Jack Price
We first noticed this young rider, so full of enthusiasm for life, riding a trials motorcycle at an ACU Youth British Championship round way back in 2008. Supported all the way by his father, Richard, and his mother, Dawn, as well as his older brother, Connor, Jack Price and his family have seen it all; from the ACU youth scene right through to the dizzy heights of the FIM Trial World Championship in the TrialGP class. Success has come along from the early years with five ACU Youth British Championship wins and two Trial GB adult titles in more recent times. By Jack’s own admission, the move into the TrialGP class, where he rode from 2017 through to the Covid-19-condensed 2020 year, was tough. He was rewarded with factory-supported rides from Gas Gas and Vertigo. He also had a healthy bank of sponsors, supporting his quest to succeed in the sport’s premier league. He gave it 100%, but with an injury-hit 2020 season, he announced at the year’s end he was moving away from trials. In his own words, he was going racing. Read on.
Going racing? Tell us more.
Straight in there, John — haha! Yes, ‘going racing’ sounds weird but also exciting. I’m at the point in my life where trials isn’t giving me that same kick I used to get, and I’m heading to do some racing to look for that adrenaline I’ve always had in trials.
Seeing my very good friend, Billy Bolt, have so much success, and many other top trials riders such as Graham Jarvis, Jonny Walker, etc., in fact, all the top riders in Extreme Enduro, it does make you wonder what could be.
Have you carried any of your sponsors across to Enduro?
Yes, I have, which is absolutely amazing — Sound Advice, Michelin, Rock Oil and Renthal are the main ones that have stuck with me for this new adventure, so I have to thank them a lot for believing in me.
My sponsors in trials were always incredible, and I always had a lot of people believing in me, which made things a lot better. I can’t thank my parents enough for everything they’ve done for me; it really is incredible. I have the full backing from ‘Nige and OJ’ at Sound Advice which is a major help. They’re my main team, as you would say, and are there through the good and bad times, which makes for a very good team.
I was fortunate enough to ride for two factory teams in my career: Gas Gas for most of my career, with huge help from the importer at the time, John R ‘Shirty’ Shirt, and a quick stint at Vertigo with wicked help from Vertigo UK.
Rewinding the clock; why trials?
Wow, where to start! I got into trials because we were good friends with the neighbours, who bought their middle son a trials machine. My older brother, Connor, was of a similar age, so he was lucky enough to then have a trials machine to ride. Of course, as soon as I was old enough, I fancied a go too and got a Yamaha PW50 at the tender age of four.
My first memory on the PW50 was blasting round a field in the next village from ours with my dad chasing me to get me off it; the PW won — it was faster than my dad!
We did a bit of cycle trials on our mountain bikes and got into trials that way. My first memory was at Bracken Rocks at a club trial. I can’t remember how it ended, but we definitely had fun.
You won your first ACU youth title in 2006
I did one round in Richmond in 2005 on my
Gas Gas 50 Boy and came second in the D class to Lee Sealey. So in 2006, we decided we would do the full series and just see what happened. I won the championship, and then it was a jump from a Gas Gas 50 Boy to a Beta 80 ‘Big wheel’; my legs didn’t even touch the floor!
In 2007, I broke my arm, and with the transition, it was tough. I rode one national in 2007, I think again in Richmond; I nearly maxed out and finished last. But I went back to the drawing board and practised. I was fourth in 2008 in the championship and then won it in 2009.