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Paul Edmondson has won the John Banks Enduro the final round of the Motul British Enduro Championship although he was pushed all the way by Chris Hay and Darren Bolter. Paul Edmondson is the outright British Champion as World Champion David Knight was under contract to ride in America. There was a hard frost on Sunday morning which made it risky to push hard in the first test. Paul did not have it all his own way as he overshot the corner at the end of the fast straight on the second test, Chris Hay back on form, took the lead by two seconds although Daryl Bolter was a close third as he was quickest in the second test. The pressure was on to finish the course clean on time as the Banks is always tight on the last lap. All the top riders made it round on time so it was back to the special test for one last run through to determine the winner. Daryl Bolter was the first of the top three through and set the pace, Paul then set a blistering time using all his experience to finish seventeen seconds ahead of Daryl Bolter. Chris Hay set off and new the pressure was on through the forest, unfortunately he could not match Paul's pace and had to settle for second 10 seconds down, Daryl Bolter third and Ed Jones finished a close 4th place. Kevin Murray finished 10th just ahead of Ricky Mair. Ricky started carefully as he crashed and knocked himself out in similar conditions at the Brecklands earlier this year. Ricky was riding his tuned bike which was proving difficult to handle on the ice covered track. Richard Hay finished clean on time in 14th place which is a brilliant result considering he was still in Africa on Saturday morning. Richard flew back to Aberdeen packed his bike and his family into his van at 4pm and arrived at the track at 2.00am on Sunday. Rumour had it that he walked the test before settling down for the remainder of the night. In the Expert Class Steven Pettitt won with Robert Warner second despite being the bravest in the first frosty test. Oliver Moyce fell in the first test but held on to third place. In the Clubman Class it was business as usual for Ashley Wood, fastest in both tests, he has won the E1 Clubman Class with six class wins. Early season leader Paul Chatham could only shadow Ashley and hope for a mistake which did not materialise. Jamie Roper finished 4 seconds down in 3rd place, Chris Nunn was 4th and outright Clubman and over 40 Champion Graeme Naismith 5th. Jamie Padget finished 7th clinching the E2 Clubman Class. Report by Campbell Chatham Eddy’s sixth Paul ‘Eddy’ Edmondson has scored a fantastic fifth victory at the prestigious John Banks Enduro aboard the Honda Racing-supported CR250R – an amazing 20 years after his first win at the event. The experienced off-road campaigner’s fantastic result may also have sealed him the overall 2005 British Enduro Championship. Traditionally, the long established one-day Banks Enduro marks the end of the off-road season. The Thetford Forest-based event attracts a range of enduro veterans and motocross competitors of all abilities, who want to sample demanding enduro racing for the first time. Edmondson first won the Banks Enduro aboard the Honda CR80R in 1986 when he was just 16 years old. Since then, the Yorkshireman has won titles in 1995, 1998 and 1999. "Winning the Banks Enduro again is great,” enthused 36-year-old Edmondson. “I always enjoy the event and my win is a fantastic end to the 2005 season for the team. Despite some ground frost over certain parts of the track, I felt comfortable aboard the Honda Racing Fast Eddy CR250R all weekend and I just made sure I rode cautiously. “My win this year was definitely the easiest – I was just a kid when I won the title aboard the Honda CR80R 20 years ago. I’ve got a lot more experience under my belt nowadays and the Hondas are fantastic machines so there’s no excuse not to win the Banks Enduro next year!” Honda-mounted Edmondson has been highly successful in the various enduro championships this year. As well as topping the 2005 British E2 class, the Honda Racing-supported rider claimed sixth in the World Enduro Championship and fifth in the Fast Eddy Race Series (Pro class). He also beat off strong competition to win the infamous Weston Beach Race in October. PS: Dear Bob I see Paul Eddy has just put an update on your site re winning the Banks for the 5th time. In fact it was the 6th time - 1986, 1987, 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2005. Paul has won the Banks every time he has entered and his last special test on the 2005 event when he set a blistering time was just a special as the first time he won on an 80cc bike in 1986. Best regards Andy Waters Wayne finishes the event and the year despite a high speed crash The final round of the British Enduro Championship was held yesterday in the Thetford Forest hosted by the Diss MCC. The John Banks Enduro is traditionally an end of season tough event and this year it was made even harder by the freezing conditions. A crash in the fist test on a frozen fire road crossing left Wayne shaking his head as he passed through the beam, yet he still posted the 4th best time of the day, a steady second test and all bode well. However a 4th gear crash on the 4th lap left him decidedly second hand. Determined to finish, despite pain in his hip where he landed on the bike at impact, he carried on to try and get some Championship Points. However, once the time tightened further for the last lap, he was really struggling and much to his despair he dropped a minute at the final check. The final test was also quite difficult for him, (unable to lift his leg fully), but he persevered and on test times alone finished 6th overall. His minute dropped however dropped him down to 15th place on the day. Said Wayne “ I’ve not crashed like that for a long time, I’m glad it’s the last event for a while, I need a rest as that hurt. I’m obviously disappointed to have