Happy New Yeah!
By TMX Archives on 7th Jan 05
It's all systems go as our resident PE teacher rolls up his sleeves, blows his whistle and gets Team Twisted 7 Kawasaki up and running... What could possibly beat last year's Christmas bonanza of a small plastic motorbike from a cracker and a glow in the dark alien Frisbee as the perfect gift for any man? Well, in the humble opinion of my girlfriend Laura, a tin of marbles and some games and puzzles barely suitable for a geriatric knees-up in an old people's home are all a bloke in his 30s could ever wish for! Hell, she even got me a pair of festive kecks - c'mon, is this as good as it gets? So along with some shower gel, modern-day Hi Karate aftershave from the pound shop, indigestion and a hangover that was about as good as Chrimbo got. "What about all the great stuff I got you?" she said in the face of my rather large festive season sulk. Hmm, maybe she did get me some good stuff but history tells us people are often remembered more for their mistakes than their triumphs. Take Clown for example - after earning heaps of respect for looking every bit the headmaster at the New Year's Eve fancy dress bash, he'll now forever be remembered for clearing the dance floor by falling over with the grace of a giant redwood being felled. I'm sure Clown would've been numb to any pain but just to be sure he didn't hurt himself he used Rosco's girlfriend Lou as a crash mat. No problem for Lou as she's brave enough to handle such trauma - after all, would you let the Sturminator whisper sweet nothings in your ear? Personally, I think Clown was just fatigued after the intense work-out I'd given him. As the PE teacher and headmaster we had to lead by example and show discipline at all times. There are some people who dare to say I don't stay in shape - ha! How many of you counted in the New Year with press ups? It takes effort to maintain my weeble shape ya know. In all fairness, I think I may have to start doing more midnight press ups to get fit in time for the start of the season. It won't take long to get in shape but first I've got to shift the extra weight of the sofa as it has grown onto my back over the winter months. My doctor has told me that changing my diet, unplugging the TV and mild exercise will soon make it disappear! Probably more than ever before I'm excited about the start of a race season. Well I say excited, I think it's more nervous apprehension actually as 2005 is not just another paragraph but a whole new chapter in my autobiography that's going under the working title 'Yes, I'm ginger and bald'! It may well turn out to be a short chapter but I'll do my best to make sure it isn't. Last year was brilliant - all the involvement I had with the GP was an experience I'm glad I had and the year just finished on a high thanks to Clown (that alone will keep me chuckling for a month or more). So I enter 2005 really upbeat and not even a trip to my money grabbing dentist can drag me down. Twisted 7 Kawasaki will no doubt take over my life this year and now I've clogged my arteries with the festive cocktail of various meats, chocolate, cheeses and wine it's time to fold from the marathon of gluttony like Paula Radcliffe and concentrate on getting this team up and running. I feel and move like a dump truck so it's time to work like one. Within the next month there's all the mundane stuff to sort out that a modern MX team need to have if you want to be taken seriously. Vehicles, awnings, tables, chairs, flooring, mats - and that's just some of the paddock set-up. On top of that there's working with all our product sponsors, making sure we've got everything we need for the kick-off and getting all the entries done. Somehow I need to find the time to get some riding in with my new team-mate Bryan Mack as well. Admittedly, it hardly justifies the violin treatment for sympathy from anyone as there are a lot worse things to be doing but after last year I know how time consuming it is. I want to get down to Scott 'Totti' Eastwood's place in Spain to get some riding in and do a round of the Spanish championship but I think it may be a tall order - it depends how it all goes with getting everything sorted in time. Thing is - as any team manager will tell you - it never seems to work out that way (not that I have much experience). It will be made easier by the fact I'm working with some good people that know what it takes. Paul Hunt is going to help out with the paddock set-up - he's just started doing paddock design and solutions with his new company Clever Banners so it's good to be working with someone who's done it all on the track and is just starting out with his brainchild too. He's also getting an indoor minibike series off the ground near Bournemouth Airport along with Ian Pratt from Broadview Blinds so I've gotta fit that into my schedule as well. Where I'm going to find the time to play with my marbles god only knows - I may end up losing them if I haven't done so already.