I was first introduced to motorcycles in the early eighties ragging round the woods on dirt converted mopeds that my brother Ben got from the local breakers yard. It wasn't long before we were both hooked and started pestering the old man to get us some real dirt bikes. My first bike was an '82 YZ80 and Ben had the big framed YZ100 which we both loved.
I started racing motocross in 1985 and competed in the Scottish Schoolboy championships for several seasons firstly in the Juniors on a KX80 and then in the Inters on a KX100 finishing consistently in the top 5. Ben went straight into the adult class and started racing the open Scottish Championship on various beasts including a Maico 490 Alpha 1 and Husqvarna CR500.
When I moved up to the adult class Ben and I started getting more serious about our racing as there was now direct sibling rivalry out on the track. We pushed each other hard riding new KX's resulting in consistent top 10 finishes in the Scottish Open Championship with the pair of us finishing top 15 in 1990.
After that year we both stopped racing motocross, mainly due to the old man refusing to sponsor us any more, and enjoyed some more leisurely enduro racing and trials riding. Since then I've never been far from bikes and have tried everything from a 170mph superbike to a hooligan supermoto. But it was after having a shot on a YZF400 that I knew I had to get back into motocross. So I went and bought a YZF426, joined the Hampshire Club and started racing again in the later part of 2003 after a 13 year break. My first race back was the LB event at Fobdown where I qualified for A-Group and finished the first moto in 7th so knew my pace was still good. Was seriously unfit though so started training again.
The 2004 season was my first full competitive season back racing and I had great fun battling for the Hampshire Clubman Championship where I eventually finished as runner up. A change of bike back to the old school 2-stroker for 2005 was great although I had a few nasty crashes breaking my collarbone and some ribs which dented my confidence. I was battling for the Hampshire Clubman Championship once more and finished as runner up again plus achieved a respectable seventh overall in the Main Open Championship.
In 2006 I managed to win the Hampshire Clubman's title on the 2-stroke YZ250, finished runner up in the 250 class and finished 10th in the Main Open Championship however badly damaged my right knee at the end of the season destroying the ACL ligament. This meant I missed most of the 2007 season as I had several operations to rebuild the right knee as well as some repair work on the left knee.
Things are going good now with both knees holding up well. I resisted the trend to go four stroke and bought another YZ250 for the 2008 season which combined with some hard winter training took me to the Hampshire Clubman's title again as well as the Veterans Cup. I also finished 8th overall in the Hampshire main and top 10 in the UMX so all in all 2008 was a great year.
I've now gone yellow for the 2009 season with a new Suzuki RM250 which I absolutely love. The bike feels perfect and I'm really focused on my racing and getting some great results including my first UMX win at Swanmore.
Best race is a tough one as I've had some great battles over the years. Holeshotting the DEP support race at Canada Heights and leading for 4 laps was cool. My first Hampshire win in the 250 class at Swanmore in 2006 was great although the next moto there was when I destroyed my right knee. The highs and lows of motocross. This year I've had some great fun already.
Injuries include:
Snapped ACL ligament in right knee
Broken wrists (a few times)
Broken collarbone
Broken ribs
Dislocated thumb
Lacerated upper torso (torn open by footpeg)
Totally obsessed with motocross and will be racing for a few years yet (or for as long as my knees hold up).
Racing is life, everything before or after is just waiting!
