|
enduro
news |
|
|
GBXC |
|
|
The circuit for the 3rd round will again be a very special affair with a true XC off road loop planned for the lucky riders. 8.5 miles per lap is the distance of the track with around 20 minutes ride time for the fast guys!! This equates to a superb varied circuit that has literally EVERYTHING that an off road venue should have. Set in one of the most beautiful places in the whole of the UK, the track offers, Open fast moor land linking to gravel farm tracks, single track, tight and technical woodlands that meander through over 1000 acres of prime welsh mountainside to make up the majority of the going and a superb manmade MX circuit will also be included in the loop along with some interesting hill climbs and descents, add in the customary Welsh Bogs and we really do have a treat of a track in store. The camping and paddock/pit areas are perfect with flat fields and easy access for the riders and teams. Entries are simply flooding in for this championship and with less than 28 days to go it is very important that any perspective riders get themselves booked in ASAP. IF THE LAST ROUND WAS ANYTHING TO GO BY THEN IT WILL BE FULL! Entering online at www.gbxc.co.uk is the simplest and best way to secure your place and as always there is a class for every rider and ability. 01543 370 070 is the number to call to physically speak to the events secretary. The organisers are working closely with the SKY SPORTS TV team to ensure even better rider coverage and programme exposure for the next round and some pretty "Brolly Dolly's" will be on hand to make the podium a special place to be………… Don't miss the next installment of GBXC ….a carnival of off road action in the UK. The Great Britain X Country team. "Knighter aims to become the first GBXC champion!" "With a week to go before the 3rd round of the inaugural GBXC (Great Britain Cross Country) Series the organisers have released some pre event information. The Worlds number 1 off road racer David Knight will be aiming to tie up the title of the best XC racer in Britain as he will be looking for maximum points to make him impossible to catch. Remember the series is 3 to count from 4 and DK will not be at the final round of GBXC due to commitments in the US GNCC series in which he is also leading. The GBXC series has been nothing short of stunning really in what it has achieved in just 2 rounds so far. Apart from the superb SKY SPORTS TV coverage and the professional way in which the series has been delivered to the public, the awesome venues and the phenomenal rider support ( the series is a who's who of the off road names in GB! in all classes!) it is the fact that riders now have a true national championship and high profile race series to participate in. The atmosphere at the events has taken racers and families alike by storm, with a relaxed and friendly feeling to the whole paddock and camping scene, the riders and spectators also have the added bonus of running race commentary and up to the minute results breakdowns with riders news and interviews, these facts along with TV coverage ( shown in 9 million homes in UK alone!) show yet again why GBXC is raising the profile of the sport of XC racing in the UK to such high standards. The current point's standings have been announced with this press release and will be on the GBXC website as you read this. The website is due for a re launch and will become a state of the art place to visit in the very near future with helmet cam views of the circuits and a regular rider interview and profile section.
PS… Paul Edmondson and Steve Ireland proudly showed off their new vehicle reg plates… GBXC S (Great Britain Cross Country Series) GBXC R (Great Britain Cross country Racing.) Now before this winds people up the wrong way, You Know what people are like, wasting money etc….. These plates were kindly bought for Paul and Steve as a surprise from an anonymous sponsor who wants to remain unknown. The secret sponsor is that taken with the GBXC series he wants to support from behind the scenes and watch this series keep on growing in stature and profile…. And as you can see from Paul and Steve's smiles, who are they to argue??
