Behind you all the way!
By John Dickinson on 22nd Nov 07
This week we look at the power of the press, the flurry of activity at the Gas Gas factory and David Knight's disappearing $50,000
THE power of the press! We had some excellent newsthis week in that, directly following on from the story printed in T+MXon page 4 last week, regarding the Addingham Moorside trials venue, TheCity of Bradford Metropolitan District Council has promised the YeadonGuiseley club a reply to their planning request in the next two weeks.
The story in T+MX, by our long-time Yorkshirecorrespondent Barry Robinson, highlighted that, following thecontroversial closing by the authority of the popular Yorkshire trialsvenue, Y and G had submitted a planning application last May – sixmonths ago – seeking to run five trials a year for three years atAddingham and they had not even received a reply.
The club is certainly hopeful of a favourableoutcome, having presented a fair and compelling case for what is onlylimited use of the venue for motorcycle sport and T+MX is, of course,right behind it every step of the way.
EVERY so often, a factory, whether by good luck,good judgement or more often a combination of both, hits a lucky streakwith regards to publicity and, over the last couple of weeks, the GasGas concern has enjoyed a beano in T+MX. And deservedly so. In twoweeks they unveiled an exciting prototype Raga Replica two-stroke –with a win, launched a stunning new prototype four-stroke model at theMilan show and to top it all off, factory number one Adam Raga beatnewly-crowned World Champ Toni Bou to the Spanish Championship. Oh yes!And all this coincided with our annual test of the powerful 2008 GasGas Enduro range. All their birthdays came at once.
Of course, no-one is more aware than me that this was the cue for an impromptu chorusof ‘Trials and Gas Gas News'. No excuses necessary. Gas Gas WAS thenews. It was the little Gerona factory's turn at the top of the wheelof fortune and following a couple of, what could generously be calleduncertain years, as it was shuffled around like a financial pawn. Thecompany deserves a break as the factory founders and arch-enthusiasts,Josep Pibernat and Narcis Casas, who are back at the helm, get thingscracking once again.
Surely everyone must occasionally sit back andwonder exactly how factories such as Spain's Gas Gas and Sherco andItaly's Beta and TM and hopefully once again Britain's CCM, cancontinue to be a thorn in the side of the big fish. And we are not justtalking simple assembly plants here, all four of the little Eurofactories actually manufacture their own engines, both two-stroke andfour-stroke. It's amazing that they can compete on equal terms both inthe showrooms and out on the track with their gigantic rivals.
Tiny TM are more exposed than most on thecliff-face of competition as they face the might of the Japanese BigFour, plus voraciously ambitious KTM, in the full-glare of the MXGParena – and give their rivals a real hot run for their money and anoccasional bloody nose. There's no hiding place at MXGP level and Ihave the utmost respect for the unbridled enthusiasm, confidence andsheer never-say-die attitude of these motorised Davids in aGoliath-dominated mechanical world.
HOW sick must Britain's David Knight be havingbeen robbed of a 50,000 dollar pay-day – by a fellow KTM rider at that!See report on page 36. What were they thinking of? David was two-thirdsof the way towards that mighty payout, having won the first two roundsof the three-event series. A win in Las Vegas last weekend – three winsout of three equalled mega-paydirt – over American opposition that hewas totally the boss of – really would have seen the Manx ace hit theVegas jackpot. So who popped-up to stymie the plan – only fellow Euroand KTM factory pilot, Taddy Blazusiak!
Now I'm the last person to try and justify ‘matchfixing' but there are ways and means, as we have seen countless timesover the years in all forms of sport, never mind motor sport. Like, asI see it, in F1 it's OK for McLaren to have ‘race strategy' but not forFerrari to employ ‘team orders'.
So working along those very lines I tentativelysuggest that perhaps KTM could have run through a few ‘strategies'before the Las Vegas final and not let 50,000 dollars slip throughKnighter's fingers.
The dollar may be going through a tough time but 50,000 of them aren't to be sneezed at...