CHANGING TIMES
In the mid-80s, times were changing in the world of manufacturing motorcycle trials machines. With the introduction of the production mono-shock trials model from Yamaha in late 1983, it made all twin-shock machines redundant almost overnight as they could not compete with the revolutionary technological change that the Japanese had brought to motorcycle trials. Within a two-year time frame, all the manufacturers had single-shock trials machines in production. Of the once-dominant manufacturers from Spain, only Montesa was still in production as Bultaco and Ossa had disappeared to be replaced by a much smaller group of manufacturers including Alpha, Alfer, Merlin and Mecatecno, to name a few. Of the Italian manufacturers, SWM had disappeared, but Aprilia, Fantic and Garelli had production machines, and in France we had JCM. From Japan, we still had Honda and Yamaha producing trials models. Out of the smaller industry in Spain, a fast-moving new manufacturer by the name of Gas Gas had been looking for a UK importer. That man would be John E Shirt, from Buxton in Derbyshire.
John Edward Shirt needs no introduction. He was brains behind the successful Majesty Yamaha conversions, before moving his exceptional engineering talents to the revolutionary mono-shock Yamaha in which he played a vital part in its development. He had built up a successful business; not just selling the new Yamaha machines, but also adding his knowledge to further the development of the production models. He offered his hand-prepared models which also included many of the aftermarket parts he could now supply along with clothing, boots and accessories for the trials market from his Stable Lane base in Buxton. When Yamaha removed him as an official dealer, he started to look elsewhere to secure his future employment.
FIRST MEETING
In late 1987, John had looked at the new Aprilia TXR single-shock trials model and purchased one to evaluate it. He soon realised that using the ageing Rotax engine had made it on the heavy side, and so the Aprilia was sold. His 16-year-old son, John Richard Shirt, was riding the HRC supplied RTL Honda. I travelled with father and son to the opening 1988 FIM World Trials round at St Llorenc, Spain. Two new machines were on display from two of the new Spanish manufacturers, Gas Gas and Mecatecno.
We celebrated son John’s 17th birthday in a local restaurant adjacent to the start area where, unbeknown to us, there were some of the management staff from Gas Gas including their rider Andreu Codina. I knew him from a few years before when I rode in a few world rounds, and I went over to say hello. He gave me a poster of the new Gas Gas in action, and when I returned to the table, I spoke with father Shirt as we cast our eyes over the poster. We then looked at the new machine in the paddock and, yes, it did look very competitive!
SPEEDWAY DAYS
On his return home to the UK, John rang a good friend who he knew through his speedway days, Keith Blair. Keith knew everything about motorcycle parts and accessories imported from Spain and Italy to the UK. John asked if he knew anyone at either Gas Gas or Mecatecno. Keith remembered a Spanish guy named Joseph Pibernat who had partnered up with Narcis Casas to produce the new Gas Gas trials machine. They owned a shop called Remoto, which imported off-road accessories into Spain.
Around 1985/1986 they had started to produce the new Gas Gas trials machines and had scored a superb win with their ‘Halley’ model in the hands of Gabino Renales at the 1987 Belgian FIM world round. It was at the Belgian world round in 1988 that John came into contact with Joseph Pibernat who was there supporting his riders on the new 327 Gas Gas model. As John worked on his son’s RTL Honda, they spoke about the opportunity for a UK importer of the Spanish machines.
WAITING GAME
Gas Gas planned to produce between 800 and 1,000 units of the new 327 model and Joseph Pibernat had agreed with John Shirt to send him one for evaluation. With machines built in batches of 25, they could address any production problems immediately. The demand for the new machine in Spain had proved very popular.
Both Joseph Pibernat and Narcis Casas had reputations as strong riders in the heyday of Bultaco, and both carried immense respect amongst the off-road riders of their homeland, hence the demand for the new machines. It was a waiting game for John, but in July 1988 the new Gas Gas arrived at the East Midlands airport from Spain for him to collect. The frame number was 231, which confirmed his thoughts that the machines were selling well in Spain.
With the machine safe in his Stable Lane workshop, John gave it the once-over and was very impressed, especially with the overall weight at 83.5kg making it the lightest production trials machine on the market.
After competing on it in a local Saturday evening trial, he took it to a local venue the day after at Further Harrop Farm, Pott Shrigley near Macclesfield in Cheshire. A few local riders were invited to ride it, and they all returned the new Gas Gas suitably impressed. John had worked with Nigel Birkett and sponsored him on both the Majesty and monoshock Yamaha machines and asked him if he would ride the Gas Gas for him on August 7th at the Hillsborough Club’s ACU British Championship Trial, to which he agreed.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Nigel Birkett: “This is such a long time ago. I have had to check some notes I made for the press to confirm my first impressions on the Gas Gas! It had incredible engine torque, very similar in many ways to my ‘works’ 325cc Suzuki I rode back in the ’70s. Even when I was pulling fourth gear and making the singlecylinder air-cooled engine work, the amount of grip available was unbelievable.
