|
enduro
news |
|
 Scorcher
SEC at Lossie Forest Elgin Report by
Campbell Chatham
On Sunday 3rd August 80 Scottish Enduro Championship riders followed in the footsteps of the British Enduro Championship in Lossie forest near Elgin. Scorching sunny weather up to 86F combined with a tough whooped out course led to a long difficult day. The checks were very tight with only the top contenders completing the course on time. In the Expert class Derek Little won as he did at the British Championship in April. Derek was the only rider to stay within the time schedule with all the other Experts using at least their spare minute. Neil Chatham finished second improving again on his previous best performance. Allyn Scotland finished third following a big crash in his last test and pushing to stay on time between the checks. Murray Thompson, not quite fully fit, finished fourth and Grant Smith broke his toe, resulting in a DNF. In the Clubman class Fraser Norrie was out to prove that in the sand he will be a top competitor in the Expert class next year. Fraser set times that would have seen him on the podium in the premier Scottish class. Tim Sleigh was not accustomed to the sand finishing second and Liam Beaty pushed on to third spot in the Clubman standings. Iain Martin was the only other Clubman to finish clean on time with his best ever finish in fourth. The Over 40's had a tough day in the sun and sand, Gavin Johnston won by just four seconds from double over 40 Champion Sean Wooley. Selkirk winner Davie Hill finished third as the sand proved difficult for him nearly 50 seconds behind. Calum Hayes won the Clubman B class with William Nicholson second and Roger Summers third. The extra time in this class certainly helped although William Beaty retired as the going became too hot to handle. In the Sportsman class locals Kagen Mackenzie won with clerk of the course's son Andy Gauld second. Regular competitors Alister Watson and James Watson (no relation) finished third and fourth respectively, the Sportsman Championship remains really close between these two. Ricky Mairs' dad won the trials class and nobody finished second or third as he was the only competitor in this class. Well done to Jim for taking part and completing the course, he has until next year to recover before competing again. The riders who made the journey to Elgin were rewarded with a glorious day and the pit crews could enjoy the sun for a change. The course and times proved very difficult especially for those unaccustomed to riding in the sand. Johnny Little and his crew set out the course to ensure that everyone travelling up to Elgin feels that they have had their moneys' worth, once again nobody could argue that philosophy. The Experts were riding almost non stop for at least six and three quarter hours. This was the 7th round of the Scottish Championship with the ELRAT Club hosting the next round at Aberfeldy on the 7th September. Results
It was Jamie Duncan's day, as he took 3 straight wins in the Adult A's, every other rider struggled with their consistancy. Local rider George Stewart improved each time out, finishing with a 3rd placing in the 3rd race, enough to give him 4th overall. Here's George (left) checking out the foliage......... Local lad Andy Gauld took the top honours in the B Group with 3 consistant race wins on his home track, leaving Kevin Milne to settle for 2nd spot , 8 points ahead of Kagen Mckenzie who in turn snatched 3rd spot away from Paddy Whitehead by a mere 1point. C Group honours went to Youngster john Kirk on his wee KTM125, showing the 450's the way home with 3 race wins and that’s even after coming off whilst trying to Shove Dode out o the road on the first corner. U guys in the B group better watch out for next season, this Young Man is a flyer. Phil Goffin had to settle for 2nd overall ahead of John Stewart in 3rd with ever consistant Veteran Jim Stuart in 4th spot, no bad for a OAP. The 125/250 schoolpersons class again was dominated by Lewis Dawson with 3 straight wins ahead of a quickly improving Grant Fraser who followed Lewis home in each race. Girl power saw Jodi Grigor take 3rd overall on the excellent Woodside Circuit, which was in tip top condition. The 85 big wheeled class saw some of the best racing of the day as Iain McKenzie and Lachlann Josey battled it out goodstyle for race supremecy, with Iain managing to get the upper hand after some great racing. Leaving Alex Mitchell to a consistant but lonely 3rd spot. Elgin loon Shawn Sinclair had to settle for 2nd overall in the small wheeled 85's as Invernessian Ian Findlay cleared off into the distance with 3 race wins , while Kierran Mccarroll from Forres took 3rd overall. Ash Darling and Daniel Irvine had their first outing on their new 85's having moved up from the 65's , Daniel took 4th overall, whilst a dnf in race 1 ruined Ash's chance of a good overall position. Ian Findlay out front in race 2, yet again.... The 65cc class saw Ben Edwards take the win in race 1, but kierran Hunter got the better of him in race 2 and 3 to take the overall win with Daniel dey taking three 3rd placings. Last but not least, the Auto class, yet again dominated by Aidan Campbell of Nairn followed home each time by finlay Retson of Inverness with Local Kirk Watson taking three 3rd placings. This class is going to be wide open for next season as both Aidan and Finlay will be moving up to the 65 class, so come on all U autos out there, get yer racing heads on. A big thanku to all at GMCC for a great event @ an excellent circuit on a nice dry summers day, what more could we ask for ? Remember, next local event is at Rhynie this coming sunday the 3rd of August, details available at http://aberdeen-and-district-mcc.com with Round 4 of The Adult Scottish Championships at Highland Clubs Track at Whiteness by Nairn the following sunday 10/8/08. I have attached an entry form , so get it filled in and returned asap, there's plenty of support races if Your not a championship contender.
