ASK THE MXPERTS: WHAT’S WITH MXA’S REFUSAL TO QUIT CALLING THE MXON THE MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS

On Mar 8, 2011 Last updated Mar 23, 2014

Dear MXA,
MXA always seems so contrary. I noticed that MXA consistently calls the Motocross of Nations the “Motocross des Nations,” and that you use the acronym MXDN, while everybody else says “of Nations and MXoN.” Why do you insist on this? I’m not anti-MXA because I am totally in favor of your refusal to call the AMA Supercross classes “Supercross” and “Supercross Lites.” I wish Feld had a brain in their combined heads and changed the class names back like the AMA Nationals did (which I read was because of an agreement between Jody and Davey).

The Motocross des Nations was started in 1947. For almost 60 years it was called “Motocross des Nations” (which is French for Motocross of Nations). MXA doesn’t see any reason to start calling it something else just because some marketing guy at Youthstream or the FIM thinks they could make a few more bucks in English-speaking countries if they changed the “des” to “of.” We will call it whatever we like and?rightfully so, everybody else can call it whatever they like. In the mean time we can hardly wait for this year’s “Tour of France.”

As for Supercross’s stupid class names, they are just a marketing scam. The guys at Feld, at least the ones who were motocross racers, must have lost any connection to their roots. Naming a class after the sport itself and using the idiotic “Lites” name don’t do anything to help the fans understand what’s going on. We prefer to call the classes by their displacement (450 and 250) because it makes sense, has historical significance and is the way it should be. Plus, no matter what Feld calls them, you still have to explain to your friends in the stands that “Lites” means 250cc bike. And calling the 450 class the “Supercross class” can only lead to the winner of the series being the AMA Supercross Supercross Champion?as opposed to what he really is…the AMA 450 Supercross Champion.

If you say Motocross “of” Nations or refer to the 250 class as the “Lites” class?you are buckling under to slick sales pitches. On a side note, it is true that Jody and Davey talked at length about changing the outdoor National class names from “Motocross” and “Motocross Lites” back to 450 Nationals and 250 Nationals. It was eventually Davey’s decision and he made the right one?Feld should be so smart.