LET’S KICKSTART TV
It seems highly unlikely now that over thirty years ago, in 1979, the British Broadcasting Corporation would show a trials riding competition at peak viewing time on its most popular channel BBC1. That is exactly what they did, with ‘Kickstart’ which ran for 13 seasons – and at a time when many people where sitting down to watch the television, at 6.30 in the evening. Add in the most hideous theme tune ever (Be My Boogie Woogie Baby by Mr Walkie Talkie) and millions were hooked. Radio Two presenter Chris Evans was apparently a massive fan, and I know I was!
The original format was an obstacle course, with see-saws, Volkswagen Beetles, bunny hops and limbo poles etc. all to be ridden around, or over, on a motorcycle. They even came up with a single-decker bus on one occasion that had to be ridden over and through! Riders were marked on the time it took to complete the course plus an additional 20-second time penalty for footing a section. With the cameras rolling it was more than tricky enough. The first programme was filmed just beside the race track at Donington Park and it would later move to Easton Neston, the home of Lord Hesketh.
The 1979 event had all of the big names of the day with Martin Lampkin, Mick Andrews and a young American called Bernie Schreiber. He was successful too, taking the first win aboard his Bultaco. He would go on to further successes in 1982 and ‘83, while SWM mounted; Kickstart was to be a truly international affair through the years. John Reynolds was victor in the second year, 1980, aboard the Beamish Suzuki.
The trick riders came into prominence in 1981 with the entry of a young Frenchman called Jean Pierre Goy, mounted on a Fantic, and he won the event.
1982 saw Peter Purves come in with Mick Andrews alongside him in the commentary box, the series had a new big-time sponsor by the name of Lombard and was produced by a certain Reginald Perrin.
In 1984 it was time for another British win and this time it was John Lampkin who would take victory from Steve Saunders, with Schreiber third having tried too hard on his second run and dropped more penalties than would have been expected. It was held at Easton Neston, giving a very different mix of course with more natural going between the observed hazards.
In 1985 Eddy Lejeune finally got the win he was seeking on the four-stroke Honda but the following year it was arch rival and team-mate Steve Saunders who kept his composure to win.
In the following years the format would change, but one thing is for sure, the early programmes were by far the best.