Jonathan Richardson - Dabs to Riches
By TMX Archives on 8th Apr 15
Question: What do you do when you achieve your lifelong ambition to win the world famous Scott time and observation trial, the toughest event of its type in the world at the tender age of 19?Answer: If you are Jonathan Richardson you take stock and set another Erzberg!
JONO Richardson was born into a Yorkshire off-road motorcycling dynasty. Son of twice Scott Trial winner Gerald Richardson, whose brothers Les and Allan were also Yorkshire centre experts Jonny was always heading for a trials career.
Says Jono, " I got my first motorbike when I was seven and I just didn't want to be off it. I rode it all the time. I'd get up at six in the morning and ride it round the fields before school. My mates would go past on their way to school and I'd still be on my bike! I absolutely loved it.”
Jonathan then went through the Youth Trials Championship mill contesting all the classes. "Yes, I rode right through from D to A. I was always competitive but never quite made champion, the closest I came was finishing runner-up to Ben Morphet in the A class.”
"All I really wanted to do was to ride the Scott Trial, which my Dad won (1983 & 1985), but I don't remember that, I wasn't even born then! But you can't ride the Scott until you are 17 as it includes roadwork so it was a long and frustrating wait for me.” I remember (writes JD) seeing Jonathan at the finish of his first Scott and he was already disappointed when he could see that he wasn't going to be the fastest finisher.
He said at the time, "Before the trial everyone kept telling me to ride steady and pace myself or I'd run out of energy. I just wish now that I'd gone flat-out from the start!”
FOR FULL FEATURE AND PICTURES SEE TMX NEWS, APRIL 9 (ISSUE 1966)