A traction engine show took place in the county town of Monmouth this weekend. People are irresistibly attracted to these brooding mammoths as they symbolise Britain's uncanny ability to do great things & a few miles north of the town - outside the village of Welsh Newton - another mighty machine was drawing the crowds as it steamed irresistibly onwards. The 2nd round of the Great Britain XC series took place on May 4th near Welsh Newton against the spectacular backdrop of the Wye Valley. If the distance a rider is prepared to travel is a gauge of an event's stature then the fact that World champion David Knight traveled across the Atlantic for this one day event speaks volumes for the importance of the GBXC series. After a week of heavy rain the weather abated towards the weekend & Saturday was ideal for the final preparations. Organisers Steve Ireland & Paul Edmondson described the 7 mile lap as "fast, very fast. The GBXC series is all about cross country racing". There was a slope to the start field so the campers needed chocking. Euan McConnell created a mini section under Justin Wilson's front wheels. Justin scored a 5 but cleaned it a second attempt. Overnight the wind rose & around dawn a spectacular thunder storm rolled in from the west followed by the rain but by 8am the skies had cleared leaving the course in perfect condition. The morning race started at 10.00am & was split into 3 ranks - vets, sportsman & youths. Mark Houson on a MPS Husqvarna took the holeshot. A couple of light showers passed over to keep the dust down & fill a rocky stream bed which proved to be a one of the most testing sections of the day. Roger Harvey gave a continuous commentary as events unfolded. Richard Main clocked up 7 laps to win the Best Vet award with Adrian Bradley only 4 seconds behind. The sportsman class was won by Nick Rowbottom ahead of John Perrott. Sophie Thomas was the best Lady Sophie Thomas & Tamsin Jones was the runner up. Results
Following the re-start Greg
once again took the lead before being overtaken by the Knighter &
the 2 KTM riders pulled away from the rest of the field.
Unfortunately towards the end of the race Greg lost his seat when the
brackets broke & he dropped back to 17th. David went on to take
the win with 9 laps. Daryl Bolter was 2nd & Simon Wakely 3rd. A
rock smashed Chris
Hockey's brake & casing but he still clocked up 9
laps. Carl Tiley had a great start & he was
in 2nd for half of the 1st lap behind Greg until he hit a tree stump
that derailed his chain & lost him at least 5 places. Then - with
half an hour left - he impacted his rear wheel & he was forced to
pull out. Ed Jones' race was also cut short when his chain jammed in
the front sprocket at the furthest part of the course & he had to
walk back to the
pits to get the tools to remove the swinging arm. GBXC II at Monmouth Report by Tim Tighe The setting for the second round of the GBXC series, organised by Paul Edmondson and Steve Ireland, was as different as chalk and cheese to the first round, which ran at Matchams. Once again the organisation was spot-on. It was apparent to all that a mammoth investment in time and manpower had gone into planning a seriously awesome course. The Pro class entry list had grown significantly from the Matchams event and World Champion David Knight on his Red Bull KTM once again headed the who's who list of the UK's Enduro and XC riders. Relentless Suzuki's Paul Edmondson was entered and even lined up with his bike but withdrew at the last minute in order to help oversee proceedings. Riders who arrived on Saturday found at least two hours of their time was taken just walking the course, then even more time gearing up bikes, as sales of front and rear sprockets skyrocketed. The venue, between Monmouth and Hereford, was huge. The lap was some seven miles in length and very fast. Two moto-x tracks connected by woodland and stream sections provided the ultimate X-country challenge for just over 500 riders. To even up the flat-out moto-x sections, the woodland areas were tight and technical in places with plenty of off-cambers, which lead to two tough stream sections. The first of these was relatively straightforward but the exit ran out onto an uphill gradient, which became increasingly slippery as each rider passed through. The course zig-zagged through the second stream, which added more challenges at each crossing point, either a steep entry and slightly easier exit or visa-versa. These spots proved to be tough sticking points initially as large numbers of riders all tried to cross at the same time. It took just one stall or slip to amass a crowd of men and machines, all scrambling for a little grip, but as the race progressed and the field strung out this became less of a problem. Once again the final uphill proved very tough for both morning and afternoon races. Intermittent showers kept the grassy surface slick initially then, as the grass disappeared, the mud turned the whole show into a hill-climb spectacular. Right on schedule a thunderclap woke everyone at 6.00am on Sunday morning and the heavens opened as lighting lit the paddock. Things didn't bode well, but by the time the start line filled the sky was brightening and over 320 competitors breathed a sigh of relief, as well as a couple of organisers. The Veterans (over 35's) were first off the line and Richard Main showed his intentions right from the start but there was serious competition in this class. Twenty-one Veteran riders all covered seven laps, nearly fifty miles in total over a two-hour period, pretty impressive riding in conditions that were tricky at times, especially in the wooded