The venue for the opening round of the 2019 Apico 2-Stroke Festival, scheduled for the bank holiday weekend of the 25th and 26th May, has been switched to Sellindge MX in Kent, rather than the original site of Marshfield in Wiltshire.
Organiser Dave Willet said he was left with little choice in making this decision, and that it was purely down to the fact that, even though a healthy number of riders had registered for the entire series, they hadn’t fully committed to this particular event in the south west. This, coupled with a lower-than-expected uptake from local riders, presented difficulties.
“It’s frustrating,” explained the former British two-stroke champ.
“We have plenty of registrations for the series, but they haven’t all converted into actual bookings for Marshfield. Personally, I’m gutted as I really wanted to take the Festival to Marshfield – the circuit has been revamped to a high spec, and it’s looking prime. It appears that there are a number of other racing events in the locality over the same weekend and I think that has impacted on our numbers. “It’s great that riders are registering, however, if they don’t follow up that registration and book in, then – as in this instance – we are left in a vulnerable situation. Unfortunately, it’s just not viable for us to run at Marshfield as the numbers don’t stack up. I can’t stress how much it saddens me to switch at this stage. As a racer myself, I do understand the inconvenience caused by late changes. It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly. I’ve been in contact with those already booked in and no-one should be out-of-pocket. “Sellindge is a superbly-prepped track and is a great catchment area for racing-talent. It’s already on target to be a well-supported and well-attended event, fitting for the status of the series and its valued sponsors.”
There’s now an even bigger incentive for 2-stroke enthusiasts to get on board and register for the series. Premier energy drink brand Red Bull is supporting the Apico 2-Stroke Festival series by backing two action-packed ride days for 2-Stroke riders only, and they’ll be free to all registered riders. Watch this space for more on this!
Apico 2-Stroke Festival entries are available via
http://www.2strokefestival.com