On Saturday in Bulgaria there was a strange atmosphere. With only the MX1 and MX2 classes and hardly any spectators there was a feeling of emptiness at Sevlievo. This was made stronger by the lack of riders in the MX1 class with the numbers hitting only 20 for the qualification heat. With an ankle injury to Xavier Boog in the afternoon it meant a brief possibility of only 19 racers in the premier category.

What is the cause of this? The European Motocross of Nations occurring on the same weekend in Italy didn’t help and the long trip east was also too much for some smaller teams. Many pointed to the entry costs the teams have to pay as one of the chief causes for the decline in racers.

Youthstream ask this fee as part of the budget estimation to cater for a full infrastructure and TV production service. Like the situation for teams and riders sometimes Youthstream are not paid by sponsors or promoters. It seems like finances are never a clear situation in the world of racing. Gautier Paulin offered another perspective on the 20: “It is bad what I am going to say but I don’t care about the 20^th rider. I go for the top three and try to win. I don’t think it is that bad. We are used to seeing forty riders in motocross but if you don’t know the name of the guy who is leading and he goes into the backmarkers then you lose track of who is leading and who is not. Sometimes the leader can get passed because of the lappers; I think it is worse than just having 20 on the gate. This is my opinion.” Can prize money come back and a reverse in the trend be started? Where will the money come from to make the show then? It is a theme to be continued…

On Sunday morning it was colder, greyer and the track was significantly damper. The Sevlievo terrain kept a sheen about it but Jeffrey Herlings – the youngest rider ever to reach 20 Grand Prix wins – said there was grip everywhere. Kevin Strijbos was able to gain positions from tenth to second on Saturday, making a mockery of those who claimed it was difficult to pass. “I could overtake them on the inside or the outside; it was really good and the small changes we made to the engine gave me a bit more power and really helped,” the factory Suzuki RM-Z450 rider said.

It remains to be seen whether the Grand Prix will welcome more spectators but Bulgaria has not developed a following since 2002 and when motocross first came to the country. A pity, especially when the racetrack boasts one of the best structures in Europe.