“With a low seat height and quick and responsive steering, it gave it a very easy-to-ride feel. In the many rivers found in this event, the suspension package was excellent, with the biggest problem for me after riding the monoshock Yamaha for so long was which gear to use from the four trials gears, with the remaining two for moorland and road use. With so much torque and usable power, it gave you so much time to react when picking your chosen line in the hazards.
“You could easily tell that it had been built with the rider in mind with nothing protruding to catch on the rocks in the rivers; it was actually two inches narrower than my Yamaha. The ‘floating’ front and rear disc brakes both performed very well, as did the clutch with its light action.
“The modern looks would soon make it a popular machine with the buying public as they looked for an alternative for the ageing mono-shock Yamaha. The Gas Gas came with good-quality suspension and components, and I had no doubt then that with a top-class rider holding the handlebars it would become a very competitive machine.”
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
Six weeks later, John received his first batch of five machines. Two of these went to Dave Renham Motorcycles and one to local rider Andy Dale. The fourth one was kept as a demonstration model, and the fifth one went into stock. His son John rode the first Gas Gas they had received in July for the first time in the September Red Rose ACU British Championship round. It would start a relationship for the Shirt family that is still around today. Interest in the machine in Spain was incredible as it became the best-selling trials machine of 1988, removing Montesa from the top of the sales chart. In the UK, interest was the same, and the Shirt family acquired more machines. As 1989 dawned, Tony Scarlett moved into a two-man team with John R Shirt. As they say, the rest is history!
£2,300
ENGINE: Air-Cooled Single Cylinder Two-Stroke; Engine Size: 326cc; Bore: 83.25mm; Stoke: 60mm;
Carburettor: 25mm Ø Dell’orto; Ignition: Motoplat Electronic; Gearbox: Six Speed.
CHASSIS: Steel Tubular Chromoly with bolted rear sub-assembly; Swinging-Arm: Aluminium;
Sump Guard: Aluminium; Fuel Tank: Plastic;
Suspension: Front: Marzocchi, Rear: Corte Cosso. DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 1,328mm; Ground Clearance: 350mm; Seat Height: 712mm; Engine Width: 48mm; Footrest Width: 82mm; Footrest Height: 82mm.
Yes, that was the state of play after the opening six rounds of the 1980 FIM World Trials Championship. There were four different winners on four different manufacturers’ machines. With the season starting at a cold and wet Northern Ireland and the sixth round closing off the first half of the twelve-round series in a warm and dry France, the riders encountered a wide range of testing conditions. Before we move into the rounds themselves, let’s take a brief look at what had been going on in the world of trials during the run-up to the season opener.
With the widely publicised problems at the Bultaco factory, the domination of the once-mighty Spanish manufacturers was entering what would be some challenging years as we went into the ’80s. The international team from Bultaco which had won the FIM World Trials Championship since its inception in 1975 with wins from Martin Lampkin, 1976–1978 with Yrjo Vesterinen and Bernie Schreiber in 1979 was now over. It was a case of ‘Viva Montesa’ as they had seen a significant increase in the sales of their Cota range of trials models, helped so much in the UK by their official importer Jim Sandiford.
Off the back of the first Scottish Six Days win, by Malcolm Rathmell for Montesa on the new Cota 349 model, they had tempted
Finland’s Yrjo Vesterinen to join the team for 1980. Montesa and their publicity manager, Alberto Mallofre, presented an impressive international team in Vesterinen, Rathmell, Ulf Karlson (SWE) and Marland Whaley (USA) to challenge for the ultimate prize, the FIM World Trials Championship title. The factory in Spain would supply each of them with new hand-built prototype Cota 349 models. Montesa had the all-important monies to support the production of new machines, but the problem was the supply of the components to build machines.
TALK AND RUMOURS
Many component suppliers had had their fingers burnt with the non-payment for parts from other manufacturers and had not had the funds to invest in the production of more parts.
At Bultaco, it was not good news at all as there was talk and rumours of the works-supported riders not having received payments and the factory doors were shut. Without a doubt, the machine was more than competitive, proven by its world championship-winning pedigree. Still, with no finances in place to support the running of a team of riders, it faced a very uncertain future.
Ossa had a new Spanish rider and machine combination with Toni Gorgot, but unfortunately, just when the season opener in Northern Ireland was on the horizon, he had a motorcycle accident on a road machine. He broke his foot, putting him out of the early part of the championship. Ossa had received a government cash injection based on the imminent production 200 of the new yellow
‘Gripper’ model. The Italian manufacturers were now being taken much more seriously, as both SWM and the new Fantic 200 model with its small 156cc engine looked more than competitive.
Fantic had enticed Spain’s Montesa development rider Jaime Subira to work with them on a new model range, and SWM had some new young riders, one of whom was the Frenchman Gilles Burgat.
As the season opened, the other major talking point was the compulsory introduction by the FIM of the fitting of working front and back lights.
Other new manufacturers in the world championship included Gori from Italy and the new prototype Miller machine from Great Britain; it was going to be an exciting season indeed.