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MXlarge: Firstly, how did you find out you wouldn’t have the Grand Prix?
Dixon: I was in discussions with Youthstream, and basically, they said they had so many promoters for 2020 that it would be difficult, and I said let me know, then I saw it on the calendar.
MXlarge: Obviously there are situations when a promoter backs out and a new venue has to be found. Are you a reserve if that happens?
Dixon: Yes, I mean, they said things can change and maybe in the next calendar (in October), there is a chance it will be back on. I have had a lot of approaches from other promoters, even from America to run something. I have spoken to Monster Energy who a looking at doing a Festival thing, and those things might be even better for me than doing a GP.
MXlarge: I think anyone who knows you knows you don’t do it for financially gain, and I understand from you over the years that it isn’t a money winner.
Dixon: It has never been about money for me. If it was a cash cow and I got lots of money I would be disappointed, but it has brought me into some hardships in the past. I have a good group of people and we have gotten our costs right down, so the one in March was profitable, but I had to pay people back from the Nations (which attracted a poor crowd due to the weather).
MXLarge: Something I was thinking about this morning, what about a round of the Maxxis there?
Dixon: Anything that can make money is viable, but there has been talk of all sorts of things. Even in conjunction with promoters in America.
MXlarge: What would they want to do?
Dixon: Well, have you seen in the UK the NFL and the Nascar races that were a success. I mean Nascar have held successful rounds of their championship in the UK.
MXlarge: Are you talking about a round of the AMA Nationals?
Dixon: I mean, I spoke with Monster about that and they thought it was a brilliant idea and I think they would get a great crowd.
MXlarge: But Monster are not a part of the AMA Nationals and you can’t have a round of the AMA supercross there?
Dixon: Daytona do a round of the supercross and they are not part of Feld. So anyway, that was something we talked about. I also talked to Davey Coombs about a possible round of the Loretta Lynn’s qualifying, where there would be some entries for the Loretta Lynn’s via Europe.
MXlarge: Which would be great.
Dixon: Yes. So, it gave me a lot of ideas and I have invested a lot with Matterley, and I have a lot of long-term contracts with the farmers, or for the internet, or whatever.
MXlarge: Have you had contact with the ACU about a round of the Maxxis?
Dixon: They have always asked me if that would be possible, but at the moment, the Maxxis probably isn’t strong enough to draw the crowd. I also thought about a big festival of motocross, like they do in Holland with the Dutch Masters at that Zwartecross festival each year.
MXLarge: Is there any part of you that am glad you don’t have to run it again?
Dixon: No, because I enjoyed doing it. There was financial stress, because money comes in and goes out, but the people look forward to working it. A lot of my family are involved and there is no disappointment or bitterness, because I am not like that. I have nothing negative to say about not getting it.
MXlarge: I get the feeling sometimes like the British public let you down a bit. British motocross might be in a struggle at the moment, but it is a big scene. A lot of riders and people who follow it. I just used to think you could have had a lot more people each year.
Dixon: The British scene is healthy, but it is diluted. We have so many different races throughout the country, local area nationals and they need weekends to race. Before the ACU had the power to say now racing on the GP weekend, but now there are like six other federations that also race on that weekend. We can’t take that away from people and we need to realize a lot of people want to race and not go to the GP. More people watch it online also than they ever did.
Dixon: I was in discussions with Youthstream, and basically, they said they had so many promoters for 2020 that it would be difficult, and I said let me know, then I saw it on the calendar.
MXlarge: Obviously there are situations when a promoter backs out and a new venue has to be found. Are you a reserve if that happens?
Dixon: Yes, I mean, they said things can change and maybe in the next calendar (in October), there is a chance it will be back on. I have had a lot of approaches from other promoters, even from America to run something. I have spoken to Monster Energy who a looking at doing a Festival thing, and those things might be even better for me than doing a GP.
MXlarge: I think anyone who knows you knows you don’t do it for financially gain, and I understand from you over the years that it isn’t a money winner.
Dixon: It has never been about money for me. If it was a cash cow and I got lots of money I would be disappointed, but it has brought me into some hardships in the past. I have a good group of people and we have gotten our costs right down, so the one in March was profitable, but I had to pay people back from the Nations (which attracted a poor crowd due to the weather).
MXLarge: Something I was thinking about this morning, what about a round of the Maxxis there?
Dixon: Anything that can make money is viable, but there has been talk of all sorts of things. Even in conjunction with promoters in America.
MXlarge: What would they want to do?
Dixon: Well, have you seen in the UK the NFL and the Nascar races that were a success. I mean Nascar have held successful rounds of their championship in the UK.
MXlarge: Are you talking about a round of the AMA Nationals?
Dixon: I mean, I spoke with Monster about that and they thought it was a brilliant idea and I think they would get a great crowd.
