Wulfman!
By TMX Archives on 10th Jan 06
Happy New Year - I can't tell you how much I have been wanting to put 2005 behind me so I can say that!I'm all red now with new bikes, new team, new mechanic, new boss, new gear, new beginning, new goals, new everything. Happy New Year - I can't tell you how much I have been wanting to put 2005 behind me so I can say that!I'm all red now with new bikes, new team, new mechanic, new boss, new gear, new beginning, new goals, new everything. It's great and I love it!I will ride production 2006 450 Hondas which will be prepared by a Northern Irish fella called Iain Bishop. He's pretty handy on an MX bike himself so if I get a ladder in my tights or break a nail he's well capable of stepping into my race boots and doing a moto.The team is now in its second season and was known last year as Team Lizard Honda as the main sponsor was SoBe drinks and their logo features a lizard. See the connection there? Well, SoBe have stepped aside and the title sponsor is now Wulfsport so, surprisingly, the team is now called Team Wulfsport Honda.The man who runs it is Roger Magee (another Northern Irish citizen) and he also used to race which is great as far as being able to understand exactly what racing is about through the lens of a pair of goggles.My team-mates are Shaun Simpson and Scott Probert who will contest the British and world championships aboard 250F Hondas. Both guys are younger than me and are bursting with enthusiasm and potentially could make some big results - I'm looking forward to getting some motos put in at the practice track with them. And with Shaun being Scottish and Scott coming from England it could make for some great 'Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman' style joke opportunities!I've got a house sorted in Belgium and the team will also have a base workshop there too as logistically it's the best place to be.From Hawkstone on March 5 to the Motocross des Nations at Matterley Basin on September 24 I've got 27 weekends of racing. That's three internationals, the MXdN, 15 GPs including long-haul flyaways to Japan and South Africa and eight British championship rounds which, if you live in Belgium, can become a headache to get to sometimes. I'm not saying I don't want to do the British series because I do, it's just that such a busy schedule can get pretty tough on the mechanics.All of which leaves just three free weekends but, to be honest, I can't wait - but it's clear to see that you need to be ready because the fast guys won't wait for you if you're off the pace.Iain and I are travelling to California to practice for three weeks. In the past it has worked well for me and I hope to improve as a rider during our stay there. Once we're back we'll go straight to Belgium to get in the sand seeing as it will likely be wet then still.DOMA are making pipes for the team and I'm really pleased about that as I think they make the best pipe for motocross plus they have always been able to give me the correct type of power by the way they make the pipe. DOMA is a Belgian company and we'll spend some time at the factory and on the track testing different systems.Moto Master are supplying the discs for our brakes and testing will have to be carried out with them to come up with the best option from their range. They are a Dutch company and being based in Belgium now makes things like this much easier.We have a factory deal with Bridgestone for 2006 and this is great news for me as I love their tyres. I will test with them while I'm in America and also in France once we're back in Europe.Again I'll be wearing a Red Bull-painted helmet in Britain and next summer I'll be running the Red Bull Motocross Academy Schools again to try and develop our young riders of the future. Red Bull have some amazing events going on all over the world and every year there's always something organised in Northern Ireland - from what I've heard this year will be awesome!Oakley will support my championship campaigns with goggles, accessories and sunglasses and I'll visit their HQ in America when I'm there. If you've never seen it, it's an incredible building.And, of course, I'll be running Wulfsport clothing and I've decided to go for my previously successful and lucky #13.I got a lot of handlebar time in over Christmas including a day out with some friends on the trials bike on Christmas Eve and then competed in the trial on Boxing Day as always. Two days after that I rode a three-hour hare and hounds in Wicklow in Southern Ireland.It was all really good fun and I love getting out on the bike in a non-important manner. Usually when I ride it's deadly serious because it's either a race or a test or practice or qualifying and that's all very important and demanding. So to ride for your own fun is great and I think it reminds me of how lucky I am to get to race for a living.Plenty of smartarses often remind me of how lucky I am and it goes in one ear and out the other but self-realisation provides a clear message. I love bikes and I'll ride them forever...Words by Gordon Crockard Photo by Sutty