TMX SAYS: Gamble pays off at Assen
By TMX Archives on 2nd Sep 15
It looks like the Assen MXGP gamble may have just about paid off with plenty of positive comments coming from plenty of places (and not just those media channels that are little more than PR machines for Giuseppe Luongo and whatever it is that Youthstream are doing this week).
The idea of building a motocross race track at a road race facility is nothing new but up until now the final outcome has always been classed as pretty bad.
So what was different about Assen? Before we answer that let's set the scene.
Historically speaking Dutch GPs have always been well attended as the Netherlands is fairly centrally located in Europe – so that's a bonus.
The fact that this was the last European GP of the year will have helped with attendance too as would the fact that there was a good chance of a new world champion being crowned.
Both facts, big positives for the promoters...
One of the big negatives with a man-made motocross track in a certain setting like a stadium or road race facility is the lack of elevation change.
But in a country that's as flat as a pancake hills are the last thing fans expect and with the Assen MX track being built out of the native sand it was business as usual as far as the track was concerned.
The unusual settings certainly made for a great spectacle and from what I can gather it was a damn sight better in person than it was on TV – which actually isn't all that unusual for motocross come to think of it.
So well done everyone involved but let's not get carried away. Just because it worked in Assen doesn't mean that it'll work time and time again, everywhere around the world.
The thought of an 18-round series made up entirely of man-made tracks at various types of facilities completely turns me off.
Call me old fashioned but I like my off-road sports somewhat off the beaten track. I like to walk away from an event with sh*t on my shoes, clods of dirt in my hair and the stench of exhaust fumes ingrained in my clothes.
I love watching dirt bikes in a stadium setting – British Arenacross, AMA Supercross and the X-Trial championship can all be sublime – but that's when it's what I've chosen to watch.
When it comes to MXGP it has to have hills, ruts, rocks, grass, dust, dirt, trees and a cracking view of the great outdoors – not a bunch of plastic seats over yonder.
Yeah, it's okay as a one-off and I welcome some change but when the British MXGP is held in a stadium setting and not in our green and pleasant land I'll be turning my back on the world series...
