And the winner is...
By TMX Archives on 13th Feb 06
No big surprise that Martin Barr lifted the Irish Racer award for MX rider of the year seeing as the Dixon/Bike-it youngster made both national and international headlines.What was exceptional though to both Martin and motocross in general is that No big surprise that Martin Barr lifted the Irish Racer award for MX rider of the year seeing as the Dixon/Bike-it youngster made both national and international headlines.What was exceptional though to both Martin and motocross in general is that one of the most prestigious awards - for the young rider of the year - was also awarded to Martin! Now, the significance of a motocross rider winning this award is enormous.On this island road racers are legends and we have currently such a talented presence at British Super Bike level with the Lavertys and Jonny Rea etc. So to win an award of this nature - which is decided by a 10-man panel from within the industry and media - gives credit to the achievements of Martin and the MX fraternity who rarely get talked about in the same breath as their Tarmac compatriots.Speaking of legends, it was without a doubt one of the highlights of the awards evening to have none other than three-time world champ Dave Thorpe present the MX rider of the year awards. Second behind Martin was Phil McCullough - despite not winning a championship in 2005. The Ballymena charger always stirs up passion and one of his best rides ever was at Ballykelly last season when - after a crash - he remounted, fixed himself and charged from dead last to take a monumental victory. That sort of performance - and the fact that '05 was his comeback season after what would have been to many riders a career ending injury - would have added a few votes from the judges.Robert Hamilton was voted third following a successful season that saw him win the Ulster title although internal club politics were to play a part in taking his national crown away from the sprightly 17-year-old.Pre-season practice is in full swing and while the superstars are practising at secret locations throughout Europe, the clubman racers are doing their best to trash their 2006 machines before a wheel is turned in earnest.Ulstermotocross.com is full of the 'which colour is best' and horror stories of 5000 machines reduced to scrap as the odd four-stroker throws its dummy out of the pram. Now I don't believe that any of the manufacturers produce a bike that's designed to implode during its lifetime. The fact that this indeed does happen on occasion is mainly due to maintenance - or rather the lack of it. Then there's the fact that we tend to look for ways to make already fast machines even faster which in turn will have a direct bearing on the reliability issue.If you're desperate to get rid of some of your hard-earned cash in order to improve your lap times then get your suspension set up and put a new tyre on when it is needed. It's a simple enough theory - if your machine is bouncing about like a Lotto winning Donkey you'll be hard pressed to make that pass stick. And it won't matter if you have a factory engine if you're running slicks!News of the demise of two-strokes may have been a little premature. Paddock talk is that DG Williamson rider Tommy Merton was seen practising on a 125cc Yamaha - will this mean a return to the tiddler for Tommy in the Irish/Ulster MX2 championships?GOMX/Russell's rider Luke Wilde will run 125/250cc two-stroke Suzuki machines in his rookie season while team-mate Robert Hamilton is considering riding a 125 and 450F Yamaha in the Irish title chase. And then there is Adam Lyons. What's Adam going to be up to this season? All I can say is watch this space (which means you don't know - SL)...Moto-One teamsters McC and Wayne Garrett have been clocking up the miles on their KTM 250F machines and the word is that Wayne is flying! Not at all surprising as on his day Wayne's the fastest rider in the country but it's a long way to go until the final Irish national round on September 17.Gordon Crockard is well into his preparations for what will be a tough return to top level competition but the three-time British champ is hungry to regain his place at the top. Fast becoming the premier series in Europe, the British title will be hotly-contested in 2006.GC has the talent and burning ambition - although in some quarters of the British off-road press Gordy appears to have been written off. Well, those that know him know this is the best form of motivation available for the Newtownards man - we all remember when GC went from zero to hero.The release of championship dates has been met with the usual moaning by some - although it must be said that the majority have welcomed the effort that has been made by the MRA to ensure that the Irish and Ulster series will get to visit most of the circuits available.And it's good to see the famous Tinkerhill venue returning to the championship calendar - the popular hardpack track just outside Newry always generates one of the largest crowds of the season.Words by Stevie Mills Photo by Sutty