KNMV plays solo smart
The Royal Dutch Motorcyclists Association (KNMV) recently launched a master plan that should result in, among other things, the preservation of existing courses and increased safety on and around the courses.
Anyone who reads the plan cannot be against it. The fact that the KNMV wants to involve a consultancy firm to assist them in their legalization process is not a bad idea in an increasingly bureaucratic world. With the other proposals, it is clear that the motocross bosses of the KNMV have blown up the balloon with problems that Jean-Paul Maas already released in February 2019 in his documentary “The Battle for Motocross" have received.
However, there is one big 'but' in this whole story, the 'but' in this story is the cooperation and communication or the lack thereof with the MON federation. On the KNMV website and in the press releases sent, the competing federation is mentioned as follows: “Fellow motor sports association MON is also informed and discussions are taking place about how they can join in.” It is indeed true that the MON federation was informed, but unfortunately only two days before the plan was launched, and the consultation took place on Monday 7 December. In other words, after launching the master plan. Due to the order of action, the use of words in the press release such as; “how they can join in” and the fact that all input from the MON regarding the master plan was rejected at last Monday's meeting unfortunately shows that the KNMV does not see the MON as a full discussion partner in this regard.
The lack or complete absence of cooperation between federations is certainly what killed Belgian motocross. It would be cynical and also tragic that our Northern neighbors, whom we see as an example, would experience the same thing. However, implementing a master plan without involving all actors is asking for many problems.
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Safety
When it comes to safety, the master plan mentions two points: Newcomers must follow a one-day course and it will be determined on which course an automated system with warning lights can be installed. Training newcomers is already a good thing, but we will come back to that.
The rollout of the automated warning system also applies to courses whose continued existence is guaranteed for years and which have everything in order. However, it does not seem obvious to me to incur costs of 20.000 to 30.000 euros, especially if we keep in mind the circuits and their clubs that live in uncertainty due to the fact that they are insufficiently or incorrectly licensed. To be fair, no one is eager to carry out expensive infrastructure works when the future is uncertain.
For those clubs and in principle for all other clubs in both Belgium and the Netherlands, there is a case to be made for the idea from 'The Battle for Motocross' of splitting into level groups. The name of the idea actually says it all. You split the pilots into groups based on their skills. Because clubs do not immediately see what level a pilot has, you can work with an MX Passport system. Once centralized on a server, clubs and federations can adjust and announce matters and pilots can view matters.
Centralizing data is also a good idea because it means you can always reach the right group of people if desired. We already talked about the fact that the KNMV wants to make daytime training mandatory. Suppose that these boys, girls, ladies and gentlemen are then placed in the system and club x makes its circuit available to novice pilots for an entire afternoon, including three club members with a lot of experience who want to share their experiences. Or circuit y makes its circuit available all day for only quads and sidecars because of the upcoming Grand Prix in the Netherlands. In an ideal world, through a well-centralized system, every registered member of both the KNMV and MON would receive a message in their digital mailbox stating whether or not they are welcome on the course, whether it is a continuous training or with sessions, ... In fact In an ideal world, every motocross rider in Belgium and the Netherlands should receive that message. It's almost Christmas, so dreaming of a small Christmas miracle is now allowed...
Action!
After the comments on some points, we must also give the KNMV flowers and congratulations. Motocross circuits are under pressure in the most diverse countries, from the United States to Belgium. It is striking that most federations are letting their clubs suffocate with problems, so it is a relief to see that people in Arnhem are standing up to help the sport get back on track. Allow me to hope that the growing status of Dutch Motocross, the external added value of Consultancy Peutz, the Dutch motosport federations, clubs and people with ideas, things can be achieved that we considered impossible in the past. Good luck!
Text: Matthias Van Eeckhoven – Article photo: Husqvarna Media – Crash Photo: Shot By Bavo
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