Top secret
By TMX Archives on 17th Mar 03
WELL, AFTER last month's ISDE it was back home and - at last - some time off. Wrong! Before the Fast Eddy feet could be put up there was the not-so-small matter of the Off Road UK 2002 show so it was off with the helmet and on with the promoter's hat.
Now organising is supposed to be fun and, to be fair, it usually is - until the typically ***t English weather rolls in and makes it hard work. Off Road UK now has a bit of a following and trying to cram everything into one weekend takes a lot of planning and help. So big thanks to Wally, Andy, Bing and co plus Rob, Gary, Nick and all the ladies that helped us over the hectic weekend. Without you lot we couldn't do it...
The live demos this year were great and having the supermoto boys, freestyle nutters and a much improved and - believe it or not - organised extreme trials display added some great entertainment as well as some awesome crashes!
The race on Saturday was yet again a David Knight victory with my Aussie team-mate Stefan Merriman third and, although I heard people saying that David was unbeatable, in Stefan's defence he doesn't ride three-hour races and we all know that David Knight is king of the three-hour races in the UK. So to finish third isn't that bad - especially when it's a fun event anyway.
The award ceremony on the evening went down well but the standard entertainment of Stokesy (David) failed to materialise as his usual Full Monty exploits had to be put on hold due to the number of children present. And I'm glad they were - this way he can save it for the final world championship round next year when I win!
On to next year and I know plenty of people seem to be aware that I'm changing bike. That's correct - although I can't say until next season what bike and class. What I can say is that I've had a great year with Husky, loved the 400, had a laugh at the six days and will miss not being with them next season. The team manager Fabrizio Azzalin and UK importer Mike Carter have been the most genuine people I've ever raced for and I owe my results to them. Remember, they gave me the chance to prove myself in enduros again - without them I would have done nothing this year and not been nearly as motivated as I was.
So, what next? Well, I started back in the gym on November 1 and I'm about to finalise a contract with my new team. I'm also trying to plan an indoor enduro in January or February next year to give the UK something different again. There will also be four Fast Eddys next year and Off Road UK at a new venue - should yet again keep me and the Fast Eddy team extremely busy.
If we can get this indoor enduro up and running I can't wait to ride it myself. Oh, and speaking of riding myself, after the world championships next year I plan on racing the final two Fast Eddys against Knighter before going to America to take care of some unfinished business. So for the moment it's training, organising and spending some time with my boys Jack and Harry. Catch you next month for more...
Fast Eddy
PS I can hardly believe its dbr's 21st birthday - I wasn't on board from the get-go but it feels like I've been writing these columns for more than 21 years. So congratulations to dbr for keeping going and allowing me to write for the UK's #1 dirtbike mag. The beer's on you now Sean!