02/05/2026
I know that many of you are frustrated with some of the rules we are enforcing. They aren't new rules, they just haven't been consistently enforced in a number of years. I want to take a moment to make a post that explains the rationale behind the rules.
I don't cook up these ideas just because I feel like being bossy. It adds a rather large chunk of work to my already busy schedule. It would definitely be easier to just roll with things they way we have been, but here is why we aren't going to do that.
The biggest one is safety.
This sport is wild. You all know that. It's not "if" you get hurt, it's "when." As an association, together with our promoters, we have the responsibility of trying to minimize the danger anywhere we can. Part of that is having procedures and protocol in place for when accidents happen. Having the correct colours for the class you ride on your bike makes it much easier for staff, medics, and flaggers to see who is on the track - and who shouldn't be. Practice days are so much safer when people are out with riders of the same skill level. Junior riders have no business being on the track, rolling jumps, while pros are out. It's just asking for trouble. On race days, with double gate drops, our staff, officials and spectators all have a much clearer idea of what is going on out there.
Duplicate numbers face a similar issue. I realize that it can be inconvenient for many of you, but when we have 40 riders on a track, officials have a lot to monitor. Transponders help for scoring but enforcement still relies heavily on visual identification. Over the radio, we hear things like: “Dock number X for jumping on a medic flag” or “Dock number X for cutting the track.” If multiple bikes share the same number, do you really want to risk being penalized for someone else’s mistake? Or have officials hesitate to enforce rules because they can’t be certain which rider was involved?
When a bike goes down or a rider doesn’t come out of a corner, the first thing everyone looks for is a number. Duplicate numbers add confusion in moments where clarity matters most.
In recent times, safety, followed immediately by insurance have become bigger and bigger conversations. Tracks in the states getting sued, kids dying. It's a heavy load that associations and promoters carry. We have a thriving moto community in Manitoba with amazing tracks. I want this sport to grow, and I know that if I have to, God forbid, explain a terrible crash with serious injuries, I want to know that MBMX did absolutely everything to avoid accidents and that we have the best safety plans in place for when things do go the wrong way. We explain it to our insurance carriers, we explain it to parents. We are being accountable. Please remember this when you're frustrated over having to choose a new number.
Thanks for reading,
Gail