dropped a minute, but I really struggled on that last lap and I know I’m going to be sore tomorrow. On a more positive note, that 1 point gained is never lost and to finish 4th overall in the British Enduro Championship and 2nd in the hotly contested E2 Class for 2005 I am delighted with – it’s not bad for a 35 year old !! “ Promising Enduro 2 class debut from Daryl Bolter Husky Sport Husqvarna rider Daryl Bolter finished in a strong third place overall at the final round of the ’05 Motul British Enduro Championship, the Diss MCC organised John Banks Enduro, where he competed on a 250cc two-stroke Husqvarna for the first time ever in BEC competition. As ’05 125cc Junior European Enduro Champion, and having placed as runner-up in this year’s Enduro Junior class of the World Enduro Championship, Daryl used the John Banks to gain experience on a bigger bike ahead of a full-time move the Enduro 2 class in ’06. Performing well on the opening test, despite stalling his bike twice, the highlight of Daryl’s event was posting the fastest overall time on the second timed special test of the race. Determined to make up for the time he lost on the opening test Bolter placed four seconds ahead of eventual event winner Paul Edmondson. Again performing well on the final test, as well as remaining clean on time on the going, Bolter finished seven seconds adrift of the runner-up spot. Ensuring two Husqvarna’s finished inside the overall top 10 of the Championship class at the BEC final round, 250cc four-stroke rider Chris Hockey placed in eighth at his local round of the series. Placing a strong fifth on the first test of the day, Chris then struggled a little in the softer conditions of test two before again placing fifth overall on the third and final test of the event, held right at the end of the day. In the Expert class GH Motorcycles supported Oliver Moyce claimed a close third overall, finishing just three seconds behind the class winner. Crashing on the first of the Expert classes two timed tests, Oliver then put in a good second test to finish third overall in the expert class. In doing so he did enough to claim the ’05 Expert British Enduro Championship title. The Husky Sport Enduro Race Team would like to thank the organisers of all British Enduro Championship rounds in ‘05. Daryl Bolter: “I’m really happy finishing third overall. I felt that I was riding pretty well, which surprised me a bit because I thought I would go a little slower on a 250 because I’m not really used to it yet. I had a really good event apart from the first test. I stalled my bike twice, which meant that I lost about 10 seconds. I was really fired up for the second test because I knew that I had to pull back some time and I managed to win the test overall, which I was really pleased with. The timing of the checks was perfect as usual and the course was challenging and enjoyable. “I am a little bit disappointed not to have won a class title this year but because of my back injury I decided to prioritise on the world and European championship. I’m really looking forward to ’06. I’ll be racing a 250 full-time, which will be a new challenge and should help me be more competitive.” Chris Hockey: “The Banks was a great event, like it always is, but so cold. With the first test being a bit frozen it really suited my 250cc four-stroke because I was able to get good traction out of all the turns. Getting the fifth fastest time on the first test was great. The second test was a bit more cut up, which didn’t suit a small four-stroke. On the last test I seemed to ride well and finished in fifth overall again. “I hoped the times were going to be really tight but I guess they were spot on considering the conditions. My BEC season could have been better but ending it with a good result is great.” Oliver Moyce: “I always enjoy the John Banks Enduro and this year’s race was really good. It was really cold though. Because the lap was longer than normal the check times were spot on. The special test was awesome – wider and longer than last year with several extra loops in it. “I made a mess of the first test because I crashed and lost some time. My second test was pretty good though and I think I was the third fastest rider in the Experts. I know that it’s close at the top of the Expert championship but I think I just did enough to win it, which I’m really pleased with. It’s been a great season for me and I’m looking forward to racing in the Championship class in ’06.” Chris Hay Race Report Chris is runner up after close battle! Bikesport KTM UK rider Chris Hay, 2003 125cc British Enduro Champion had a close battle with former World Enduro Champion and 2006 BEC British Champion Paul Edmondson for the Banks BEC Trophy. Chris's return to form at the BEC placed him 2 seconds behind Paul after the 1st special test, then Chris took 4 seconds back from Paul in the 2nd test which gave him a 2 second lead heading into the final special test. Chris's final lap didnt go to plan as he hit a tree stump at high speed and it sent him over the handlebars, badly winded, Chris had to dig deep as he knew he was leading and managed to still make the very tight final lap on time. On the final special test Chris was riding 'detuned' but still managed a very good time that took him to his best ever BEC result as runner up in 2nd place. Chris Hay : "I'm very pleased with my result, its the best I've rode in a long time at a BEC. I feel that my riding is coming good after being injured for the most part of the year. It felt really good leading the event overall for the most of the day in front of Paul Edmondson who I have looked upto since I was a young lad. I learned a lot today and now know that the changes I have made are making a difference and my speed is coming back. I would like to thank all my sponsors and helpers for sticking by me through what has been a very tough year."
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John Banks
2005