In bloom!
By TMX Archives on 16th Jun 05
They breed 'em tough up in Yorkshire. And, be honest, faced with the Scott Trial and Nora Batty they couldn't be owt else. They breed 'em tough up in Yorkshire. And, be honest, faced with the Scott Trial and Nora Batty they couldn't be owt else. But, for all the success in trials, the White Rose county hasn't had a GP winner since Arthur Lampkin four decades back.But James Noble, the quiet 24-year-old from the village of Sneaton, just outside Whitby, is set to put that right - and it could be sooner rather than later!"It's hard to get noticed as a northerner and you do get the feeling that you're getting over-looked at times," admits James. "It's not just me. Wayne Smith got a third at Lyng but it's always others who get the headlines. Graeme Gowland's another - he's from our way - and Brad Anderson. In many ways I'm fortunate in being with Colin Reed. He's always had time for northern lads ever since he started up with Jared Smith."I'm a quiet lad by nature anyway and I don't go looking for attention but I want to be world champion just like everyone else. I just want to do it with minimal fuss!"It's almost par for the course that James' GP career didn't actually start up until a year after he qualified for the first time."I qualified eighth at Foxhill in 2000. I was even in at third at one point. It was very frustrating that the GP got cancelled because I had to wait a year to get another chance. But it was a good experience and made me even more determined to get into the GPs."GPs were all I ever wanted to do. I'd been doing the British championships but I couldn't get on the grading list so I sat down with dad at home and we decided the only way to get noticed was to take it to the next step by doing the Europeans. My dad was putting the money in and I had to go to work for him in his plant hire and builders' merchant business during the week."James immediately impressed with his hard-charging rides into the top six and a moto win at Haenchen in Germany sealed it.Dorna were not obliged to take the top men from the Euro series but they needed new blood and used it as a guide and James was one of the boys drafted in at Teutschenthal, again in eastern Germany.A 14th place was sufficient to keep his place and by the end of the year James had posted 10 straight scoring rides which, with two more at the start of 2002, is the longest streak for a rookie in the history of the sport.By then James had hooked up with RWJ and the relationship has stood the test of time."I found the speed in 2002 to get two top fives. The first time was Austria. I just felt so good all weekend. Only Demaria was quicker than me in timed training and the track suited me perfectly, not hardpack but a little soft with plenty of grip. I was just overwhelmed by the weekend because the week before I had struggled to qualify in 28th on real hardpack so everything went full circle in the space of a week."Struggling to qualify has, fortunately, not normally been part of James' career."Quick laps have never been a problem. Some others like Chris Burnham tend to ride on the edge and can make mistakes but that has never been my style. I try to be smoother. I try to get towards the limit but if I have to go on the limit trying for an even better time on the tracks where the start is very unfair, I notice that I tend to get out of shape into corners and end up losing time. When that happens I get frustrated, you have to find that happy medium of aggression and smoothness."Indeed, the only time in the record books that a DNQ appears against James Noble's name was Valkenswaard in 2004 - and he should never have been there in the first place."I hurt my knee practising at home in the week. I tried to ride but it was not on. I thought I'd done my knee proper when I first did it but a physio said it wasn't as serious as I first thought but it just needed time. There was no other solution. I got back at Torrington but I was still in a lot of pain. I was just struggling on through for a long time. It was the wrong time of the year to sit out - the end of April and beginning of May is the time when everyone is starting to build up and by the time you get back it takes even longer to get on their pace."The result was a second consecutive season of stagnation."I had another fifth in Russia at the end of 2002 and I was a under a lot of pressure in 2003 because a lot of people expected me to do better."Racing two classes (he was also contesting the weaker 650cc class against opposition who were going to the line fresh) probably didn't help - but RWJ were already looking ahead to 2004."I've never struggled with fitness but it was going two motos the following year and I'd never done that in the GPs so I wanted to prepare."That knee injury held back James in 2004. "It was Gaildorf in August before I was really getting things together again and my speed felt better by then and I ended the season with two top 10s in South Africa."That sent me into the winter more confident and that helps you through the long winter months. I did take a bit of a break after the last race but I was riding again in December to keep my finger in.For more from James Noble don't miss the July issue of dbr - on sale now!Words and photos by Alex Hodgkinson