Remembering DAVID PAGE 1974 – 1993

Words: John Moffat; the late Martin Lampkin.

Photos: Page Family Collection; Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven; Colin Bullock

It is hard to believe that on August 12^th, 2023, marked the thirtieth year since the passing of David Page, eldest son of Ernie and Elizabeth Page.

David Page was undoubtedly the best youth trials rider to emerge from Scotland, regularly beating adult riders at Scottish events and was unbeatable amongst his peers. The closest to his abilities has probably been Gary Macdonald, however Gary was in a different era, but will openly admit to being inspired by David Page’s history.

David was quite small for his age as a child, but soon mastered the art of trials riding. He became unbeatable in Scottish Youth events.

His father, Ernie was the 1967 Scottish Scrambles Champion, an ISDT Gold medallist, a successful trials rider and a highly successful motorcycle dealer and businessman from Edinburgh, Scotland.

David started out competitive trialling on a Montesa Cota 49 which Ernie had fitted with a Yamaha TY80 motor. The extra power of the Yamaha engine in the small Montesa chassis perfectly suited David stature and ability. Following the ‘Monyam’ as it was labelled, David rode a specially built Yamaha with full size wheels as he was now too big for a TY80 or Montesa Cota 49 chassis, Again the machine was constructed by his father.

Born in July 1974, David progressed to an experimental 80cc Fantic provided through Roy Carey Of South Essex Leisure, the Fantic importers from the factory in Italy.

Ernie and David jointly developed the prototype from a bare frame, wheels and engine, it was this machine that went into production as the ‘Junior Trial’ using much of the Page’s feedback to the Fantic factory direct.

Having had a growing spurt, David then started to ride in adult trials on the Yamaha TY250R on which he made a name for himself, winning the 1992 Scottish Trials Championship at eighteen years of age, one of the youngest riders to do so. He also secured a place in the growing Hamilton Yamaha UK trials team along with Rob Crawford, Phil Alderson, Adam Norris, Paul Rose and Dave Thorpe.

Page was without doubt in the league of Jarvis and Colley and was a young man to watch as he was a natural trials rider.

However, it was the late Martin Lampkin that coined it perfectly in 2015:

“David spent a lot of time riding with my son Dougie in the early years. Many times I would say to Dougie, hold on a minute, watch where David goes here, especially on a section that no-one was getting cleans or even through. David had the right attitude, skill and tenacity, heaps of it in fact, all the ingredients a good trials rider should have. David was always willing to give sections a proper go. I’m sure that he would have been up there with the best of them”.

When on a trip to an Italian world round with Ernie in 1992, David started to feel unwell and was rushed home to Edinburgh to be diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia to which he eventually succumbed on August 12th, 1993.

Having just received the new Yamaha TYZ model, David Page had several outings on the machine when he felt well enough to ride, sadly the trials world and the Page family were then cruelly robbed of a highly talented competitor and an exceptionally polite young man who is missed by all who knew him, to this day.

David’s funeral and subsequent burial at Hillend Cemetery, Dalgety Bay was attended by a veritable ‘who’s who’ of the UK trials community.

The funeral cortege consisted of many trials riders on their machines, escorting the funeral procession all the way from Bathgate, West Lothian to Dalgety Bay in Fife.

To read more about David Page and his father, Ernie, this has been achieved in the book, ‘Motorcycle Competition: Scotland 1975-2005’ by John Moffat

Available: HERE

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