Gempen Memorial Canceled – Not Too Much Foresight!
The Gempen Memorial , a casual event in the Dornach region of the canton of Basel-Landschaft, was scheduled to take place on September 12, 2026. On August 19, it was decided that the event would not take place: “The organizing committee has been closely monitoring the situation over the past few days and has been in constant communication with representatives of the authorities, emergency services, as well as partners and sponsors. In particular, the area around the Gempen school building—including the festival grounds and the parking lot on the meadow—as well as the finish area would have posed a major challenge had the event gone ahead. A carelessly discarded cigarette on a dry meadow could have quickly led to a wildfire. The entire event area in Gempen and Dornach is at fire danger level 5, with an absolute ban on open fires.”
These are clear words, and the reasons are understandable. However, one might ask whether it's possible to predict the weather three weeks in advance. Based on current forecasts, it's safe to assume that the coming week will be rainy. That would significantly reduce the risk of a meadow fire.
This view, however, falls short, because—as with any undertaking—there is a “point of no return.” Once this point is passed, canceling at any stage would entail an immensely greater effort—for nothing. That is why it is reasonable to make a decision, even if, as the organizing committee emphasizes, it “...was not an easy one for the organizing committee.”
Now the organizers are hoping for support from sponsors and participants, for example by allowing entry fees to be retained and used for the next edition, which is scheduled to take place around the same time in 2027. I hope that this decision will not only be met with understanding by everyone involved, but that they will also provide the necessary support. Because, as is usually the case with these kinds of events, the event relies on volunteer work.
Well, it's a shame for me, too, but I'm looking forward to next year and hope that my good buddy can bring himself to share his little speed demon from Turin with me as a passenger and “sandbag”—because I'm definitely not doing the power-to-weight ratio any favors!
(Photo: © Ruedi Menzi)
