SEPT 16–INDIANS VERSUS MXDN: THE COUNTDOWN

Is it really going to happen? Are the masses going to be sadly disappointed? Will the world’s best collide in San Jacinto, California on September 27-29?

The turbulence surrounding the possible collapse of the prestigious Motocross Des Nations became even greater this past week when the Soboba Tribe of Luiseno voted to shut down the Competition Park effective immediately.

If you didn’t know the track’s short history, you would need to know that the new Competition Park is located next to (and apparently on) Native American land, and is set next to a casino and a vast patch of desert. The flat land and parched sun baked climate has caused even more problems for race promoter Malcolm McCassey Sr, as winds whisk up dust and cause unfavorable riding conditions (which along with noise and pollution has become a concern among many locals). At several points during the last couple weeks the possibility of the MXDN being run at Competition Park began looking more unclear than the 2000 Presidential voting crisis.

INDIAN WARS OF 2002

To add insult to injury last week the local paper (The Press-Enterprise) had two articles that put even more doubt on the track remaining open, but after several phone calls to both Marty Moates and Malcom McCassey Sr. things seem to be settling down a bit as each day passes with the track still open for practice. This past Sunday Competition Park held a round of the CMC Transcal Series without much trouble, which is a good sign.

THE TRACK IS CLOSED, BUT THAT IS A GOOD THING

Starting today, Competition Park will be shut down. But, not because of any Indian squabbles, but because the event promoters need every last second of the two weeks leading up to the Motocross des Nations to get the track, pits and grounds ready for thousands of rabid motocross fans that hopefully haven’t been scared off by all the bad publicity.

WHERE WILL EVERYONE PARK

One note of concern for the spectators will be parking. The promoters originally planned to park cars on Indian land. The tribe revoked their parking lot offer a couple weeks ago, which left the MXDN promoters scrambling. The current plan is to park VIP, vendor, press and staff cars at the track and shuttle spectators to the MXDN from a remote lot…and we mean remote. The plan is to use the old Competition Park track, approximately five miles away, as a parking lot.

MXDN CONNUNDRUM

Here is a brain teaser. If a bus can carry 50 people to the track, and it takes 20 minutes to do a round-trip, how many trips will it have to make to transport 20,000 people?