The 2nd round of the Metzeler British Enduro Championship took place at Lossiemouth this weekend in a return to wintery conditions although the riders would soon warm up with 2 laps of the 65 mile course. Championship leader Tom Sagar was still recovering from the heavy fall that put him out of last weekend WEC round in Sweden & in such a closely contested competition Paul Edmondson was primed to take the first day. Tom was the runner up, Daryl Bolter was 3rd & Greg Evans was 4th. Euan McConnell lost time when he damaged his chain guide.
We` looked forward to the 2nd round of the BEC with mixed thoughts, championship leader Tom Sagar was recovering from a injury sustained from the previous `week in Sweden and was not able to train or ride the bike at all prior to the event, how would he perform, could he even start and finish, were some of our questions. However Greg was firing on all cylinders, after a good start at Rd 1 of the BEC and some very positive mid week testing, we had further improved the setup of his KTM 250 EXC, we were optimistic that the sandy mx style tests of Scotland would suit his style. Strong ice cold winds with some Snow and Hailstones made the event feel colder than Sweden but the riders would soon be warmed up on the tough circuit in the North of Scotland. Two laps of a 65 mile course which included 9 time controls, 1 MX test of around 10 minutes and 1 cross-country test of just over 5 minutes per lap. The weekend started in the best possible way, Greg won the first cross-country test from Euan McConnell with Tom less than 1 second behind, at the first fuel check Tom confirmed that all was ok and he wasn’t troubled by his injury. Next into the MX test and Tom went to the top of the leaderboard with fastest time, followed closely by Daryl Bolter and Greg. Despite some tight check times the course did not trouble the class leaders with the exception of McConnell who damaged his chain guide and took a time penalty. Tom set fastest time on the next cross country, but disaster for Greg when he crashed and lost over 30 seconds with some machine damage. Paul Edmondson was now starting to get familiar with his new 450 Suzuki and started to post some quick times, Tom had a good lead of more than 15 seconds but he stalled on the final MX test and Eddy set a blistering time which would be the fastest for the weekend and with Tom’s small mistake Eddy took the days win by just over 2 seconds. Greg managed to recover to 4th overall with a quick final MX time. Day 2started as per day one Greg won the first test closely followed by Tom, however bad luck again on the MX test for Greg, his chain snapped and he lost more than 20 minutes repairing the chain, he finished but this problem cost him a possible podium position. Tom continued on top form winning the MX test and just needed to cruise around the cross-country test to turn the tables on Fast Eddy and take the day win. Now both Greg and Tom travel to Portugal for round 2 of the WEC this weekend.
