Steve Saunders
When Steve Saunders was born, on 3rd December 1964, Sammy Miller was the king of trials. Little did his proud parents Dennis and Pauline know that this bundle of joy would go on to become a trials legend. In a career which would include Schoolboy and adult British Championship titles, World round wins and Scottish Six Days Trial victories, to name but a few, he would also take factory rides supported by Armstrong, Honda and Fantic. Trial Magazine was invited to attend his birthday celebrations as he arrived at fifty years of age recently. Steve was dressed as American motorcycle showman Evil Knievel – say no more!
Happy Birthday, you old dog!
I feel like an old dog at times! But as you can see by the amount of well-wishers at this fancy dress celebration, the journey over the years has been a good one. The sport has some fantastic people and characters, and I have been very fortunate to make so many good friends.
Would you have ever believed, when you started out on the Mobylette moped modified by your father, that you would make a successful career from the sport?
The idea was to have some fun and the fact it turned into a career was a bonus. My father had been a very good trials rider in his own right and it was really a natural progression for me to follow in his footsteps into the sport of trials.
You then progressed through various machines before you attracted some trade support.
I had another machine modified by my father, a Suzuki, before my first ‘real’ trials machine, a 100cc Bultaco Tiron. This is where my throttle control skills came from as it had no bottom-end power. You had to hold the throttle wide open, riding on the clutch and brakes and moving your body position around for the balance point whilst the poor machine was ‘singing’ its head off! I then moved into the Youth B Class Championship on the Yamaha TY 175cc before winning the title twice on one of the very early 125cc Fantic machines. How good was the Schoolboy scene back then? It was very competitive, which I loved. With a Comerfords – The UK importers – supported 250cc Bultaco I was the A Class champion from 1979–1981. These were very special times, travelling around the UK with my mother and father; proper family times.
What was the move into the adult scene like?
I went to a training school that was hosted by 1979 World Trials Champion Bernie Schreiber while he was in the UK. He had a new style of riding for the WTC which I studied and then practised. Trials were changing and I needed to be ready.
Which was your first adult national trial?
It was the Knut Trial on the Bultaco at the end of the season around November/December 1981, and I lost the win by a single mark. I started the following season with a win at the Southern Trial and a week later I took second place in the opening British Championship round, the Colmore, beaten by Yrjo Vesterinen.