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2014 - Exclusive interview with Toni Gorgot |
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Antonio Gorgot Lazaro
Retrotrials.com has been fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the home and interview one of the true greats of Spanish and World trial during the 70's and early 80's ......... Toni Gorgot.
Retrotrials.com has been fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the home and interview one of the true greats of Spanish and World trial during the 70's and early 80's ......... Toni Gorgot.
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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career results
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From a debut on the Ossa and a career finale on the legendary JJ Cobas Trial, Retrotrials does their best by hypnotic means or other, to extract as much information as possible.
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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Toni was a rider with such a great talent. His beautifully smooth riding style made everything look easy and no trouble at all.
His relaxed appearance and quiet character could easily deceive you into thinking that this kid was too laid back for his own good .....but his riding spoke for itself. The natural talent honed by hours of practising in the Quercus Suber forests of Northern Catalonia paid off in spades, delivering almost immediate success.
His relaxed appearance and quiet character could easily deceive you into thinking that this kid was too laid back for his own good .....but his riding spoke for itself. The natural talent honed by hours of practising in the Quercus Suber forests of Northern Catalonia paid off in spades, delivering almost immediate success.
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Despite a changing industrial environment the Catalan motorcycle factories provided Toni with the spring board to success that he needed. A Spanish junior championship in 1978 for Ossa announced Toni as an incredible newcomer and led the way for him riding for the other great factories, Bultaco and Montesa. Toni always rode under the JJ,Cobas dealership banner and latterly on the very special Trial bike itself created by the legendary late Antonio Cobas.
From a high profile and successful trials career this 6 time Spanish champion then simply feel off the edge of the Trial earth and disappeared off into the woods.....literally. |
Since then the lime light that once shone on Toni, has found it's focus on others. Toni left trial behind years and years ago but he still holds fond memories of these glory days. It was time for Retrotrials to track him down and ask him about his reflections looking back on his life in the Trial.
Toni's remoteness from the sport immersed his persona in a myth like status and made the challenge to track him down for me even more desirable. Then, a friendly contact in the industry in Spain just told me his telephone number. Now knowing whether he spoke reasonable English my friend Josep telephoned him to introduce ourselves. We got a warm reception and an email address which looking at it, looked to have no relation to Toni at all, but I gave it a go and sent a message. 3 days later a reply came with a formal agreement.
Emails were sent and then a helpful and well connected contact provided the correct link and a digital connection rather than a server bounce back.
Toni agreed and he gave me very brief directions to where he would meet me. I was to pass the only traffic light in the village and then past the right to the sports club. I was then to wait on the cross roads. Toni would meet me here, by a small hotel in this tiny little stone village.
So off I set on another great mission :)
As I travelled northwards towards France from Catalonia I turned off the main roads onto the winding country lanes.
Toni's remoteness from the sport immersed his persona in a myth like status and made the challenge to track him down for me even more desirable. Then, a friendly contact in the industry in Spain just told me his telephone number. Now knowing whether he spoke reasonable English my friend Josep telephoned him to introduce ourselves. We got a warm reception and an email address which looking at it, looked to have no relation to Toni at all, but I gave it a go and sent a message. 3 days later a reply came with a formal agreement.
Emails were sent and then a helpful and well connected contact provided the correct link and a digital connection rather than a server bounce back.
Toni agreed and he gave me very brief directions to where he would meet me. I was to pass the only traffic light in the village and then past the right to the sports club. I was then to wait on the cross roads. Toni would meet me here, by a small hotel in this tiny little stone village.
So off I set on another great mission :)
As I travelled northwards towards France from Catalonia I turned off the main roads onto the winding country lanes.
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
The sun was beating down mercilessly peeling the clothes off me, mile by mile. The granite tarmac roads are as slippery as dust, got windy and perilous as I gained altitude. From the barren areas surrounding Girona I was now driving through thick woods. The sat nav was clicking the kilometres down one by one and as they reduced the trees trunks turned darker.
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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Soon the trees reduced to such a dark black carbon colour that it was clear that in these regions there had been big big fires. Can you just imagine what it must have been like. In the UK, this is hard to imagine because it rains so much.
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
I drove closer and closer. I was early, but that didn't matter. I would get a coffee and try and relax with strong Spanish coffee and the thought of meeting this great rider buzzing around my head. Relax ? ...no chance :). I then entered the village and found my first land mark. The only traffic light in the village ......
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
Through the gap in the buildings and round the bend. Past the sign to the sports club and there it was ......my meeting place, so I parked up. Mine was the Fiat.
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
The Hotel was shut, there was no cafe or shop so there was no coffee for me. I have no idea of the relevance of the Beta flags. As I waited for Toni, or someone to take me to Toni I got my camera clicking finger ready and took some photos of the Car .....which to be honest I'd wanted to drive for a quite a while now. My conclusion, very nice all around but stay off the motorways. They are to twitchy.
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
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The cross roads were quiet. No vehicles passed my way in 30 minutes. There was no noise apart from the Hotel flags flapping in the breeze.
Then in the blink of an eye a four wheel drive truck rolled up along side me and the driver hopped out. I recognised him immediately. It was Toni Gorgot with his dog along side him. He looked at me with a dead pan expression ( that hasn't changed) and told me to follow him. He jumped back in his truck but the dog was left outside. I followed him in my car about 40 feet back from his truck with the dog running alongside just in front, like some Police escort.
Then in the blink of an eye a four wheel drive truck rolled up along side me and the driver hopped out. I recognised him immediately. It was Toni Gorgot with his dog along side him. He looked at me with a dead pan expression ( that hasn't changed) and told me to follow him. He jumped back in his truck but the dog was left outside. I followed him in my car about 40 feet back from his truck with the dog running alongside just in front, like some Police escort.
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com
Then Toni opened the Gas finishing the journey home with the dog a close 2nd. Toni's house is very rurally set in a high elevated position on a steep hillside with views for miles. As you will see it's all built out of stone, which is local. Toni has lived here, in this village all of his life.
Toni Gorgot Interview - Exclusive www.retrotrials.com