For anyone who has attended one of Bates Red Bull Pro Nationals it is easy to see that these are something special. It is all about color, presentation and enjoyment for both the riders and the spectators.

British Motocross has been on its knee's in recent years with the British Grand Prix changing venues and the young British riders heading outside the country to America and Australia. While all this happens crowds are being treated to improved events and local riders are finding more prize money from both the Red Bull Pro Nationals and also the Maxxis British Motocross Championship. Competition is a healthy thing and Bates knows better than anyone that the sport of Motocross is here for the long run.

We decided to catch up with Bates and ask him about this year’s Red Bull Pro Nationals and his plans for the future.

MXlarge: Matt, thanks for your time, you must be a busy guy at the moment. Can you give me some idea what will be changing for the Red Bull Pro Nationals in 2010?

Bates: I really want to get going to the build up for the Red Bull Pro Nationals. What we do every year is one round we try something new and last year we had the Red Bull Elite Youth Cup, the Red Bull Pro Nationals and the 2-strokes all together, and that really worked, it drew in the crowd, it brought everyone together and it cut costs for us, we made it work. And that is our plan this year eight rounds all together.

MXlarge: It seems to me that the Red Bull Pro Nationals is bringing together some of the FIM World Motocross Championship ideas and also some of the AMA Nationals ideas, would that be true?

Bates: You nailed it right on the head, because we are all young and we want to ride on nice tracks, it is important that we prep the track right, not just cause riders love it, but there is nothing better than turning up and knowing it’s going to be great. I also love it to look right, I get a kick out of that, presentation is important. For me it's about every time I stage and event I want it to be better and better. I like what the Grand Prix's have done I think they are getting better and better, but professional doesn't always make it relaxing, so on the other end you have the AMA Nationals, which is the total opposite, so we tried to mix and match the two and bring in some of our own flair.

MXlarge: What is the next step for the Red Bull Pro Nationals, maybe having some International riders racing against the British competitors?

Bates: It is and we will do that by working with our partners, companies like Red Bull, FOX, Pirelli and some of the companies that are involved with them. We do want some European riders involved and maybe even take a round to another European country as well.

MXlarge: The World is still in recession. I guess it has to be slow and steady or not?

Bates: A lot of it is cost though isn't it? We have to do it in stages, if I could do what I wanted, without taking the cost into account I would and it would surprise so many people, we can't afford to do that yet, but I think in three years time you will go to one of our events as a punter or rider and our events will totally change the face of Motocross. And I stand by that.

MXlarge: Obviously Red Bull plays a major part in your progress. It seems like energy drinks are helping the sport a lot at the moment. How important is Red Bull for you?

Bates: I have worked with Red Bull for over ten years now with my company and we are an agent of Red Bulls, so we have a really good relationship with them, but you are right energy drink companies are keeping these sports alive at the moment en injection new life into them. Without the energy drink companies the sport would be in a worse place, but it would still survive. A lot of people have said we would be nothing without Red Bull, but we wouldn't be nothing, we would just be in a different place.

MXlarge: Motocross is full of survivors, people who are working hard to make the sport grow.

Bates: You know if you put all the people who are running different sporting events and those events are a success, then you will see that they are all survivors, call them wheelers and dealers, or whatever, they are all from the same ilk and are all survivors.

MXlarge: Is Motocross growing at a good level, compared to other sports?

Bates: I think we are growing at a different level at a different direction. If we are honest we are a pain in the ass, we make a mess and we are noisy and what worries me is people who want to grow the sport, but don't know what they are doing, some of the Motocross events you see on television, it isn't doing the sport any favors.

MXlarge: Obviously competition is good and it seems like the Maxxis British Motocross Championship is also improving with you as competition?

Bates: They run a good series and they have the support they need at the moment, how long that lasts I don't know. You know if we had to stop right now and Red Bull didn't sell another can on the shelf, and they stopped supporting us, and we had to stop, at least we have made the others pull their socks up and the sport is in a better place because of it. There is nostalgia about the ACU, but their view isn't my view or some other peoples view, and that is why one of the top guys at the ACU left them and is now with us. I don't think the ACU are doing anything wrong, it just might not be fashionable at the moment.