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Dyfi 2010 |
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In 1404 Owain Glyndwr established a Welsh Parliament in Machynlleth - the ancient capital of Wales - and this weekend noble men and a World famous Knight once again gathered in the nearby Dyfi forest. Booted and in armour, they competed in the 5th and penultimate round of the Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship. Last year the Dyfi was drenched by torrential rain in the lead up to the event and the toughest section was the slight hill into start field as the vans arrived. This year the weather has been drier but the MWTRA team have moved the start lower down the valley onto a hardstanding in a farmer's yard. Scutineering was on Friday. Greg Evans' had his new Airoh helmet confiscated because the ACU sticker had not been fitted. Harvesting was taking place in the camping field. As the grass was coming down, the tents were going up. Gavin Houson has injured his shoulder so he was cheering on his dad Mark in the Vets. Neil Chatham was another reluctant spectator this weekend. He was supporting the MPS Racing team while his broken wrists are on the mend. All the machines were sound tested by Brian Lightfoot. Kevin Price is riding in first timecard enduro & his excitement was not diminished when he failed his first noise test. He later passed once the engine had warmed up. Heavy dark clouds swept over the forest in the early evening but they were an empty threat. The wind dropped & a Chinese lantern ascended into the sky to hover over the start as the riders retired to leave night to the midges. Mick Seward's dog Trigger predicted rain & light sleepers may have been woken by a couple of light showers passing in the wee small hours.
The test was only a couple of miles up the valley but It was the only part of the Dyfi course that Greg Evans would ride. He crashed onto a rock and injured his left knee and was taken to Aberystwyth Hospital. With the final round of European Championship in a month it was a double disaster.
On the course David Knight was on a mission to bag the BEC and move on the EWC. He led from the start to win the day and Championship. The Putoline Suzuki by fasteddyracing.com team had a great result with Tom Sagar finishing 2nd and Paul Edmondson in 3rd. KORR Racing's Daryl Bolternis recovering from bronchitis and he did well to finish 4th. Euan McConnell was 5th. Ashley Wood finished 6th on his Steve Plain GasGas. Team mate Bradley King has completely recovered from his back injury and he was riding with increasing confidence. Danny McCanney won the Experts - despite a fall on the last test - with times comparable to 7th/8th in the Championship class. Tom Hinkley rode most of the last lap with his gearbox stuck in 3rd. With no parc ferme, Andrew Edwards gave Tom a hand to strip the box and identify the problem as a piece of grit in the selector. James Harvey and Euan Syme's also burnt the midnight oil when James' Honda 250 developed a water leak. Rhenallt Davies was on the test regrading. It was another five. In the VDSR camp, Paul Davies was holding a stag night and fitting a new piston. Elvis was in the tent.
On
the last test of the day David Knight got cross rutted just after a rocky
section behind the farm and he dropped the big 525. It surprised everyone
including the bike which took a moment to start up again. Paul Edmondson was close
behind and he seized the moment to overtake. Daryl Bolter and Tom Sagar also
took advantage to set faster times on the test but David's lead was
unbeatable and he took the Premier. Tom Sagar
was the runner
up and Daryl Bolter was 3rd. Paul Edmondson was 4th, Alex Rockwell took 5th for MPS
Racing and Euan McConnell was 6th. Edward
Jones With years of experience, Clerk of the course Aled Lloyd Jones and the Mid Wales TRA team can be relied upon the produce a challenging and well organised competition. After the event David Knight said that he enjoyed the Dyfi and that the Special Test was one of his favorites in the BEC series.. Photos available from Bob Mullins - Keith Bowen - Alan Rogers - Ian Ramsbottom Knight wins ’10 British Enduro Championship press release
it’s one of my favourite special tests in the BEC series. Five laps of a shorter course with six tests was great, I’d like to see a few more events like that. I rode well on both days and winning the title on Saturday was what I wanted to do. I started well, didn’t make any big mistakes, and enjoyed it. The test started to get rough towards the end of the day, which was good for me. Day two was just a bit of fun. All of my tests were good really although I fell on the last one. I’d done the work earlier in the day so I wasn’t worried when I fell – I was still about a minute ahead. I tried a few different things on the bike during the weekend, which worked well, so it’s all systems go now for the next two world rounds.’
