It’s Billy Bou!

Published: 21st January 2008

Author: Words by Billy MacKenzie Photo by Sutty

If you go down to the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise – Billy Mack riding trials on a Gas Gas!

Here's the deal everyone - go buy yourself a trials bike! That’s right, a trials bike! Oh and do it now will you? Good stuff!

British weather in the winter months is pish and the only way to properly enjoy riding a motorcycle is if it has no seat and has Gas Gas on the side! I recently purchased a Gas Gas from the very likeable fellow John Shirt who gave me a sweet deal along with a few trials tips - cheers Shirty!

My last trials efforts were at the Moto 1 race a few years ago and it was a disaster, I was the worst by far. But after speaking with Everts last year he told me how important it is and since I'm trying my best to imitate his style of riding I thought it was the next essential step. Shirty had the Gasser arrive just before Christmas too so it made my Chrimbo even better.

Every day me and Bry go running round our village. The last section is through the woods by my house and each time I always check out the places for riding. We have cliffs, burns, trees, rocks…the lot. It’s trials heaven! We have so many kids who bomb around up the local field that I thought what harm will a trials bike do? It’s slow, quiet and doesn’t rip anything up. So the day it arrived I chucked some two-stroke fuel in the tank and literally rode from my house to the woods.

It’s nice to have the luxury of being able to ride somewhere close and just for fun. I could get the bike out the garage every day if I wanted, crack on down the woods and improve my balance and throttle control. It beats loading up the van and travelling miles to a practice track - especially in this weather. Numb fingers, minging bike, messing up your new gear. No thanks! That’s why everyone heads to Spain during the winter. So get a Gasser and start having some fun! It beats a minibike any day and you don’t get in as much trouble off the locals.

Chrimbo was good. Santa brought me a video camera this time although I did again ask for Lego Technic! The big yellow bulldozer I wanted but, hey, I think the elves hadn’t made enough and seeing as I’m 23 they thought my fun could be spared for the younger ’uns who wanted Lego.

On the 29th me, my bro and Bryan headed to France for a week’s skiing over the New Year. We booked up in Avoriaz and it turned out to be the best holiday ever! We were proper goons all week, bombing down the slopes seeing who could pull the biggest jumps and tuck our legs the highest! We were hacking about good and proper! Stevie has even earned the new nickname 'Ryno' cos every single thing he would 'ryno it up', just charging at the jumps and going down big almost every time! it was the funniest thing you ever will see! What made the holiday even better was that Easty was at the town just below us and we were skiing on the same slopes so every day we would meet up and have a blast.

I now have a new appreciation for the bing bashers because even though we were completely sh*t on our skis we had the best time ever. Our jumps were poor - literally jumping only a few metres - but we had the best time, probably like the boys do up the bings. Go on lads! There were also about 40 motocrossers from Essex out there who recognised me in the airport! It was so embarrassing and Bry and Stevie took the pish for a few days about that one! But they were proper good banter and I need to give them a shout out! Lenny the stuntman and his kids, Louis, his mum and dad and the other dudes that knew Easty! I'll make a point of remembering everyone’s names next year!

We met them in the bar now known as 'Cheryl's Bar'. It is actually called the Wild Horse but there was a chick in there called Cheryl who, well, I fell in love with! So Cheryl’s Bar was the meeting point after the slope bashing activities. The first night we were in we got the banter flowing with the motocross group. There was a kid called Louis - a bit of a London rude boy - who we immediately took a liking to and had some excellent banter. He ended up staying in our room for a few nights and came skiing with us all - he was really sound and kept putting in good words for me with Cheryl! Cheers son!

New Year’s Eve was a bit of a disappointment for me though. I caught a cold for a few days so I couldn’t manage a drink that night but a couple of days later we all made up for it! Cheryl’s Bar again and we had a dessert with vodka in. Now we didn’t intend on getting drunk but they brought me and Easty basically one scoop of lemon sorbet in a glass filled with vodka! It was lush so we had two each! After them we were a bit merry and started the karaoke up! Me and Easty were laying down some howling lyrical content to Kings of Leon and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers but everyone loved us, even Cheryl! Oh yeah!

Shots quickly followed and Cheryl joined us. We danced and sung into the night until the bar closed and I even had the broom and mop out helping her clean up - what a nice boy I am, eh? And my efforts paid off, turns out she likes me! Louis's mum told me she defo liked me but I only found this out when I got home and she had emailed me! What a nightmare, eh? Still, I was pumped and I'm gonna try get her to a race next year - if only Japan was still on the calendar!

I lost loads of weight while we were away - skiing all day long is a fat burning mission and the black runs are killer on your legs so it was totally worth it. Since I've been home though training has hit a new level. The next couple of months are gonna be hardcore and today was the first taster with a 75-minute run with interval sessions, then the gym for a weights session. And I've got loads of riding planned with a week in Belgium then three weeks in Florida. It’s about to get really busy!

Normally I would have all the Honda pics in this issue for you guys but the team is still finalising some big sponsors and until we get graphics and stuff then the team don’t want any official pics out but I have a few sneaky ones of me practising on my myspace site so go check it out and leave me a message at www.myspace.com/billymac211