When one considers that after the Heerde withdrawal, we were faced with no Dutch race, the response from the Varsseveld venue, driven by organisers Gert and Mareen van Werven, plus a host of volunteer support, has been nothing short of sensational.
A modest, typically sandy and flat woodland track has been transformed into a truly international venue, with everything needed to take this season into the riveting climax it was intended to be.
A late flight into Schiphol saw me at the hotel around 11.30 pm, too late for a beer, but up bright and breezy ahead of the day.
The championship chase is going relentlessly the way of Marvin Vanluchene and Ben van den Bogaart, with all hope of the title now slipping away from Killian and Evan Prunier. The French Champions are young, talented and philosophical about that reality, and almost certainly, their day will come.
I plan to feature them in the TV track-walk, given that the sandy circuits are their downfall, which they freely admit.
Other interview candidates must be Marvin, Tim Prummer and two other teams with good sand skills, the Leferink brothers and the Wilkinson/Millard pairing.
This weekend also sees the finale of the Quadcross World Championship, with that title already done and dusted by five-times Euro Champion Kevin Saar. His will be a relatively relaxed affair, with nothing to lose, and only the satisfaction of racing here as the first-ever Quadcross World Champion.
This circuit is almost in a residential area, but certainly close enough to civilisation to draw a large crowd. With sidecar-cross high on the scale of sporting events in this country, we look forward to a great weekend, with all the twists and turns that deep sandy conditions tend to bring.
Tomorrow brings all the practice and qualifying sessions, with the Grand Prix races proper right across Sunday.
Live stream details for both days and disciplines, are here on www.fimsidecarcross.com with everything aired on FIM-Moto.TV, with highlights to follow.
From Barry Nutley