areas. The moto-x sections remained fast throughout the day and although there were a few offs there were no serious injuries in the morning race. Ex moto-x ace Ade Bradley showed he still has what it takes and despite Main charging through the field, Bradley closed towards the end of the race, narrowing the gap to four-seconds at the finish. The two front-runners had a clear lead over a handful of following riders, the best of these was Colin Jones who took third in the Vets, closely followed by Chris Roberts, Jerry Adams and Ray Whittle. Mark Houson had been one of the main contenders throughout the race and was leading on the final lap but a catastrophic choice of line saw him drown his mount and fall to twentieth spot. Outside the Vets class, only three riders cracked the seven lap mark, two of these were the Sportsman class frontrunners Nick Rowbottom and Mark Perrott. There was nothing between the two of them for most of the race but as the minutes counted down Rowbottom extended a narrow lead to just under two-minutes by the chequered flag. Perrot cruised in a clear second place, well ahead of Craig Parkes in third on six laps. Also in the six-lap category, Scott Smith beat Darren Hayes to fourth spot by just under two minutes. Joe Jones was flying in the Youth class, the only rider in the class to make the magic seven-lap mark and he took a well-deserved win. Scott Clifford, Joe Wootton and Marcus Alba had virtually nothing between them as they finished in second, third and fourth places, all on six laps, while fifth placed Liam Garbett was only three minutes behind in fifth. Lee Carpenter headed the huge Novice entry but had to fight for his win with Andy Morgan, who challenged for the lead in the closing stages, narrowing the gap to just under a minute. Johnny Jones matched the leading pair lap for lap but trailed in just 30 second behind for a solid third place. The next batch was headed by Chris Culson, in fourth place, who managed to keep two minutes clear of Alec Trawford in fifth. Sophie Thomas lead the Ladies home. She posted six laps, a lap clear of closest rival Tamsin Jones who had her own private battle with third placed Jane Daniels. On four laps each Kate Lloyd and Rhian George finished in fourth and fifth respectively whilst the final Ladies class entrant, Kate Harrington, took sixth. An equally large field of riders lined up for the afternoon race. The Pro front rank had all the top contenders from the first round of the series and more. Knighter, Wakely McConnell, Wood, Moyce, Houson and Bolter were just a few in a star studded Pro class. A slight delay while the course was cleared eventually saw a terrific start from Jon Hinam but it was all to no avail as the race was stopped. MPS' Gav Houson had a high speed crash, mid-pack, within 300 yards of the start where he broke his femur. The Experts were held on the line until it became apparent that a restart was in order and the Pro riders were eventually stopped and recalled. Refuelling on the line as Houson was treated added yet more minutes to the delay but finally the race got underway. Knighter had the lead and held it for most of the first lap but as he approached the second stream section at speed, he picked up some stray wire, which stopped him dead. Actually it stopped the KTM dead, Knighter continued for a few yards further and proved that he can crash-land as good as anyone. KTM's Special Greg Evans was already in hot pursuit and took advantage of Knighters misfortune, passing the Manxman as he struggled to free his rear wheel. The Red Bull KTM fired up instantly once free as Knighter blasted off, none the worse for his experience. Within a lap he was heading the field once more and was never seriously challenged although MPS Husqvarna riders Daryl Bolter and Si Wakely closed to within two minutes of Knighter by the time the chequered flag was raised, giving Mick Seeward plenty to smile about. Tom Sagar took fourth, just ahead of a charging Euan McConnell, who had Ollie Moyce just seconds behind for most of the final few laps. Seventh placed Tim Foreman crossed the line just two seconds ahead of Lee Edmondson who had a minute lead over PAR Honda team-mate Ash Wood. Justin Wilson's efforts landed him the final top ten place in what was a very tough race. The top 15 Pro's all completed 9 gruelling, high-speed laps and to a man, every one of them had been off at some point. Gareth Hopkins was a lap up on the rest of the Experts and the only Expert to match the Pros on nine laps. Mark Roberts kept Jack Twentyman at bay by 30 seconds whilst claiming second place. Ben Wooton followed Twentyman home in fourth as Bradley King took fifth. Less than 30 seconds separated the top three Clubman 2T riders in a huge class of 88 competitors. Adam Smith headed Ben Roberts and third placed Mitch Pearce as all three nailed eight laps on the scoreboard. Dennis Harrison and James Burroughs completed the top five line-up. Genus Motorsports Dave Grimshaw lead the Clubman 4T class home on eight laps, with Rudy Austin just over a minute behind and Tyson Maytom-Jones a further two minutes down in third place. Lewis Bellfield headed the seven-lappers, fourth in class and just three seconds ahead of fifth placed Lee Hattersley. The GBXC crew will have their work cut out to better this event, both series events have been good but this was exceptional. With 500 plus riders the attraction is obvious as XC racing grows in popularity. Fast Eddy and Ireland know their stuff and have the capability to take this type of racing to the limit but it is hard to envisage how the next round of the GBXC series can improve on this.
