Time to go it alone?
By TMX Archives on 22nd Mar 13
AND so the bad news is that off-road events are once again hit by what some call extreme weather conditions and what a whole lot more simply refer to as winter.
The opening round of the ACU Maxxis series only just managed to run by its fingernails with a reduced programme, thanks to the grim determination of the FatCat staff.
And if you can't run at a deep sand track like FatCat then you aren't running anywhere.
Perhaps it's time for a reminder that this was once a reason for the defined ‘seasons' in off-road sport.
Motocrosss ran in summer because there's a better chance of fine weather which is good for tracks, riders and spectators.
Trials ran in winter because originally, riders actually rode their bikes to events (I know, ridiculous isn't it) and there are no spectators so parking wasn't an issue, the land used is usually rough and of little use for anything else so a bit of a muddy mess is/ was of little consequence.
So in a nutshell, trials in winter, motocross in summer. And Easter was the common crossover point at which trials began to phase out and MX began in earnest.
It wasn't foolproof and I've been to plenty of Easter MXs in the past that were hit by snow, rain, wind and – well, weather – but in the main it worked.
So why are we suddenly attempting to run top-notch MX in the bleak mid winter?
Well, tempting though it is to start throwing accusations around, the simple reason is that – how can I say this delicately – our powers that be are reacting to Youthstream's unseasonably early start to the MXGP series.
So far the result has been one cancelled Hawkstone International, which attempted to run in early February and one seriously curtailed opening Maxxis round.
Do I have an answer? Yes actually!
Let the MXGP series do its thing, ignore it completely and promote the Maxxis as a stand-alone series in EXACTLY the same way as does British Superbikes which is billed as the second biggest Superbike series in the World and stands on its own feet.
That way you get to run on the tracks that you want, on the dates that you want, giving the series a fighting chance of success all round and paying its way.
Do you really think that FatCat has gained anything from last weekend?
In my opinion, if the MXGP series carries on expanding in the middle and far east and latin America, this is ultimately going to happen anyway. So why not get ahead of the game and be in charge of your own destiny rather than a hostage to a self-interested third party?
I'm sure someone will put me straight...
