A Grand MX3 idea Gareth!
By TMX Archives on 6th Nov 08
Come Easter 2009 Gareth Hockey is holding a MX3 Grand Prix at Hawkstone Park, but it's much more than that... YOU might just read elsewhere in this issue that Gareth Hockey has a hatful of ideas with which to spice-up his proposed MX3 GP which is scheduled to take place at Hawkstone Park next April. The short version of the story is, Gareth is looking at putting-on what amounts to a grand three-day holiday weekend with the MX3 racing as the main focus but with lots of extra events to keep the family entertained – and all at prices that Mr and Mrs Joe Schmo with their 2.4 children can afford. This thinking makes sense at any time but given the current economic climate it makes a whole lot more.
There's lots of things and events that are compatible with MX, mainly they come with wheels attached – and preferably engines although the latter is optional. BMX and mountain bikes are obvious candidates and will be the starting point for the non-MX activities at Hawkstone but could only just be a starting point. The sky's the limit when you think about it.
I have often wondered why one of the big motorcycle manufacturers' one-make club's don't use an off-road event as the focal point for a rally? And I don't mean the Hells Angels type of biker before anyone jumps up and down – just Joe Bloggs who enjoys his motorcycling – and a beer. Most road bike riders seem desperate for somewhere to go and for something to do at the weekend instead of hanging around their usual haunts (Devil's Bridge in this neck of the woods) where they frequently annoy the local residents despite trying hard not to. An MX meeting, with added attractions, would make a great base for a rally where they could add to the spectacle with whatever it is they get up to at rallies – Concours competitions, Best Specials, etc.
Gareth's ideas for the MX3 actually have a precedent, which older readers will be familiar with. In the long-gone ‘good old days' of the 1950s and '60s, just after the wheel had been invented, motocross was a massive spectator sport. There were several reasons for this. One was that it was cheap – the other was, I admit, there was sod-all else to do. Electrical goods were all the size of a house, weighed as much and were as fragile as a glass lightbulb. This is because the valves that powered them were more or less exactly that – glass lightbulbs! Hence no computers, Wiis, mobile phones, etc. And there was no such thing as daytime television. So it wasn't all bad back in the day, was it?
Scrambles it was then and of course, many of the bigger meetings took place on Bank Holiday weekends where it was all hot-dogs, candy-floss and ice-creams washed down with lashings of ginger beer. OK, so this is over-hammering the point – but this is exactly where Gareth is pitching. Easter weekend is the date for Hawkstone so what better time to load-up the kids and spend a day or three in the open air and a good healthy dose of two-wheeled fun. Get the kids interested and the job is half-done. It is an exciting project and we'll keep you all up to date on what's happening – just as soon as it happens!
nThis week we have also got the Dirt Bike Show preview, essentially to remind you all that in less than a week it really will be Showtime. Now, whichever side of the fence you happen to sit – dealer or punter – you really don't need me to point out that we are currently going through what can at best be called uncertain times. But this is exactly the time that we really all do need to stick together and do our best not to let us all become covered in all that fan-propelled fiscal s**t.
There'll be plenty at the show to keep everyone happy, from last year's bargains to next year's must-have gear – not to mention large helpings of what, in theory, it is all supposed to be about – new bikes on show!
The DBS is also a great meeting point for the off-road fraternity. It is the once a year chance for the trade to meet the pubic (likewise) and everyone gets to sample everyone else's viewpoint. The clever ones, on both sides, actually listen to what's said and eventually benefit by it in some way.
Personally, that is the primary reason I go to any show – you can see bikes in showrooms any time you like – to meet as many people as possible in order to keep as close as possible to what's happening.
It is also usually good fun...