving force behind that enthusiasm.
Through the dark years of General Franco's dictatorship (younger readers can Google it!) the small factories like Bultaco, Montesa, Ossa – and others long since disappeared – battled long and hard and maintained massive interest in motorcycle sport.
The region still boasts manufacturers Gas Gas, Sherco, the re-born Ossa and the all-new Jotagas marques.
Nothing, not floods, freezes, plagues, wars or minor inconveniences like slumps, depressions or economic uncertainty, gets between a Catalan and his motorcycle sport.
Which is why it was such a pleasant surprise – or given the above description was it really a surprise – when the crowd for last Sunday's Barcelona double-header SuperEnduro and Indoor Trial was actually an increase on that of 2011...
There is no doubting that the Barcelona event would always deliver, it is the spiritual home of both Indoor trials and enduro and the double-header is a winning formular if ever there was one – but given the current state of the nations would the people part with their cash come the big night?
I know that the organisers sure had some last-minute nerves and more than a few cold sweats on the late run-up wondering if the people would support their own massive efforts.
As these things are meant to do, but which doesn't always happen, it turned out all right on the night and a 10,000 plus crowd which enthusiastically poured into the Palau St Jordi was beyond the most optimistic forecast and actually topped last year's figure. And this was not because they knocked-out cheap tickets either. The cheapest adult ticket was advertised at 25/30 Euro (so it's virtually the same in sterling) and they advertised heavily a Gold pass for 100 Euros.
This allowed Gold Pass holders a visit to the parc ferme, grab autographs (for their kids of course!), have their pictures taken with their heroes and generally hang-out. And it appeared to go down very well as when the flood-gates opened there was minor panic in the pits whose occupants simply weren't prepared for several hundred Gold Pass holders stampeding through the doors.
The point is, people, that if proof were needed that our sport comes first and last, the hard-up Catalans have just proved us absolutely and gratifyingly correct.
What Barcelona also proved, again, is that the indoor enduro concept is indeed a brilliant one. Short, sharp, exciting races with more interest per lap than a supercross.
Again, Barcelona has a trump card as the St Jordi arena is so big that it swallows both the enduro course and indoor trials sections as well. And again the Brits present were all thinking the same thought. "If only we could make this work in Britain!”
To his eternal credit, John Hellam of Future West did promote a World Championship Indoor Enduro in Sheffield several years ago.
And the simple bottom line is that it was not supported by the British fans – and John lost his shirt. That wasn't the full story though. The fact is it was an absolutely cracking event. FW built an exciting course and the racing was first class.
As an event it was everything, and more, that was expected of it. The fans who showed up all went home absolutely buzzing. It's a safe bet that they told all their pals what a great night's action they missed out on and everyone vowed to go next year.
The problem was that Future West hardly surprisingly decided that once bitten, twice shy, and there wasn't a next year. They had lost a packet and where was the ‘guarantee' that this wouldn't happen again? Obviously there was no guarantee so sadly, to date, the event remains a one-off. A heroic failure. It is very easy telling someone what they should do – but if it was YOUR hundred grand (or whatever) on the line would you be quite so keen to risk it?
Having said that, once again, Barcelona set-off an itching in several British promoters and would-be promoters and I do know there is a possibility, no more than that, just a possibility, of SuperEnduro happening in Britain in the future.
In short, it would hinge mainly on the FIM coming up with that mythical guarantee that would at least minimise the risk.
I genuinely hope it happens!
I don't need to tell anyone that we are not exactly enjoying one of the best of times economically speaking. But as ever we all do our best not to let it beat us and our sport remains as high on the agenda as it ever did.
We will collectively and individually sacrifice an awful lot of stuff before the sport goes. Totally unimportant things – like food. But if you think things are bad in Britain, they are a sight worse in Spain. This is in no way gloating, but actually written by way of sympathy.
This is because to my mind there is no more enthusiastic area in the world for motorcycling and motorcycle sport as Catalonia, with Barcelona the driving force behind that enthusiasm.
Through the dark years of General Franco's dictatorship (younger readers can Google it!) the small factories like Bultaco, Montesa, Ossa – and others long since disappeared – battled long and hard and maintained massive interest in motorcycle sport.
The region still boasts manufacturers Gas Gas, Sherco, the re-born Ossa and the all-new Jotagas marques.
Nothing, not floods, freezes, plagues, wars or minor inconveniences like slumps, depressions or economic uncertainty, gets between a Catalan and his motorcycle sport.
Which is why it was such a pleasant surprise – or given the above description was it really a surprise – when the crowd for last Sunday's Barcelona double-header SuperEnduro and Indoor Trial was actually an increase on that of 2011...
There is no doubting that the Barcelona event would always deliver, it is the spiritual home of both Indoor trials and enduro and the double-header is a winning formular if ever there was one – but given the current state of the nations would the people part with their cash come the big night?
I know that the organisers sure had some last-minute nerves and more than a few cold sweats on the late run-up wondering if the people would support their own massive efforts.
As these things are meant to do, but which doesn't always happen, it turned out all right on the night and a 10,000 plus crowd which enthusiastically poured into the Palau St Jordi was beyond the most optimistic forecast and actually topped last year's figure. And this was not because they knocked-out cheap tickets either. The cheapest adult ticket was advertised at 25/30 Euro (so it's virtually the same in sterling) and they advertised heavily a Gold pass for 100 Euros.
This allowed Gold Pass holders a visit to the parc ferme, grab autographs (for their kids of course!), have their pictures taken with their heroes and generally hang-out. And it appeared to go down very well as when the flood-gates opened there was minor panic in the pits whose occupants simply weren't prepared for several hundred Gold Pass holders stampeding through the doors.
The point is, people, that if proof were needed that our sport comes first and last, the hard-up Catalans have just proved us absolutely and gratifyingly correct.
What Barcelona also proved, again, is that the indoor enduro concept is indeed a brilliant one. Short, sharp, exciting races with more interest per lap than a supercross.
Again, Barcelona has a trump card as the St Jordi arena is so big that it swallows both the enduro course and indoor trials sections as well. And again the Brits present were all thinking the same thought. "If only we could make this work in Britain!”
To his eternal credit, John Hellam of Future West did promote a World Championship Indoor Enduro in Sheffield several years ago.
And the simple bottom line is that it was not supported by the British fans – and John lost his shirt. That wasn't the full story though. The fact is it was an absolutely cracking event. FW built an exciting course and the racing was first class.
As an event it was everything, and more, that was expected of it. The fans who showed up all went home absolutely buzzing. It's a safe bet that they told all their pals what a great night's action they missed out on and everyone vowed to go next year.
The problem was that Future West hardly surprisingly decided that once bitten, twice shy, and there wasn't a next year. They had lost a packet and where was the ‘guarantee' that this wouldn't happen again? Obviously there was no guarantee so sadly, to date, the event remains a one-off. A heroic failure. It is very easy telling someone what they should do – but if it was YOUR hundred grand (or whatever) on the line would you be quite so keen to risk it?
Having said that, once again, Barcelona set-off an itching in several British promoters and would-be promoters and I do know there is a possibility, no more than that, just a possibility, of SuperEnduro happening in Britain in the future.
In short, it would hinge mainly on the FIM coming up with that mythical guarantee that would at least minimise the risk.
I genuinely hope it happens!
