Michiel Verberg, in charge of production, thinks it is a pity that the dirt will not be built in Rotterdam. “I think the dirt could have made crime decrease. We would have created a spot where young people could develop themselves through sports, instead of being bored.” This spot will now be made in Groningen. On the 5th of October BMXers and mountainbikers from this city will start building the dirt together with the Red Bull Backyard Digger team. On the 7th of October the dirt will be inaugurated by BMXers and mountain bikers. The new site for the dirt – second in a series of three, after the one in Leende and before the one in Amsterdam – is the area belonging to Bikepark Groningen.
Floris Schurer, president of the foundation, thinks it is fantastic that there will now also be a BMX dirt in the Bikepark. “BMX-ing as well as mountain biking are growing fast in The Netherlands and the dirt discipline becomes more and more important within both sports. We have built a small trail ourselves, but what will be created now is something professional. By watching and helping build, we can obtain a lot of knowledge we can apply ourselves later on.”
The creation of the new dirt brings the Bikepark a step further in their development. Schurer: “The Groningen government has already indicated that it is planning to build a skate park next to the bike park. Right now there is going to be a place for BMXers. We think it would be great if this place would become a centre where all extreme sports come together.”
www.redbullbackyarddigger.nl
The second stop in the Red Bull Backyard Digger tour will not be Rotterdam, as was originally planned, but Groningen, a city in the north of the Netherlands. The local Rotterdam government does not grant the Red Bull Backyard Digger team the necessary permits to help the local BMXers to build a dirt spot. The Rotterdam government stated that there is much crime on the site where the dirt was to be built. They expect that if the site were turned into a dirt spot, crime would increase.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.