The second round of the British Enduro Championship took place at Lossiemouth over the weekend and proved to be a very successful outing for the Relentless Suzuki Enduro Team. Paul Edmondson piloted his brand new fuel injected Suzuki RMZ450 to victory on both days in the E2 class and a first and second place in the overall standings, putting Edmondson back into the title chase. With just a few days to prepare the new bike for the event, Fast Eddy was over the moon with the result. After preparing the machine with a lighting kit and softer springs the 450 never missed a beat. Edmondson hadn't ridden such a large capacity bike for many years but took to it immediately as the results show. Following a disappointing opening round of the BEC, Edmondson is right back on course in the series and looks set to go from strength to strength on the new bike. Paul Edmondson: 'I'm really pleased with the result this weekend. The bike was fantastic. Initially it was a culture shock going back to a big bike after so many years but the handling was spot on and the new fuel injection system really supplied the power when needed. I'm very impressed; I think that fuel injection is the way ahead after this performance. The result has put me back in the running for the BEC, I feel I've got a good shout at putting in a string of good performances, especially with the Relentless Suzuki RMZ450 under me.'
The 2nd round of the British Enduro Championship 2008 took place at Lossiemouth last weekend amidst wintry conditions with ice cold strong winds, some snow and hailstone showers and even sunshine as well as a tough cross country and MX Test for the competitors to contend with. DEC's Corporate Hospitality kick started the action when hot food and refreshments began warming up the some 300 clients, spectators, friends and even some of the riders that took part in the exciting two day event.
Richard now leads the E1 2 Stroke Championship class heading into Round 3 in August, with Derek leading the E1 2 Stroke Expert class. Unfortunately the final MX was cancelled as riders decided to head home and brave the wintery conditions on four wheels rather than two. However, Richard and Derek showed their thanks to the many spectators who stayed until the bitter end by putting on a high speed display round the Woodside MX circuit, much to the delight of the assembled cold crowd. As a significant sponsor of the Grampian BEC, DEC would like to thank all the club organisers, marshals, timekeepers and check crews who stood out in the snow, making the event possible. Without the permission of the various landowners, Forestry Commission, Grampian Police and First Aid Services, the event would not go ahead, so DEC pass on their grateful thanks to all those involved and hope to see everyone at the next Grampian BEC.
The second round of the BEC was last weekend in snowy Scotland. The lap was 65 mile lap with 2 awesome special tests making probably the best event i have rode. Day 1 started ok with the enduro test but 2 crashes in the sand querry of the mx test - the second of which saw me facing the wrong way struggling to start the bike -.left me playin catch up. luckily there was a tight check which most lost time on but i stayed clean which moved me to 7th expert and 2nd in the E2 class Day 2 went a lot smoother with just one lap and no crashing!! I finished 2nd expert - behind day 1 winner Derek Little - and 1st E2 rider. The next round is in August and I have lots of events before then to help me up my game. I'd like to thank my sponsors - GAS GAS UK, TALON, KRIEGA, K4OFFROAD, SCEC. STEVE PLAIN SUSPENSION AND RUSH RACING. Id also like to thank everyone who helped me during the weekend expesially Rob Sartin. Also the Padgett family, Danny Hall, Stan Watt, the Edmondsons and especially my family!!! Brad king - enduro and hare scrambles on K4OFFROAD GAS GAS EC250 - www.freewebs.com/bradking25 Purple Helmets Racing Team report ROUND 2 – ACU BRITISH ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP with Team Frontrow GB Round 2 of the Metzeler sponsored, ACU British Enduro Championship took place throughout last weekend in Scotland, with the Grampian Motorcycle Club again using the areas near to Elgin, to include; Lossiemouth Forest, Woodside MX arena and Monaughty Forest. With the weather forecast suggesting wintery conditions of rain, snow, strong winds and freezing temperatures, it was hoped the course and terrain would make up for the proposed weather conditions. Stan Watt would be the sole rider from Front Row GB as Jon Stamper was restricted by other commitments and Stan would travel with Paul and Derrick Edmondson plus Danny Hall from Rogershill Raceway in Dorset, Rob Sartin from Talon Engineering and Bradley King. The group left southern England on the Wednesday to carry out testing on Thursday in Tain with Scott Gardner in order to develop suspension for the coming