Ebert Dollevoet, the organizer of the MXGP in Brabant, is furious with the municipality of Oss. The director of TOP Events has a five-year appointment with Oss for the organization of the international motocross event, but after the first edition in 2021 it can no longer take place due to problems with permits. According to Dollevoet, who is considering legal action, the damage is in the millions.
The MXGP in Oss on July 18, 2021 was a great success, but that’s it for now. According to Dollevoet, the municipality of Oss is abandoning him. The main reason is that any consultation with the municipality about an MXGP in 2023 proved impossible. As a result, it remained unclear whether he can meet the conditions of the international organizer Infront.
The director of TOP Events is angry because he only received clarity from the municipality in an initial meeting last week. That was too late, because Friday was the deadline to get on the calendar for the MXGP in 2023. “While they already knew the conditions for a year and a half,” says Dollevoet. “All this time it was lying and cheating. That is incomprehensible to me. and indigestible, for the damage is in the millions!”
“The municipality sent us to a location that they knew was not in order.”
And it all started so beautifully. In 2019, Dollevoet had a first conversation with mayor Buijs-Glaudemans and alderman Van Kessel and they were immediately enthusiastic. So enthusiastic that a letter signed by the mayor was sent on July 6, 2020 with the intention to hold the MXGP at circuit de Witte Ruysheuvel for five years.
The agreement was later formalized and Dollevoet also concluded a (financial) deal with the international MXGP organizer Infront. He then invested a lot of money together with the motorcycle club Oss, Van de Wetering Grondwerken and other sponsors to make the circuit of the Witte Ruysheuvel World Cup worthy. The first MXGP in Oss took place on July 18, 2021.
The event was a success, although in times of corona, and the day after Dollevoet received a message from a proud alderman with the compliments and the idea to evaluate. “On to 2022 and then with a full occupation”, according to Dollevoet let him know.
“The municipality made a 5-year commitment that it could never keep.”
But there was no evaluation. “It became very quiet from the municipality,” says Dollevoet. “But I kept insisting. On November 15, I proposed a new date on the 2022 competition calendar by email. That was March 27, but there was no response.”
Dollevoet kept trying and was eventually told eight weeks before the planned second edition that no more competitions were allowed to take place on the Witte Ruysheuvel because the correct permits were not available. The breeding season of the birds also suddenly got in the way. “But they have been racing there for fifty years,” says lawyer Anouk Hofman, who is now assisting Dollevoet. “With this message, it suddenly appeared that the municipality had made a 5-year commitment in 2020 that it could never fulfill.”
Madfoot isn’t happy, but he kept the lines open. The municipality then said sorry and sent him to the Nieuw Zevenbergen circuit in Berghem. He had to investigate at his own expense whether it was possible to keep the MXGP there. That ultimately came to nothing, because here too there were hassles with permits and organizational problems.
“They bring you in with flowers and then they just drop you.”
“They sent us to a location where they knew things were not in order,” said Dollevoet. “Only a race might still be possible, but a parking lot, a campsite and the construction of the paddock cause problems. These are strict requirements of organizer Infront at an MXGP. They have been aware of this at the municipality all along. ! Even before we signed the contract with Infront.”
Johan Becker, chairman of the Nieuw Zevenbergen Foundation that goes over the circuit, stands behind Dollevoet and also takes a break. “The municipality has thrown up as many obstacles as possible to not let it go through,” he says. “And we are used to them that they don’t respond to anything.”
This year has been a lost year for Dollevoet and his MXGP. Last week he had to tell Infront that it is unclear whether the circuits can meet the requirements in 2023. According to him, he was informed incompletely and too late by Oss all this time. And that stings.
“They bring you in with flowers, you stick your neck out in a difficult time and then they just drop you,” says Dollevoet. “And not just me. The motocross clubs and the companies that would cooperate are now in an unpleasant situation. We have been treated outrageously and it costs millions. I hoped for a solution until the last minute, but I am now considering further steps.”
The municipality of Oss does not recognize itself in Dollevoet’s story. “We would like to participate in events that bring liveliness and excitement to Oss. That suits the city. That is why we wanted to participate in this great initiative. We took a look and unfortunately found that it was not possible. If a municipality grants a permit, we must also we check whether it complies with the laws and regulations, for example for the environment. Sometimes it turns out that it is not possible. We have enthusiastically looked at alternatives with the organization. Unfortunately, we have not found them. We are also disappointed that it cannot continue to go.”
