TMX Says: Date clashes nothing new!
By Team TMX on 26th Oct 17
Did anyone else notice that the provisional date for round three of the 2018 Maxxis British Motocross Championship clashes with the proposed date for round two of the MX Nationals?
I guess, the moment that the MX Nationals announced theyd be running under the MCF umbrella-ella-ella then they became ACU Events enemy #1? Now, at this point its worth remembering that both sets of dates are provisional and since the MXGP calendar which ultimately affects the Maxxis one is likely gonna change at least 15 times between now and whenever/wherever round one ends up being Im not too stressed about it all, but I cant help thinking its all a little bit unnecessary. I mean, how hard is it to find another date altogether?
The thing is, its not that easy to find a free weekend if youre trying to avoid clashing with a round of the MXGP series in 2018.
With 19 rounds running from March 4 to September 30 then theres the MXoN on October 7 that leaves very limited time in which to squeeze an eight round series unless youre willing to run in February or October.
But thats if you want to avoid clashing with the GPs. For a national championship like the MX Nationals or Bridgestone Masters there are a stack more opportunities to run providing the ACU dont try and event block you by being mightily more important or something.
Part of the problem here of course lies with the number of different organisations vying for dates and venues, as well as chasing the same small pool of pro riders.
This is one area where the AMCA wins of course because they could not care less about who else is doing what and are making their own Dunlop-supported series more and more appealing to riders who you might expect to see in a professional championship.
Admittedly, they wont be accepting anyone whos finished top 15 in the 2017 Maxxis series but other than that its a welcome-all policy that offers extra rewards to riders willing to compete at grassroots level nall.
Moving back to the pro ranks again and 2018 could well be a telling year. Certain sectors of the industry have been crying out for the national championship to be more like the MX Nationals format with youth and adult racers competing on the same track over the same weekend while purists seem to prefer the stand-alone series like the Maxxis.
But with the MX Nationals crew now licensed by the MCF I reckon well see a concerted effort from both parties for that championship to become #1 in terms of fan numbers if not overall prestige. Like I said its gonna be an interesting year with the promotional battle as keenly fought behind the scenes as those out on the track
And finally, Id like to say a huge well done to Ty Kellett and John Sunter who both took on the Weston Beach Race and Scott Trial each as rookies in their non-specialist subjects after trading secrets to help each other out.
Well, first of all Sunts exceeded all expectations by finishing 127th out of the 728 starters while Ty scorched to 10th overall. At the weekend it was Tys turn to be the first-timer and after seven hours, 44 minutes and 49 seconds on the bike crossed the finish line as the final official finisher meaning he took almost two and a half hours longer than Sunter whod missed setting standard time by 72 seconds!
Sunts himself said it was one of the tougher Scotts hed done and was amazed that Ty had made it to the end at all. In the final results John was 24th to earn yet another silver spoon while Ty got a certificate for finishing 83rd.
Top work team!