Knighter
wins GBXC Opener The much-anticipated opening round of the GBXC Championship Series kicked off in brilliant sunshine on Sunday at the hallowed Matchams Park circuit. A co-production between Paul Edmondson and Steve Ireland, Britain's top two most recognised XC promoters, the whole thing had all the hallmarks of a quality event, which attracted a top-notch entry. The series could have been called the GNCC GB, as Red Bull KTM's David Knight said: 'It's the closest thing you'll get to the GNCC in Europe!' Matchams is well known for its quality MX track but the addition of two long loops through woodland sections gave riders a six-mile course to navigate and the MX track was by far the easiest part. The layout made for a rough, tough, fast and flowing lap which was used initially by the Novice, Sportsman, Vets Over 40, Ladies and Youth riders during the two hour morning race, and then by the Pro, Expert, Clubman 2T and 4T for the 2 and three quarter hour afternoon event. The partnership between fasteddyracing.com and WOR events surprised many people when it was announced. The two organisations are in competition with each other year-in year-out but more than a little foresight and the ability to see the big picture, brought out the best in both organisations and attracted nearly two hundred riders to the Hampshire venue. Both organisations should be commended on their vision by realising that what is good for the sport, through TV coverage and top quality promotion, benefits both promoters and all involved in off road sports. Eddy and Ireland paid the TV crew to attend and were not, as many people believed, paid to allow them to film the event. Roger Harvey was in control in the mic giving excellent commentary throughout both races and finding time to interview many of the Pro's and winners throughout the day. With four events planned in the series this was the first of two moto-x type venues, which will be accompanied by two Enduro style venues, giving both Mxers and Enduro riders a fair crack of the whip. Possibly the biggest coup, apart from getting Knighter to ride, was in arranging for Sky Sports to air it on their sports channel. There was much riding on this event and it didn't disappoint, the weather was excellent, as was the track and more importantly, the organisation.
PAR Honda's Ash Greedy had a superb ride. Considering enduro is not really
his thing he did well to post third o
Darren Coutts took seventh in the Pro class, just ahead of Ricky Mair in eighth, who was at his best over the moto-x sections. Darren Carter took ninth with Jason Fraser completing the top-ten line-up. Mark Roberts lead the Experts home, 13 laps and less than 40 seconds lead over Bradley King in second spot. James Yearley was less than 40 seconds behind in third while Rowland Morris took fourth and Keith Horsenell fifth. Rudy Austin had a great outing and lead the field in the Clubman 4T class. His win was just over a minute ahead of Genus Motorsport's Dave Grimshaw and two minutes clear of third placed Tom Braddock. Lee Hattersley nailed fourth place with Sean O'Neill fifth. All top five riders completed 12 laps. The Clubman 2T class went to Richard Ely who won with just over a minutes lead from Peter Clarke in second. Dennis Harrison was a little way back in third but nearly three minutes clear of fourth placed Steve Holcombe and Keith Jones in fifth. The 2 hour morning race was equally as exciting and competitive. Richard Main and David Selkeld dominated proceedings, oth riders were in the Vets Over 40 class, and were separated by just 40 seconds at the finish although Chris Roberts, in third, was gaining in the final stages and just lost second spot by four minutes. Mark Houson was seven seconds behind Roberts in the Over 40's and took fourth place while Adrian Bradley completed the top five places. Stan Watt was free and clear in the Sportsman class. His six-minute lead
was untouchable and his victory well deserved. Paul Moore and Nik Rowbottom
battled until the end and just eight seconds was the difference between second