Team Putoline Suzuki by www.fasteddyracing.com rider, Tom Sagar, dominated the fifth round of the Metzeler Britiish Enduro Championship at the weekend, winning the E2 class on both days at the Dyfi event in Wales. Riding his RMX450Z, Sagar needed a good performance to keep his championship hopes alive, and set about it in the best way possible, winning the opening seven hour day at the challenging event. A carbon-copy result on day two, put Sagar back in the hunt for the championship, and now just needs to win the first day at round six to take the British E2 title.
In the E1 class, it looked like the Fast Eddy team would dominate proceedings there too, as Paul Edmondson won day one by a convincing 14 seconds. Sadly for Paul, it would not be repeated on day two, missing out on the win by just three seconds on Sunday's six-hour event. Edmondson commented, "I'm actually a little disappointed with my result this weekend. A first and second is great, but I've given myself some work to do at the next round now, as I'll need to win both days if I'm to take the E1 title. A big congratulations must go to Tom who rode superbly all weekend and put himself firmly back in the championship hunt." Team Sponsors: Putoline, Suzuki GB PLC, Metzeler, Moose Clothing, Lazer, Smith, Gaerne, DEP, MXM Graphics, Renthal, Talon, Regina, Optima Racing, Fasteddyracing.com, Rygor Commercials.
Unfortunately this round would prove the toughest challenge yet for the team. Greg was going well on the first test and on split times was being bettered only by Knighter, but within 100 meters of the finish he hit a rock in the banking side and damaged his knee and foot and was in so much pain had to leave via Ambulance!! and day over. Speaking with Greg on Monday morning his condition has improved, he will see specialists this week to make sure he is ok and best prepared for the final European round in 4 weeks time. Greg is leading the E2 class of the Euro series and only 2 points off the overall. Daryl also had a tough first day, having suffered Bronchitis recently and not being able to train and practice in the last 2 weeks he could not maintain his normal pace, and just when Daryl started to find some good speed he got stuck behind clubman riders in the special test costing him vital seconds and ended up finishing 2nd to his class rival Paul Edmondson. Overnight and a few small set up changes and we started with more optimism, the opening test would see Daryl pull a 14 second advantage on Fast Eddy and really set him up for the day, although Edmondson kept the pressure on Daryl eventually after 5 stages finished the day 3rd overall and 1st in the E1 class to maintain his championship lead with one round to go. James Giddings aboard his KTM125 EXC in the Expert class finished 4th and 3rd and still leads his class E1-2. The final BEC round is the Natterjack on 25/26th September.
With torrential rain leading up to the event the fifth round of the Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship organiser by MWTRA in the Dyfi forest looked set to be one of the toughest rounds of the year. Within a couple of laps the special test had cut up considerably and Gas Gas’s Ashley Wood was revelling in the slippery conditions as he powered his Steve Plain prepared machine to second in class and sixth overall. Winning the Under 23’s class on the first day gave Wood plenty of confidence going into the second day’s competition where he again finished second in class and placed eighth overall. Team mate Daniel McCanney once again stamped his dominance in the Expert class with another double victory over the weekend. Making light work of the heavily rutted special test McCanney pulled a sizeable advantage over the rest of his class and placed times which would have seen his at the sharp end of the championship class.
Daniel McCanney: “I really enjoyed the whole weekend; my bike was perfect and performed really well in the rutted areas where other riders struggled. The whole course was good fun to ride and the test was especially good, I actually preferred it when I had got a bit rougher. I’m now looking forward to the final round of the BEC where hopefully I can take the Expert title. Thanks to Steve Plain, Shirty, Rob and the King family for their help.”
