Ian Johnston!!!!!
Who can say this name is not familiar? Who can forget the inventor
of Trials Action, the Scottish man who in real time spread all over
the world any Trials news you sent . Now he changes the role: boring
to stay at his desk waiting for news, he wants to be on first line,
taking pictures with his digital cameras. Obvious he could not miss
his home event (just 3 hours from his home, because he lives on the
other side of Scotland!)!
We interviewed him before
this big event, asking how is his life without T.A.?
"Back in 1996
Trials Action, or 'Cyber Trials' as it started out (who remembers
that!), began it's humble beginnings in an overheated 6ft by 6ft box
room at home. Why? I guess for no better reason TA was simply an amalgamation
of three important hobby's for me; Computing, Trials and the emerging
Internet.
As
TA grew so I learned about the world of trials inside the tapes, met
and worked with some of the characters on the National and International
circuits, some of whom helped TA such as Mario Candellone and Andreu
Codina who in those early days provided timely results & news.
TA quickly became the focal point of Trials on the Net.
Now, some six years
on I have decided to take a rest from manning my modem
and the ever increasing pressure of updating TA in it's customary
'immediate' fashion. I hung up my mouse and sold out to 'Off Road
Action', a company who have what I believe is the necessary corporate
trials infrastructure to take TA on to the next stage. Besides, I
wanted to spend more time on my bike!
Lots of people have
asked me what big project I have going that I sold TA......the answer
is there isn't one! Life without TA still has Trials very much an
important factor to me, I'll still being attending events taking photos
and contributing where I can to the sport we all call home. Sheffield
2002 kicked off the year and as ever was fantastic to watch and to
photograph. The SSDT is just a few days away and I'll be there all
week rain, snow or shine. Of course there will be some British rounds
to attend and maybe a WTC event or two.
Quite simply I'm looking forward to a more relaxed, less intense involvement in Trials
and getting out there on the hill more often.......and of course hopping
in past TA's Worldwide Bulletin Board and mixing with the insane folks
that reside there."
..........