Amnesia!

Published: 17th October 2006

Author: Words by Gordon Crockard

Gordy gets used as a Latvian landing pad at the MXdN - at least that's what he's been told...

Time flies doesn't it? I thought Sean was joking when he sent me a text to ask where my column was. Then after taking a minute to think about it I remembered that I've lost almost two weeks of my memory since getting knocked out at this year's Motocross des Nations down at Matterley Basin. Worryingly, I still have a headache now. And it's not due to any sort of partying seeing as the championship seasons are over now.
If one man does deserve to kick back and have a self-rewarding drink of beer then it would certainly have to be Stefan Everts. And going by the state he was in on the Sunday night of the des Nations he's just as talented at beer drinking as he is at Yank spanking!
Everts was good - no doubt about it - and Tony Macaroni deserves equal praise in my book. I heard that the Italian team manager told him that if he didn't win a race he'd have to collect all the litter on Monday! Obviously, that's just a bad joke - the litter left at the track wasn't nearly as funny.
I got back to our home in Northern Ireland on the Monday night and felt like I was in another world. Amy and I have been road-tripping since the Hawkstone International in February, living like gypsies in the camper going from race to race. We were home twice in the year - once for the British championship at Desertmartin and once for the GP at the same place. I'm happy to be back and enjoying being in a house again - especially my own. Home is where the heart is, isn't that what they say?
So 13th in the world and third in the British Open championship is what we achieved this year. Not that staggering if you still think of me as the rider who has previously finished third in the world and collected three British championship titles to date. But if you think a little harder you'll recall that many things have happened since then to that former British champion and to think of me as still not being my 'former self' is a little unfair. Forget history and realise reality where for the last two seasons ('04 and '05) I showed no signs of ever getting back into the frame of British or GP results.
So for me 2006 has been encouraging. This time last year I was an amber traffic light about to change to red. I'm still an amber traffic light now but I'm about to change to green. Don't get confused and think I'm about to sign for Kawasaki because I'm not but can you see how I'm pointing out that one year has made a massive difference to how I feel about racing bikes and entering 2007 I'll be ready to 'go' as opposed to 'stop'!
The last few weeks have had ups and downs but I've got over the ankle problem at races with the aid of taping and pill taking and that has been one of the most pleasing things. After I hurt it so badly at the Desertmartin GP I couldn't even ride the next week in Lierop but with care I was recovered enough to run two second places at Hawkstone for the last British championship round. Sure, I was happy due to the circumstances of my ankle and how it had prevented constructive preparation but it didn't half suck that I'd not been able to win a single moto as I'd focussed on that as one of my goals. People say to me 'aw smile, for goodness sake, you're on the podium' and I think 'yeah, okay, you're right'. But really I hate getting beat so much it often overrides any pleasure I get from any result other than first. Unless I win I just feel like a loser!
The next weekend we raced the final GP in France and on the Saturday I showed some good speed which got me pumped for Sunday's races. On Sunday I set pole in the 'warm-up' practice which got the team pretty positive I think but come the actual races I duffed both starts and only produced an 11th and a 10th. At the start of the season I would have been satisfied with that but after showing good form and making a lot of progress over the full season I was only disappointed.
The next event was the Motocross des Nations and Team Ireland were well organised for it. Good sponsorship and funding raised was all thanks to our team manager Stephen Russell. We all looked professional in our paddock clothing and represented our country in a good manner.
I was riding MX1 and in the qualifying heat on Saturday a Latvian spaceship named Lauris Freibergs came down from above and landed on top of an Irish motocrosser named Gordy Crockard. It was the first lap and only the second jump and he came from the total left on take-off and landed on me on the right side of the track. I was knocked out for around five minutes and remember nothing for around an hour. My first memory is being strapped to a spinal injuries board with an oxygen mask on. I didn't break any bones but picked up a huge concussion and many cuts, bruises and aches and pains.
Martin Barr and Phillip McCullough were left with the task of getting us qualified and they too had problems in their heats with crashes and bike trouble. Unfortunately, Team Ireland didn't qualify and even if they had they would have been without an MX1 rider as I was out of it with my head injury.
Next year's MXdN is in America at Budds Creek so fund-raising and sponsorship are vital if we're to make the event. Thank you to all of this year's Team Ireland sponsors and can I say sorry that it didn't have a happy ending like we had all hoped for. Your support is greatly appreciated.