The chairmen: Hans De Neef (VMCF)
In the series of articles “The Presidents” we ask the presidents of all motocross federations about the expectations and ambitions for the upcoming motocross season. Today it is the turn of Hans De Neef, chairman of the VMCF.
How do you look back on 2009?
Hans De Neef: “Last year was a lot quieter than 2008. Then we were really overwhelmed by an influx of riders. That was not the case in 2009 and that made it a lot more viable for us, the VMCF board.”
What will change this year?
Hans De Neef: “We are coming up with a pit bike championship this year and we are also working on a women's championship. We are also going to participate in a number of competitions in Wallonia. We notice that the average cross attracts more riders there than in Flanders. Partly because there are quite a few Walloon riders who only participate in a few races a year. They therefore want to be present at classics such as the competitions in Gouy lez Pietons and Manage. To ensure that everything went smoothly, we also sat around the table with Minister Paul Furlan. (Walloon Minister of Cities and Municipalities). We will also collaborate more with other federations this year. We are currently organizing youth training courses in Lille and Genk together with the VMBB, under the UMC umbrella. But we will also organize competitions together with FPCNA. We also sit around the table with a number of other parties. In 2010 we will also try to recruit new drivers. We then deliberately target young people who do not come from a cross-family. In East Flanders we will hold introduction days on the Saturday before a VMCF competition. Young people will be able to get a taste of our sport there, led by initiators. Engines and equipment are provided. In my opinion, this recruitment is desperately needed, because motocross is about twenty years behind in that area.”
Who do you expect to be at the front of the Inters this season?
Hans De Neef: “The Inter classes will have quite a Walloon flavor this year. In the MX1, Frédéric Weigert and Sébastien Soyeurt are certainly among the favorites. But let's not underestimate young wolves like Maarten Govaert and Mike Gilot. But of course you should never write off guys like David Cools, Dennis Dierckx and David Segers. Vincent Collet will definitely be the man to beat in MX2.”
Organizing a motocross race is not child's play, how do you manage this smoothly with so many employees needed?
Hans De Neef: “Applying for permits naturally requires a lot of paperwork. Yet it is not insurmountable in itself. It is much more difficult to find employees. You always have to fall back on the same handful of faithful people. For example, during the construction of a field for a competition, few will volunteer spontaneously. But once you put the finishing touches to the circuit on Friday afternoon, people suddenly appear and come to explore the circuit. The same observation applies to cleaning up on Monday. After the competition in Wetteren last year, I and one employee were on our own.
What also bothers me is the fact that apparently quite a few people come to dump their household waste in the riders' park. Apparently people expect that for € 10 they can spend a day racing and watching, with medical assistance and everything else needed for a successful race, and that they can also dump their household waste. That way it will also be a very expensive affair for us.”
During the 'Save the Motocross' parade in November, all federations were on the same page. Will there be a follow-up to this collaboration?
Hans De Neef: “At the end of February we had a meeting chaired by Eric Geboers. Everyone is now clearly on the same page. The 'Save the Motocross' project will certainly be continued with the support of all recognized Flemish motocross federations. The intention is to now resolutely go for licensed circuits in every Flemish province. I also like to refer to the press release that Red sent out the motocross about that.
What do you hope to achieve in 2010?
Hans De Neef: “It is striking that we received many license applications from Walloon drivers. But above all we want to have a fun season. If we experience great competitions and no serious accidents occur, then a cross day is a success as far as we are concerned. Last year we had the fewest accidents of all Belgian federations. We have now been organizing five seasons without major accidents and we obviously want to keep it that way in 2010.”
Credit photos: Photography JDS
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