Comment

Published: 06th November 2006

Author: Sean Lawless

Well, that's just about yer lot for another year! The world trials, enduro and motocross championships are done and dusted, the Sheffield SX has been and gone and the Weston Beach Race - the traditional end-of-season painfest that on a masochistic scale of one to 10 is right up there with stapling your hairy boys to a park bench (and then standing up) - is history for another 12 months.

 In fact, apart from the ISDE that's about to kick off, the awesome Belfast SX later this month, the new outdoor SX series at Kings Lynn and a couple of indoor enduros the '06 season is over.

    One man who should be looking to put his size 13s up for a well-earned rest is David Knight. I say 'should' instead of 'will' because Knighter doesn't know the meaning of the word 'rest' - unless it's in the context of "the 'rest' of them finished behind me". In a season where both Stefan Everts and Ricky Carmichael have called time on their stellar careers it's almost all too easy to overlook the Manx man mountain's phenomenal season that's been built around huge natural talent and an incredible enthusiasm for all things two-wheeled combined with a work ethic that puts professional athletes in all sporting disciplines to shame.

    Unbeaten in all the pre-season events and unbeaten in the WEC, Knighter appeared to be facing his biggest test of the year at Weston where he was lining up against the world's best sand rider - Everts. After winning all but one MX1 GP overall this year, topping the MXdN, taking his 10th world title and his 101st GP overall, Stefan was also on a bit of a roll. On paper it was a fascinating showdown. Although super-fit and super-fast, Everts is an MX specialist. So could he maintain his speed over three hours? Also super-fit (and also bloody fast), Knighter is used to spending a full day in the saddle but could he maintain a pace quick enough to beat the King of GPMX? Well, after an epic race-long battle the decision went David's way which, in my book at least, makes him the best all-round off-road rider on the planet.

    So Knighter should be an automatic shoe-in at the ISDE in New Zealand - right? Er, wrong! Last year's overall winner of the event and an automatic pick for the '06 British Trophy Team, what on earth could possibly stop him coming out on top in Lake Taupo? A freak crash? Mechanical failure? How about his decision not to race! With the ISDE looming large it's inevitable that David's no-show will put him in the firing line for not supporting his country and not supporting his chosen sport's equivalent of the Motocross des Nations. The truth is - as Jonty Edmunds pointed out a few months ago - despite support from the ACU, travelling to the other side of the world to race for six days would end up costing - yes, costing - Knighter a big lump of the cash he's worked his arse off all year to earn.

    So instead of spending his own dosh to race in NZ he'll be rolling up to the startgate at the Las Vegas Endurocross where - if he repeats his '05 winning performance - he stands to pick up mega bucks for a day's work. And who can blame him?