New direction
By TMX Archives on 16th Sep 04
Gordy's finally back on track and headed to a new team for '05 SORRY I'VE been away for a while but there was only so much I could tell you about. At the time things were pretty much up in the air, nothing had been agreed for next year and the mad season was upon us. Well, by now it's public knowledge that I've agreed terms with Yamaha for 2005 and I'll be riding out of the Bike It Dixon stable. I rode Yamahas throughout my youth and enjoyed the experience but the Yamaha that I will race at the GPs next year is just a little bit special - only Stefan Everts' '04 factory machinery. Am I excited? You could say so! It's been a crap year and I'm looking forward to '05 - a new team with proven machinery and a new start. It's another bite at the apple and boy am I hungry. What's the story with CAS I hear you ask? The gossip mill will have much juicier versions than the truth. Nothing had been decided with CAS, my options were limited and the Rinaldi Yamaha opportunity was not going to wait around so I had to secure my future and go with what's the best package to get me where I need to be - plain and simple. At grand prix level there are very few top teams with even less jobs on offer. I know with Steve Dixon and Yamaha I will have the correct set-up to win another British title and move closer towards my ultimate goal - to win a world championship. I hope to bring a few of my personal sponsors with me although I will be kitted head to foot in the latest Fox offerings which can't be a bad thing - the gear seems to work well for RC and Bubba. So from five months of doing very little, my life is returning to that hectic schedule that I call normality. It's so good to be back riding again and the next step was getting behind a startgate. So I headed off to the final round of the KWS at Brampton. The track rode well but as expected I suffered from arm-pump. Who cares, I was delighted to just be riding again. Third overall was more than I could have hoped for. Next up on the comeback trail was a trip to the British championship paddock at Pontrilas. There has been a lot of work on the track and it will help with the long-term plans for the continued development of the circuit. With the extensive ploughing the ground was extremely soft and after practice the track had rutted up badly. Normally it would have been fine but with ruts that deep I was very conscious of wrenching my knee so again it was a case of riding, rather than racing, for third in the first moto. With a new clutch in for race two my bike bogged off the start and I stalled out of the gate but I kept my cool and carefully rode the deep ruts for a 10th place finish. Gaildorf was my first grand prix of 2005 and my first moto was cut short due to another rider's footpegs taking out half the spokes in my front wheel. Moto two was better and after gating down in 26th place I really started to enjoy the race. I was getting a rhythm going at the halfway point and rode my way back to 14th which was not so bad. Next on the comeback trail was the Ken Hall Trophy. After a fifth in the first race I felt that I could go faster in the second outing and finished in third. A little more progress every day I ride - I feel stronger and more confident. By the time you read this, Ballykelly will have come and gone! It's a mixed emotion I'm feeling right now, excited about having a GP in Ireland but sad that I will not be able to fulfil my potential on the day. Some people will think that I should be able to run at the front and race with the fastest guys in the world - that won't happen this year. You don't get results from not preparing and grand prix racing is a world away from where my bike fitness is at the moment. I've been on the podium at a GP and know what it takes to get to that level. Believe me, these guys have raced and worked hard all year and have peaked at the top of their game. To think that I can join in at that level is just not realistic. Yes, I will be giving it my best shot but from five months inactivity it's not possible to expect too much. But we have a three-year deal for GP in Ireland so my day will come... Gordy