MXlarge: But Monster are not a part of the AMA Nationals and you can’t have a round of the AMA supercross there?
Dixon: Daytona do a round of the supercross and they are not part of Feld. So anyway, that was something we talked about. I also talked to Davey Coombs about a possible round of the Loretta Lynn’s qualifying, where there would be some entries for the Loretta Lynn’s via Europe.
MXlarge: Which would be great.
Dixon: Yes. So, it gave me a lot of ideas and I have invested a lot with Matterley, and I have a lot of long-term contracts with the farmers, or for the internet, or whatever.
MXlarge: Have you had contact with the ACU about a round of the Maxxis?
Dixon: They have always asked me if that would be possible, but at the moment, the Maxxis probably isn’t strong enough to draw the crowd. I also thought about a big festival of motocross, like they do in Holland with the Dutch Masters at that Zwartecross festival each year.
MXLarge: Is there any part of you that am glad you don’t have to run it again?
Dixon: No, because I enjoyed doing it. There was financial stress, because money comes in and goes out, but the people look forward to working it. A lot of my family are involved and there is no disappointment or bitterness, because I am not like that. I have nothing negative to say about not getting it.
MXlarge: I get the feeling sometimes like the British public let you down a bit. British motocross might be in a struggle at the moment, but it is a big scene. A lot of riders and people who follow it. I just used to think you could have had a lot more people each year.
Dixon: The British scene is healthy, but it is diluted. We have so many different races throughout the country, local area nationals and they need weekends to race. Before the ACU had the power to say now racing on the GP weekend, but now there are like six other federations that also race on that weekend. We can’t take that away from people and we need to realize a lot of people want to race and not go to the GP. More people watch it online also than they ever did.
- no privateers behind the gate
- logistic would be mess
- they mention that GPs have low atendance because people race during all weekends... so possible low attendance
Only positive is that it is cool idea and us filthy euros could see those tomacs and barcias.
The Shop
That and the Travel costs / logistics
I guess it just seems weird to me to call something a national championship when you’re traveling and competing internationally.
Pit Row
at Zwartcross type festival event, which could include a monster cup type big prizemoney is more of a chance, but getting alot of the top name factory backed US riders when you would have to run it right in the middle of SX or US nationals is also low, but getting guys like Brayton, Hanny etc that could pull a crowd would not be impossible
Its a shame we have no GP, but not surprising
On the other hand....going to send a Nat to UK but you can't have one in Texas ????
He has also tried mixed attraction events before hasn't he? Like a festival style event. I don't remember it being that popular.
Shame, the track is ace and a huge loss to the calendar.
Rides are going away at an alarming rate... adding more events to series races isn't the answer. crazy these guys do not get that.
I remember having some videos in the 90s, I believe there was a short maybe 3 round series called masters of motocross or something like that. I remember a round being at Maggiora, Italy, around the time when Alex Puzar was world champ on the all white Chesterfield Suzuki, I think Larocco, Kiedrowski, Stanton were there plus many more US based riders, aswell as Parker, Schmit, Healey, Moore and other euro based US guys.
Anyone else remember these races? I guess this is the sort of meeting that Dixon is thinking about, but it's a different time to the 90s and getting the best of the best to show will be very difficult, but Money talks.
The British racing scene is potentially in a reasonable state for amateur racing but like what has already been said there are too many organisations running there own national championships and smaller club meetings branching off, so it is definitely diluted.
I raced the support class at what is considered to be the genuine British championship the Maxxis at Hawkstone last weekend, both the MX2 and MX1 classes had less then 25 competitors on the line, something needs to done to get more riders lining up at the British championship, although I'm not sure what the answer is. Spectator wise in the UK, mx is fucked.
I went to the first one. The newly-laid track had water drainage problems which severely messed with the schedule.
For comparison: The Dutch Masters offer on average per round 35.000 euro of prize money (race&championship bonus, 150k for the 4 rounds).
These events break even around the 3.000 to 4.000 spectators per race, @25 euro per ticket.
Now we have the British GP with what, 10.000 to 15.000 spectators at 60-70 euro a ticket?
At that number of spectators Dixon is losing money. The riders get zero purses. Even worse the riders actually have to pay 1.000 euro entry fee each.
So we can have a bunch of GP riders on former GP tracks at the masters all getting paid and the organiser making money at 5k attendance at 25 euro per ticket.
But we cant have the riders getting money during GPs and Dixon losing money at 12.5k attendance at 60 euro a ticket.
To me its pretty simple what the issue is.
Edit: this not a bash of youthstream, they are a commercial company and should make money. It's a bash of the federations giving away the rights without taking the interest of their stakeholders into account
Post a reply to: Steve Dixon interview - Matterley US Nationals???