The fifth round of the Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship organised by the MWTRA would be one to remember with Matt Ridgway making his return to national competition after a serious crash earlier in the year. With a target to finish each day as I came Matt was under no illusion that he still has a long way until his is 100% bike fit. Starting the first day in good sprints he rode the demanding course with caution and made good progress on the slippery parts of the going, letting his WR125 do all the work. Heavy rain prior to the event made the special test rough and particularly technical in places but Ridgway kept a clear head and rode his own race to finish the day with a smile on his face. The second day was going well until Matt took a tumble which aggravated old injuries and team manager Mick Steward took the difficult decision to end his day prematurely. Manxman Alex Rockwell had a mixed weekend with a disappointing first day due to unforeseen technical problems causing him to retire mid day. Using the second day as an opportunity to develop the Husqvarna further and with the problems from the previous day resolved Rocky set a series of fast test times and finished in fifth place. Sixteen year old Robert Johnson started the first day with a good pace and was lying fourth in class when he crashed heavily in the woodland section of the test and injured his shoulder. Following medical advice he retired from the first day's competition and decided not to ride the second day before getting the all clear from hospital. Alex Rockwell "This has been a mixed weekend for me really; I knew when we started that I wasn't in line for a title so we wanted to use the opportunity to develop the bike. By the end of the second day I'd found a good set up which should really help when it comes to EWC." Matt Ridgway "Obviously I was hoping to finish both days and was disappointed when Mick wouldn't let me continue but I understand why. I can't explain how much I enjoyed being back on a bike and the WR125 was awesome, it found grip where other bikes just spun up! I know I need to improve my bike fitness and the best way to do that is in competition; I'll get as much train done as possible over the winter and should be back 100% for the new season." Robert Johnson "I'm a bit gutted to have crashed out on the first day to be honest, it's just one of those things but I didn't want to ride again until I've got my back and neck checked out at hospital. I just came out of the corner and a tree root flicked me straight into a tree which pushed my shoulder right back. On a positive note my bike was running perfectly and I was setting a good pace."
The dyfi enduro was an event i have been looking forward to since the previous round of the bec at the knighton. Ive been struggling all year to recover from my major concussion sustained at the start of the year which meant 3 months off the bike including missing a round of the bec in Scotland and most of the British sprint series. due to this my confidence on the bike had been low and i was way off the speed and fitness that i had hoped to have at the start of the season. At each event since returning to racing Ive been making slow steady improvements but was still not back to where id like to be. I was looking forward to the dyfi as id enjoyed the long technical test the previous year and was hoping i could use it to make an big improvement. The event was organised so that "the going" was short and allowing plenty of time so we we could get as much test time as possible. having walked the test i was feeling confident that i could improve on my results from the previous rounds. Although i was maybe to confident coming into the first test and i pushed a little to hard having two silly crashes but was pleased to find id managed the 14th fastest time. knowing that if i could stay on upright a good time was possible decided to try and ride smoother with less mistakes resulting in the 11th fastest time. this made me very confident coming into the third test feeling really "on it" until one corner from the end getting stuck behind a clubman rider who'd made a mistake losing 30 seconds. so playing catch up i went for it on the last 3 tests including some more good times finishing up in 12th position overall championship and 3rd e3 class rider. this put a big smile on my face knowing it was by far my best ride since returning from injury and looking forward to day 2. Sunday didn't go quite so successfully due in part to still lacking slightly in fitness making to many mistakes losing time on the tests. also struggling with a stomach upset meaning i couldn't eat much during the day i felt happy with managing 14th place overall and 3rd e3 again. the weekend was a big positive for me riding the best since the first round of the year before my injury and im looking forward to making further improvement at the final round the natterjack finishing the season strongly ready for 2011 :D id like to say a big thanks to everyone who helped out during the weekend especially Rob Sartin, Steve Plain, Charlie Evans, Trevor wood and My family. Also to all my sponsors who are always such a great help... Brad king - enduro and hare scrambles on GAS GAS UK EC300 - www.bradking25.webs.com - supported by GAS GAS UK, K4OFFROAD, TALON, STEVE PLAIN M/CS, MICHELIN, GAERNE, RENTHAL, MOTUL, KRIEGA, SMITH, ONE HELMETS, EVOKE CONCEPTS and ROGERSHILL RACEWAY
Euan McConnell has achieved another fantastic result at the fifth round of the British Enduro Championship (BEC) in Wales on the weekend. The Scot was runner-up in the E2 class over the two days at the Dyfi. He was placed fifth overall on Day One and sixth on Day Two. “After a very long drive down we arrived late on Friday after spending a couple of hours at the nearby Centre of Alternative Technology,” described McConnell. “We had a bad night's sleep on Friday as the van isn't kitted out yet and baby Isla wasn't for sleeping!” “The test was pretty similar to last year, what I can remember anyway. My first test on Saturday was rubbish, I felt like I was on it, but having only rode the test once last year I couldn't really remember lines or braking points. I spent the rest of the day getting quicker and was able to overtake Ash Wood and Ed Jones in the rankings. I was a long way off Daryl in fourth and had to settle for fifth. “For Sunday I fitted two new tyres hoping to find some extra time. Unfortunately again I had a rubbish first test, finishing 10 seconds behind Ed Jones, who I had beaten comfortably the day before. It was a day long battle clawing back the deficit. I was two seconds behind him going into the last test, but thankfully I had a good one and he slowed a little so I beat him by six seconds".