BEC, prior to heading over to Elgin for the main event over the weekend. THE COURSE The course would incorporate starting at a disused airfield approximately 3 miles outside Elgin and a short ride to Lossiemouth Forest, where there was an interesting stage through the forest to the cross country test. The special test would run along the fringes of the forest, onto deep sand and eventually onto the beach before heading back into the trees to end the special test. With another lengthy stage after the special in the forest area, a rider would return to the entrance of Lossiemouth Forest before riding back to the start to refuel and set out along a short road section to the MX test that would be a mixture of the Woodside MX circuit and surrounding area, making for a lengthy special test that most riders were looking forward to, although large amounts of time could be lost or made through this section. After the MX test, a 15 minute road section would take you to Monaughty Forest for fuel and a stage that would resemble the terrain you would find in a typical Welsh forest of rocks, roots and bogs, just of a smaller scale. Once Monaughty Forest was completed there was an opportunity to take on more fuel and return to the start point to kick-off lap two. A complete lap would cover 65 miles and proved to be demanding and physical for all riders. For lap two, the stage times would be drastically reduced with a limited number of riders being able to stay clear throughout. Any riders staying on time on the tighter stages would finish with a good result over the weekend. THE WEATHER Much was made of the potential forecast for the weekend and thankfully this never came to fruition and it has to be said a certain amount of luck stayed with the event. Yes, there was rain, snow, wind, bouts of hail, freezing conditions and even sunshine. This cycled through the area every 10 minutes making for a variety of conditions but luckily did not affect the riders too much or the riding environment. THE EVENT DAY 1 Arriving at the start of the first off-road stage, a number of riders misjudged the route and the entrants were split between riding the proper route, which was fairly tight and those who followed different markers making for a route approximately 5 minutes shorter. Stan arrived well on time and prepared for the first cross country special test with Rob Sartin on hand for any needed assistance. The test went well with Stan concentrating on a smooth fairly quick test to start the day. This was followed by a long stage in Lossiemouth Forest and again Stan cleared the check in plenty of time. After refueling, he moved onto the MX test and set a reasonable time prior to heading to Monaughty Forest where again the check was made in plenty of time. Lap 2 would be very different, with the first off-road stage being cut by 7 minutes and the 2nd check after the special test being cut by 10 minutes. All riders were aware these times would be extremely tight to make and would be physically demanding with a tight check, followed by a special test, followed by a tight check prior to a short road section before the MX test. Pushing hard, Stan crashed on the first tight check and in total lost 1 minute. With little time to recover, Stan went straight into the special test crashing again, this time on the first corner. Handling difficulties were being accentuated as the course started to get whooped-up and on the next tight check in Lossiemouth Forest, Stan lost a further 2 minutes. After refueling, Stan set a good time in the MX test, an amazing 29 seconds quicker than his first attempt and 2nd quickest in class. A road section to Monaughty Forest and another tight check, which Stan pushed hard to stay clear and arrive bang on his minute. DAY 2 With the weather changeable and lower temperatures, the day would be reduced from 1 ½ laps to 1 with tight checks all round. Gordon MacDonald made some inspiring suspension changes to Stan’s 300KTM, with immediate effect. The first tight check was made easily with 7 minutes to spare, cutting his time the day previously by 3 minutes. The more supple suspension made for difficult going on the soft sand of the cross country test and Stan crashed twice, ruining any chance of a good time. The next tight check was to be difficult with Stan pushing hard and crashing several times losing a total of 3 minutes. With the standard refuel, Stan made his way to the MX test and set a personal best time, even thought he crashed on the third corner in deep sand. Monaughty Forest was set as a tight check and again Stan pushed hard knowing this was the final stage of the event and wanting to stay clear. The course was cutting up, but the suspension changes worked well on the exposed rocks and tree roots allowing Stan to arrive at the end of the final off-road stage with 7 minutes in-hand and 3 minutes quicker on the same stage the day previous.
