International dirt
Friday, October 5, 2018 at 2:45PM Motocross of Nations to make 1st appearance at RedBud this weekend
BUCHANAN — RedBud MX in Buchanan is no stranger to a good motocross race.
But the course has not yet seen an event the likes of Motocross of Nations.
For just the fourth time since the race began in 1947, and for the first time in the Midwest, Motocross of Nations is coming to the United States.
The event has been held in New York and Maryland in the past, and was last in the United States with Denver as a host site in 2010.
This year, the Monster Energy MXoN will be held at Buchanan’s famous track starting Saturday with qualifying events, continuing on Sunday with finals races.
RedBud’s Amy Ritchie, daughter of the late Gene Ritchie, RedBud’s founder, said crowds from all over the world are expected at the weekend event.
About 60,000 spectators are expected to attend the weekend-long event.
“I think that if you’re not into motocross, it probably wasn’t on your radar until recently,” said Ritchie. “But I think most people locally have heard things and seen the event. I think it’s huge for the economy. It’s great for the region.
“Every team, even the tiniest team, is going to bring 50 people, or probably more like a couple hundred as far as the fanbase. It’s pretty big. Every county has a stake in it.”
The race has teams from 31 countries registered.
The team of Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia and Aaron Plessinger will represent the United States. Barcia finished third in the 450 class at this year’s RedBud National on July 7. Tomac was last year’s champion.
The trio will look to take down four-time defending champion France, who will be represented by Gautier Paulin, Dylan Ferrandis and Romain Febvre.
All 31 teams will compete Saturday in qualifying, with just the top 20 advancing to the final motos on Sunday.
Each team’s three riders compete in two separate motos, adding up to six moto scores for each country. The best combined score wins.
Ritchie said the event is comparable to the Olympics, with fans from all across the world coming to support their teams
“It’s a very Olympic vibe,” she said. “All the flags and the costumes, I think that’s why RedBud fits so well for the event, because we’re always Fourth of July weekend for the National, which has given us the moniker ‘America’s motocross track.’
“Its a very patriotic vibe at our July event, so it’s sort of like the world is coming to America’s motocross track. I think you’re going to see tons of red, white and blue. It’s just a very unique event.”
Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast all weekend, but Ritchie said the event will continue as planned regardless of the weather. She also noted the extra crowd volume shouldn’t be much of an issue.
“There are three entrances on RedBud Trail,” she said. “We don’t want people sitting in their car for an hour waiting to get in, so we have a pretty good plan. Mother Nature may make things a little bit more difficult, but she surely won’t stop the show.”
“I think people are worried about the huge crowd, and I guess I would say that I want to convey to people that we’ve made modifications and we’ve prepared for that.”
RedBud has also partnered with Youthstream, the company that owns the streaming rights to the event, to help give out 100 tickets to current and past military personnel.
The donated tickets are marked at a total retail value of nearly $12,000.
“We asked Youthstream, who owns the rights to this event, and they were glad to do it,” said Ritchie.
Many area hotels are booked fully for the weekend, said Ritchie. The onsite campgrounds are also totally booked as well.
Ritchie said the fantastic reception and turnout is a testament to the event itself.
“You’ll get it within 15 minutes of being there,” she said of the race. “Just the vibe of the event is nothing like anything we’ve ever seen. It’s just not something we get in this country, unless we get the Olympics.”
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