What a wheelie good weekend!
By TMX Archives on 29th Apr 09
This past weekend JD could not believe how much was happening on two, three or four-wheels, and there's plenty to look forward too as well... WHAT a weekend of sport we've just had. World MX at Valkenswaard, World and European Championship Trials in Portugal, BYMX champs in Scotland, AMCA MX champs at Culham, MCF Two-stroke MX champs at Caistor and this is just the tip of the iceberg, there were hundreds of other events, each of equal importance to those running and riding in them.
Then, if you are so inclined and were glued to your TV, there was MotoGP, World Superbike and even F1 vying for your finger on the red button. In fact with the live broadcasts of MX1 and MX2 from Valkenswaard it was impossible to record everything that you wanted to watch last Sunday. Can't honestly remember when that last happened.
So I just made sure that MX2 was in the bag and what a relief it was to see Shaun Simpson back on-song. He absolutely tore the field apart in the opening moto and was by far the quickest rider out there with everything all under control. Lack of bike fitness, brought about while he has been recovering from injury, saw Shaun tire noticeably in the second race but only after he had let his rivals know that he is well and truly back. It's going to be a long, hard season but those Frenchies sure know he's back and he's fast!
There's plenty going-on on the trials front as well. Last week's T+MX exclusive where we revealed that L and M Events, which means Martin Lampkin and Jake Miller, were planning three block-busting years of SPEA FIM World Championship and Trial des Nations events at Nevis Range in Fort William, starting next year with the British World Round on the weekend June 26/27, has certainly lit the blue-touch paper. With EventScotland being fully behind the scheme the announcement was made to allow maximum publicity for the event at this year's Scottish Six Days Trial. EventScotland is deadly serious about promoting motorcycle sport how refreshing is that? and is already showcasing the trial on the front page of its website. The instant buzz created by the announcement has also seen a rise in interest in this year's Trial Grand Prix of Great Britain which is being run at Penrith, near Carlisle on the weekend May 16/17. The Brits, like unbeaten Youth series leader Jonathan Richardson and Junior challengers Alexz Wigg and Jack Challoner, need your support THIS year and the venue is a mere five minutes from the M6 motorway.
Meanwhile, there's the little matter of the Scottish Six Days Trial and of course the preceding Pre-65 Two Day Trial which, if you are reading this on Friday is already underway. The Scottish' which now includes the Pre-65 two-day event as it incredibly celebrates its 25th anniversary this year is an event and a law unto itself and I mean that in a purely positive way. I've said before, the Scottish is an anachronism, still running almost exactly as it did, well, 50 years ago. We all know that modern bikes really aren't built for an event like the SSDT, with tiny fuel tanks for 100-plus mile daily routes, low pressure tyres...well, we won't go any further. Yet riders are prepared to pay both in hard cash and on hard seats (have you ever ridden a modern trials bike any distance sitting down?) while in turn the organisers are prepared to overcome tremendous headaches, investing huge amounts of their personal time in order just to keep this great trial going. The Scottish and the Scott time and observation trial are of awesome historic interest and value and to dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts the trials calendar revolves around these two events. Dougie Lampkin knows their value, as did Graham Jarvis and Steve Colley. Even though the latter never claimed to particularly enjoy either he certainly earned respect by competing and winning both!
You really can't put a value on the Scottish, an event that survives against increasing odds. My own virtually invisible (which is as it should be!) SSDT record is two starts and two finishes. How that pales against many who have racked-up 20 or 25 Scottishes or even more. NIgel Birkett is reckoning on 39 consecutive finishes this year it would have been 40 but for the year lost to Foot and Mouth'. What other event in the world evokes that kind of loyalty?
Eric Kitchen returns year after year to photograph the event, not because he has to, but because he loves it. And as a few of you know, EK is also a veteran of a couple of SSDT rides himself, dating back to the early 1950s. Better stop there I think Kitch...
So, while so many events have evolved over the years to be virtually unrecognisable, or worse still been lost forever because they couldn't adapt, the Scottish ploughs-on magnificently, not regardless, but bends gently with the breeze, moving just sufficiently to maintain that unique feeling.
The event celebrates its 100th anniversary next year and if you fancy an entry join the queue. It will be a long one...