Cycle News

VOL. 53 ISSUE 39 OCTOBER 4, 2016 P109 MXdN was also shrinking, among riders and the OEMs, citing costs and burnout as the reasons. In- terest hit an all-time low when the 2002 MXdN, slated to be held in the USA, had to be canceled due to problems too complex to explain here. The U.S. did not bother to send a team in 2001- 2004, mostly due to apathy. In Europe, enthusiasm for the race never waned and I can attest to that, having been one of a handful of Americans at the 2004 MXdN in Leirop, Nether- lands. In 2005, the U.S. team of Ricky Carmichael, Kevin Wind- ham and Ivan Tedesco ignited a winning streak that lasted through 2011 and revitalized the event in America. The race was held in the U.S. in 2007 and in 2011, at Budds Creek and Thunder Valley, respectively. The Budds Creek event had a spec- tacular turnout and appeared to be a success for both Luongo and U.S. promoter, Jonathan Beasley, but reportedly, that was not the case. Rumors were rampant that a half-million-dollar sanctioning fee and other costs had resulted in heavy losses for Beasley. The event in Lakewood had even fewer spectators and had to have been a financial loser, although I cannot say that for sure. Who knows, maybe Lu- ongo waived a chunk of his fee. You would think that a man armed with this information, and having hosted a half dozen or so U.S. GPs (taking a bath on at least the last four of them), would be the last guy in line to host the MXoN in America, but you would be wrong. Bud Feld- kamp is not your average pro- moter. First off, he is a diehard racer, as core as it gets. He has won desert races, motocross races and has won in Baja many times, usually teamed up with Malcolm Smith in a buggy. He has also had a lifelong dream of bringing the MXoN to Southern California motocross fans. After years of hearing Luongo refer to an MXoN at Glen Helen, it was officially announced on August 7, 2016, that the 2017 MXoN would be held there. Bud would finally be rewarded (if you consider risking a million dollars a reward) for all those U.S. GPs that he had lost his ass on. I felt happy for him, but a part of me was thinking, "Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me." Hey, it's the MXoN. People will come. Right? We may never know, because a couple of things happened since the announcement—actually three things. First, there was the U.S. GP in Charlotte, NC, which was devoid of spectators. Second, there was the Glen Helen U.S. GP, also devoid of spectators. Third, was the 2016 MXoN in Maggiora, Italy, with the usual shitload of crazy fans, armed with chain saws, costumes and patriotic fervor. Bud Feldkamp attended, as did Lori Wilson, the General Manager at Glen Helen Raceway, presumably to see how they do it in Europe. Nice! Maybe not so nice. On Sep- tember 27, 2016, Youthstream announced that the 2017 MXoN would not be held at Glen Helen after all, because the risk was too high, given the lack of "outstanding fan participation" for the prestigious event. Made perfect sense to me, but I had mixed feelings: part of me was angry that I won't see the race here next year, another part of me was sad for Bud's disap- pointment, and another part of me wanted to thank Luongo for saving Bud from himself and the apathy of SoCal "fans." Based on the poor turnouts at every U.S. GP at Glen Helen that I have been to, I would say that "Southern California motocross fans" is an oxymoron. I called Lori to make sure I had the facts straight, since she was present at the meeting between Bud and Giuseppe. She said that while the decision was at first Luongo's, both par- ties were in agreement and Bud received assurance that Glen Helen would be the venue for the next MXoN in the U.S., but that could be a couple of years down the road. I hope that Charlotte takes over U.S. GP duties in the mean- time. CN

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