We are always excited and curious when arriving at a brand-new track as to just what we will find. An early flying visit on arrival late Thursday gave me a feel for what to expect but settling in on Friday and taking a good look around left me in no doubt as to the commitment and endeavour made by the organisers over many weeks and months.
The track itself is carved out of a forest hillside, with spectacular jumps and dramatic climbs and drops. There are also some quirky little features such as a choice of jump or loop at one section which give a fast and flatter option versus a shorter but slower path. It struck me that this novelty might well be exploited by the quads with their greater corner speed.
The paddock area is vast and flat. Parking is clearly defined and marked out, with a grid-like structure making moving around the site far easier.
The administration and official areas are neatly tented, with all facilities needed to cater for an army of officials and journalists.
Latvia has a proud tradition of sidecarcross success, and the current superstar attraction of the nineteen-year-old Lielbardis twins has ignited widespread enthusiasm. They have watched this track evolve and develop, as well as tested its effectiveness. There is also huge support in Latvia for the quad class,
Our plan for this opening Friday was to gather interviews and features for the TV highlights show whilst testing and preparing the Starlink-based broadcast system ahead of two days live streaming. A quick chat with Brett Wilkinson revealed how motivated he is, now finding himself almost within touching distance of the red plate for the first time in his career.
Ahead of him, the Prunier brothers are equally positive about their prospects for the weekend as they chase down Koen Hermans, calmly peeling the covering off a brand-new red plate before it became a fixture on the WSP Mega.
Those three teams are obvious targets for our interviews, whilst the Lielbardis twins generate huge local support and are back on form.
The EMX Quadcross championship is sharing the weekend with the sidecars on their penultimate round, with this being round seven of nine for the three-wheelers. Seven live races across the two days will be an action-packed and very busy schedule we are all looking forward to immensely.
So, Latvia has totally delivered ahead of this weekend in terms of top-class preparation and facilities, so if you can’t be here in person, make sure you catch the live action as it happens on the live stream courtesy of FIM-MOTO.TV.
Check out the standings right away to see just how close it is.
Also, look out for all other information and late news as it becomes available
on www.fimsidecarcross.com along with all our social media outlets.
From Barry Nutley
