TMX Says: Who is the ACU looking out for?
By TMX Archives on 20th Jul 16
Every so often well, quite frequently in fact Ill get an email from a reader that I wholeheartedly agree with. In this case it was from occasional TMX contributor James Williams who was angered by what went down in the first MX1 moto at Blaxhall on the weekend.
Although I wasn't there myself (or the World Trial either – don't ask) so can't comment directly although I have seen this kind of thing happen a million and one times before and it irritates me every single time that I do. So take it away James...
‘Firstly I would like to congratulate the Woodbridge & DMCC club on a fantastic days racing at Blaxhall for the Maxxis British motocross championship on Sunday. I know a lot of the club members and the committee and know how hard they've worked over the last two years to firstly acquire the Maxxis back to the beautiful Suffolk circuit after a 20-odd-year absence in 2015 and then to keep it for a second term.
On Sunday the track was excellent, the weather was warm, the trade stands looked to be busy and the crowd was big enough for the club to turn itself a profit. The riders themselves put on an excellent show for the packed audience and five of the six motos were hard fought for the duration as it looks like both MX1 and MX2 title races will go to the wire.
My only concern is the way the ACU seem to disrespect the riders and just about treat the fans with contempt in the first MX1 moto.
The race had not long been underway – only about two laps or so – when local rider Declan Whittle had an accident after the finish line jump and injured himself enough to require medical attention.
The rider was in a precarious position not far from the jump landing and essentially in the middle of the next corner. It became apparent that Declan was not about to get to his feet in a hurry but the race ran until the half way mark (coincidentally enough) before the red flag was raised and the race declared a result.
This seemed a very blatant action on behalf of the ACU to get the race past the cut off point to be able to declare a winner. I assume the only reason was to try and keep the meeting running to time.
Their actions meant that the riders were unable to race for a good 100 metres of the circuit due to the waved yellows – although they continued to jump which is against the rules! – and it robbed those charging from the back potential points and the fans of any sort of spectacle.
I don't know how other organisations deal with this type of situation but having been to hundreds of events over the years I have definitely seen the ACU pull this trick before at both Adult and Schoolboy level.
I feel this to be such a shame because the rest of the event ran perfectly and a pat on the back should be given to all involved in its organisation.
I sincerely hope that Declan Whittle is okay after the incident, that the Woodbridge club get to keep their Maxxis event and that all the spectators continue to support our sport.
I also hope that the ACU review their policies so that all concerned are kept entertained, championships are fairly raced and won and above all everyone is kept safe in the future. Clearly this sort of thing should not be seen to happen again.'