With Electraction TM team riders Phillip McLaughlin, Josh Green, and Gordon Clarke still unable to attend the British Enduro Championship, it was left to TM 250 rider Daniel Beaven to be sole representative for the TM Racing brand at the past weekend's Dyfi enduro. Last years event was drenched in a torrential downpour, but this year the weather was much more favourable and the M.W.T.R.A laid out an excellent course and a sub 10 minute test similar to last years. For the Expert riders there were 4 laps and 5 tests on Saturday. Daniel got away at 9.12 and it was straight into the first test. The first two went well, placing him within the top 5, the test -comprising a mixture of everything from MX grass to rocky streams and rutted wood sections- suiting Dan's style. However, a mistake and a fall on the third test within metres of the finish line up the tricky stream exit cost over 30 seconds, and dropped him to 11th overall and 4th in E2 : "It was a stupid fall as I was trying to pass a fallen rider. I tried to claw some of the time back on my last two tests but I was feeling the effects of the long day, and with the class so competitive I knew that crash had cost me dear. I'm still really happy with my finish today, as it's my best this season so far. I've struggled this year balancing my Uni studies/Work and riding, but things are better now and my results show that". Sunday was a shorter day, with 1 less lap and 1 less test, the course was modified and involved more fireroads, and increased mileage, but longer check times. The test remained virtually unchanged, just the logs removed in the final field and the end of test opened up to avoid the deep ruts. Determined to improve on the previous day, Daniel moved up to 8th overall, despite two bad runs in the test "My first test was terrible, I missed lines, overshot corners. I was just trying too hard. My second and third went better, apart from several small crashes and mistiming my gear change on the uphill road jump. I finally got it right in the last test of the day, I rode a little more conservatively and actually had second fastest in that test!" "I'm really pleased with my results this weekend - they are massive improvements and my times show my speed is there, it's just consistency. The bike ran great this weekend, thanks to Mike at TMUK. I've really enjoyed the event and I'm looking forward to the NAtterjack where I hope to further improve" The British championship closes at the REME run Natterjack enduro held near Bordon, Hampshire, on the 25th/26th September.
We all know that familiarity breeds contempt, but surely Team Charfield’s long history of dyfi enduros would mean that they knew the score for this year’s BEC round. No need to take a day off on Friday, just get up at 0330 on sat, drive to wales and take a 20 point penalty for late scrutineering. The test will be okay, it’s usually the same and you get an untimed run at it on the first lap anyway. Or that’s what we thought. Bit of shock then to go straight into the massive special test, timed on every lap and full of logs, rocks, riverbeds and roots that we had never seen before. Flipper hit the first log section with most parts of his bike and body, while Clarkey had to rely on the kindness of strangers to pull him over the bigger logs. A chicken route would have been nice, but after about 15 minutes, the ordeal was over. Surely the 2nd best special test ever seen in a BEC round (behind Lossiemouth in 2006) and longer than some Hare and Hounds courses we’ve ridden this year. The team didn’t make the most elegant start to the day, but it was great fun to ride a real BEC standard test. Out onto the one long check and the course was full of surprises. We only recognised about half of the going from all the previous Dyfi and Powys routes and the rest was top class welsh enduro stuff that we’d never ridden before. The course was in perfect condition and so was the weather, but the riders weren’t. The check had four real stoppers, all steep tricky climbs and there with plenty of riders struggling to get up. Stopping for a breath after one bout of lung-busting pushing and spinning. Flipper shared his pain with another rider and received that fatal invitation to surrender ‘I’ve had enough, how about you’. He never even made it to the real killer, the stick infested hill that was cut out after lap 1, before jacking it in and riding back to the start for a kip. Clarkey is made of sterner stuff and after pushing the bike most of the way up the sticky hill was feeling pretty pleased with himself. 