Where now for the GP?
By TMX Archives on 1st Apr 10
This week we take a look at the fortunes of the British MXGP, at electric bikes and finally wish you all a Happy Easter...
What is going on with the British Motocross Grand Prix?
You may well ask! Last week we ran the story that RHL Events had pulled the plug on the 2010 event, claiming logistical issues with the proposed new venue, Chepstow Racecourse.
This week comes news that series promoter Youthstream is planning on running a British GP – at an as yet un-named venue.
The latter is of course good news. But the problem now is one of belief. British MX fans are an extraordinary patient and adaptable lot.
They have stuck by the GP as it has been kicked around from pillar to post and run by a succession of promoters, many of whom have gone bust in an explosion of acrimony and court cases.
The events themselves have been run at various venues, many as one-offs, with the fans tipping-up their hard-earned brass when they hadn't a clue what the track would be like or what facilities would be available.
It is now clear that the majority of fans have now had enough. We see our Continental counterparts running their GPs at well established venues and wonder at what the hell has gone wrong in Britain, the home of motocross. Even the riders at the recent Hawkstone International were asking the question, "Why is your GP not held here?”.
Yes, we have been down this road loads of times. Hawkstone, Farleigh, Foxhill. All great tracks and all have their own individual problems that have been well aired, mainly down to the logistics brought about by the use of dozens of huge artics and of course thousands of cars and vans.
The Hawkstone International actually proved that the teams don't actually need the artics with many continentals operating out of vans. But Youthstream alone rolls-up with a dozen semi-trailers so as long as the current GP model is in force we are stuck with this.
Where ever the Grand Prix ends-up, with the good news being that Youthstream is very keen to maintain a GP in Britain, it needs to be at a venue that can bring credibility and stability to what really ought to be the highlight of the year for MX fans.
There has of course been much posting on the subject on various online forums. Nothing wrong with that and there's much fun to be had and everyone is entitled to their views. There are always those who use the sites to create mischief though, although I must say they usually have a balanced view – brought about by the fact that they have a chip on both shoulders for whatever reason.
All I would like to say is, never ever believe anything you read regarding T+MX on any other site bar our own. One deluded person posted that T+MX refused to alter our Grand Prix story on Wednesday last week. Firstly, T+MX is already printed by Wednesday and secondly no alteration was sent to us in the first place!
Trust me, you will hear about any subsequent British GP development first in T+MX and not by some know-all online. Possibly sooner than you think.
LAST week no doubt you saw the the pics we printed of KTMs all new electric bike, the so-called'zero emission' Freeride. It looks great and genuinely looks like it has taken a huge stride forwards in electric technology. I did make mention of the bike in last week's column, making reference to the gasp-inducing 10,000 euro price tag. I was not alone in thinking that this does indeed look a tad on the high side. To simplify things, and this goes for electric bikes in general as others that have been launched also have pretty stratospheric price tags, how does a bike that sports a pretty simple chassis, with basic suspension, housing what amounts to a souped-up washing machine motor powered by a battery check-out at 10,000 euros?
Lots of people have done this simple calculation believe me.
Yes, there will have been heaps of development work and there will be some pretty sophisticated control systems in there. But there's lots of development goes into conventional bikes and cars and stuff. We all go off the same parameters. We've all checked-out how much conventional motorcycle you can get for £10,000 euros. The answer is A Lot. It will deliver unbelieveable performance, be equally unbelieveably sophisticated and come with as many hi-tech whistles and bells as you can shake a stick at. Now compare that to our pared-down to the minimum electric motor and battery powered off-roader. I won't even begin to compare a 10,000 euro car that I could pack five people into and drive across Europe.
Unfair comparison? Of course it is. I couldn't ride my street bike or drive my car round an MX track to start with – but it doesn't stop me looking at it from a value for money point of view.
There is of course a place for an electric powered off-roader. But it remains a long, long way from replacing an internal combustion engined version.
FINALLY, we've now altered the clocks (those of us who remembered) and just a week later Easter is here, heralding the ‘official' beginning of the racing season. Bring it on...