Goodbye Gordy!
Published: 20th December 2007
Author: Words by Stevie Mills Pic by Justin Reid
It’s with a heavy heart that our man in Ireland wishes the Crock Star all the best for his new American adventure…
Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2008 fellow muck lovers! Having just returned from Santa's number one helper - aka Stephen Russell's motorcycle shop - it looks like the man with the big white beard will be in need of a bigger sleigh this year.
Personally, while I love getting into the festive spirit I can't wait for January 1. It’s a new page in the diary of life, a clean sheet to work with for the next 12 months and, without any doubt, with the New Year will come many new adventures.
Speaking of which, just as I will be nursing my first hangover of 2008, a certain Mr Gordon Crockard will be flying across the Atlantic Ocean en-route to the US of A. So it's with mixed feelings that I write this month’s Blarney. Ireland, the British championship series and indeed the GP paddocks of Europe will be a much less colourful place without the Crock Star.
Gordon has signed a two-year deal with BMW to ride the GNCC series aboard their new 450 single cylinder cross-country machine. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Why would anyone consider taking a well paid job with one of the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers to race in the States’ sunshine? Especially when you could pay for the opportunity to race a season in GPs with no chance of earning a penny in prize money - even if you win!
Seriously though, GPs are still Gordon's dream but the stark reality is that GC is no longer the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed teenager of years gone by so it's time to plan for the future. Far from over the hill, Gordon has been given a great opportunity to fully utilise the motorcycle riding skills gifted to him.
“There are many well respected people involved in our plans,” says Gordy. “Shane Watts and Scott Summers are people I will work with on a day-to-day basis while my friend Joel Smets is employed as both a development rider and ambassador for BMW. I am really pumped and excited about my future, it's a new challenge and I know I can do well over there.”
His new season will kick off at Daytona in Florida come March 4 (while we freeze our nuts off back in Ireland) when the 13-round GNCC series gets under way. Chasing GNCC glory will take GC to the four corners of the States with a break during June and July because of the extreme heat so who knows just where he may turn up for a race!
Personally, I am delighted that one of the kindest, most sincere people in the game can move onto a new challenge and earn a living out of what he enjoys best - racing motorcycles.
Gordy was on hand at Tandragee Moto Park to continue his work with the top three finishers from the MRA/MCCNI and MUCI-sanctioned championships who received a personal invitation to join GC for one-to-one coaching.
The Red Bull MotoX Junior Assist Programme hosted around 30 young riders from all over Ireland for a two-day training course at Tandragee Moto Park this week. Introduced three years ago, the initiative’s primary function is to develop new and local talent in the MX arena with mentoring coming from that man again, Gordon Crockard.
The MRA will have announced the
race format for 2008 by the time you whittle your way through this month’s Dirt
Bike Rider. Having heard many of the proposed formats – none of which are
ground-breaking on their own – I’m wondering why it is not possible to take the
best ideas from each clubs’ proposals.
Strangely enough, not one club proposed running the Ulster series with the same format that has lifted the Irish championship in stature over the past two seasons. With the main complaint of “not enough races” for riders on the day, running both MX1/MX2 Ulster championships on the same day would free up eight weekends for three-race-per-class days. Less championships and more racing would seem the obvious solution to both coping with the ever-expanding MRA membership and giving more value to the club racer.
Now, speaking of value, I can see that the successful Mourne Cub hare scramble at Mount Panther has paved the way for GNCC-type racing to take hold in Ireland. Every rider that I spoke with thoroughly enjoyed the five-minute lap with experts riding for two hours and clubmen getting 90 minutes. Event organiser Arthur McMullen was delighted with the amount of entries which included enduro, motocross and even a few trials machines. Punters were rewarded with three times the amount of regular weekend bike time which did have some drawbacks going on the amount of riders complaining of severe monkey butt by the end.
A winter motocross series is in full swing in Cork with the Kevin O' Leary BMW-backed Munster MC attracting over 150 entries at round one. Motocross is becoming one of Co Cork's fastest-growing sports.
Possibly one of Ireland's brightest motocross prospects for the future, multi Ulster/Irish youth champion Andrew Reid, is reported to have been lured to the Tarmac brigade. Andrew has been described by the likes of GC and Jonathan Rea as being one of the most tidy young riders in the UK youth MX scene. We wish him all the best for 2008…
GOMX365 have announced a three-rider Irish championship challenge for ’08. Mike Sinton will try to go one better next year aboard a Russell's 450 Honda. Mike, who finished second this season, will also take in the Ulster MX2 series aboard a JRM-sponsored Honda 250F. The remainder of the team will be Southern-based. Ross Brown will race MX1/MX2 in both Irish and Ulster champs while 16-year-old Thomas O'Grady has been making waves in his first season in adult racing and finished a good fourth at the final Irish MX2 round at Tandragee.
The Dublin youngster is one of two southern centre youth riders who have made their presence felt after a brief appearance towards the end of the season. The other southern centre rider in question is Michael Mahoon who will race under the guidance of Ireland's newest KTM dealer - Graeme Vigors’ VMX Motocross - in ’08.