Knighter untouchable in Scotland Reigning FIM Enduro 3 World Champion David Knight continued his unbeaten run of results in '06 by adding victory at the second round of the British Enduro Championship, the Grampian MCC organised Lossiemouth Enduro staged in Scotland. Placing comfortably ahead of Paul Edmondson and Jake Stapleton on both days of the event aboard his D3-Racing KTM, Knighter finished well over two minutes ahead of his nearest competitor on day one and close to two minutes ahead on day two. Adding victory on both days in Scotland to his winning ride at round one of the series in Norfolk David extended his lead in the overall British Enduro Championship standings with four rounds remaining. With eight hours in the saddle and nine special tests on day one of the Lossiemouth Enduro the opening day proved to be a demanding one. For David it also proved to be an extremely good one as he topped each of the day's special tests to claim close to a three minutes winning margin. Reveling in the sandy conditions and clearly enjoying himself on both special tests David remained unbeaten during the day performing arguably better than he ever has in a BEC event. Day two was very much the same as day one for David. Topping the opening special test by 11 seconds he then posted a time 23 seconds quicker than any other rider on the day's second test before winning each of the remaining five tests. With his D3-Racing KTM performing faultlessly David was full of praise for the Grampian MCC event, commenting that the special tests were some of the best he has ever ridden. With the sixth and seventh tests on day two run back-to-back the event was brought to a spectacular close where David once again proved his consistency posting identical times on both test. David's next events will be the second and third rounds of the '06 World Enduro Championship, which take place in Portugal on May 6/7 and Spain on May 13/14 David Knight: "The Lossiemouth Enduro was one of, if not the, best enduro I've ever ridden in - it was great fun. It's great that the BEC has returned to Scotland and I just hope that the Grampian club will run the event as a British championship event next year. The special tests were world class. Both were completely different to each other and fun to ride. The Lossiemouth test was really difficult in places because the sand was so soft but getting to race on the beach was awesome. The Woodside test near the start of the event had everything - single track, a full motocross test, flat turns and woodland. The check times were spot on as well. "Day one went really well. I knew I was going to enjoy the tests because the Lossiemouth Forest test is very similar in places to my training area on the Isle of Man. It was a tiring day though - I can't remember the last time I rode for eight hours. I was glad to see the end of the first day because riding for that long in the sand takes it out of you. "I didn't have any problems all weekend, apart from hitting a tree on one of the tests, which nearly knocked me clean off my bike. The back-to-back tests at the end of the second day were great, the atmosphere was like the final motocross at the six days because so many of the Expert and Clubman riders were watching. All in all it was a great weekend."
PAR Homes Honda Racing Fast Eddy rider Paul Edmondson claimed two more Enduro 2 class wins in the '06 British Enduro Championship when the four-time world champion finished ahead of Jake Stapleton and Euan McConnell at the Grampian MCC organised Lossiemouth Enduro in Scotland. In winning the E2 class Paul placed second in the overall results to David Knight on both days, just as he did at the opening round of the series. Determined to remain as the rider to beat in the Enduro 2 class Paul started cautiously on day one in Scotland before steadily increasing his speed with each passing lap. Posting the fastest E2 times on all but one of the nine special tests on the opening day, Edmondson eventually placed over one-minute ahead of his nearest class rival. On day two Paul again performed well despite not winning the E2 class by as much as he did on day one. Making no real mistakes on any of the day's seven special tests, Paul opened up a sizeable E2 class lead early in the day and then maintained his advantage to win by 24 seconds. In winning the E2 class on both days, as well as having topped the E2 class at the opening round of the '06 BEC series, Paul remains unbeaten so far this season in the Enduro 2 British Enduro Championship. Paul Edmondson: "Although I wasn't able to get a close to David Knight on either day of the event as I hoped I would I'm more than happy with the way the second round of the British championship went for me. Staying at the top of the Enduro 2 class is my main goal and I was able to do that quite comfortably this weekend, which I'm really pleased with. I didn't have any real dramas on either day although I was a little slow to get going on day one. Both of the event's special tests were first class, the club did a really great job of running their first BEC event. Day one was really tiring though as eight hours of riding in sandy conditions was really tough. "Day two was very much the same as day one for me - I started steadily and then felt more comfortable as the day went on. I pushed hard on the test and felt that I rode well. There are some fast young riders in the E2 class so I'm pleased that I was able to finish ahead of them, like I did at the first round of the championship."
