We're getting better looking
By John Dickinson on 4th Jan 07
HERE we go with a brand-new New Year and to celebrate the start of 2007 we are bringing you a brand-new Trials and Motocross News!
Well, OK! It might not quite be brand new but it is certainly a New-Look T+MX as we proudly offer you an updated visual look to your favourite off-road weekly. What we are aiming to do, as the year unfolds, is to bring you a more co-ordinated T+MX. We will be concentrating the hard news up front in the paper, then hitting you with the big events, tests etc, early-on before leading into the individual sporting columns which bring you all the news in the different disciplines.
We will also be offering more competitions for you, our loyal readers, to win lots of different off-road inspired goodies and we are kicking this off with the chance to win the absolutely fabulous KTM 200 EXC! I mean, can you afford not to have a crack at winning this brilliant prize. All it will cost you is the price of a stamp on top of your copy of T+MX!
Also, we are currently updating our equally new-look website and as we get this up and running with new subjects and sections, including very shortly and for the first time, reader polls for you to get involved with, we'll be increasing website inter-action with the paper in order to bring you more information than ever before.
Trials and Motocross News will also, incredible though it may seem, celebrate its 30th birthday in May this year and we'll be doing something special to commemorate the occasion - maybe several things, we'll just have to wait and see!
So there's LOTS to look forward to in 2007 and T+MX will bring it all to you exactly as it all unfolds
The last big event of 2006, which leads us nicely into a bold new 2007, was of course the Sheffield Indoor Trial which was a huge success last Friday at the Hallam FM Arena. Due to the Sheffield organisers not being flavour of the month with the Indoor Trials Champs organisers, the event was not included in the 2007 Indoor Championship calendar. And in order to avoid a nasty clash of dates, just in case a World Championship date happened to fall on the Sheffield date, Avondale Management moved the event forward to late 2006 - thus we technically had TWO Sheffield 2006 Indoors! As it happens, and as some of us suspected, the fact that the event wasn't a World Championship round actually made it even better.
The Spanish-based Indoors have become more and more stilted, being based on the same sections that have been kicking round for years now, that Sheffield arrives like a breath of fresh air, even putting a smile on the Spanish lads' faces.
There was very definitely an end-of-term feeling to Sheffield though as all the riders were competing on their 2006 machinery for the final time. Some are looking forward to updated models, others to switching to new teams.
Toni Bou moves from Beta to Repsol-Montesa and he signed off from his old factory in the best possible way. Toni has proved he can win on a good two-stroke - now we'll see if he can repeat the process on his new four-stroke! Young Brit James Dabill is making a similar journey, from Beta to Montesa but in James's case onto the private but well-funded TRW team. We wish James the best of luck of course and it will be interesting to watch the fortunes of both riders as the year progresses.
Sheffield celebrated the 12th running of the Indoor Trial this year and if anyone thought they would give it a miss because it wasn't World Championship definitely made the wrong choice. The innovative format proved a hit and could pave the way for more changes in future.
For all the evening's action, I will forever remember Sheffield for one small moment.
After the prize-giving, I noticed Takahisa Fujinami heading purposefully across the arena. Fujigas had spotted FIM official Dave Willoughby and he pulled Dave to one side and handed over the flowers, that each of the top three had been presented with. Said Fujigas with feeling: ''I am sorry, I don't have time to visit, but these are for Emmy.''
Emmy, Dave's wife, is currently very ill and I know that Dave was touched by Fuji's obviously heart-felt action. As Dave said: ''It just shows what good people we have in trials, that was such a nice thought.''
Hear! Hear!