Dennis Asiimwe (DA): Tell us a bit about yourself.
Arthur Blick Jr (AB): My Name is Arthur Blick Junior, I am married, with four children – I have been blessed with four boys. My dad is Arthur Blick Senior.
Arthur Blick Senior, in case you were wondering, is also a former Motocross Champion and rally driver. The 1971 East Africa motorcycle champion also dominated the national championships in the 1960s and 1970s before he retired at the peak of his career in 1982 when he suffered a career-ending injury in the motorcycle race at Bugembe Stadium in Jinja. He was awarded the Lifetime Achiever’s Award by the Federation of Motorsport Uganda in 2017. When we use the word pedigree, we were not exaggerating – Arthur Blick Senior started dominating Motocross after his brother, Paddy, who had dominated the sport till then, left the country for the United States, using his brother’s bike to compete. And when he took a stint in motor rallying, he did so in a Datsun 1600s navigated by his wife Grace Solomon Blick.
If it sounds like a family affair, that’s because it is.
DA: Are any of your kids involved in motocross?
AB: Yes, they are all involved.
That is putting it mildly. All four of his sons are involved and beginning to hint at the same level of domination as their father. Allister, the firstborn, who just turned 18, has 9 National Motocross, titles in various categories as well as a continental podium finish, where he came in 3rd; Paddy has a National Championship in the Buggy Category; Jayden, who is 8, and Ethan, who is 7, have just joined the family passion, but Ethan already has a podium finish as 3rd in the National Championship Category for Juniors.
His niece, Isabella Blick (William Blick’s daughter) dominates the MX 50 category for females.
It’s eye-popping stuff. It’s pedigree.
DA: I can say with some certainty that I am a layman as far as motorsport in this country is concerned, but even then, your name has floated to the surface of my subconsciousness whenever the topic comes up. What accolades have you managed to tally up in your career thus far?
AB: I have done my bit.
Well, the bit is, quite a bit if I must say. Arthur Blick Jr’s motocross championships go as far back as the 1997 and 1998 Grass Track Championships and spread out from across 1999 to 2021 to include 12 National Motocross Championships as well as the Enduro National Championships with a public road circuit. The domination is almost absurd and included podium finishes in continental competitions in Zambia and Kenya. He missed out only when he couldn’t race because of injury.
He inherited his dad’s bike number 99, after his father’s forced retirement, and it is impossible to ignore how well he has carried forward that legacy.
He tried his hand at motor rallying as well, and showed he wasn’t half bad at it, winning the 2015 National Rally Championship, and then underlining his proficiency in both sports by winning a national rally championship in the same year he won a motocross championship – 2018.
In 2019 he underlined his motor rallying chops by winning the National Sprint.
He has been the Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) Sports Personality of the Year award, a record 8 times.
His first championship of course was the Grass Track event at Nakivubo in 1997. Nakivubo Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for the family – Arthur Blick Senior set a record of the fastest time of two minutes and 30seconds in six laps at that ground, a record that will never be matched, and is likely to stay unbeaten because races are no longer held in Nakivubo.
DA: How does motocross or motor rallying work in Uganda? Is it something one can refer to as a career or simply an expensive hobby? I mean, I have a rough idea of how it works in Formula One, for example…
AB: If I were to speak honestly, it is more of something participants are passionate about. I am lucky to have some sponsorship from brands like Shell V-Power and Helix Ultra which have constantly provided superior protection and high performance of my car and motorbike engines. I believe these have contributed to some of my Championship wins.
Ouch.
He currently races with a 2020 Honda CRF 250, which is a 4-stroke bike. It is what he used to win the Vets National Motocross Championship in 2021, which marked his return to the sport after retiring in 2018 to focus on motor rallying. His target in 2022 is to win the Continental Vets Motocross Championship.
He certainly knows how to set himself some goals.
Motocross is something of a family sport, with riders from the age of 4, to riders of the age of 60. The Vets category is for riders between the age of 35 and 50, which is why he has chosen to participate in this category as part of his comeback to Motocross.
He seems to be enjoying the chance to participate in both sports – his recent effort in motor rallying was in Mbarara, where under the sponsorship of Uganda’s top performance fuel brand Shell V-Power, he and his son Allister were in the lead (with his son as his navigator) until a technical problem with the car hampered them.
DA (Laughing): I am sure his mother does not enjoy the idea of the two of you flying around in metal on wheels at insane speeds…
AB: Actually she is more comfortable with the idea of motor rallying because the cars have safety cages and all that. The safety standards of motorsport in Uganda are constantly being appraised because safety is key. We are as safe as a fast safe car can be.
