Shed head!
By TMX Archives on 12th Dec 03
IT WAS my first time riding at the Barcelona indoor enduro and having heard great things about it in the past I was certainly looking forward to competing. IT WAS my first time riding at the Barcelona indoor enduro and having heard great things about it in the past I was certainly looking forward to competing. But when I arrived at the stadium and saw the track I thought '***t, what a lot of work there is to be done' and, as usual, the Spaniards weren't even close to being finished. With practice supposedly starting the next morning it was going to be a late night for the track builders.Following a night in our posh hotel we headed off to the stadium and prepared for practice. After watching the first couple of two-stroke riders out there it was soon time for me to get out and have a blast. The track had rocks, logs, water and some jumps that proved tricky but still enjoyable and after showing some of the other lads the tricks of the trade - clearing one of the jumps first attempt - I was second fastest in timed training. With four heats and the two-stroke final and, if all went well, a super-final the stage was set for a busy night of racing.In my heats I had Bazzuri, Rodrigues and some other mad Spaniards but winning wasn't too much of a problem - although I knew the final was going to be a bit harder as I was up against Stefan Merriman and he's one tough opponent.After holeshotting all my heat races I was a little bit too relaxed in the final and gated fourth. I moved up to second pretty quickly and could see Stefan pulling away until he crashed hard on the rocks. While he was picking himself up I passed him only to lead for half-a-lap before I stalled it on the rocks and he got by me again. Still, second for me isn't a bad result.On to the super-final and I was up against some good competition including the madman from The Island. Knighter had won the four-stroke final and was up for the win while I was happy just getting to the final, especially after not taking too many risks during the night. A good start was followed by some silly mistakes and ended with a DNF after hitting the chain guide on a rock and de-railing the chain. A shame as it would have been great to be on the podium - maybe next year.After the race I went back with the team to finalise my contract with UFO for clothing and plastics. Also while in Italy my boss Pippo took me to see some sponsors who will support me and the team next season. So onto the fun part...The mini-bike racing at Stoneleigh was without a doubt the most fun I've had in ages. I've never really realised how big it's getting and after speaking with Carl Nunn I reckon it's going to be the next big thing. Minibikepro had provided most of the bikes for the show and after watching the lads rip round on them I couldn't wait to get out there.Harry Lampkin had been riding and was on hand to give me some advice which proved to be a great help. I was a little anxious to start with but I soon started to smooth out and became a bit quicker. I was the promoters choice for the final as I'd not quite got the hang of it in the semis. Mind you, it didn't go much better in the final as I tasted a bit of dirt after coming up short on a small double jump.I was back on Saturday morning where I managed to redeem myself, winning my own semi-final with the aid of some contact (thanks for the advice Harry!) and making it straight through to the final both times. After two great races I'd more than left my mark so I decided to head home and keep out of the way as I'd made a few 'friends' on the track.Minibike racing is a shedload of fun and I think I'll definitely be buying myself one with bars, seat and suspension mods so I'm going to be all out for the win next time.Well, that's it until next year when I'll be riding for my own team - Honda Racing Fast Eddy.Fast Eddy