2009 MONSTER ENERGY MOTOCROSS NATIONALS – SERIES SCHEDULE
June 6/7 Whispering Pines Raceway, Kamloops, British Columbia
June 13/14 Wild Rose MX Park, Calgary, Alberta
June 20/21 Castrol Raceway, Edmonton, Alberta
June 27/28 Shadow Valley Raceway, Morden, Manitoba
July 25/26 Gopher Dunes, Courtland, Ontario
August 1/2 Riverglade MX Park, Moncton, New Brunswick
August 8/9 Sand Del Lee, Richmond, Ontario
August 15/16 Walton, Raceway, Walton, Ontario
After reviewing the 2009 national series schedule, many recognizable changes have been made to make the tour more attractive and affordable to follow. The reason behind the changes is to reduce the costs for all involved, participants, sponsors and teams due to a sluggish economy and the current position of the motorcycle industry.
The series will kick off in Western Canada and will consist of four back to back rounds leading into a three week layoff followed by another stint of four consecutive national rounds in the east. No longer will western teams and privateers be required to trek across the country twice, which will result in a substantial cost savings and an anticipated increase in participation of the entire series from participants in the west.
As previously announced in the summer of '08, Whispering Pines Raceway in Kamloops, BC will replace the Nanaimo national for '09 and will be the site of the opening round of the tour. And, after a one year hiatus, Wild Rose MX Park in Calgary will return to the series replacing Moto Valley Raceway in Regina. The Regina Motocross Club has put out an amazing effort year after year at Moto Valley Raceway and their hard work has been greatly appreciated and valued. Unfortunately, the low turn-out of fan based spectators has prevented the series from making a return.
For the first time in decades, the Nationals will not visit Quebec for '09. Thus, this will reduce the number of Pro rounds to eight. The grounds for this decision are due to cost cutting measures, the lack of local sponsorship funds and the rising expenses of staging a national event. No promoter was willing to take the risk of hosting the expensive venture. There is every intention to return to Quebec in 2010 once the economy rebounds.
The series will continue to be broadcast on Rogers SportsNet in Canada and will consist of eight one-hour episodes covering each round plus a final one-hour show highlighting the racing in the MX1 and MX2 classes. Negotiations are currently underway with a US network to broadcast the series south of the border. A news release will follow once details have been finalized.
The 4th Annual Suzuki Women's Nationals will again be held in conjunction with the Pro national tour, and will take place at Kamloops, Calgary, Gopher Dunes, Moncton and Sand Del Lee.
