News Page 1

I have been involved in the motocross scene since I was born really, growing up with my old man who was riding when I was born. He was in the Clee Hill Victors club I believe and was a regular at all the motocycle events put on by the AMCA. I have a video somehwere of him at an IMBA in Sweden I think, he was with Don Green and several AMCA riders Including the Grahame family (sidecar). My first bike was an Italjet 50, which I still have. I had it whan I was 2 years old and spent many days riding it on the Pheasey Estate in Great Barr. I never really got pushed into riding competetively because my Dad never had the time. He covered most aspects of off road motorcycle racing including a stint with the Birmingham Brummies speedway team, I think this was short lived though. My second bike was a Montessa Cota 25, a tiny little child's Trials bike, I was about 5/6 when I had that but didn't really take to trials, I think this was due to Dad putting me on a 250 Ossa at about 8 years old and it put me off so the Cota 25 was sold early on.

The next bike I had was a Yamaha 100 scrambler which came from Graham Cadman I think when he was in Willenhall, that really got me Interested in motorcross, plus the fact that we had just moved from Great Barr to Sneyd Farm Essington, yes a farm!! Land to ride on without anyone complaining. I rode every chance I got and I became quite a competent rider, however I was crap with the spanner and never picked up on MIXING petrol with lubricating Oil !!!!!!! (some people say I'm still having problems with fuel cans)!!!

Anyway, one day when my extended family were visiting, my cousins and I were riding the Yammy when it ran out of fuel, so being the litte reprobate that I was, I syphoned my aunties Honda 70 and put it in the poor little Yammy, needless to say she didn't last long, I was about 12 years old and that was the Big lesson for me because Daddy wouldn't help me with repairing the bike.

I allways remember going to the meetings in something different, either the old 20/25 Rolls Royce, a Silver Cloud, I even remember going in a Rolls Royce Hearse to some meetings, there is a video of that somewhere. My old man always had something different around him and would use it if he could. He once owned the BMC transporter used in the Italian Job for the Minis, he used it to take his Mini to race meetings in the late 70s.

My motorcross riding stopped till I was old enough to afford my own bike, which came when I was about 15/16. It was a Greeves Griffon that Woza (Warick Upton) and I collected off the estate by us for £75, it had stood for a while but as we were pushing it home we decided to bump it, and it started straight away. It was a flippin rocket, but I was forever putting new woodruff keas on the rotor and soon got fed up of stripping it down every time I rode it.

My next encounter was a visit to Hyland Crowe in Erdington, where I saw a RM500. Nassa, the then owner, let me take the bike out of the shop to try for the week to see if I could get on with it, I loved it, I used to ride in the field with Woza any chance we got. But I'm afraid Pubs and Girls took us away from the bikes and we never really rode much till we decided to join Cannock MCC in 1994 and that's where we have stayed.

I think I am a bit extrovert and enjoy turning up with something that will get response.. so watch this space. Ant Barrett.