Five minutes with Danny Joos (KMC Mol)
Last year, the half-harvest classic of the Keiheuvel in Balen fell victim to changes in the World Cup calendar. This time the organizing club, KMC Mol, is on the right track. Chairman Danny Joos and his colleagues can offer the public an excellent field of participants. High time for an update!
You can't ignore it, Keiheuvel has once again managed to attract the world's top. In addition to MXGP superstar Jeffrey Herlings, the Flanders Masters Motocross will present a strong MX2 poster. In addition to World Championship leader Maxime Renaux and home favorite Jago Geerts (photo below), no fewer than five other top riders will appear at the start, including world champion Tom Vialle and rising star Kay De Wolf.
It can change quickly. Fortunately, this time it is in your favor!
Danny Joos: “That's right, initially there was no GP planned for August 15. Then the Swedish GP came up, so we set our sights on a national competition without big names. A nice VLM race so to speak. However, due to Corona issues, the Swedish GP was canceled a little later. We immediately stepped up a gear to put together an international field of participants just like our fans are used to. This meant that we were now able to complete work that would otherwise take three months in four weeks!”
The international calendar also shows that an international competition with (high) starting fees has not been evident for a long time. The international competitions here and there in Europe are giving up one after the other. In addition, the club must take reduced income into account due to corona. Is this taken into account in the amount of the starting fees?
Joos: "No actually not. The situation is different for every rider, but for us as a club it is in any case a huge investment to offer such a field of participants. On the one hand, there are crowd-pullers that we absolutely must have at the Keiheuvel for motocross. Then I think first of Jago Geerts, our star from our own community. The fact that we can bring Jeffrey Herlings, the best motocross rider in the world, here is a huge asset for the general public who only know him from TV. From a sporting point of view, we naturally want to bring together as many strong riders as possible, but not everyone has enough appeal to attract more people. On the other hand, we have several top riders who literally live around the corner. Then it is easy to take the Keiheuvel with you. It is also not the case that negotiations with the biggest names are the most difficult. On the contrary, with Jeffrey Herlings (photo below) the matter was settled in no time.”
What should you and the spectators take into account regarding Covid-19 guidelines?
Joos: “Just like in Lommel, people do not have to submit a PCR test. We are also allowed to receive a maximum of 5.000 spectators and the guidelines for our competition are simple and common sense. When people enter the crowd, in the beer tent and in the VIP, a face mask is mandatory. That's not necessary when you're walking in the woods. Even if you are standing at a drinks stand to consume something, you can take off the face mask. The same applies if people are in the VIP to eat, you can also take off the face mask. We want to make it a party, but people have to use their common sense.”
In 2019, a renewed board took over the torch within KMC Mol. That first edition was an immediate hit, that must have been good?
Joos: “Certainly, everyone is very motivated to continue to build on the beautiful tradition of Keiheuvel. That would never have been possible without the efforts of all the people who pulled the cart before. Fortunately, we can now count on many volunteers who know the ropes. The same applies to our loyal group of sponsors and the support of the municipalities of Balen and Mol. However, the fact that the public still finds their way to the Keiheuvel is and remains the greatest motivation. I think that everyone who is closely involved in Motocross at Keiheuvel is also aware of our special position. We are pretty much the last major international motocross in Belgium. It would be a great shame if that tradition were lost.”
You have also been a sponsor of Kemea Yamaha, now Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2, for many years, which probably makes this edition of the Keiheuvel extra special given the team's current boom?
Joos: “What we are experiencing this year is certainly special! The team's results have always been good in recent years, but to lead the World Championship with Maxime (Renaux) and to shine with all three riders and occupy the top 5 is truly unique. Of course, we have a great relationship with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2 for more reasons than one. But in the same way, I try to be a good ambassador for KMC Mol when I go to the GPs as a spectator. We also have a good relationship with many other teams and drivers. That is also important if the timing is not in our favor. Next year August 15 will fall on a Monday. So we already know that it will not be easy to gather a strong field of participants. On the other hand, we have also shown in the past that it is possible!
Tekst: Tom Jacobs
Photos: Gino Maes, shotbyBavo, Gnome Trek (intro photo)
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