Interview: Paul Edmondson – Taking on the world; again!

Paul Edmondson has seen it, ridden it, lived it and got every T-Shirt when it comes to the sport of Enduro, but now he adds another string to his bow as he goes it alone in 2022 with his own wholly British team, which will be racing in both the World and British Enduro Championships.

Feature Image courtesy of Kyle Lane – Fourzeromedia

We caught up with Paul and talked more about his motivation in setting up his new team…

Dirt Hub: Is this the first time you’ve ventured into team management yourself?

Paul: No, I ran my own team in 2004. But obviously, I was a rider as well as a manager. And if I’m honest, I found it hard work: to try and do both just it wasn’t really viable, even though the results were good. I mean, in 2004, I was second in the world championship on my own team. So you know, that side was positive, but to ride in it and manage it and fund it was difficult for sure.

DH: So fast forward a good 18 or so years; what has made you take the jump into running a team again?

Paul: First of all, there were no teams in the UK that are running like we want to. In my opinion, we’ve got the best riders in world enduro, yet there are no UK teams. So that fired me up to do something fun, maybe not just for my kids but for other riders. So hence, you see that Jamie McCanney and Joe Wootton are on the team. So really that was proof, plus we were really passionate to do it. And secondly, was the fact that I feel that some of the other teams have been run… if you want my honest opinion, a little bit old fashioned. And there are some teams out there that are kind of with the times, and I think those are the teams that are really doing well. Some of the old fashioned teams are what I call stagnant, they’re good teams, good people, great mechanics, but the way that they run for me personally is not how I would run it. So I’ve got my own visions on how I would run it. So I’m doing it.

DH: So you’ve got Jamie McCanney and Joe Wootton on the team – are they going to be competing in both the World and British Enduro Championships?

Paul: Yeah, the British Enduro and the British Sprint Enduro Championships are a priority to us as a UK team. I’ve got Jamie in E1, Tom Sager the current champion in E2 and Joe in E3. So I’ve got all the parts covered. And then, in the World Championship, we’re solely focused on Jamie in E1 and Joe in E3. Tom will then become the rider manager for the World Championships, but he will also be one of the main riders for the British championships. So yeah, a nice setup really, in my opinion.

DH:  I think what you’re doing will level up the UK championship as well, and hopefully, it inspires other people to start something similar themselves…

Paul: Yeah, it will do; whether people will be as keen as me to put the hand in their pocket, I don’t know because it is a big financial expense. But at the same time, we’re hoping to grow with it and with the UK sponsors that come on board and who can be a part of what we’re doing. And, again, if we can be successful, then we’re hoping that, as you say, all the people or the teams, maybe you know, private guys will come on board with other teams and really help the UK enduro scene get back on its feet.

DH: What are your short term and long term goals for the team?

Paul: Yeah, well, the short term goal is focused on this year – put 100% into it, and to give the riders what they want and what they need. And then see the results happen, which I’m sure they will. And then obviously, once that happens, I think we can then get more support to come on board. The one big difference between a lot of the other team and us is that we are purely funding the bikes ourselves in the fact that we didn’t really want manufacturer support because we wanted flexibility with the parts that we put on the bikes and the classes that the riders wanted to compete in. So we’ve really done everything ourselves with the support we have because, in all fairness, we felt, the direction of the team and the best way that we wanted to go was to use the best products on the bikes that we felt would also give us a good chance to win. 

DH: I see from a mechanical angle you’ve Damo Butler on side?

Paul: Yeah, we’ve got Damo Butler, which means we’ve got one of the highest level mechanics, not only as a mechanic, but as a guy that’s got experience in knowing a lot of the technical side of what the rider needs and what he wants, and what he can give. So yeah, I’m absolutely buzzing to get him on board.

DH: Having the likes of Tom and Damo onboard shows your intentions for sure…

Paul: Yeah, we have stamped our intentions in the fact that we have me as a Team Manager, plus I’ll have a team coordinator. We’ve got Tom as a rider manager, then we’ve got the two riders who will have a mechanic each and will probably have two separate outriders. Outriders are the guys that follow the riders around the races, keeping an eye on them, giving them drinks, goggles, gloves, that type of thing. So we’re focused on making sure that the guys have everything they need to do the best job they can. And, again, with my experience of dealing with riders and races – I know what it takes to do that. So we’re very lucky in the fact that they’ve got someone that doesn’t mind having the budget to go with two outriders. We will have the wives coming along to do all the cooking, which is fantastic. We’ve got a couple of the guys who have got their own personal training people, which potentially one of those might come out and stuff. So yeah, every piece of the cake is there, and all we’ve got to do is put it all together, and away we go.

DH: You have Jack and Harry, your two sons racing, and although they aren’t part of the team, they both have big years ahead of them. I have seen that Jack is going to America. He has been there before, hasn’t he?

Paul: Yeah, Jack’s heading to America. The last time he was there was in the XC three-class, which is the 125 class, but this time he goes back on a 250 4 stroke in the XC two class. So yeah, he’s not doing anything where he doesn’t know what he’s doing. At the same time, I’ll probably go out for the first two or three rounds of GNCC, just to make sure that he’s okay and that everyone’s happy and stuff like that because that doesn’t conflict with anything we’re doing date wise. And Harry will continue with Fantic at the Jet team, which has been a great team for him. He’s got another year of his contract, so obviously, he’ll do that. And then again, even for me in the background, I’ll be making sure that he’s riding with my guys, and that he’s got a great program to follow when he’s in the UK.

DH: It’s going to be a busy year for you then; as well as running the team, you have a dealership, and you are also the promoter of the British Sprint and Extreme Enduro championship…

Paul: Yeah, I have probably taken too much, if I’m honest. But then, as I say, I’m lucky that I got good people around me. For the team side, I mean having Damo, who is not just a mechanic as everybody knows – he can run the riders and all kinds of stuff, so that’s awesome – and then having a coordinator that’ll take pressure off me. Tom Sager pretty much runs the events; he’s there building tracks and designing stuff. So again, I’ve got him in my corner. So my job is just to oversee everything and make sure everything’s getting done. So even though it’s a lot of caps to wear, I don’t think without being too big for the boots that many other people could manage all of that with the huge enthusiasm and passion that I still have for the sport.

DH: I don’t think anyone would disagree with that. I think it comes across that you are doing it because you love the sport and because you believe in it…

Paul: The guys deserve a chance. They deserve a proper chance to be treated like good people and get the opportunity to do as well as they can with the best products. We’re using Michelin and Rock Oil and people who have been with us for many years, and they’re coming on board as major players in the team, which is absolutely fantastic. We have CI Sport with Alpinestars and Madison coming on board, and these are all UK people as well, I may add. All of these guys need a shout out because they are really stepping up to support our team. That’s all from the UK, nothing outside the UK. And yeah, it’s just fantastic. Really, good.

DH: The GB ISDE Team have committed to competing in France this year; it would be great for your riders to be picked, wouldn’t it?

Paul: Yeah, they have got some fresh blood in, and Daryl Bolter has done a great job, and he’s doing a lot of fundraising. But at the end of the day, I’ve got two riders, and definitely, if they’re picked to go to the ISDE, we will 100% support them as we feel passionate about the ISDE.