and third places. Liam Flynn and
Marcus Alba (right) and Scott Clifford both clocked nine laps in the Youth class, they would have placed well in the Clubman classes. Alba won with a lead of 17 seconds over Clifford. Both riders were a lap clear of Liam Garbett in third, Nate Hotlby, fourth and William Hughes, fifth. This series was a gamble. Fast Eddy and Steve Ireland put their money where their mouths were and took the risk, which paid off in spades! It really was big-time, XC entertainment at its best. GBXC Rd 1 Matchams Park - D3 racing report
Knighter as usual made the holeshot and in 3rd position was Greg, Tom didn't fire his 250F first kick and was mid pack after starting almost last, after a couple of laps Greg held 4th behind Knight, Thomas and Motocrossers Greedy & Carlos, Tom worked his way through the field up to 7th . We decided to have a 2 fuel stop strategy for this 2.45 hour race, the fast sandy MX based course means the bikes use allot of fuel here , Tom only had a small tank so we brought him in on the hour and he took just 7 litres, however Greg on the 2 Stroke had a big 11.5 litre Tank and ran out on the next lap !! meaning he had to push back to the pits and this dropped him a lap down and cost him a certain top 5 finish. In the final hour of the race, the rough sand circuit would cause many riders to tire and slow and many positions would change, Tom kept pushing on and moved up to 4th and with two laps to go he was only 10 seconds behind 3rd placed Ashley Greedy but almost a lap down on Knighter who was showing no signs of being tired and had actually upped his pace. On the final lap a small crash cost Tom any chance of catching Greedy and he settled for 4th, Greg however was a lap down and finished outside the top 10 but he had shown he had good pace before running out of fuel. The event was good training for this weekends British Championship also in the sand and both riders are feeling confident, Tom is now in Spain testing the suspension with the Factory Team and Greg's at work probably on someone's roof - fitting tiles? Jason Thomas's report What a week! After losing my ride with Fast Eddy Suzuki at the start of the week due to different views, I was down and out, then on Thursday the plumber I work for, Rudy Austin, was kind enough to step in and lend me his CR250 Honda. So I sent my suspension off to Gavin at G Force, who can make any bike I ride handle like a dream, and Saturday morning my mainman badboy buddy, Rickster Ricky Mair and me built up the bike ready for the race Sunday Sunday morning I arrived at the track and it was a pleasure to see so many people there supporting this high profile cross-country event.I lined my bike up on the tapes and when the flag dropped I got an awesome jump, I entered the first turn next to David Knight, and passed him on the outside of turn two. David and I pulled away from the rest of the field and I made a small mistake when we entered the first wooded section, this allowed David to pass me but I was up quick and back on him by the time we came back onto the motocross track, I then re-passed Knighter and tried to get my head down. Then all of a sudden the noise of the big four stroke KTM had gone, I got arm pump as I was thinking too much about where David was and I started to ride tight,after nearly3 laps of leading, David was back on me and soon after came past.I soon settled back into a pace I was happy with and I could see David up ahead, then I made a big mistake and found myself pulling my bike from the trees.after the crash I pulled into the pits and re-set my bars and went out at a steady pace and rode my own race to finish 2nd,4 minutes in front of 3rd.I would like to thank Rudy and Ryan Austin for everything they are doing to help me, and a big well done also to Rudy for winning his class! thanks to Nick Brame for always being a big help, everyone who cheered me on at the event, Geraint and Gareth Jones for all their help in the pits and on the track,and of course my Dad who always sorts the job out when things go wrong for me. Thanks also to Steve