Billy Bolts' the new kid on Extreme Enduro block
By John Dickinson on 18th Feb 16
SO, theres Billy the Kid, Billy Whizz and then theres Billy Bolt.
The talented Geordie is as close as you'll get to an amalgam of the other two, one a real-life teenage gunfighter, the other a lively cartoon character living life at breakneck speed.
That's Wor Billy to a T
At 18, Billy has already raced through a trials career during which he established himself as an incredibly talented, if somewhat wayward kid.
Don't read that wrong, the waywardness isn't badness, there isn't a bad bone in Billy's body – it is born of boredom.
Billy is a bright lad with a very low boredom threshold.
He would far rather pull off an outrageous stunt on a trials bike – to bang instantly on social media – than grind out a clean lap on sections that were sending him to sleep.
But now this, some would say, wasted talent is being channelled in an entirely new direction as Billy heads into the world of extreme enduro – a motorcycle discipline where everything seems eminently much more suited to Billy in every respect, than trials could ever be.
Being a big lad, tall and gangly, he dwarfed modern trials bikes and so the physically much bigger enduro machines fit his frame far better.
Also, in an extreme enduro, there is simply no time for Billy to get bored. You are at peak concentration at all times and mentally this is what Billy's ever-active brain requires.
A quick history lesson saw dad Dave – a confirmed motorcycle nut all his life – put Billy on a Suzuki LT50 quad at the age of just two-and-a-half and on a Yamaha PW50 two-wheeler at three.
"I just rode it in the park near our house at Wallsend, nobody seemed to bother,” said Billy when we met up at Holmescales Activity Centre, near Kendal, where he had motored over to meet up with his new mentor, Julian Stevens.
"I actually started out riding motocross when I was six on a LEM50 but I don't think dad was too keen on the youth MX scene.
"When I was seven we got a TY80 and we were soon riding Richmond club events which were really competitive.”
A quick rip through the ensuing seasons saw Billy charge through the various Youth trials classes, sometimes doing full Championship seasons.
He remembers his first D class British Champs trial was at Scarborough (Low North Park) back in 2006 – just 10 years ago – and that the family did four more rounds that year.
A full season in C class followed, Billy finishing ninth as one of the youngest riders in class.
He then finished second the following two years, the first time to Yorkshire's Jack Price and then to Welsh ace Iwan Roberts.
All three lads became really good mates and this friendly rivalry just carried on through the years to 2015, when they each contested the World Cup series – the feeder class to the World Championship.
Iwan eventually finished third, Jack seventh and Billy ninth after a somewhat troubled season when he had to switch from Ossa – after the factory closed, mixed-up in the Gas Gas bankruptcy – to Scorpa machinery.
Billy and British importer Nigel Birkett had worked hard to get the Ossa to Billy's liking and he rode it well, taking three World Cup podiums, two second places behind eventual 2015 Champion Quentin Carles de Caudemberg in the Czech Republic and second on day two in the British round at Nord Vue, Penrith, to Iwan.
Back to the story...
Billy's first full Brit Champ year in B class resulted in fourth place behind Luke Walker and Bradley Cox.
Luke has become a regular face on the adult National scene but Bradley, a talented rider, has moved away from trials.
"I lost my way a bit in the second year of B class,” admits Billy, "I was finding the trials too easy and couldn't concentrate. Fourth place wasn't good but that's what happened. I missed the first two rounds of the 2012 season as I was still in B class but wanted to move up to A for the challenge.
"I did win the Scarborough round and we did the double-header Isle of Man round and was second to Dan Peace both days.”
2013 saw Billy into the A class, now on the Ossa, and the end result was third place overall behind Jack Price and Iwan Roberts!
By now though Billy's priorities had switched to the European and World Champs. His first foray abroad was to Germany for a European round where he said: "I didn't ride well but I really enjoyed it. "I loved riding abroad and made a lot of good friends.
"All the lads get on really well and after the trials we used to join-up for a game of football and just socialise.
"I probably enjoyed the European series best, they are tough but still rideable and enjoyable trials with big entries and riders from all the European countries, not just Spain.
"I had some good results but somehow never managed to put together a consistently good year.
"One of my best rides was in 2013 and I had just turned 16 before the last World Youth round at Isola in France.
"There was a big entry and I finished second to home rider Carles de Caudemberg. "I was actually leading by quite a margin after the second lap but the pressure got to me and I just lost it.”
2014 saw Billy enjoy the Euros again plus selected World rounds which brings us back round to 2015, which looks like being his final year in International trials.
"I was doing my A levels last season and as I passed them all I think I did pretty well considering I had a 56 per cent attendance record,” he admitted.
Billy is a bright lad who, predictably, was bored by school but took five As, four Bs and a C at GCSE.
He excels at maths and statistics and this makes perfect sense as he needs something that requires effort and concentration.
"I had a mate who was as good as me at maths and we used to race to see who could finish the question or test first,” he laughed.
"I'll definitely miss it especially seeing all the riders who have become friends over the last few years.
