A very tidy little production this one. If you’re looking for non-stop action then this may not be your call. No, this is a biographical piece so the pace is necessarily slower, but because we are talking enduro – essentially racing – then fear not, there’s still plenty here to put the fear of God up you.
In fact this two-hour film starts with a round up on the world of enduro, as a sort of scene setter, that includes some gut-wrenchingly massive crashes that tell you straight out this isn’t a game for retiring types. One guy, I kid you not, gets propelled some 30’ vertically off one obviously unseen obstacle. Shheeee-iiit. Bet he cried.
Anyway, we soon get into the Knighter story, from cradle through to two world championships and then, after a round-by-round highlights package, his AMA GNCC championship. The extreme enduros are well featured here too, for good reason – these are utterly mad races over utterly terrifying terrain. And the point is not lost that the Manxman can humble – sorry, humiliate – greats like Jeremy McGrath and Travis Pastrana in this arena. And it’s good to see Knight’s humble enough to acknowledge that in a supercross arena they’ll humiliate him too.
Curiously we do see David humiliated, when in the final round of the American indoor enduro series he’s beaten by a KTM team-mate, denying him a handy $50,000 bonus. To say he’s unhappy with this outcome is an understatement, as he ‘ghosts’ (that is to say, throws) his KTM off the final jump – only narrowly missing wiping out at least one member of the American press. One simple act of anger that also very nearly wiped out his American fan base. But who wouldn’t be angry?
So, do we learn what makes David special? Yes we do. We get an understanding that it’s his trials skills combined with his mind-blowing speed and utter ‘no surrender’ mentality that see him prevail. We also understand how he’s used rivalry to spur him on.
Perhaps what we don’t quite see is his dedication. This guy has turned lap after lap after lap on his practice courses in the Isle of Man, working with exactitude on every technique to make him as rapid as he is. But then you can see that in his riding. There’s natural talent – and then there’s super-honed skill on top.
All in, this is a good film. If you like seeing Yanks getting their butts whipped you’ll love it. If you’ve ever wondered what enduro is all about then watch this too, and be amazed. Inspirational and exciting, it’s a good watch.
Oh, by the way, the narrator is Charley Boorman. Often pilloried by the bike press, here he does a damn fine job, helped we dare say by a tight and factual script.
DAVID KNIGHT
Iron man of Enduro DVD
£16.99 www.dukevideo.com 01624 640000
