Quality and quantity in 2007 SSDT entry!
By John Dickinson on 22nd Feb 07
AS the date has now passed for all those riders who had a provisional entry for the 2007 Scottish Six Days Trial to pay-up their entry fee (anyone who hasn't paid has just lost their entry!) the SSDT committee has now released the official, numbered, entry list for the upcoming event which will take place on the dates Monday to Saturday, May 7-12.
Entries were, as expected, heavily oversubscribed and the organising Edinburgh MC's SSDT committee has accepted the mighty total of 275 and as ever there is an amazing mix of abilities with a quality and quantity of competitor that makes the Scottish unique. There are very few major International events left in the World where a club wobbler gets the thrill of riding in the same trial, maybe even alongside, a World Champ and this is just part of what gives the Scottish its unique charm.
Reigning SSDT king Graham Jarvis (Sherco) naturally heads the entry list but there's a raft of challengers eager to knock Graham off the top spot and heading this list has to be recent Colonial National winner James Dabill on the Future TRW Montesa. Stir in TTT Beta's Michael Brown JST Gas Gas' Dan Thorpe and perennial runner-up Ben Hemingway (Repsol Beta) and you have the nucleus of a cracker.
But then add Spain's Jordi Pascuet on the exciting new four-stroke Beta, ex world champ Marc Colomer on the development four-stroke Scorpa and former winner Amos Bilbao on the Montesa 4RT and things really hot up.
Then there are the likes of Shaun Morris who returns for another crack on the Gas Gas and teenager Alexz Wigg who will tackle his first ever Scottish on a Gas Gas 300, along with fellow rookie Ross Danby. Recent Scorpa signing Sam Haslam will be looking to make his mark on the factory 250 two-stroke while popular Japanese veteran Takumi Narita returns on a development 160 four-stroke Scorpa.
Former World Champ Tommi Ahvala will tackle his first ever SSDT as a ‘holiday ride' and will be mounted on a Sandiford Montesa while former World number two Diego Bosis makes a welcome return on a TRW Montesa to shepherd Fabio Lenzi, making his debut ride.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, you can also make a case for John Shirt, Wayne Braybrook, Lee Sampson, Chris Pearson, Ian Austermuhle, Joe Baker and even former multi-winner Steve Saunders who has been tempted back by the lovely four-stroke Beta. Then there's the girls led by World Champ Laia Sanz, Donna Fox, Katy Sunter, Iris Kramer and Becky Rennison. The list just goes on and on and the 2007 event is set to be a real cracker.
T+MX will keep you in touch with all SSDT developments as and when they happen as the days count down. Meanwhile, if you want to scrutinise the entry list just log on to www.ssdt.org