While we have just seen the British held, Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, the 2025 calendar didn’t originally include a British GP, although MXoN and British GP promoter, Steve Dixon knows that things can change and having had a really tough 2024 season, with his team and the effort gone into the MXoN, held at his Matterley Basin circuit, he was open for the GP to miss a season, but fortunately for British fans, Dixon has again put his hand up and the British GP and Matterley Basin is back on the calendar.
A year off from being a promoter isn’t such a bad idea for Dixon, but you know, if there was a calendar change, he was more than happy to see the event return to Matterley Basin and he will again, put in the hard work to make it the best event it can be.
“You know,” Dixon said. “A calendar is always mixed up a little bit, because it's very difficult, for the countries to speak to their councils and everything, the people who want to invest in a World championship round or speaking to the federations. Things are a lot deeper than anyone knows, and things can also change quickly. The British Grand Prix doesn’t get government backing, so it is a round that we (Infront Moto Racing (IMR) and Dixon) need to work around to make it work.”
While the British Grand Prix is often a venture that is shared between IMR and Dixon, it isn’t something that happens easily and a lot of work has to go into making it the event it is. With Dixon working on the ground and with support from IMR, the British Grand Prix, is always one of the stand-out events of the year.
“In Britain we had a period, where we didn’t have a Grand Prix for three years and the country needed a commitment to have a place to run a Grand Prix, a place that would become the home of the event. The ACU came to me and said, we need stability of the British Grand Prix, will you run it, and we pay for it, then weeks before the GP contract would be signed, ACU decided to pull out. So, Youthstream (now IMR) said, we'll partner with you in running the GP, we need the British GP, motocross is a great heritage in Great Britain and its sort of been the same ever since. For me, they have a big interest in keeping motorsport alive in the UK, and it's difficult in the UK, there's a lot of laws, there's a lot of costs. Huge amount of costs, but people only see the rosy side. People don’t realize what IMR do behind the scenes for the sport in the UK.”
As we all know, costs for just about everything in the World have risen and even more so in countries like England, where Brexit has made so many aspects of running a sporting event more complicated. Motocross has never been a sport in the UK that gets the support from the government it needs, but still, Dixon and IMR always make it work.
“Unfortunately, in the UK, motorsport doesn't receive any of that type of backing from the government. Britain has excelled in other areas like cycling, Olympic sports. The government fund sports that are available to the masses. Motorsport, or horse jumping for example are not available to the masses, so, that's why there's no funding there and you know, I understand this. To make British motocross continue, and we have to go back to the main reason I took the Grand Prix over and have run for as long as I have. The British Grand Prix was always a massive part of my sponsorship because I used to take 300 guests to the VIP at a GP. I would buy an area at the GP, in the paddock and invite my big sponsors, the team sponsors. Same as Jacky Martens does at Lommel.”
So, now, with the Grand Prix promoters meeting to be held last week, Matterley Basin and the British Grand Prix is back on the 2025 calendar, and everyone is excited for this. One thing is for sure, whenever called upon to run another British Grand Prix, Steve Dixon will always stand up and do his best to give the British motocross fans a weekend, they won’t forget. Bring on the British Grand Prix of 2025.
Photo Credit: Pascal Haudiquert
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