Fantastic day, brilliant show
By John Dickinson on 23rd Nov 06
AS it was The Dirt Bike Show at Stoneleigh last week, off-road's very own showcase, it would be rude not to devote this week's column to the occasion.
Firstly, I visited on Saturday, as did a helluva lot more of you, and at times it was so busy I actually had difficulty making my way down the aisles. The first point I would make is that I actually enjoyed the day much more than I did the recent NEC show. The standholders at the DBS, in the main, had made much more of an effort, especially some of the less well-known exhibitors. Without naming names there were several fantastic displays of Quads and Minibikes in particular while it has to be said that several of the larger, better-known, manufacturers didn't match their company's clout with actual effort. I think they will know who they are.
Overall, certainly on Saturday, there was a really good vibe from the show and for once I was in no rush to head for the exit, which can't be bad. Even the on-site cafe was good value with REAL food available at a realistic price.
The show debut by BMW was very interesting. As we have said before, the German giant appears to have its upstart Austrian ‘cousin' KTM in its sights and BMW has certainly upped its off-road activities as it watches the orange outfit continue to grow and grow. BMW is not going down the competition road but its arrival should give the off-road scene in general a real boost with its new range of single cylinder machines and also with its awesome HP2 beastie. Off-road can only benefit from the introduction of new blood and new competition so, BMW, bring it on!
The retail side of the show, as ever, courted controversy in the trade. There are those who feel it should have no part in a show at all. Others welcome direct retail if it is a controlled environment. This year there were those who felt it had drifted over the line of control. Buyers of course were having an absolute beano, and good on 'em, they had paid their money and were getting full value. If traders insist on giving their stock away we are going to take advantage. But you have to question what good banging out gear at less than wholesale is doing the trade or, ultimately, the sport. There are dealers who refuse to take stands at the Show as they see it as a direct threat to their day-to-day business. This is of course one for the Stoneleigh organisers to discuss – they have done a great job so far of staging The Dirt Bike Show, and I would hate to see it drift back down the road to a thinly disguised car-boot sale.
Whatever, I know that it matters not what I think, it is what the paying customer thinks that counts and I reckon that by and large, show visitors were happy with what they got from Stoneleigh. Given the huge drop in interest the NEC show suffered this year, The Dirt Bike Show stood up well in the current economic climate. And it can still improve on that...
nIT is of course the end of the current MX season and as I key in these words there is a full-on office discussion bouncing around me as to who we would like to see riding at the Hawkstone International next season. Come on, it is only three-months away now (March 4) and these things need sorting!
Enduro King David Knight was right up there on our list as the thought of Knighter hammering round amongst the MXGP runners with the KTM headlight full-on appealed. Sadly, David will have started his new life in America. Next we fancied a quick American and we were prepared to stake all the start money on Ryan Villopoto. Sadly too, the boy Villopoto will be busy on the AMA Supercross scene.
Next, what about a quick return from retirement for Stefan Everts and Joel Smets. Both have been conducting their ‘Farewell Tours' this year but just as old pop groups arrange their farewell tours over several decades we reckon Stefan and Joel could do very nicely on a similar theme. Come on Stefan, you KNOW you want to get out there on that factory KTM... the Hawkstone crowd would be a guaranteed all-time record for the International.
Footnote: In an impromptu office poll, which took place post-discussion, the only rider that actually constantly featured on the wish-list was veteran Cheshire Charger Pete Mathia – as long as he rides an air-cooled Maico...