As far as i can remember it was after the Swatch times, when the national series were called Twingo-Cup (well, maybe in the US a twingo wouldn't count as a car...). Maybe the economical situation is not the same now (even though some car companys should be happy to get rid of some cars ;-) ), but those prizes disappeared long before the economical crisis came. And same for the number of participants.That must have been the legendary times when SWATCH was the big sponsor and everybody was queuing to put some money into the sport as well.
Too bad, but those times are long gone, and comparing 4cross in today's precarious economic situation to Dual in that goldrush-like era is not fair.
Yes, I know about those plans, and I hope it is going to be a positive surprise for me. I still wonder whether a real worthy 40 second 4X track can be built with this little decline (and last weekend when I was at the BMX track there were rumors it is not going to happen anyway) , but I will be happy and thankful If they prove it is possible. Don't forget I am not a 4X hater, I am just bored of racing ****ty 4X tracks, where with the same amount of money and work could have been an exciting DS track.[/QUOTE]By the way, are you aware that Powerbike Winterthur is set to build a 4cross course this winter? That's going to be right at the outskirts of a city, which sounds very promising to me.
Thats just proves what I want to say: So many organisers doing the effort to switch from DS to 4X because riders said they need it, ending then with a ****ty 4X track because they don't have the money and land to build a proper one and in the end nobody likes it. (By the way, there are no more 4X races on BMX tracks). So ask those Swiss WC riders who still do the Swiss series, I am sure most if not all of them will tell you that Baltersweil is the only race they really like, and this is the only "new school" (berms, jumps, rythm section) dual slalom in the series. So there is my point: It is a pitty to see organisers investing money into 4X tracks where the circumstances for a good 4X track are not given. In the end most of the racers don't like it, participant numbers are falling and nobody gained from it.And another by the way: As the Swiss racing series is a medley of Dual, Duel and half-baked 4cross on BMX tracks, this does not serve as an argument for any format. It rather shows that even Dual is no guarantee for grass-roots success. But most of all: When was the last time you've seen one of Switzerland's top 4cross racers compete in a race of the national series?
Well if you want to call me a caveman then do so, this will not end my love for DS (and proper 4X). If you read my post correct you will get that I am not saying we should bring 4X to an end, it might be the right thing for the big guys if it is done well (which in my eyes still needs some evolution), but for most of the weekend warriors DS is a more realistic solution, given that most of the organisers are on a tight budget and it is by far more easier to build a DS that is fun for most participants than a 4X track.My bottom line is that it comes down to a philosphical question:
If you're confronted with problems during an evolutionary process, how do you react? Do you go back to something that seems to have worked in the good old days, or do you see the problems as a challenge and a reason to further push that evolution forward? One way of reacting gets you an i-Pod, the other gets you back into a cave, painting deer figures on a wall... I do not consider myself a wannabe-caveman.
And, by the way, DS is still evoluting as well, none of the DS 5 years ago looked like Crankworks DS. And it can go into many directions, pumptrack-style DS as well as much more DH oriented giant slalom. In my inner eyes I can see giant slalom being more of two parallel mini-DH tracks, where downhill guys on their DH bikes can battle out against BMX guys on hartails.