Taking a breather!
By TMX Archives on 11th Nov 03
honestly say I'm glad it's all over! Why? Well, after all the preparations for Off Road UK and getting the team organised it's now time to relax.Off Road UK was okay but hard work and with so many events still on the I CAN honestly say I'm glad it's all over! Why? Well, after all the preparations for Off Road UK and getting the team organised it's now time to relax.Off Road UK was okay but hard work and with so many events still on the calendar we had an average turn out - people think that everyone in motorcycling makes millions...yeah, right! The truth is that it isn't easy and both myself and Big T still do it because we love the challenge and try to help the sport (okay, earning a few quid helps!). But next year I'll be taking a back seat as, like I've said before, I need to concentrate more on my racing.Speaking of which, the team's coming together nicely and although I didn't get any top European riders I'm more than happy to just focus on myself for world events. After all, it's my team! Roger Harvey is being really helpful and I know that he's really excited about both the world and UK off-road scenes. This will definitely help me as I can call on Roger to be at some of the big events where his experience as a manager will be crucial. He's already played a major part in setting up the team and speaking with sponsors - it's good to be involved with a company like Honda and I hope to be running plenty of other stuff with Rob Wrayford getting involved as well.On a sad note, I hear that Euan McConnell has retired from enduros which is a shame as he showed great promise this year! If only he was more organised at the world events I'm sure he could make top six in class. But like many other lads, he's going to be another wasted UK talent.Running a team has made me more determined to try and help my riders as much as possible. One young lad I'll be working with is Simon Wakley, a talented 17-year-old with a motocross background. I hope I can help him next year as I feel he's got everything to gain and nothing to lose so there's no pressure for him to do well. I'd like to help by bringing him on slowly rather than expecting too much in his first year on a big team.The other rider will be Rob Wrayford who'll race at all UK events and be one of my outriders in the world championship.Finally - and fingers crossed - Justin Morris will be riding the John Banks in mid November and, all being well, will race on the team next year in Fast Eddy, British enduro and KWSMX events.Sponsors are coming onboard nicely and I should have them all agreed by the time dbr is out - so you'll have to wait until next month for a full list.I'm also speaking with some mechanics at the moment and hope to build two teams - one for the UK and one for the world championships. One thing I will say is that I won't be having negative people on the team or people who think they know it all. Instead it's going to be a fun working environment under the awning - as it was this year at UFO. I'm also tired of being slagged off by so-called mates! Riding is fun and, trust me, I still want to have fun as I love riding as much as ever.Fast Eddy