DA: What car do you drive?
AB: I drive a Mitsubishi Evolution X – it is a two-litre turbocharged 4-wheel drive vehicle.
A car that is all about performance.
Centenary Group and Service Cops Sign Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Digital Financial InclusionDA: What role does the fuel that you choose, play, when it comes to your bike as well as the car while racing?
AB: I discovered Shell V – Power in 2014. Fuel is key for anyone looking for performance, and after I discovered it, there was no turning back.
DA: You had obviously competed before without it…
AB: Yes, When I just started rallying, there was no Shell V-Power in the country. But once I got to use it…well…
DA: What does Shell V-Power do for your engine? I know it is popular for boda bodas, because the way it was designed, it perfects the performance of those single stroke engines – and no one counts their cents like boda boda riders. What does it do for your bike?
AB: Shell V-Power is a high octane fuel, that ensures the engine actually performs better, and with more power. Shell V-Power has additional lubricants to prevent friction, and coolants to enable cooling of the engine, and also additives that prevent the collection of residue around engine parts. These differences mean that the engine performs better and uses less fuel to do the same work – and the first people to notice these benefits are boda boda riders, who, as you said, monitor their pennies closely. They notice that they use the lighter gears for hills, for instance.
Then for us who compete, of course, performance is paramount. But like boda bodas, we also notice the additional benefits from the additives in that fuel – cleaning the engine, the fact that it has coolant properties – anyone that uses Shell V-Power in their cars will notice this too and is not likely to go back to ordinary fuel willingly.
The fact that boda bodas actively look for Shell Petrol stations often puzzled me. Well, that is one mystery solved. Especially since I use them to dash around the city.
DA: What about, with motor rallying? You guys use Shell V-Power again?
AB: I would say more than 90% of rally drivers use Shell V-Power. The only ones that are not using it are the ones who have not yet figured out how it works…
DA: You mean there are some who don’t?
AB: I would actually be surprised – this is an age of information. Not using it would actually put you at a disadvantage.
DA: What happens if I am driving a non-rallying car? Say, yours… and I need to refuel and can’t access Shell V-Power?
At this point I indicate his ‘box’ Prado, which is outrageously souped-up.
AB: If it is not available, you can use ordinary unleaded fuel, until you get the chance to access Shell V-Power and enjoy the benefits to your engine.
DA: I have to ask…which do you prefer? Bikes or cars?
AB: To be honest, bikes are my number 1 passion.I love cars but they definitely come in second.
DA: What bike do you ride away from racing? What’s your street bike?
AB: It’s a BMW F800.
DA: What do you do, apart from motorsport?
AB: I am a businessman – I am a mechanic and own a garage, which helps since I get to fix my own cars and bikes. We own a riding academy, The Blick Riding Academy, where we train riders of all ages, and do Defensive Training and Racing Training. But mostly, motorsport is my life. It keeps me very busy. We had a good year as a family last year – we had 3 championships in the family – and yes, we all use Shell V-Power. This year will be more fun because at least we will have some spectators, with the lockdown over.
DA: How do you think motorsport can be improved, in terms of the fans and those who want to participate?
AB: I think the Federation has tried to diversify the classes that can compete and that has helped make the sport more inclusive. When I joined, there were about 15 cars competing – at that time we didn’t have classes. Now the federation introduced 2-wheel drive as a class, so with an ordinary car and a safety cage, you can join motorsport in Uganda. And now we at times have a start list of 50 drivers, so I feel like there has been definite improvement and in inclusiveness. In fact, at the moment, there are more 2-wheel drive cars in the sport than the top end 4-wheel drive cars. In terms of safety, we have seen the Federation tighten safety standards for drivers to make sure all those competing are wearing the standard safety gear approved by FIA.
DA: Finally, I really have to ask you this – you have been involved in the sport for a long time – have you been approached about an administrative role? I imagine you have…
AB: I still feel like I have a lot to offer as a competitor. Of course I would welcome an opportunity as an administrator – I think I would have a lot to offer in that regard – but that will be for later. For now, I would still like to compete.
His father certainly endorses the idea of his son in administration, something he did by responding with a handwritten letter to a New Vision story in December 2021 about the possibility of Arthur Blick Junior’s candidature for the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda (FMU) presidency.
Whichever way it goes, he has already made his mark on motorsport in the country, powering his way through, with Shell V-Power.
