This is a blog maintained by David Arnold (a.k.a. Mr. Murdo and Dave Skooter-Farm)
I have set this blog up as an online shoebox. It's somewhere I can put junk of interest to me, write down my thoughts, post old photos and maybe share my ideas and let people know what gets my motor running. Also a site which tracks the activities of SKOOTER FARM DIRT TRACK RACING.
Another idol of mine claimed by cancer at the age of 53. With her band X-RAY SPEX she really was a unque artist. I played the early singles to death IDENTITY, OH BONDAGE and DAY THE WORLD TURNED DAYGLO.
I met her backstage once in London in 1989 on a Youth of Today/Jailcell Recipes tour . She had Krishna beliefs and was friends with Y.O.T. vocalist Ray Cappo, a new Krishna convert. She came down to see what the current punk scene was like. I remember her being very positive about the gig...very sweet and soft spoken and not looking any older than she did in 1977!
I'm jazzed to stumble upon this rad racing shot of myself (number 31) over at keep-turning-left.blogspot had a really great day racing, finishing in a strong second in this last Thunderbike heat. It was disappointing the finals were abandoned due to many stoppages and the meeting over-running......I'm sure I could have got a favourable result had the final taken place.
It was my Nephew, Jake Roberts 16th Birthday yesterday. As I posted a couple of weeks back, he's recovering from surgery to a splintered collar-bone after a heavy BMX crash whilst training in Denmark.
One positive outcome from all this is Jake can now take his girlfriend, Aimee-Kate to his school Prom Night! The date clashes with a round of the National race championship and he's under contract to attend 'em all...However, he is recuperating...so he's excused.
Jake came round yesterday to raid my attic and try out some suitable threads for the Prom. this is the outfit he picked out.
I know for a fact that his mum has different ideas about this.......thing is.... he's Sixteen now!
Bored rigid by the forthcoming Royal Wedding?
...Then get down to THE OCTOPUS at The British Legion for a night of over the top POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE!!!
I'm sure there are lots of things to do on this special day .....but you could do a lot worse than spend it with The Stags, celebrating WHAT MAKES BRITAIN GREAT!!
Everyone attending RULE BRITANNIA...WITH THE STAGS will receive their very own to keep, British Legion commemorative Stags ornamental plate, by Royal appointment to Dennis the Bar-Steward!
Support is from girl-fronted, power-poppers THE STACHES from Geneva, Switzerland....don't know what they will make of all the jelly eating and flag waving!
FRIDAY 29TH APRIL at The British Legion, Wigan
£3.00 ON THE DOOR (including commemorative plate)
Doors open 8.30pm
Via the magic of Facebook, I've recently been back in touch with some old BMX buddies. I invited Jason Ramsden and Tony Law over to the SKOOTER FARM practice track a coupla days ago.
Jason was an old ROBINSON team-mate back in 1981...and I ain't seen him since about 1982.
Both guys had a good day but Tony was struggling in pain due to 20 plus years of Freestyle MX abuse to his body.
However, Jason got into it really quickly, within minutes he was comfortably sliding the bike through the corners.
Jason was always a natural on a bike, tons of style and a total command of "Body English". He came away smiling and really stoked and can't wait to ride again next week.
I know I said the SKOOTER FARM team was fully subscribed but taking into account CAPTAIN HIGHSIDE is pretty much out for the season... I think there may be room for one more rookie on the team. I reckon a couple more sessions on the little track, maybe a practice session on a big track and then maybe Rammy could try a race or two......I hope so!
He flew out to Copenhagen, Denmark with 12 other top English BMX racers.
They have privately rented the UCI SUPERCROSS track for the weekend. The track is ultra-gnarly......it's BMX on steroids.....super-hero stuff.....the stuff you see in an X-BOX game.
Unfortunately, Jake went down hard on his first attempt to take the fearsome first jump... a 40-footer. According to his Step-Dad, Roy... he did a massive, terminal endo..... landing on his head and breaking his collarbone.
the phone footage is shaky and doesn't show the impact....but it still sickens me to watch.
Over the last 8 years, we have watched Jake grow from a little kid "having a ride round" to becoming one of the most promising racers in the country. He will turn 16 in April, he's the 4 times defending British and National number 1 and is one of only a handful of racers on the BRITISH CYCLING TALENT TEAM.....grooming him to represent his country at the 2016 Olympics (he's just a few months too young for 2012 London)
I'm watching his progress "live" on Facebook....it's a bad break and he's been moved to another hospital to see a surgeon.
Jake is my hero...his first time on one of these "X-Games super tracks", only been there less than one hour, he has the balls to take a jump like that, fully commited, not knowing whether he will make it or not.
Unfortunately, today, it didn't go quite as planned, but knowing Jake like I do, if he had not broken his bones ..I'm 100% certain he would have dusted himself down and tried it again and again ..until he made it.
These modern, made-for-TV tracks make the tracks I raced on back in 1980-81 seem like pre-school.....I wouldn't even ride down that start ramp!!
I'm so proud of his achievements and if he wasn't so damn good at BMX I would have had him on SKOOTER FARM in the junior class in a heartbeat....I know he is in good hands but I am thinking about him....
BTW, Jakes bike sponsor is REDLINE ENGINEERING for those that know their flat track motorcycle history..a company formed by Linn Kastan....originally producing thoroughbred cro-moly race frames before sidestepping into BMX racing in the late 70's!
UPDATE
Jacob is now recovering from his surgery which involved a steel plate and pins. It's a complicated break, he splintered the collar bone into 4 pieces and has been told he can't even begin to do any physio for another 6 weeks. This means he will miss the first few rounds of the British BMX championship...which he's gutted about.
