No Brainer!
By TMX Archives on 17th Jul 06
Why should a top rider effectively pay to race for his country in the ISDE when he could be earning mega money in the States? The answer is, quite simply, he shouldn't... For anyone not closely involved in the British and world enduro scene David Knight's decision not to compete in this year's ISDE in New Zealand might well have come as a bit of a shock. He is after all the world's best enduro rider at present, the defending ISDE event winner and the rider that has played a pivotal role in helping GB place fourth in '02, fifth in '04 and fourth again in '05 in the Trophy Team event. He's also, with the exception of Paul Edmondson, Britain's only full-time professional enduro rider and a man who has spent more of his own money representing his country than most. And that is where the problems lie.
Enduro, as everyone knows, isn't a lucrative sport where the best in the world earn super-sized salaries and have everything handed to them on a plate. Far from it. It's a sport where working hard and taking risks is what's needed to succeed and earning a living from full-time racing is something only a select few are good enough and fortunate enough to do. David has worked extremely hard to earn his living racing an enduro bike and is now starting to reap the rewards of what he has sewn over the last five years.
The ISDE itself is a strange event and one that offers little reward to professional riders, unlike the select few extreme and indoor events that now take place around the world. With Joe Public able to compete in the ISDE alongside the world's best the six days is an event that's steeped in history (it celebrates its 81st birthday in November) while at the same time one that's no longer as important as it once was. The FIM still think it is but to professional riders it's not. In reality it's time for an Enduro des Nations but that's a whole different subject.
The event that once helped manufacturers sell bikes around the world providing they triumphed in or simply finished 'the Olympics of motorcycling' no longer carries the marketing kudos it did. Today manufacturers are focused on making money from the event by renting bikes to willing and often not-that-able riders. As far as Europe's leading bike builders are concerned topping the ISDE is great but winning world titles is what they are really focused on. As the FIM themselves admit the ISDE is now a celebration of off-road motorcycling.
David's reasons for not competing are simple. As any rider that has ever competed in the six days will tell you the event consumes large amounts of time, effort and money in much the same way as the Dakar does but only a smaller scale - no matter whether you are an enthusiastic amateur or, as David is, a professional.
Competing for your country shouldn't cost a rider anything but in reality no matter how much money is raised or given by the ACU it does. Putting a hand in his own pocket to cover bits n' bobs is something David, like all British team riders, has had to do time and time again. In David's case on five separate occasions - each and every time he has raced for the British Trophy team as well as in '03 when he got himself and his machinery ready only to be told at the 11th hour that the ACU were no longer sending a Trophy team. He has never bitched and moaned about it, he did it to ensure that he was as well prepared as he could be - not only for himself but for the British Trophy team as well.
But two things changed for David last year, both of which made him stop and think twice about competing in future ISDE events. He achieved one of his goals as a professional motorcycle rider by winning the '05 running of the event and later went on to win both the Las Vegas Endurocross and the Red Bull Last Man standing events in the States. For winning the ISDE he got numerous pats on the back, several magazine covers across Europe and a raised international profile. For winning two one-day events in the US he got all of the above as well as earning $20,000.
So it's not really that difficult to see, bearing in mind that this year's ISDE clashes with the Vegas Endurocross, why David has opted not to compete in New Zealand. With the event coming at the end of a demanding season that has seen David rest far less than any professional athlete should, having to spend his own money to compete in an event that he has now won outright and will see little financial reward from doesn't have the same appeal as it did in years past.
Add to that the fact that at the same time he stands a very real chance of earning what for an enduro rider is a considerable sum of money by competing in two all-expenses-paid events in the US, a clearer picture develops as to why the world's best enduro rider has decided not to represent his country. As a professional motorcycle rider David has a finite amount of time at the top of his game. During that time he has to try and win as many races as he can and earn as much money as he can, all the while still enjoying what he does.
David will be back competing in the six days - of that I'm sure - but for the time being specialist one-off events in the States have the edge over the ISDE.