Mannix Happy returns...
By TMX Archives on 11th Apr 14
As this weeks paper hits newsagents shelves you can guarantee one thing well be celebrating hard up at TMX Towers.
And that's not just because we've got another fine issue of the world's leading off-road weekly out to the nation but
more so as it's our lynchpin Mannix Devlin's birthday.
So please join me in yelling -
''Happy birthday to you,
You work in a zoo
You look like a monkey,
And you smell like one too...
Another good friend who's celebrating a birthday this week is MX coach Richard-Mike Jones, who got a cracking gift when his young protégé Adam Sterry scored a massively impressive maiden Maxxis MX2 moto win at Lyng last Sunday.
After yanking a huge holey the 17-year-old simply scorched away from the chasing pack to secure what will most likely be a first win of many.
Mostly due to his link with RMJ I've followed Adam's career for quite some time and I honestly couldn't be more delighted for him as he's a super-nice kid and a real credit to himself, family and sponsors.
What sets Adam apart from a lot of the youngsters out there pursuing a career in sport is that he has actively thought about his education and last year successfully sat his GCSEs – picking up three A*s and three As – while racing to seventh in the MX2 British championship and running in the EMX-250 series too.
It was a crazy busy year but one that will undoubtedly pay dividends in the future when he eventually retires from racing, champion or not.
It often gets forgotten that the stars of our sports have a relatively short shelf life as the physical demands they put on themselves are huge.
Even in a best case scenario the window for making megabucks is miniscule – and the bucks ain't all that mega either come to think of it.
That said does anyone really race off-road for the moolah? I'd certainly hope not... So, being an off-road racer is a tough way to make a living but on the plus side the pain is over relatively quickly.
And that's why we should all spare a thought for Mannix who's been getting buck wild on this behemoth for the past 37 years – and has made many a personal sacrifice along the way (including competing as a passenger in sidecar trials) – to keep TMX on top.
Thanks and happy birthday from us all...
Finally, thanks to everyone who wrote in with their feedback and suggestions after reading last week's column – they've been very helpful. Keep them coming to me at anthony.sutton@jpress.co.uk
