Gas Gas Win Manufacturers Team Award
By TMX Archives on 14th May 07
Team JST GAS GAS UK have just won the Manufacturers Team Award at the prestigious Scottish Six Days Trial for the third year running! Congratulations to the GAS GAS 'A Team', Alexz Wigg, Shaun Morris and Dan Thorpe.
All three riders rode consistantly all week to scoop this award with Alexz Wigg being the Top GG rider finishing in 6th place, Shaun 8th and Dan 10th.
Individual performances...
Alexz Wigg was the best Gas Gas rider finishing in 6th place also winning the Best Newcomer Award. For a 17 year old to finish his first Scottish in 6th is a fantastic achievement and i am personally proud and honoured to have watched Alexz ride every section. Both myself and Wayne Braybrook rode with Alexz all week advising him on various things and also to assist him if he needed us. I must say Alexz was the one holding the bars and he achieved this result all on his own....all Wayne and i provided was the fact he could relax a little more than if was riding on his own. I also provided the entertainment looping my bike and sitting in the stream at Gorton and going over the handlebars at speed on Pipeline and countless times over the moors!
The maturity of such a young rider impressed me the most, also his focus on the job in hand. He listened to both myself and Wayne intensly and deserved a good result. Welldone Reg !
I am firmly confident that Alexz has the ability and maturity to win the Scottish.....soon.
Shaun Morris finished 8th.
Last year was his first year finishing 4th so this year Shaun was our best hope to win the event but after Monday this was never going to happen! I do not want to comment at length on the clubs decision to cancel the two sections on Monday but i must say that this decision was simply 'tough shit' on the early riders. It is natural for the top riders to hang back a little on their early day so most of Team GG did this waiting for the sections to ease a little. It was obvious when we got to the lunch break we were way behind on time and had to race to the finish which included not having time to study Lagnaha AND riding them first !
We all raced to the finish and Shaun was actually 17 minutes late.
When the results came out they also recorded giving Shaun a '3' on the hard double section at Lagnaha which was actually a double clean! This was soon corrected by the Club on Monday night but you can imagine Shauns mood on Tuesday morning...
The club also gave an extra 10 minutes time for the Monday so this helped riders who lost time.
In the end we accepted the Clubs difficult decision and got on with the event.
Shaun rode very well all week and after finishing 20th on Monday got back to 8th at the finish.
Dan Thorpe finished 10th.
Dan had another consistant Scottish but unfortunately had a couple of '5s' that spoilt his week.
To do well in Scotland you need a certain amount of luck and i'm afraid this year Dan had none...He cleaned both sections that were cancelled on monday and also had a few observers decisons that didn't go his way.
Wayne Braybrook finished 15th.
After a nightmare first day finishing in 34th, my buddy rode his ass off for five days and ended up 15th. To make you realise how good Wayne was for five days look at this....He lost 77 marks in total but 38 were on Monday! So he rode five days for only 39 marks which averages at 7.8 marks a day! Not bad for a 37 year old in his first Trial of the year! Welldone pal...you were awesome.
Liam Walker finished 24th.
Average week for Liam which wasnt helped with a real bad day on Monday and losing 16 on time.
Shirty jnr. finished 25th.
For me nowadays to expect a mega result in Scotland is not going to happen. I am unfit, overweight and have litttle interest in riding anymore apart from the Scottish so its not suprising that i was absolutley knackered after 3 days. Before the event i was hoping for Top 20 but realistically Top 30 so i guess im relatively 'OK' with 25th...
The Scottish is a very stressful week for all the importers but i have to say that because i have probably the best staff i could wish for with Factory Kev, Andy and Luke looking after things in the carpark this allows me to keep riding the best event in the World and also keep a watchful eye on my Team riders. I took the decision to help Alexz this year as it was his first year and i remember my first year when i was 17 (when Alexz wasnt even alive!). Theres alot of pressure on Alexz because of what he has won in the last few years and i guess he could use my experience. I told Alexz to 'do as i say and not as i do' and he listened 100% to what i advised him. I admire his maturity bigtime and i know he has what it takes to win this event and i want to be there when he does!
Other GG Teamsters who won Special First Class Awards included...
Richard Timperley 29th
Ross Danby 31st ON A 125!!
Dan Farrer 37th
Craig Robinson 42nd
Roger Williams 44th
Andy Cripps 48th
Robert Andrews 49th
Ashley Smith 50th.
MASSIVE THANKYOU TO 'FACTORY KEV' ANDY AND LUKE WHO LOOKED AFTER US ALL IN THE CARPARK!