30 yards later, he rode off the edge of the track and down a 20 ft bank, managing to break the bike’s fall by lying underneath it. After twenty minutes of struggling and failing to get back up to the track while carrying 110kg of KTM, Clarkey had to walk back to the hill and enlist the help of another rider to pull the bike out, losing about 40 minutes overall. The effort was well worth it though as the next two laps were awesome. The special test got a lot harder as it cut up and energy levels fell, but by the end at least the log sections no longer seemed intimidating. A big crash near the end of day did some damage to Clarkey’s throttle hand and effectively ruled out day 2 of the competition. Finishing last in class, Clarkey scored another point in the Charfield championship to go 6 – 3 up. With only four rounds remaining the title remains a mathematical possibility for Flipper but the odds are getting longer. Congrats to MWTRA for an excellent event and we’ll be back at the Dyfi next year for sure, including Friday! Team Charfield Gary Clarke – 402 Flipper Kingston - 403
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Saturday morning dawned grey and damp with
low cloud but there was a promise of sun later. Dave Rodenhurst & Clive
Passingham set their alarms to bacon o'clock to open the course. After a short
liaison stage from the start, the lap consisted of 2 checks. A 7k special test
and a 28k loop around the forest. David Knight,
Paul Edmondson and Tom Sagar led off the Championship class at 9.00am. It was
sad to
see a gap where Simon Wakely should have been. Oliver
Hart was suffering with a trapped nerve in his back and he was walking like
John Wayne. He was hoping that the exercise
would loosen it up. It didn't.
In a bizarre
coincidence Jack Twentyman and a GasGas rider both shattered their front discs
on the steep hill before the test. Jack returned to the start, fitted a new
disc and carried on. The test around the Davies' farm was excellent for both
the riders and the spectators with a good mix of terrain. From the start
on the hill above the Service Area it dropped down the fields into a stream
with rock & log sections. There a couple of big jumps in the field
behind the farm before the riders disappeared into woods. The final stretch
was a wet gully alongside the pits to keep the crews amused. It was timed by
beams and transponders. The results
were instantly available on the Cambrian Timings 
David Knight took the
early lead from Tom Sagar, Daryl Bolter, Paul Edmondson, Alex Rockwell, Ashley
Wood. Rocky was riding with a MX gearbox and a hard suspension set up which was not
ideal for the going. Then the Husky 250 began to complain with a misfire that put
Rocky out. His MPS Racing teammate Rob Johnson also retired after a
crash in the woods. Paul Claxton's departure was more mundane. He lost his
bumbag with his van keys inside. Bryn
Humphries broke his clutch lever on his first test. Despite being on home
ground Tudor Davies overshot the ski jump on the test and crashed heavily.
Askley Strokes' weekend was made when he beat his uncle David's test times. The
St.Johns team included a transalp. It is the first in Wales and - with ex
enduro rider Dave Gardiner on board - it is a useful tool. Andrew Gorse
needed their attention when he clipped his toes on the test and broke 3
metatarsals 
As the day wore
on the field got smaller and the patches of sunshine grew bigger. The end of
the test began to resemble a trials section and there were plenty of fives.
Gethin Price looped out. fell on to a stone and crushed it. The REME team had mixed fortunes. Kevin Murray lost his chain guide, Tony Coty
lost his clutch and Craig Altass seized his motor. Darrem Morgan's water pump
impeller worked loose and his motor overheated. At the end of the day there was a
huge moment of relief when Greg Evans returned from A&E on crutches but
with no broken bones. Jamie Paget also got the all clear but neither would be
taking any further part in the race. Jamie was particular unlucky as the
Midwest camp on a Saturday night is no place to be if it hurts to laugh. 
Overnight the sky was clear
as a bell and flecked with the tail end of the annual Persiad meteor shower.
