Giving credit where it's due
By TMX Archives on 1st Oct 10
Having had the cheek to take a short holiday, editor 'JD' returns to pass judgement on the good and the bad forget the ugly!
As the season, at least the championship season for all off-road disciplines, reaches its climax there's been some amazing finishes and some equally amazing achievements on all fronts.
Whether you have been involved with motocross, trials or enduro, or you simply keep your eye on all of them, it has been an interesting year – and it's not over yet!
This week we've got James Dabill making history with a clean sweep of the ACU British Trials Championship. Eight wins from eight starts is an achievement that, and please correct me if I'm wrong, hasn't been done before. You can argue it how you like, and the current format of British Champs certainly isn't to everyone's taste, but to actually nail a 100% win-rate in adult British Champs is something pretty special and congratulations to James as he retains his British crown.
Tom Sagar was also celebrating a British Championship E2 class win this weekend following the final round, the Natterjack Enduro. Tom is one of the nicest lads around, always ready with a big friendly grin, and a brilliant all-rounder. Tom already had national trials championships to his name before he decided to have a bash at enduro. He was battling for a ‘Best on Day' award in the Scottish Six Days this year before he had to quit the event to get ready for a British Championship enduro round! With a British title in the bag it was surely a good decision.
And not a bad choice of rider by Putoline Suzuki ‘boss' Paul Edmondson...
Taking a quantum leap across the Atlantic, more congratulations are due to the three-man British squad in the Motocross des Nations. Sorry, by the way, if that ‘des' upsets anyone but I have no idea why the name, which was universally accepted for decades, suddenly became Motocross ‘of' Nations. Yes, its English, but why cause confusion when there is no apparent reason?
Whatever, the team finished a fine fourth which surely can't be bad. The British team that eventually lined-up was Dean Wilson, Jake Nicholls and Brad Anderson. We at T+MX have been following Wilson's rapid career advancement in America, both in Supercross and in the outdoor series with wide-eyed wonder and as he became available to ride for the team he was surely a shoe-in. And he delivered in spades. With Tommy Searle and Shaun Simpson's injury problems Jake Nicholls became the obvious MX2 man and surely there can't be a red-blooded British MX fan who didn't cheer long and loud when Brad Anderson's name was finally announced?
On the track there are few riders in the world who can hold a candle to the north easterner when it comes to riding with his heart. Fully fit or injured you get nothing but 100% from the boy and I have found myself hanging over the palings urging him on – along with thousands of others. As I say, there aren't too many riders that inspire that kind of passion. He rides virtually every British Championship that he can fit in, seems to win most of them and it was great to see him post a pair of cracking finishes in America.
ON ANOTHER front, don't know how many of you saw the story in the paper the other week about the well-known Lake District pass, Walna Scar, having been closed to powered traffic once again at very short notice. The pass, which has been proved in court beyond a shadow of a doubt that it has been used by powered traffic since such was available, (my own late dad traversed Walna many times in the 1930s on all manner of motorcycles along with his pals of the time) was given the all-clear earlier this year following a three-year enquiry.
Now a fresh challenge to people's proven ‘rights' by the beard and walking boots brigade has seen Walna closed yet again.
What miserable lives these sad, sad people must lead. They spend their waking hours not wondering how best they can enjoy their day, but how much hassle they can cause other people and how they can spoil other people's enjoyment.
The beardies receieved a bloody nose last week though! The local newspaper, the Westmorland Gazette, ran a poll asking the simple question to their readers.
Should off-road vehicles (including motor cycles) be allowed on unmettalled roads in the Lake District
The result was a resounding YES, which was a real poke in the eye for the miseries.
In my own experience the vast majority of walkers and countryside users, especially genuine locals rather than opinionated off-comers, rub along fine with motorcyclists, as long as us two-wheelers act sensibly.
Unfortunately there are a few reactionaries in various so-called green movements who squawk and squeal and stamp their hob-nailed boots in all the right places and unfortunately authority often appears to take their twisted views more seriously than those of us who are much more tolerant of others.
As in many walks of life, those who shout the loudest get the most attention, however little it may be deserved.
I will be keeping a close eye on developments...