RACEGUY Remembers

Spring is the Thing

Something has been missing on the Atlantic motocross scene for a few years now. Of all the contentious issues the region has addressed and usually resolved over the past half decade, one seldom fails to evoke emotions and for many, the emotion is a deep down hurt and the feeling that something has been lost.

It doesn’t seem to matter that the reason for that loss was an act of generosity that could only be considered unique at this level of sport. For those who felt betrayed and let down by this magnanimous gesture, the question continues to gnaw at their gut. “Where the #*@$% did my Riverglade spring race go?”

Very few are aware of the mechanism that led to Riverglade parting with that prime Spring date. Some have convinced themselves that the promoters simply couldn’t be bothered and really didn’t care about what the riders thought. It’s time to put those misconceptions to rest permanently. What some saw as an act of selfishness and lack of empathy could not be more the opposite.

Now, another mechanism has come into play that will once again hear the roar of MX filtered through barely budding trees, but that in itself is a complex story. Suffice it to say, you have your spring race back on the soil that has played host to some of the most legendary names in our sport, not just in Canada, but around this big world.

That does not kiss things and make it better. It simply distracts you from an old pain without curing the cause. The events that led to the 2011 schedule have just opened the door for me to step in and set the story straight and commit it to history with a few more facts and a lot less supposition.

I was not in the room for that fateful meeting, nor was I on the other end of the phone when a multitude of conversations attempted to come to the best solution for a situation that no one had foreseen. I can guarantee there were unprecedented levels of give-and-take, back-and-forth, and serious soul searching.

To the owners at Riverglade, that spring race was easily the difference between losing money at the end of the year, and breaking even, or even banking enough to buy a trailer-load of wood chips or paint for the fences. The event was considered a classic and an absolute must for people with mud in their blood. This was THE rite of passage into a new season.

Across the Strait, the Dickiesons and Bolgers and their small band of hardcore moto people had been faithfully following the process. They wanted on the circuit and were going out of their way to prove they belonged there. After a small handful of absolute disasters (that’s another whole column in itself) dished up by first-time race promoters, the committee that is the CMRC Atlantic Region came to agreement on a set of requirements that must be fulfilled before a promoter could be considered for a championship round. All this to look out for the best interests of the riders and fans, and for the overall good of the sport in this region.

Mudrooters had paid their dues. They held CMRC non-championship events, made changes as required, and poured blood, sweat, and tears into that soil and were brought to tears trying to talk sense to legislators and puffed-up local politicians. They had met, to the letter, the requirements to be considered for a full championship round.

The operative words here are “to be considered”. Certainly, the consideration was there, but the dates weren’t. With riders often complaining that the series was too long as it was, there really was no opening in the calendar for Mudrooters. Sad as it may seem, existing tracks would not come close to even breaking even financially unless they had at least two events. There were no cut-throats at that table. Nobody played the seniority card. Every man and woman at that table agreed that taking one of the two dates away from anybody would probably sound the death knell for that track.

At this point, they could have very easily said, well Mudrooters, you meet the criteria, we’ve considered and given you the thumbs up, so you will get your race “when a date becomes available”. End of story. Fact is, the Riverglade owner’s group doesn’t play that way.

Due to the superhuman effort put in to becoming one of the “legacy” tracks on the national circuit, Riverglade is considered an absolute must on any national calendar, whether it was the CMA in years gone by, or the CMRC today. Because they are so good at what they do, the result was Riverglade actually having two stand-alone regional rounds PLUS the national. In my math that’s three dates. Seems to be the same math on Riverglade’s calculator.

In an act of generosity that still causes me to shake my head to this day, the Glade group reasoned, “we’re the only track with three dates. No one else has three. We will give our spring date to Mudrooters. Problem solved.” OK, that’s not even close to a direct quote, but that was the thinking. I’ll guarantee, with the multiple members of the Riverglade owner’s group, there was a whole lot more said and a very hard decision made. They could, as the senior member of the board, simply have said too bad about your luck, Mudrooters. What they did in the end is nothing short of humanity at its finest hour.

So, it’s no wonder my blood boils when some empty-skulled lowlife blames the track owners for the loss of a Riverglade spring race and its effect on their own personal pleasure. That now is water under the bridge and I, in a very anecdotal way, have made an attempt at setting the story straight and filing it in the bottom drawer.

We are about to enter another real-world example of the golden rule as seen through the open minds of Larry Northrup and Earl Doucette. You see, while the venue may be the familiar surroundings of “the Glade”, we are, for all intents and purposes, taking part in a Fox Hollow event.

When Lee Steeves and his amazing people found themselves without a racetrack, Lee didn’t say to hell with it, this is a mountain I’ll never climb. At the same time, the Riverglade group could have easily said sorry to hear about your luck.

Things don’t work that way with these people. Riverglade to the rescue. Keep your dates, Lee, and host your events on our track. That doesn’t sound like much more than opening the gate and walking away, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. A race facility takes a huge beating to the track and infrastructure every time a race is held there. The legal and liability aspect is a huge consideration. Track-wise, every event held there degrades sections of track and blows or drags away hundreds of pounds of valuable top-soil. Things get broken. Things finally wear out. A racetrack is not something I’d just loan to somebody because I’m a nice guy.

It is a lesson in humanism, in brotherhood, a real-world example of the golden rule. It is inspiring. This weekend, you will once again, for the first time in too long, spray the sacred spring soil of Riverglade, while at the same time keeping the Fox Hollow dream alive and retaining an asset to the sport, Lee Steeves and his Fox Hollow crew.

The complete Fox Hollow story will be fleshed out in the words of Lee himself sometime in the very near future. Meanwhile, enjoy your weekend and know that you are part of a fraternity unlike any other in sport. Whether you prefer RiverHollow, or FoxGlade, one thing is guaranteed. You are part of the ongoing history of motocross here in the Atlantic region and surrounded by some of the most amazing people on the planet.

Have fun. Ride safe. (now go click on an ad ;-)