Motocross, trials, enduros –

Published: 12th February 2008

Author: Sean Lawless

and any other deviation of two, three or four-wheeled dirt biking – are all sports that create heroes.

There’s something about the determination, skill and sheer bloody hard graft needed to make it to the top off-road that elevates star riders to a level far above mere mortals and - for me at least – most other professional sportsmen and women n’all. And it’s not just getting to the top – it’s staying there - so while the likes of Tommy Searle or the carrot-topped stripy horse slayer from the other side of the pond are heroes to some, for me they haven’t been around for long enough or paid their dues sufficiently to be worthy of a shrine next to Elvis’ in the corner of my bedroom.

Rick Stein had to travel around Britain to find his food heroes – all it took for me to find a few off-road heroes of my own was about 90 minutes in a van as Sutty lead-footed it down to Nantmawr Quarry for The Tough One, then another 45 minutes as he pointed the 115 Dualiner north to Liverpool’s Echo Arena. For many the hero of the day at Nantmawr was young Michael Brown and to be fair to the Beta rider he rode out of his skin to win the Speed Trials event and then lead the main event for the first hour. Still, I’d have to file Michael in the same drawer as Tommy Gun and Villopotato.

David Knight, however, is another matter. The big fella’s been around for long enough not to be a flash in the pan and ticks all the right boxes in terms of skills, guts and championships won. The Dawg and I weren’t the only people breaking the sound barrier to get up to Liverpool for some sizzling SX action – Gordon Crockard did his two hours in the saddle then raced a full evening’s SX programme for the second time in two nights. In my book that’s also the stuff of heroes – especially when you factor in his GP wins, British titles and that lovely early noughties Lazer Helmets ad! Gordy’s off to the States now to race the GNCCs for BMW – let’s hope his latest off-road adventure only serves to add to his hero status.

Growing up as a regular competitor in the hardcore world of schoolboy trials my very earliest role models tended to be granite-jawed Yorkshiremen or long-haired, ‘flamboyant’ Cumbrians. That all changed when I met Dave Thorpe at a two-day ‘scramble’ back in ’78 and DT to this day is right up there in my own personal off-road pantheon.

Another hero of mine is Trampas Parker. I clearly remember him being cornered on the steps of his distinctly hippyish race transporter at Namur one year by a bunch of ever-so-slightly hammered MR Thumpercross riders who were keen to discuss the ins and outs of the new four-stroke technology. In his Deep South drawl Trampas was more than happy to shoot the sh*t with the glassy-eyed thumper fans but, to be honest, he’d been a hero of mine for a fair bit before this Jupiler-fuelled encounter. What did it for me with Trampas was the fact that he’d turned his back on all that ‘USA! USA! USA!’ crapola and was earning his living racing – and winning – in Europe. Sure, maybe he could make more money over here but he’d dispensed with all the Stars and Bars flag-waving and was keeping it real in Europe. He was one of ‘us’!

All of which rambling rubbish brings me nicely to the subject of the third and final off-road hero I bumped into that busy Saturday. Mike Brown may have enjoyed more success in his native America than Trampas did but he’s a man in very much the same vein. At 35 years of age Mike’s like a hired gun – ‘have boots, will travel’ could be a suitable motto for the Tennessee native (maybe, like Trampas, it’s a southern States kinda deal) – and he doesn’t just roll up for an easy pay-day, he comes to race.

Finally, there’s been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth in the DBR office this month for a couple of reasons. The first is the news that this is Sutty’s last issue as Deputy Dawg (see story on p11). The second is that our planned jolly to the Belgian GP at Namur has had to be cancelled because – boo, hiss – they’ve only gone and moved it to Lommel. On the plus side it instantly removes the risk of the kind of beer injuries that can only be sustained by falling down big hills while under the influence. The downside is that Lommel just ain’t Namur…