Ireland, Paul Edmondson and their team for putting on such a superb event. Results Main Race Lap times 2hr am Race Lap times Pro 1 David Knight Red Bull KTM 2 Jason Thomas Honda 3 Ash Greedy PAR Honda 4 Tom Sagar D-3 Motorsport 5 Si Wakeley MPS Husqvana 6 Euan McConnell 530 TM 7 Darren Coutts 8 Ricky Mair 9 Darren Carter Red-Line KTM 10 Jason Fraser St Blazey Husqvana Expert 1 Mark Roberts 2 Bradley King 3 James Yearley 4 Rowland Morris 5 Keith Horsenall 6 Steve Grimshaw 7 Mark Godfrey 8 Derry Milling 9 David Brick 10 Craig Chamberlain Clubman 2T 1 Richard Ely 2 Peter Clarke 3 Dennis Harrison 4 Steve Holcombe 5 Keith Jones 6 Graham Lazzari 7 Dan Lawry 8 Peter Benton 9 Liam Ward 10 Michael Brooks Clubman 4T 1 Rudy Austin 2 Dave Grimshaw 3 Tom Braddock 4 Lee Hattersley 5 Sean O'Neil 6 James Harvey 7 Chris Nunn 8 Gary Simms 9 Royce Machin 10 Richard Cookland Over 40 1. Richard Main 2. Dave Selkeld 3. Chris Roberts 4. Mark Houson 5. Adrian Bradley Sportsman 1. Stan Watt 2. Paul Moore 3. Nik Rowbotham 4. Liam Flynn 5. Rob Lambert Novice 1. Johnny Jones 2. Colin Bott 3. Gavin Faircloth 4. Richard Bates 5. Danny Morris Ladies 1. Tamsin Jones 2. Sophie Thomas 3. Jane Daniels 4. Kate Harrington 5. Kate Lloyd Youth 1. Marcus Alba 2. Scott Clifford 3. Liam Garbett 4. Nathan Hotlby 5 William Hughes David Knight's GBXC
Report
|
Standings after 2 rounds 
Gareth
Hopkins kept up with the Pros & did 9 laps to win the Experts class ahead of Mark Roberts. Adam Smith was
the best 2T clubman & Dave Grimshaw won the 4T class. 
Knighter, on his Red Bull KTM, grabbed the hole-shot but Jason Thomas, on a
borrowed Honda, took the lead after a few corners and held it for the first
two laps. Knighter picked up some rope around his rear wheel and had no rear
brakes. He stopped and cleared the problem as slowly the rear brake came back
into action. Charging around the course, he took Thomas on lap three and never
looked back.
verall in such a competitive field, but
he did have stiff competition throughout the race. D-3's Tom Sagar (Right) started
unusually slowly but steadily worked his way to fourth place. while team-mate
Special Greg Evans was flying right from the off but unfortunately ran out of
petrol in the closing stages. The top four riders all clocked 15 laps with
Knighter finishing some 7 minutes ahead of second placed Thomas but only
seconds separated Greedy and Sagar.
Darryl Bolter was also impressive even though he was on a standard Husky
and was challenging for a top five finish before mechanical problems saw him
DNF. Si Wakeley's MPS Husqvana ran like a dream, until he lost his clutch and
stalled his way to the finish in a very creditable fifth place. Euan McConnell
overcame falling asleep on the motorway and was fully awake as he steered his
530TM to sixth overall.
Rob Lambert were a lap down in fourth and
fifth places. Johhny Jones may have been in the Novice class but his ride was
almost expert. Colin Bott pushed him to the finish and just over a minute
separated the two. Gav Fairclough steamed into third just seconds ahead of
Richard Bates in fourth. Danny Morris had a great ride and a well deserved
place in the top five.
Tamsin Jones
(left) and Sophie Thomas were a lap clear of the rest in the Ladies
class. Jones stretched her lead to a minute by the chequered flag as Thomas
took second place followed by Jane Daniels, Kate Harrington and Kate Lloyd.
The new GBXC cross-country championship got off to a great start, this new
series created by Paul Edmondson and Steve Ireland is just what the off-road
fans have been waiting for, A high profile national championship which is
supported by all the country's best riders and teams at quality venues. The
full Matchams Park Motocross track was used in conjunction with the
surrounding woods giving a lap of around 5 miles , the main race started at
1.00pm with a full first row of Pro's, can't remember when I last saw so many
good riders at a Cross-country race in the UK, GNCC Champion David Knight, a
few Motocross stars and of course our team riders Tom Sagar and Greg Evans,
almost 40 Pro's.