Bogeyman!
Published: 21st January 2008
Author: Words by Gordon Crockard Photo by Sutty
The off-road excesses of Christmas in Ireland have left the Crock Star under the weather
Arrgghhhh! Thank goodness Christmas is over and we’re all in 2008 in one piece, raring to go, chomping at the bit, keen as mustard, all revved up, let me at ’em, let me at ’em!
Cough, cough, sneeze, snot, swallow, ache, pain! Yeah, the festive period is rough on me – maybe I just need to spend it away from my headcase friends. So I started 2008 feeling super sick but that’s not permanent. I hope? Seriously, it happens to me every year – you could almost say it’s traditional. I seem to think I’m Superman and agree to every offer I get to go bike riding no matter how wet, windy, cold or ridiculous the day is.
I’ve a trip to a German supercross in two days time so I’m hammering the vitamin C and garlic like there’s no tomorrow. I can’t wait to get some traction for a change – I think the last time I had any was in October! Sadly, Ireland’s only indoor track has closed down due to poor attendance and the books weren’t balancing enough to warrant continuing. So GC gets no sneaky indoor practice but no worries as I’m confident I have the tools to get the job done and run up front. It’s over three nights so I’m in for plenty of laps and damn good rewards if I make top results.
Today has been spent running round the phone like a blue-arsed fly. Being 2008 and all that naturally my 2007 licence, insurance and starting permission just ain’t going to cut it at signing on so I’m pulling favours left, right and centre to be legal by the time I board the Easy Jet Enterprise on Thursday.
I’ve been getting some quality time in on my old girl Tessa. Seeing as I’m leaving for the States very soon I thought I’d get as much time in on her as possible. For any minds out there that are in the gutter please realise I’m talking about my trials bike, Montesa! Yep, I’ve been doing a lot of trials riding recently and have really enjoyed learning new skills to make the impossible become possible. It’s a brilliant way to develop a healthy mental attitude and a great way to spend the winter months to advance your throttle and clutch control as well as improving your balance and ability to find grip.
Going by how my Boxing Day trial went for me I should read the rulebook if I want to be successful at trials. Tessa picked up a rear puncture on the second lap and the tyre came off the rim. So I thought ‘okay, I’ll just borrow somebody’s bike to finish the trial’ which I did. It was my buddy Watsy’s Sherco so, naturally, my switch was spotted – trouble was it wasn’t allowed. Excluded!
Other news this month. I turned 29 and one of my mates is in the business of buying concert tickets well in advance and then reselling them closer to the date to anyone struggling to get a ticket. Well, any time he doesn’t get them sold he’ll go along himself and as a birthday treat he got me a ticket to see The Verve at The Odyssey. I was thinking ‘yeah, I’ll go to The Verve, their music’s all right – if it was 1997’ but it was a good craic and we had a right laugh.
I did a training school down in Cork at Vernon’s Mount , the old GP track from the Murphy’s Stout Irish Grand Prix in ’95 and ’96. As I rode round I remembered Kurt Nicoll winning and wheelying up the finish straight one legged. So Kurt started the freestyle craze really – not McGrath with his Nac Nac. The venue and track were awesome and the people are deadly good fun, extremely laidback and don’t give a monkey’s about anything. This truck pulled in and I noticed it had a ’94 reg plate on the front and a completely different ’90 reg plate on the back. “Aw to be sure it keeps the cops on the runaround,” the owner reckoned!
I also had a day’s fun at Rally School Ireland being taught how to master a WRC Subaru. Serious horsepower, serious grip and a fantastic experience. I’ve become pretty friendly with Ireland’s top rally driver Kris Meek and we’ve done plenty of miles on the enduro and trials bikes together so now I can add the Rally School Ireland to my long-term memories.
Sad news of the MXdN being held at Moneyglass no more wasn’t good to hear. Yes the MXdN was due for Northern Ireland but the NI Events Company had an overspend of nearly £2m and have ceased trading. The sport here would have benefited greatly from it going ahead but now it can only be seen as a missed opportunity.
My dad turned 63 yesterday and has to give up smoking so I wish him all the best with that. He’s very strong willed so quitting after nearly 50 years will be wee buns to him. I’ve acquired a ’91 CR500 rolling chassis so when I’ve got a minute – which will probably be when I’m 63 – I’ll find an engine for it and make a nice race replica.
Finally, if anyone’s looking for a camper to buy I’ve got just the one for you. Contact me through the DBR office…