Electraction TM UK riders Jake Stapleton and Euan McConnell (left) repeated their good results from the opening round of the '06 British Enduro Championship at the second round of the BEC series, the Grampian MCC organised Lossiemouth Enduro staged in Scotland, where the pair placed as runner-up and in third position respectively in the competitive Enduro 2 class. Finishing behind reigning British Enduro Champion Paul Edmondson in the E2 class at the opening round of the series both Stapleton and McConnell were keen to go one better in Scotland and claim the top E2 spot. Frustratingly for both riders they again placed behind the former four-time world champion but again showed to have good speed and consistency and posted some impressive special test times during the event. Finishing in third position overall and as runner-up in the Enduro 2 class on both days Jake Stapleton started the event steadily finding the deep sand of the Lossiemouth Forest test difficult to master. Performing better with each passing lap Jake finished day one behind Edmondson, just as he had at the opening round of the series held in late February. On day two Jake again started steadily before increasing his speed and, like all riders, enjoyed the event's special tests. Remaining upright on the special tests all weekend Jake claimed the E2 class runner-up spot again on day two making it three second place finishes in the E2 class of the '06 British Enduro Championship so far this season. Competing in his home round of the BEC Euan McConnell saw his result affected by a carburetion problem, which was later traced to a worn needle. Despite being unable to get to the bottom of the problem during the event Euan performed well and placed as third best E2 class rider despite failing to finish as close to his team-mate Jake as he had hoped. Finding it difficult to get to grips with the sandy beach side special test all weekend, on day two Euan wasn't able to reproduce his speed from day one yet still managed to claim third in the E2 class.
Euan McConnell: "It was a great event but my result was spoiled a bit by a problem with my bike's jetting. We tried everything to fix it, even changing the ignition, but we couldn't fix it during the event. After the race we put a new needle in the bike, which was exactly the same and with the clip in the same position and the bike was perfect. I guess it's just one of those things. "Trying to work out what the problem was distracted me a bit during the race and I didn't really get to grips with the sandy test, which cost me some time. I was pretty happy with the way things went on day one really though and I felt that I was riding well enough. The test close to the start of the event was awesome, I really enjoyed it and felt good on it. I wanted to be a little closer to Jake but I guess considering the carburetion problem I had I'm happy enough with third in the E2 class. "My speed dropped off a bit on day two but I still managed to finish third in the E2 class so I'm happy with that. I guess the carburetion problem is just one of those things that can happen. I'm learning more about four-stroke jetting all the time and am really enjoying riding the bike."
With Daryl Bolter, Husky Sport Husqvarna’s number one rider in this year’s British Enduro Championship, still unable to compete due to having recently had surgery to repair a broken Scaphoid, MPS Husqvarna rider Ricky Mair finished the second round of the ‘06 BEC series, the Grampian MCC organised Lossiemouth Enduro, as the best placed Husqvarna rider. Competing in a round of the British Enduro Championship in his homeland for the first time ever Ricky placed 10th in the overall Championship class results on both days, his best ever BEC result. Determined to make up for the disappointment of having not finished the opening round of the ’06 BEC series Ricky missed placing third in the Enduro 1 class by just six seconds on day one after producing some impressively quick special test times aboard his WR125. On day two Ricky dropped just one place in the E1 class to finish fifth despite again putting in a spirited, and highly entertaining, performance. Also scoring valuable championship points in Scotland was Husqvarna rider Chris Hockey. Winner of the E1 class at the opening round of the season, Chris placed seventh in class on both days aboard his 250cc four-stroke. The second round of the British Enduro Championship saw former Championship class front-runner and Husky Sport Husqvarna team manager Wyn Hughes (above) return to BEC competition having opted to complete ‘just for fun’ aboard a WR250. More than a little race rusty Wyn showed the Expert class youngsters that he still knows how to perform in the sand and finished as best