"But I decided that the chances of making a living out of trials is pretty remote as there are so few factory rides and I want to be a professional motorcycle rider. "This chance has come along and I thought it would be crazy to turn it down.”
So what is this opportunity? Over to Julian Stevens, the man responsible for Billy's conversion to Extreme Enduro rider.
Julian is one of the most respected figures in enduro with a list of past proteges second to none.
Taddy Blazusiak, David Knight, Paul Edmondson, Tom Sagar and currently Jonny Walker are just five of the riders who have benefitted from the Stevens input.
He spotted Jonny Walker who, like Billy was a very promising trials rider who could cut it at International level but who also realised the limited opportunities. We all know where Jonny is now, the World's top Extreme rider (although the incredible veteran Graham Jarvis keeps biting back) and is still managed by Julian.
Julian, said: "You have to have that trials experience, you don't get motocrossers making the switch.
"Some have tried but they soon find out how hard it really is. The key is getting the trials riders up to speed and building stamina.
"This takes time but I'm amazed at how quickly Billy is learning. He never rode an enduro bike until just before Christmas.”
How did Julian spot Billy?
"On social media, I kept finding these video clips of this kid doing crazy things on a trials bike and I just thought he had something about him.
"So I went to the British World Round at Penrith last year and asked him if he had thought about extreme enduro.
"He said he had but that he was committed to the World Cup and trials for 2015. I respected that as it showed he will stick at something.
"So I just told him that if he wanted to make the move to give me a bell and I'd see what I could do.”
Julian pointed out that this is not a big bucks effort.
"KTM has really cut back on off-road sponsorship this year so it is down to us to make it work.
"We have a friend and sponsor who is really into of-road who bought the 300 KTM. I look after it, and Billy has some good personal sponsors and this first year we have to get him to learn fast.
"I don't think that will be a problem, Billy is very smart. Like all kids he spends all day online.
"But while most of them just mess with absolute drivel, Billy educates himself.
"If I talk to him about something that he knows nothing about he won't say anything but later he will be telling me all about it.
"He'll have taken the trouble to find out and taken it all in.”
"This year I just want him to ride anything and everything.
"We'll be doing the Fast Eddy series, some sprints, maybe the odd timecard event. It's all experience and getting his name out there.
"He's naturally quick enough to run at the front in tough events already.”
WHAT could be in store is already obvious.
After just one shakedown run in a local northern enduro at Helmsley – he finished second to Joe Chambers – Billy finished a superb fourth in the opening Fast Eddy series event at Tong in Yorkshire.
"I was holding second for ages but just ran out of oxygen eventually,” admitted Billy. "But I'm working on that, in training I'm getting further each time before running out of air.”
Julian then entered Billy in the Ales Trem Extreme Enduro in France.
Despite only being in its second year this event is already one of THE extreme events to ride.
It takes place at Pole Mecanique, the purpose-built motor sport facility in the south of France at Ales (the original home of Scorpa) and boasts a tarmac race track, paddock, garages etc.
This perfect parc ferme is surrounded by equally perfect awesome off-road territory.
There's 400 riders, a massive crowd, a qualifying Prologue and SuperEnduro run at night with bags of atmosphere – exactly the type of event Billy is ultimately targeting.
Julian was going anyway, to keep his eye on Jonny (who won!) so it was a great opportunity for Billy to see what it was really all about.
The experience was all the more surreal as he was riding a 125 (KTM) on which he only had about an hour's practise before lining up at the start.
Despite this he finished an amazing fourth in the SuperEnduro Superfinal, posted 13th best score in the Special Test and finished 10th overall.
Billy said: "I enjoyed every minute, the course was tough and super slippery and it just got worse and worse.
"The race was reduced from four laps to three because of the conditions. "I was able to run with the top guys and third place was a realistic finish behind Johnny and Graham.
"But I got tired on the last lap, got stuck in a hole and eventually dropped to tenth. "That was disappointing but I had proved to myself I could run the pace – and I won 150euros!
"The whole weekend was a huge confidence boost as I proved to myself and to Julian that I really can do it.
"The endurance will start to come with more training.” Final word from Billy
Billy said: "This is a new beginning for me, I've been riding trials for 10 years now but that's over for now.
"It is really exciting being given this chance by Julian. I am working a couple of days a week for one of my sponsors, Phil Clark of PC Trucks, and he also owns a gym at Cramlington which is only 10 minutes away so I am working hard in there, with lots of endurance and cardio.
"I really appreciate all the help I get from everyone. Nigel Birkett was brilliant for me over the last couple of years with Ossa and Scorpa and I hope to ride the Scottish Six Days.
"I've got an entry and it would keep me bike fit and exercise the trials skills.
"What I really need to work on now is my speed on the bike on different terrain. Jonny is really fast as he trains with top MX riders like Brad Anderson.
"I just need to get as many rides in as possible now, hopefully including Erzberg if Julian can get us organised.
"That would be awesome, with an eye on the SuperEnduro series next winter.”
So that's Billy Bolt, aged 18 and a half, the story so far.
He's talented, ambitious and undoubtedly going places.
Just how far he'll go I suspect we will learn sooner rather than later...
