Paul Truesdale NI Biker asked local rider Paul Truesdale from Ballynahinch to pen a few lines about his racing career. Here's what he had to say... Article Date: 2nd April 2001
A long downhill slide into racing... Where do we start? Well, I have been riding bikes for about 12 years and went to the NW 200 with my dad every year, but my interest in starting to race myself started when I bought a TZR250 in 1994 that was going a bit rough. I took the bike to a newly started bike shop in Ardglass called JD's Motorcycles. John spent two nights working at the bike and came to the conclusion that there was an engine problem and as the bike was still under some warranty I should take it back, he wouldn't accept any money so as I am a mechanic I offered to help out around the workshop for a few nights. Three years later and I was still going to the workshop at nights and helping at the races at the weekends. By 1997 the TZR was long gone and I had upgraded to a ZX6R but after getting knocked off twice in the one day (once on the way to work and again on the way home).
	I had had enough, a race kit was bought from Alan Armstrong, leathers from Steve Nugent and me and the ZX6 were ready. My first race was at Bishopscourt in June '97 where i finished 18/26.
I kept racing on the circuits until June '98 even though I had my road licence, but after a year of racing around carparks I was in need of something more. My first road race was in June 98 at Dundalk. Now THIS was more like it, I finished in 15th place and filled the van with a big cheesy grin all the way home. I completed all the remaining roads that year and ended up 11th overall for the year in the support. At the end of '98 John asked if I would be interested in buying his CBR that he had been using so the ZX6 was sold and the CBR was bought. I finished all the roads that year and ended up 7th in the support with the highlight at Kells starting 18th and finishing 7th. The end of '99 went much the same way I sold my CBR and bought Johns '99 machine. After some early season runs I knew this bike was good. We went to Cookstown for the first roadrace and after a night of practising in the sunshine it pee'ed down on race day.
I never used to like the rain, so for the first time I bought a set of wet tires and they changed things a little - I finished the race in 2nd place to local man Ray Graham.
I got another 2nd at skerries and nearly won the Regal 'B' race but fell off two corners from the end with a 12sec lead (boy did I feel DAFT). The year ended missing the last two rounds after coming off at Monaghan and not getting the bike fixed in time but I was 5th in the support and 3rd in the Lone Ends championship. For the 2001 season I got the ride on the Moira MRC Yamaha R6 and hope to progress in the Regal but we have to wait and see how much roadracing there is going to be. My sponsors include Bells Motor Works in Crossgar, Forsythe Contracts in Lisburn, and of course the Moira Motorcycle Club. Paul Truesdale