Must we play second fiddle?
By TMX Archives on 1st Nov 10
WITH World Championship MX hogging the summer months is the British series doomed to be a succession of mud-baths?
WELL, the FIM has had its Autumn Congress – slumming-it in Macau this year – but I won't hold that against the officiuals in attendance. It has released the World Championship calendars for all the disciplines – which means that the National federations, like the ACU, can now get down to planning the various National series.
You may ask why do we have to wait until November before planning the National calendar? And quite a lot of you do.
Well, the theory is that you don't want your National Championship dates clashing with World Championship series dates. This is usually because the Federations hope that its top World Championship riders will want to contest its National series.
It may also be because the Feds think their potential crowd will all sit at home, on the couch with a beer, watching GPs on telly instead of turning out to watch live races at home.
The sorting of the series is all about where you stand in the great scheme of things, I've said this before and it remains the same. Up at the sharp end, rubbish as it is, Formula 1 rules supreme. No-one wants to clash with a car GP, if they can help it, because they hog the sponsors and the TV time. You then follow down the pecking order from MotoGP World Superbike, etc., etc., until you find your place in the queue for TV time and everything that goes with it. At the moment the thinking is that TV exposure is good – although I could put some pretty good arguments up against that should anyone wish – so we all bow to the haunted fishtank.
You may even recall that just a couple of weeks back we recorded that Youthstream has ‘requested' that the Federations kept their National Championship dates away from the GPs. Even if you don't recall I've just told you!
What they didn't say was exactly why they want countries to stay clear of World Champs dates with regard to National series. I won't insult anyone's intelligence by spelling it out – I think we can all work out why. Or at least take a stab in the dark.
However, having now seen the 2011 MXGP dates I would think that more than a few National federations might just be having secret, private thoughts about that one. OK, maybe the federations won't, but some of the clubs who like promoting British Championships might. Why?
Well, the way I see it, 11 of the 15 MXGPs scheduled for 2011 fall in just 15-weeks between the months of May and September. Otherwise known as summer – at least in Britain and I would guess much of Europe. Now, if you are a GP rider battling hard for such a concerted spell – do you think they would relish cramming a British title meeting in the odd free summer weekend? Especially if they are carrying injury. Anyone think that there won't be a single GP rider not carrying a injury mid-season?
So, that's the summer gone then, which leaves the British Championship shoved to the margins of spring and winter then.
Anyone recall what happened to the British Championship round at Hawkstone Park recently? Well, common sense in me says that if British Champs MX is going to be held in February and March and October and November we had best get ready for more of the same.
Which brings us back to not clashing with World Championship dates. I am completely neutral when it comes to this, I have no favourites or otherwise. Those closely involved with either series will obviously have much more partisan views.
Personally, I would say its time to look at the British MX series looking after its own interests, first and formost. And if that means running in summer and not in a spring or winter mudbath then so be it. The number of riders it would affect is relatively small – and removing several big fish might even make the series more competitive. It would certainly give the organising clubs a chance of drawing in some holiday crowds, rather than the faithful few who dutifully turn-out at most events.
There is a precedent here – and one I've used several times. British Superbike, or BSB as its known. BSB declared independence and runs against MotoGP, World Superbike, F1 – you name it. So successful has it been that it is now the recognised biggest Superbike series in the World – outside the actual World series. Riders and teams make their choice – World or British. Each have their own stars – which swap series year on year depending on their fortunes.
From single day events it has been skillfully managed so that every single round will run over a three-day period in 2011 – except for the opening round at Brands Hatch that will be a full four day festival. I went to the final round at Oulton Park this year – and was blown-away by a 45,000 strong crowd. It certainly widened my horizons.
If you think that kind of success can't be replicated and I'm talking rubbish – which may well be true – that's absolutely fine. But doesn't it deserve a closer look? Running a big motocross is difficult enough as it is without trying to do it with your hands tied behind your back.