Geoff Ballard - The wizard of Oz
By Sean Lawless on 5th Jul 17
Aussie off-road legend Geoff Ballard was a last-minute entry for last weekends Wulfsport King of the Castle and he gave former British 125cc champion Pete Mathia and Alan Bott a run for their money in the Over 50 A group.
Racing an '81 490 Maico twin-shock (what else?) the 58-year-old ran 3-2-2-2 for second overall behind Math as the trio turned back the clock with a demonstration of old-school, wide-open racing.
"I'm a long way from home," he said.
"I had an invitation to Valli Bergamasche which was a 50-year celebration of a big event in Italy which was great and then a mate of mine suggested I should do the Welsh Two-Day and then the King of the Castle at Farleigh.
"I wanted to do a bit of racing because I didn't do much at all last year."
Geoff's best known as an enduro rider with 12 ISDE Gold Medals and three US national off-road titles to his name but his motocross skills are still razor-sharp.
"Most of my life I've ridden enduro. I came over to do the world championship but I couldn't make any money at that so I raced pro motocross, mainly in France, just to pay my way.
"I'm not as old as Math but I'm getting there. He's awesome. It's been a great weekend and Bill Brown's been awesome too - he's really been looking after me. I'm lucky to be here and appreciating the whole thing. It's a fantastic event."