Enduro 2 class rider and second overall Expert on day one before topping the overall Expert class results on day two. Report & photos by Jonty Edmunds Video Action from Lossiemouth: David Knight & Euan McConnell clash on the test Ricky Mair Whips one out for the crowd Results Day 1 - Championship class (Overall) 1. David Knight (D3-Racing KTM) 3050.83 seconds 2. Paul Edmondson (Honda) 3212.97 3. Jake Stapleton (TM) 3296.29 4. Euan McConnell (TM) 3330.79 5. Si Wakely (Honda) 3374.12 6. Edward Jones (KTM) 3381.03 7. Richard Hay (KTM) 3395.71 8. Andrew Edwards (KTM) 3412.54 9. Tom Sagar (Honda) 3415.22 10. Ricky Mair (Husqvarna) 3418 Results Day 2 - Championship class (overall) 1. David Knight (D3-Racing KTM) 2428.87 Seconds 2. Paul Edmondson (Honda) 2545.49 3. Jake Stapleton (TM) 2569.52 4. Euan McConnell (TM) 2632.77 5. Si Wakely (Honda) 2637.79 6. Ed Jones (KTM) 2662.3 7. Jason Thomas (Honda) 2662.75 8. Andrew Edwards (KTM) 2708.08 9. Richard Hay (KTM) 2708.79 10. Ricky Mair (Husqvarna) 2724.17 Photos of Ricky Mair, Jake Stapleton, David Knight & Paul Edmondson by Chris Mearns, Royal Logistics Corps
Team Charfield KTM Report by Gary Clarke Arriving after the rainfall on Good Friday, Team Charfield were pleased to see that the lack of mud out on the going was more than compensated for at the start area. Aggressive use of the throttle is the only weapon in the team's trials-riding armoury and so the hire van was quickly buried up the axles and going nowhere. Crap conditions maybe, but the location of the start area was superb for access to the special test. Walking round, the team soon found out that this was no ordinary special test, but a Monster. Judicious course-cutting, including a complicated manoeuvre to overtake David Knight, reduced the length of the test, but it still took over an hour to walk round. This must be the biggest and best test ever seen in a BEC round. A fantastic combination of hillside, motocross circuit and woodland that took nearly 11 minutes for mortals to ride. Add two minutes if your bike goes on reserve just as you reach the big tabletop and you're so stupid that the fuel tap is on main. Doh. The majority of the going, out in the Lossie forest was not so much fun. 90 mins of non-stop whoops only broken by deep sand down on the beach made for a very tiring lap. Clean on the first two laps, the riders had almost collected the full set of tree stump collisions and expected to pick up the remaining few on the last lap. However, shrinking check times and growing lactic acid deficits meant that the last two checks had to be done at a trail ride pace. Dropping 17 and 20 minutes, Gary and Paul finished the day 24th and 25th in the Vets. Overnight rain cleared away for day 2 and both riders managed to block out the monkey butt and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness to spend fully 45 seconds fettling the 200EXCs for another two laps. Cleverly, Gary chose not to ride in the deep sand out in the dunes but to follow a much easier track. This lead to spectacular, if unexpected, views of the Lossie Estuary, almost worth the 4 miles off course and the mad scramble to make it back without losing time. Test times were mediocre but another solid finish meant Gold on the day for Paul and Silver Medals for both riders overall. Not given to intensive winter training programmes, the team are satisfied with these results. Both riders will be in the WTRA ISDE team in New Zealand and the next 6 months will see a non-stop training and practising regime leading to even greater stamina and speed (if I write it, maybe it will happen!) One benefit of entering as a Vet is that you start and finish before all the clubmen, so making it back to the start area in time to watch the championship riders do back-to-back special tests. It's all very well whipping the bikes over the tabletop, but where was the superman seat-grab?
For the first time since the late 90's, the British Enduro Championship returns north of the border, with series sponsors Motul providing support. However, this time around it is the Grampian MCC that will be running the event, with assistance from other Scottish clubs such as the ELRAT and Melville MCC. Having asked competitors to travel another 5 hours north of Gretna Green, we thought it would be a good idea to let the competitors know what awaits them in Lossiemouth. The event starts near the Woodside MX track, just outside Elgin. One of the best all weather MX tracks in Scotland, the Grampian MCC regularly host 10 events here each year. For the last few years, the club has also run Scottish Championship Enduro events at Tiendland and Monaughty. More recently, the season opener at Lossiemouth has proved extremely popular, with capacity entries of 130.
