Fantastic day at the Show
By Team TMX on 7th Nov 18
Im so glad that I went to the Dirt Bike Show as it was genuinely great to see so many people out and about enjoying themselves at a non-competitive off-road event.
If Im honest I never got to see all of the show itself as I ended up speaking to people for far too long which hindered my progress through the halls. Even if the show lasted for a whole week I fear that I still wouldnt make it around to seeing everything, or speaking to everyone, Id like to, as I simply get too engrossed.
I find the whole experience entirely invigorating as the passion this sport produces in the kind of people who are willing to invest their time, effort and energy into events like the show is immeasurable. I genuinely hope all that investment pays off too although I fear it may not as the footfall at this years show was lower than Ive seen previously...
Its tough to put a finger on why the wider audience is becoming disinterested in the show. Yes, the internet is playing its part and people claim theyve already seen it but even if they have, thats all theyve done and like anything else off-road stuff is better when its live and you can enjoy it with all your senses.
You can look at something but its not the same as picking it up and getting a real feel for what its actually about. And thats something you see on the manufacturer stands as people weigh up the new models. Yeah you can look at a new bike but nobody leaves it at that levers are pulled, grips are twisted and seats have hands slipped along them.
It makes me wonder what all those non-showgoers who only want to look at new models online are holding in their hands while their eyeballs are taking everything in. Yeah, youve seen it but youve not really experienced it and life would be fairly rubbish if it was only viewed through a screen. Am I right?
After seen it, no bargains seems to be the next annoyance that people have with the show. That might be true to a degree but I can guarantee you that each and every trader that sacks up and pays for a pitch is offering the best prices they can without putting themselves out of business.
After no bargains it seems that no show is the next excuse for the no shows. By that I assume they mean that theres a lack of stars and team launches and theres not really any defending this one as the show promoters themselves tend to ignore this area with the manufacturers, importers and distributers taking care of this stuff.
The loss of KTM, Husqvarna and Honda had a major affect here as previously theyve brought along many of the stars in an effort to draw show-goers to their stands. No stands + no stars = no draws!
One stat that I heard many times from many different sources at the weekend was the fact that there were 40 new traders to the Dirt Bike Show trading there in 2018 which is fairly impressive when you think about it. The downside to that is the fact that 54 of 2017s attendees didnt return. I say fact as this fact isnt official although the number of times I heard it said makes me think it might be true.
That said, I also heard it was fact that TMX and Dirt Bike Rider are going out of business which is complete poppycock by the way. Its a rumour that surfaces pretty much every single year and seems to be spread mostly by the kind of people who dont really get behind the sport much at all and just seem intent on bringing it down from the inside while feeding their own needs and egos.
I think parasitic is the word Im looking for
With BREXIT looming, British businesses and to a degree off-road motorcycle motorsport as a whole faces an unknown and potentially difficult future and that kind of BS just isnt gonna help. Now is the time to stick together and support each other as best we can in whatever ways we can to make the future brighter for everyone involved
