Eyes down for a mega 2013
By TMX Archives on 11th Jan 13
Managed to sneak an afternoon off between Christmas and New Year to get along and listen to Arthur Browning at the Kendal Classic clubs annual gathering at a local hostelry.
And what an entertaining afternoon it was (reported on elsewhere in this issue) listening to the tales of Arthur, who is without a doubt one of the greatest all-round two-wheel aces ever.
I can't think of any other modern-day stars who have ridden to International standard in motocross and enduro, to National standard in trials and grass track, contested the Manx Grand Prix road races and on top of that earned a living as a top speedway rider. What a man!
With over 100 peeps turning out for the bash I think the Classic guys and gals are on to something here!
The majority of those present really know their stuff as well. It never ceases to amaze me as to the combined depth of knowledge that can be assembled.
One story inevitably leads to several others, then several more, all with a common thread. Few mysteries are left unsolved, I know that!
But with this year's gathering already history, who can be persuaded to entertain the troops next year I wonder?
No sooner have we entered 2013 than the first major encounter of the year is upon us (now behind us actually!) and once again the Sheffield Indoor set the pace and got the new season away with a bang.
We know times are hard so it was amazing to see a crowd approaching 6,000 turn out to watch the guys do their thing indoors.
Toni Bou remains a class apart and in the post trial interview said he thought the sections looked easy (only to him!) but some worked out harder than they looked because they were slippery (with dust) not water. It is truly a privelege
It was good to see Albert Cabestany sticking with Toni virtually mark-for-mark all night and of course James Dabill gunning for a podium.
James was unlucky to miss out on a guaranteed ride this year and his top-four finish shows that Dibs well-deserved a regular place on merit. As it is he is now at the mercy of the wild card system – and there's only one round in Britain...
Moving on there's going to be no stopping from now until – well, next Christmas! And that's a fact.
This weekend there's a double-barrel blast from two top events, with The Tough One extreme enduro "oop north” in the awesome Nantmawr Quarry, while the inaugural British Arenacross series gets underway "darn sarth” at the awesome 02 arena.
Both events will, of course, be given the full treatment in next week's TMX so hang on to your hats for a really busy and exciting year off-road!