Because of the expected number of entries, the actual start area will be on some wasteland adjacent to Woodside. Immediately after the day's start, the course moves into the MX track and surrounding woodland, which will provide the first XC test of the day. Expected to be around 8 to 9 minutes long for the Championship riders, it will be one of the longest in '06. After the test, riders arrive back at the start/finish area, which also doubles as the first time check. Following a short tarmac trip, the riders arrive at Lossiemouth forest, next to the beach. As you'd expect from its location, the forest is very open and sandy, with fast sweeping trails that are similar to the Diss and Natterjack events. Except, in this event you will literally ride through the dunes. They will face a short forest loop to a time check immediately before the very fast second XC test. Although shorter, the Lossie test will still take around 5 - 6 minutes for the fast lads. The next check takes riders back to the entrance/exit of Lossie forest, with another short control before returning back to Woodside and the end of the lap. Although the number of laps each class will complete has still to be finalised, it is expected that Championship and Experts will do three laps, with Clubmen on two. On Sunday, the course is reversed with an expected 3 laps for the fast guys and two for the others. Unfortunately, the club's plans to run an ISDE style final MX around Woodside has been foiled, as there is no provision for this type of test in the ACU Enduro regs. However as a preview, riders can visit www.scottishenduros.co.uk or www.gmccsite.com where there is a link to a riders eye view of the MX test course, put together by local enduro rider Graham "Yogi" Barron. There are also results from previous events which will give anyone interested an idea of what awaits them. Alternatively, you can view the clip directly from www.video.google.com and search for "Woodside MX". The event should prove very popular with spectators, as they will have very easy access to the main test at Woodside, where they will be able to watch riders for quite a while around the test. As it will be held on the Easter weekend, we are hoping that you can enjoy the long drive to the North East of Scotland, and hopefully spend some time at the many tourist attractions around there. We hope you will enjoy the event and leave Scotland feeling tired but exhilarated. Remember, when you get to Carlisle you're almost half way home….almost!
|
|
Grampian
MCC Club Championship Round 4 Woodside 27th July 2008 Report
by Dode Fraser
The
Metzeler British Enduro Championship Returns to Scotland Photo Lee Leightwood
Optoma
Mortgages D3-Racing KTM release
BEC Victory for Relentless Suzuki Enduro's Paul Edmondson
Richard
Hay, DEC's MD came 4th in the Championship class, winning the E1 2
Stroke category in the process. Meanwhile DEC's Products Manager,
Derek Little, was delighted in winning the Expert Class overall,
again by winning the E1 2 Stroke class. Both riders had no technical
issues over the gruelling two day event, however Euan McConnell, a
Project Engineer with DEC, lost valuable time when he damaged his
chain guide on a rogue tree stump. Eventually fixing it, Euan was
extremely frustrated as this put him out of the running for the
Championship Class. A self-confessed "schoolboy" error on
Sunday also put paid to his hopes, as Euan clocked into a check 2
minutes early.
7th
and 2nd in Scotland for Bradley King
Grampian
MCC organised, Lossiemouth Enduro, Round 2: '06 British Enduro
Championship
Edmondson
wins Enduro 2 class in Scotland
Stapleton
and McConnell perform well at the BEC Lossiemouth Enduro
Jake
Stapleton: "It was a good weekend for me really and pretty
uneventful, which I guess is a good thing. I felt a bit tight on the sandy
test in the forest early on day one and made lots of small mistakes, which
cost me some time. I got into it a bit better towards the end of the day
though and felt good on the test with the motocross track in it. My bike
was working really well and I felt that my riding was good as well. I just
need to be faster at the start of the day. I'm ok after a lap but I need
to work on being faster right from the start. "Day two was very much
the same as day one - I started steadily and then got faster. I felt
really good towards the end of the day. I was tired towards the end of the
second day, but I think most riders were after the eight-hour first day.
All in all it was a great weekend."
Ricky
Mair and Wyn Hughes fly the Husqvarna flag in Scotland
Lossie
BEC 2006 Preview
The
course is relatively flat, with sandy going dominating the area, so it
will not be as technically difficult as other BEC events. However CoC
Kevin Gauld and organiser John Little (left) have a policy of using time
to make the course challenging for all the riders. Most riders who have
riden the Lossiemouth Enduro in recent years have certainly enjoyed it!