OL MANX – AUGUST 2008

"Last September, I broke my leg badly in a bike crash on holiday in Greece, and just as I was almost back to full fitness, I did my collarbone. The support of my family and friends got me through this, but at the time it was such a huge blow because I’d finally been able to secure the services of Mark Cox as my passenger for 2008. Adjusting to having a new person in the chair can sometimes be very difficult, but knowing his ability and professionalism, I knew we would go places. And I can honestly say he’s been the difference this year."

"I broke my collarbone in the second of two races at Donington, and up until then it was going so well, having set a new lap record there. It was the worst timing possible with the TT just weeks away, and it also meant we’d have to miss valuable rounds of the F2 Championship. However, after surgery and intensive treatment I managed to get fit in time for the end of May – there was no way I was going to miss the TT after the heartbreak of the Centenary event in 2007 when I broke down twice after having set a new lap record of 116.67mph. They were the two races in the whole of my career that I wanted to win, and I needed to make up for the pain."

"To even finish a TT is a major feat in itself and sometimes the odds can be stacked against you, but to finish both races as winners this year is an awesome feeling, and has also done a lot for Sidecar racing as a sport. Having the triple World Champion, Tim Reeves, taking part in the TT for the first time this year has really raised its profile, and has opened up a lot of doors for us."

"Last week, myself and Mark took part in a specially-arranged demonstration at one of the biggest meetings in the race calendar, the Ulster Grand Prix, to show organisers why Sidecar racing needs to be re-introduced there in 2009. Fingers crossed we managed to persuade them!"

"I can honestly say I’m a lot happier now with where we currently stand in the F2 Championship – I haven’t been until recently though because of things like my injury and a non-finish due to an engine failure. However, it has been a great season with some of the most competitive racing we’ve ever seen, and it’s been a great experience having Mark on the side as he pushes me as a person and as a driver more than anyone ever has before. I think the best race and result we’ve had so far was at Anglesey last month when myself and Tim were chasing each other round for 20 laps. Although we finished second, it was by just 0.6 of a second, and we walked away with a new lap record for that particular circuit, one of many I hold now."

"My biggest ambition for the rest of the year is to relax, and hopefully walk away with the F2 Championship in October for the first time! A lot of people are talking about me stepping up a level and doing F1 or even the World Championship next year, but even if I wanted to I could never afford it or have the time as I work Monday to Friday like everyone else – with that I’d be on the road for nearly half a year. It’s been a brilliant year so far in which I’ve learned a lot about myself, and one full of personal triumphs. Thank you so much to the Manx public for getting behind me this year – I really do appreciate it."

It’s back to America for David Knight next month, where he will race in two more rounds of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series. It’s looking more and more like it will be Knighter’s second straight GNCC crown in a row – the Ballaugh Enduro racer is leading the Championship by 42 points with four rounds left to go. In an interview on behalf of Sure last month, the 30 year old made his biggest hint yet that he’ll be back racing in the Enduro World Championship again next year, a title he’s won twice to date.

Already this year, David has won the 2008 Great Britain Cross Country title with one round to spare, and has just returned from Mexico, where he won a test Fun Enduro event on a circuit that’s tipped to be a World Championship round in 2009.

The new football season got underway in the Isle of Man on Saturday 16^th August, with the first matches of the 2008/09 campaign in the Sure Mobile Premier League and Sure Mobile Combi One.

Douglas side St George’s will be looking to retain the title they bagged in May, and the pundits already seem to think it is the Geordies’ to lose. The performances of key players including Island internationals Calum Morrissey, Chris Bass Jnr and Sean Quaye will be under scrutiny against the likes of Peel, Rushen, Laxey and Old Boys in what promises to be another thrilling season.

Last season was Zoe’s most successful to date, as she was crowned British Olympic Association Athlete of the Year 2007. Zoe is now recharging her batteries and preparing for the start of the 2008/09 winter sports season.

The 23 year old snowboarder, who is from Arbory, is currently in Bath doing fitness training before heading out to Saas Fee in Switzerland, where she will spend a fortnight undertaking heavy snow training.

At the end of the month, Zoe will fly to Argentina to take part in the first World Cup of the season, and her first competitive snowboarding for five months. The majority of Zoe’s preparation is geared towards January, the most important month of her calendar, when she will take part in a World Cup Event in Austria, the World Championships in Korea and then the X Games in Colorado.