A bit of backstory; I was originally invited to go to help design the track back in late 1981 with Mike Pardon. We stayed with a dealer of ours who had a shop in the centre of Douglas (Pedal Power), they lived above the shop but we stayed in their scary old townhouse frurther along the front with no lights. After a couple of days we had the track layout marked out and we took the ferry back to Heysham - the next time I saw the track it was completed at this National. The whole weekend was a ton of fun, I remember Craig Borrows hopping over the counter at the amusements causing me to collapse on the floor with laughter, it is hands-down the most I have ever laughed in my life. Later, we went to see the film Tron and there was a race the day after in Ramsey but I went horse riding instead.
Photo: Nigel Higginson/BMX Bi-Weekly
Amazingly, I found this video of that same day of riders (including Andy Ruffel) "styling" over that same jump in a break after the motos. Video courtesy of Louise Kellet (nee Westwell):
Here's a clip of myself and John Lee in the Motos:
Here's an ad for BMX Bi-Weekly from the same year. For some reason we had to go to North Wales to have this studio shot taken, it was the first time I'd seen a Hasselblad (large format) camera. in 2020 year we replicated this ad with John Bentley, after he swept 20" & Cruiser both days at the first Nationals of 2020, just after the series was amadondoned due to Covid.
I suppose the photo resonates so much so because it marked a point when UK riders could be as "Factory" as the Americans. Everything in the photos is dialled, down to the tofinest detail: the A'ME facemark, the Max legaitors, the matching Vans - of course Tony's timeless style. I rest my case:
Ipswich National I think, same year, '83.
Jag World Championships, Las Vegas, 1983.
December 1982 ad from BMX Action bike.
L-R: Tony Holland, Gary Fenwick, Craig Borrows, Damian Jackson, Alice Temple, Darren Nelson, Alan Woods.
Alan Woods.
2nd January, 2022.
UPDATE FROM TONY 3/1/22
