Kris VanOrden
01-27-2009, 04:19 PM
MOTOCROSS - 2009 U.S. Motocross Grand Prix Faces Cancellation
By Adam Wheeler
Maybe in 2010 1/26/2009
The 2009 FIM Motocross World Championship faces further trimming after the cancellation of the South African round at the tail end of last year. The latest victim is what would have been the curtain-closing finale to the series, the U.S. Grand Prix, at an unconfirmed location. The postponement of the race to 2010 was communicated to teams and manufacturers by promoters Youthstream three weeks ago and the culling sees the schedule snipped to 15 rounds instead of 17 and two continents instead of four.
The announcement of the first U.S.-based GP this century during the latter half of the 2008 campaign was not totally unexpected. After Youthstream’s positively received efforts – in-hand with the AMA and the Budds Creek circuit - for the 2007 Motocross of Nations followed by an audacious declaration of intent for the promotional to the AMA Nationals and then the establishment of a U.S. office in Irvine, California, it seemed branching their most lucrative commodity to American soil was the next logical move.
Despite no official announcement, the reason for the decision all-too familiar: “As we have daily relation and communication with the teams I have informed them that maybe we will postpone the race in the U.S. to 2010 because of the difficult economy situation in the States, and it’s not the right year to find new sponsors and also the teams wish to have less travel this year,” stated Youthstream President Giuseppe Luongo to Cycle News. “But still the final decision has not been taken; we will take it within the next days.”
By Adam Wheeler
Maybe in 2010 1/26/2009
The 2009 FIM Motocross World Championship faces further trimming after the cancellation of the South African round at the tail end of last year. The latest victim is what would have been the curtain-closing finale to the series, the U.S. Grand Prix, at an unconfirmed location. The postponement of the race to 2010 was communicated to teams and manufacturers by promoters Youthstream three weeks ago and the culling sees the schedule snipped to 15 rounds instead of 17 and two continents instead of four.
The announcement of the first U.S.-based GP this century during the latter half of the 2008 campaign was not totally unexpected. After Youthstream’s positively received efforts – in-hand with the AMA and the Budds Creek circuit - for the 2007 Motocross of Nations followed by an audacious declaration of intent for the promotional to the AMA Nationals and then the establishment of a U.S. office in Irvine, California, it seemed branching their most lucrative commodity to American soil was the next logical move.
Despite no official announcement, the reason for the decision all-too familiar: “As we have daily relation and communication with the teams I have informed them that maybe we will postpone the race in the U.S. to 2010 because of the difficult economy situation in the States, and it’s not the right year to find new sponsors and also the teams wish to have less travel this year,” stated Youthstream President Giuseppe Luongo to Cycle News. “But still the final decision has not been taken; we will take it within the next days.”