Bring back the bikes

Former Ag Society directors decry loss of Massey motocross

By Craig Gilbert

Posted 6 hours ago

Two former Massey Agricultural Society directors with significant ties to the motocross races that have graced the track at the Massey Fairgrounds for almost two decades have expressed their disappointment at the events' abrupt cancellation.

Former Canadian Motocross Racing Corp. (CMRC) rep and race coordinator Karen Gerrard was before Sables-Spanish Rivers township council Wednesday evening, June 22 to offer some opinions and ideas related to the Massey Fairgrounds. Gerrard was also a member of the Massey Agricultural Society (MAS), the body responsible for the Massey Fair. She challenged Mayor Les Gamble unsuccessfully in the fall 2010 election.

When called to present by Deputy Mayor Patricia Hnatuik (Mayor Les Gamble was in Cutler at a meeting with several provincial deputy ministers – see page six for that unrelated story), Gerrard requested that council go in-camera because she intended to discuss identifiable individuals. Her request was summarily denied.

She said that in contrast to claims that the events lost money, each race in 2010 turned a profit between $2,500 and $3,500 for the MAS itself, not counting the significant economic impact of 250 riders and family members descending on the town of 800-1,000 people.

The participants stay at local motels or the Chutes campground, buy groceries and gas and dine out at local restaurants. She added that though ridership was down in 2009 across the board due to the Vale (Inco) strike, the riders were coming back by August. More than that, Massey still posted stronger numbers than Providence Bay, which has made no indication they intend to give up their events.

Gerrard, whose son is a CMRC rider, added the argument that the track in Sault Ste. Marie is siphoning riders from Massey is bunk. She said with rare exception, races at the two tracks don't conflict.

"Riders who want to race towards their CMRC points will attend the CMRC races," she said. "The events at the Sault track would not have an impact on rider entries at the CMRC points series races in Massey or Providence Bay."

She said the loss of a national sanctioning for the races is unprecedented in the 20-year history of Massey motocross and is emblematic of a track record (pun intended) the MAS has established.

She said the MAS executives are difficult to deal with, particularly from the perspective of the township itself. She said the organization, incorporated as a charity through the auspices of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), is losing directors and having more and more trouble in recruiting volunteers.

"We are very concerned about the management capabilities of the current board of directors for the Massey Agricultural Society," Gerrard told Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers (TSSR) council. "The mismanagement on the part of the MAS by not honouring the motocross agreement, failing to cooperate with the municipality, failing to be able to secure contractors to carry out work, failing to keep volunteers and causing volunteer directors to resign in order to not be the target of the pettiness and belittling by a few strong opinionated directors is a cause for concern.

"Most importantly, we are concerned that the buildings and property at the Fairgrounds, of which the municipality either owns or partnered in (constructing), are not being used to their full potential."

Gerrard went on to say the Massey track has gained national exposure online and in print, and has incubated such homegrown elite riders as Iain Hayden and Kurtis Ritchie. She suggested the MAS might have breached a contract with the CMRC by canceling the balance of the year's events.

She suggested the municipality take over the operation of the motocross track and lease the fairgrounds, Emiry Barn, and all equipment and materials related to the operation of the motocross event from the MAS at the rate of $500 per event weekend.

Gerrard said she and Jim Dunlop would be willing to be the persons in charge of the motocross operations. She said that would convince the CMRC to reinstate the sanctioning and the insurance coverage of the motocross event and track. She added that the municipality should retain an event coordinator on some level to plan and administer events on the fairgrounds professionally.

When she was finished council thanked her for her presentation without comment. Gerrard told the Mid-North Monitor later she took that as a sign that "council did not seem to care about the fairgrounds property or buildings, nor did they seem to want to hear the concerns of the residents."

Though he made no comment at the Wednesday evening meeting, the Mid-North Monitor learned the next day Councillor Jayson Stewart had resigned as the municipal representative on the MAS board of directors.

He said as a father with a young family, he wanted to avoid exposure to possible future litigation (the MAS is currently facing a lawsuit based on past activity).

"That suit is sort of languishing in court, so it opens the opportunity for future cases where (I would be liable) as a member of the board," he told MNM.

On the subject of motocross, he said the loss of any event is a hit to the community, and that he hoped either the MAS would replace the races with something else, or perhaps a private individual could revive them at another location, possibly on Seldom Seen Road.

Another voice coming out against the loss of motocross in Massey belongs to Mid-North Monitor editor Rosalind Russell. Russell was the manager of the Massey Agricultural Fair in 1992 and was instrumental in bringing motocross to the town.

With a progressive board of directors, we took on many projects that year, such as a new roof for the stables, moving the midway trailers off the centre of the fairgrounds and creating a trailer park for them, putting in new hydro lines to allow for more vendors outside, and the big one, the development, installation and sanctioning of a professional level motocross track," she said. "The original job cost $1,200, and following discussions and negotiations with professional affiliations, who sent out inspectors to approve the track, the sport got a real boost in the North."

She said close to 10,000 people of all ages came out to check out the action. This was before quad races were added.

"As some readers might recall, we got the tail end of Hurricane Andrew over the Thursday and Friday of that year, so our numbers were really down, with them picking up on the Saturday and Sunday," Russell explained. "Without the motocross, the society would have lost major revenue.

"We are talking about families who not only invest in the equipment and travel (it can be as expensive as hockey), but also families who spend the entire weekend camping at the fair (revenue), buying merchandise and supplies (supporting local businesses) and take part in the events (more revenue).

"The event itself brings in thousands of people who pay their entry fees, visit concessions, buy food and merchandise, and take in the event (more revenue). There were also dozens, if not hundreds of entrants (more revenue). So, with all these pluses, cancelling motocross simply doesn't add up, in my opinion."

As a former fair manager and a parent with a son who likes to ride, she described the MAS' decision as a "huge disappointment, both on a personal and professional level. I don't honestly see the fair attracting 'hundreds' of ATVs for mud bog races and demolition derby, two excellent events, which should 'augment' motocross, not take it over."

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