Motocross star Martin Barr reflects on lockdown

It left the popular Ballyclare man with a massive void in his season but like most he has found plenty to do around his home and now that the travel restrictions have been relaxed he can get back to working at his own MX track and plan for better times ahead.

He was upbeat as he reflected on a difficult year and explained how he is managing to get his time in with no racing.

“I’ve put a lot of work and effort in to 2020 especially getting an official KTM deal for the MX1 class,” said Barr.

“It was a great deal and with me moving in to the Premier class it was a new challenge that I was really looking forward. Thankfully, I did manage to showcase my BRT KTM team indoors at the Arenacross series but the main part of my season is outdoors and so far it hasn’t happened. It is crazy times and like everyone else I’m not sure what way it is all going to go.”

As a rider he has continued his training, albeit pretty low key compared to what he was used to.

“Yes I have just been ticking over and keeping up the training although it has been tamed down a fair bit, but it means that if and when we get the green light I am not starting from scratch again.

“Obviously if we do get going there is a very good chance that there won’t be much of an off-season because it will be so late and one season will run into the next. It has definitely been testing times,” Barr added.

“We are all in the same boat because as riders it’s in our nature to always be active and never sit at home twiddling our thumbs. It has been really hard replacing the adrenalin rush we get from motocross but it’s out of our hands.

“At least now with the travel restrictions eased I can get some work done on my own track. I’ve had the facility for three years now and usually my season is so busy I can’t find the time.

“Thankfully I got the house painting out of the way early on and now I’m able to get back down to the track!

“I’m lucky to have the facility, as it has been a big help to my career over the past few years and when the restriction are finally lifted I will be able to get back to my own bike training along with my youth training schools and race academy.

“It’s been hard but we are going to have to ride this wave and see what if anything the next couple of weeks bring on the racing front.”

There are certainly going to be big changes within the sport when it eventually gets going again with social distancing being the biggest issue.

“Social distancing isn’t going away any time soon and it is going to be so hard for an event to keep those strict social distancing rules in place,” said Barr.

“Take the British championship for example where they really depend on the paying spectators to make it all happen. At the end of the day the fans want to go and watch an event, meet the riders, mingle in the paddock and see round the trucks.

“That’s all part of what the racing is all about. Everyone including the riders, want to go and enjoy the racing but there’s going to be difficult times ahead. Also after the fantastic job that the NHS have been doing without a break, do we need to add to their problems?

“With it being such an injury prone sport we rely on the NHS expertise so it’s going to be difficult no matter what way we try to go about it.”

MRA Ireland, the governing body of the sport here in Ulster issued a statement during the week on how they plan to manage the return of racing again and it looks like a long hard road ahead with many hurdles to clear. The full statement is available at MRAIRELAND.COM