On Sunday
morning the sun rose into a cloudless sky. The start was at 9.00am and the course
was a modified version of Day 1 on green arrows. There were 5 laps for the Championship, 4 laps for
the Experts and 3 laps for the Clubman. James Harvey's Honda was reluctant to
start and he went over a minute to incur a 60 point penalty. Scott Lees Yamaha
had a flat battery but the kickstart worked well. Paul Claxton's day also started
well when his bumbag was found. With the Championship secured, the pressure
was off for David Knight but he still set the fastest
first test from Tom Sagar, Daryl Bolter, Paul Edmondson, Alex Rockwell, Edward
Jones Ashley Wood and Euan McConnell. Tom was putting so much into catching
David that it actually aged him and at one point on the live results he was
leading the Over 40 class. MPS Racing's Matt Ridgway did well to finish Day 1
after his long lay off but he was very tired and on lap 3 team manager Mick Seward took his card off him before he
exhausted himself. Kev Murray's weekend went from bad to worse and he
went out on lap 3. For the remaining riders it was a comparatively uneventful day. 
on the ET James KTM 125 in 7th clinched the E1 2T Championship and the Welsh Enduro Championship.
Danny McCanney from the Isle of Man won the Experts. His test times would have put him into the top
five overall. Chris Dustow was 2nd and Joe Deakin was 3rd. Rich Ely finished
7th to secure the E1 4T Championship. Jack Twentyman's endless supply of
yellow football shirts continues to bring him good luck and he was the best of the Vet
A's. Murray Thompson was 2nd and Paul Davies' KTM held
together for 3rd. The Clubman class was won by Steve Holcombe, Gethin
Humphreys was 2nd & Matt Holcombe was 3rd, Mark Houson was the best of the
Vet Bs, Phil Smithson took the runner up despite a deep gash in his left
forearm. Onlt 4 riders incurred time penalties on the day. 
David Knight is the ’10 British Enduro Champion, adding the BEC
title to the British Enduro Sprint Championship he won earlier in the
year. Dominating the fifth round of the BEC series, the WTRA
organised Dyfi Enduro, Knight romped to two commanding overall day
wins to wrap--up the title in style aboard his 525 KTM. Knowing
that he needed only a handful of points from the opening day to wrap
up his ninth overall BEC title at the Dyfi Enduro Knight quickly set
about winning tests. In delivering another double winning performance
David once again stamped his authority on the series having topped
each and every day of this year’s championship. With the event much
to his liking it didn’t take the Manxman long to get into his
stride as he topped the first day’s opening test by a sizeable
margin before going on to continue his winning ways as the day
progressed. Having amassed an advantage of close to two minutes with
two tests remaining David eased his pace slightly, still managing to
secure a well deserved win that ensured the ’10 BEC title was his.
On day two David was again unbeatable, topping each of the five
special tests. David, who holds a 30--point lead in the Enduro 3
class of the Enduro World Championship, now turns his attentions to
the upcoming EWC events in Greece and Turkey. David Knight: ‘It’s
been a great event for me and of course winning another British
championship title is always good. I recently signed to race for KTM
for the next two years, which I’m thrilled about, so it makes
winning this British championship title kind of a double celebration.
I enjoyed the Dyfi event last year and did again this year –
Sagar
dominates E2 at DYFI press
release
Tom
Sagar commented, "That was more like it. After the disappointment at
the last round I knew I had to win both days to get a grip on the championship
again. The bike ran superbly and now we have a bit of a buffer as we go into
round six.
KORR
Racing BEC Rd5 Dyfi Enduro press release
The
Dyfi is always a challenging and interesting Enduro with one of the
best and longest cross-country tests of the season. Both Daryl and
Greg went into this round leading their respective classes and
optimistic that they could further strengthen their advantage.
Ashley Wood: “The Dyfi is always good
but this year it was even better than usual; the slightly shorter
course and extra test was perfect. Topping the under 23’s class was
a great way to start the weekend and I’m happy with second on
Sunday. I had a good battle with Ed Jones over both days with each of
us swapping positions over the two days. The course got pretty rough
towards the end of the event but my suspension was perfect. Thanks to
Shirty, Steve Plain, Rob Sartin and the King family for their help!”
MPS Racing Enduro Team - Alex Rockwell, Matt Ridgway,
Robert Johnson
Brad
makes improvement at the Dyfi
McConnell E2 runner up at Dyfi BEC
Dan
Beaven - Electraction TM 
Team
Charfield 
