Signed, sealed
By TMX Archives on 10th Aug 04
...and sticking with Honda for another two years! WELL I'M back again and I've got plenty of racing to write about this month. First off was the second round of the British Enduro Championship at the Hafren which is a proper enduro. The Hafren is an old school event and even though it was a bit too hard for the clubman it was great for us. The two special tests were also laid out well and other than the results being late and me not winning it was an enjoyable round of the BEC.The Fast Eddy at Culham was next and the dry dusty conditions were a complete contrast to the Hafren which was very wet and rutted. This is however part and parcel of the job and everything turned out great. With the Fast Eddys we've changed the start procedure to give everyone a chance to start first. This meant it was my turn to start last and boy was it going to be hard work. After the second kick the CR was off and I soon started passing quite a few riders and eating dust in the process. Realising that it was better to be safe than sorry we pitted about one hour into the race to change a filter. This worked well and gave me a bit more power as I'd been berm bashing the whole time! As the race progressed I passed some riders who were having great rides - Rowan Jones, Simon Wakely and the daddy himself Justin Wilson. Even Shirty was riding the big 450 well. Anyway, the result for me was another win and hopefully with one round left a championship at the end. So onto the interesting stuff. I've agreed to stay with Honda for two more years and possibly beyond that. Having ridden the red ones I can honestly say that I don't want to change as my season is going great. Also for me it's not just about money anymore, I want to stay competitive and feel that the best chance to try and win another world title will be with Honda. I will again be running a team and can keep you posted each month on how things are going but the best part is knowing that I can stay involved in running a team, riding and having fun for two more years. This is great news and even better news is that Honda have supplied some CRF250Xs for the ISDE. I'm looking forward to racing them as before the ISDE I'll be riding the Fast Eddy six hour and the Dusk till Dawn 12 hour. I think these will be the best bikes for the job! While we're on the subject of the Six Days I think we have a great team. Some of the gossip kings and queens are asking why Chris Hay is in the team. Well it's simple - Poland will be just like the Breckland and to be fair to Chris he's great on that type of terrain. So let's just leave the choice to the team manager and not to the gossips! I think Euan is doing a tough job well and, no, I don't want that particular position! The team at the moment is without Whibs due to back problems but young Simon has been filling his shoes with some great rides - especially at the last Fast Eddy. Well that's all folks. I'm going to watch my son Jack on his CRF50. He's learning to jump at the moment so I'd better keep an eye on him.