I believe what Firko and a couple of others are saying, but at the same time what they 'are saying is' here are the problems, logistics, how can this problem be solved?
Exactly DJ! I think you'd find that Bahnsy and I are in favour of the Tri Series going ahead but, in my case anyway, could see that in the enthusiasm to get the thing up and running the many problems involved in setting up a series like this were being overlooked.
Back in 1986 when I had this dumb idea to promote a race for vintage motocross bikes I recieved more negative opposition than positive help. My own club, Penrith laughed at me both openly and behind my back, the ACU said it couldn't happen, and the industry thought it was a wank on the same level as demolition derbies. I was feeling pretty lonely out there but
knew I was right and that my vision would one day come to fruition. In amongst the naysayers one bloke, Geoff Eldridge got behind me and with his encouragement and ability to attack problems laterally we broke down every one of the so-called barriers preventing vintage motocross from going ahead. Months of work at ACU level saw me able to convince them to introduce the one day licence system which then opened up the door to attract the many first timers we needed to set up vintage motocross. The One Day Licence system is my proudest achievment as it allowed all that followed to actually happen. After two years of solid work by a small but keen group of 'true believers' the first ever official vintage motocross meeting was held at Amaroo Park in April 1988 and the rest is history.
I mention my own experience here to push the point that if you're keen enough the Tri Series will happen but it's not going to be a walk in the park. The barriers that I've described in earlier posts are real, they're serious and they need to be addressed before any thoughts of dates or venues are discussed. Just as we broke down our barriers one at a time 22 years ago, you can too but you'll need a solid core of serious thinkers and problem solvers and guys not afraid to give up their time and energy to work on this. It's cool to be a Daydream Believer but that doesn't get the work done.
The format needs to be kept simple, as accessible as possible for as many racers as possible and costs involved kept to a minimum. As keen as the New Zealanders like TM Bill and DJ are, they're exceptions and to talk of including NZ in the series before it even gets off the ground is extremely premature and I feel that it's an unneeded complication at this time. If the series proves to be a success and the economy picks up then perhaps NZ could be included but until then the KISS principle needs to be followed.
I still have my reservations as to being able to attract and maintain a core of 15-20 racers that are prepared to travel up and down the East Coast. We're talking about thousands of kilometres of travel, thousands of dollars in fuel, accomodation and expenses twice in a year, not counting the extras of CD and the Nats. It'll take a keen and financially secure racer to become involved. The travel logistics can be overcome by trailer pooling, sharing tools and spares to limit the amount of stuff to take, containering and trucking the bikes and other ways. It's not an impossible hurdle but it needs to be addressed. The fobbing off of the travel logistics as insignicant by some posters is perplexing to me. I ask them again, Are they financially capable, able to get the time off work and able to justify the comittment to their family?
The problems I was forced to deal with 22 years ago made me more determined to get my dream happening and I'm sure the obstacles that confront the Tri State Series will be dealt with one at a time as I had to. Don't however fall into the trap that many do that "problems will sort themselves". They rarely do. I've seen many 'great ideas' come along in 20 years including an earlier attempt to set up a similar series that I was deeply involved in and they all fell down because problems weren't addressed when they were needed to be addressed. The Tri State Series will happen if those behind it believe in it enough to dedicate their time and energy to it. One kink in the thread and it'll fall on its arse.
