Knighter as the gate drops....
Knighter as the gate drops. Throughout the last year of competition, the experimentation between four-stroke and two-stroke machines has been constant. If you ask David Knight which is best he'll simply say, "It depends on the track." Photo: Jonty Edmunds
What did you think of the three IEWC events?
Knight: "On the whole they were hard to fault really. Barcelona is always a great event, it always has been. Munich was really good as well. The night before the event it was a supercross track but they made it into a real indoor enduro course, which was fun to ride and pretty technical. Genoa was a little faster than the other two and a lot more slippery but it was also good. Each of the three events was good."
The FIM are planning to upgrade the series from a world cup to a world championship as well as increasing the number of events to around 5, what needs to be done to ensure the series is a success?
Knight: "If they use the format we had in Barcelona and Munich, where there were three finals for each event, then I think the championship would be great. With just one final it's too much shit or bust. With three finals you can afford to have one bad race and still get a good result, which is better for all riders.
"The series is definitely heading in the right direction. Five rounds is enough, too many would be a bad thing. The Indoor Trials World Championship is getting smaller so there's no point in having a 10 round IEWC series. That would just be too expensive. I think they need to make sure trials bikes can't enter. And they need to make sure that the series finishes about the same time it did this year, early February, so the teams and riders have time to get ready for the WEC or GNCC or whatever outdoor championship they're racing in. "
There are now two major indoor enduro championships, one in the States and one in Europe. Do you think one will lead the other or will they remain separate and grow in their own separate directions?
Knight: "I think they will remain independent, but I hope there will be a certain amount of cross-over. It would be good to have one of the Endurocross rounds in Europe and one of the IEWC events in the States. Imagine on a Friday night a round of the Endurocross, with possibly two or three wild card riders from Europe, and then on the Saturday night a round of the IEWC with two or three US wild card riders. It would be a great weekend.
David Knight always enjoys...
David Knight always enjoys a post-victory champagne shower. Here, he air-dries after wrapping up the Indoor Enduro World Cup. Photo: Jonty Edmunds
"Being in the States the Endurocross series will receive a lot of attention all around the world and will get stronger and stronger but I think the IEWC will be the strongest in terms of competitiveness. At the moment European riders are the best indoor enduro riders. I just hope there can be a certain amount of cross-over between the two."
How much bigger do you think the sport of indoor enduro can become?
Knight: "If the Endurocross and IEWC series can continue to grow steadily then I think that the sport will get stronger. I can't see it getting massively bigger over night and we won't be filling supercross size stadiums any time soon. Making small improvements is the key to making the sport strong. I think that getting the entire IEWC series on TV would be the best thing for it. So many people have told me that they enjoyed watching the Genoa round on TV. Being broadcast live it made it even more exciting. Most people enjoyed the Under 23 race more than the main event because it was just non-stop action from start to finish."
Finally, will you be defending both of your championship this season?
Knight: "No. Last year one of the Endurocross rounds clashed with a GNCC. I won the Endurocross race, flew over night to the GNCC, got one hour of sleep and finished eighth or something in the GNCC. It was just too tiring and too much for one weekend. This year three Endurocross events clash with GNCC races. I'd love to do the Endurocross series but I'm contracted to do the GNCC series. My plan is to build a new Endurocross track at my home in the Isle of Man and when I get the chance turn up at an Endurocross event and try and mix things up a bit. I do want to defend my IEWC title."
Check out www.endurocross.com for updated schedules and news about the US Endurocross series.
Check out www.fim.ch for news and updates on the FIM Indoor Enduro World Championship