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ISDE 2006 |
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Chris Hockey talks to Michelin? Successful ISDE adds millions to NZ ecomony Merriman on the podium in E2 class Aussie Junior Team grabs the podium Day 5 cancelled due to sudden downpour A Hard Day at the Office with Stefan Merriman Czech riderVaclav Danek bike stolen More Postscript Paul Ottaway of KTM New Zealand has offered Danek a ride on Karl Power's nearly identical practice bike.
Another first for Alison Parker Brother. Can you lend my a hand? With less than 7 days to go, Scott Columb has been forced to withdraw from the New Zealand Trophy Team. The Queenstown rider's recently injured his left index finger but despite plating & six screws he has not recovered sufficient strength to compete. NZ manager Shaun Stanbridge has called up Scott’s older brother - Lachlan Columb - to compete his team. Details ESSEX MEN TACKLE 'OLYMPICS OF MOTORCYCLING' David Knight's 2006 WEC Winning Race Shirt The back of David Knight's race shirt is one of the most iconic images in the Enduro world particularly amongst his fellow competitors who can only glimpse it briefly as it speeds past them & disappears into the distance. With typical generosity David has kindly signed his 2006 WEC championship winning shirt & donated it to the Team England ISDE squad to help raise funds to send them to New Zealand in November. The shirt raise £455 in auction on ebay. Knighter support Welsh ISDE Team
David Knight presented an autographed Team Race Shirt to the Welsh Six Day Team after his winning ride at the Rhayader British Championship Round. The shirt was auctioned on ebay & raised £265 which will be donated to the Welsh Team to assist with fundraising for this years event in New Zealand.
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Entry List British Riders progress Schedule Results World Trophy Junior Trophy E1 E2 E3 Manufacturer Retirements Exclusions
Sunday 19th November - Day 6 MX test Final Standings Bob Mullins writes : Thanks - on behalf of the riders & their supporters - to Dusty Martin, Jeff Edwards, Gordon Aysford, Oliver & David Moyce, Dot Jones, Chris Hockey, North Riding Dirt Dawg, Gary Clark, Martin Pickard, Tim Gordon & Emma Hayman for their reports from the ISDE in Taupo.
Emma Hayman's pics "My partner Chris worked with Andy Frost in Fowlers (Bristol) so we met up with a group of his friends to watch the last day motox. Andy did not ride due to hitting his knee the day before. The weather was overcast but warm. It was a very fun day out. Finland won and celebrated by riding there bikes round the track and though the crowd. North Riding Team: The North Riding Team have all managed to finish. The star of the show was young Luke Lusher riding a Dirtbike-traxs backed Honda CR 250, finishing 63rd in E2 and beating some established UK Championship riders on the way. Team mates Will Midgley finished 93rd in E2. Both riders winning silver medals. Luke would have done even better had the petrol pipe not come off the bike on Day 1 costing him 2 mins,. Well done to Mark Weaver taking his 525 ktm to a bronze finish. Enjoy your weeks holiday, See you all at the end of November. Gordon Ayshford writes: Well the last day has arrived and after yesterdays catastrophe where the weather showed who is boss, all the GB squad that started yesterday are starting today for the short 7.5 k run down the road to the Motocross track - start times are i reverse order of the results so the slower guys are away first for the early races building to a crescendo at the end of the day (well that is the plan we will have to wait and see ). The weather is dry and there is a little sunshine so everyone has high hopes that this will be a fitting climax to an awesome event - PS I am not sure how easy it will be to get a report out after the MX but I will do my best to get some final results this evening and gat something out later tonight/ tomorrow. FINAL DAY - What a FANTASTIC DAY - the weather was ideal sunny but not to hot and the Digger McEwan MX track was graded and in perfect condition - to start with but lived up to its reputation of digging up into a rough ride. Proven by the fact that the fastest time was put in by a clubman Haayer Barend of the Netherlands riding in E1 on a honda in an early race - even faster than Joel Smets who won the last race but one, the E2 final. I don't have much time so for the results you will have to look at the results website all I want to say is that the British crew riders and support all did themselves proud! And the WITLEY WARRIORS have survived another battle with honour. The world Trophy has been reclaimed by FINLAND and the Junior Trophy by USA. I was wrong in an earlier update not all the riders that started Day 5 were up for the final day MX. The RAF rider Nick Bartle who had repaired the flywheel on his bike then had a more serious failure - a main bearing - probably thrown out by the vibratioon of the rough running while the timing was out. Andy Frost of St Georges had injured his leg and decided it would be best not to risk making it any worse. This is Gordon signing-off probably until I get back to the UK - they are dismantling the ISDE set-up around us now as life gets back to normal for Taupo. Yamaha writes: Merriman on the podium in ISDE 2006 FIM International Six Days Enduro – Taupo New Zealand (November 14-19 November) Germain finishes fourth in E1 class Yamaha France rider Marc Germain has finished in fourth place in the overall Enduro 1 class at the 81st running of the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) staged in Taupo, New Zealand. Competing aboard his WR250F Marc performed brilliantly to win the E1 class on the opening day of the competition and continued to perform well on days two, three and four despite being disadvantaged by being the first rider in the event. On day five, the wettest day of the competition, Marc placed just 17th in the E1 class buthe showed great speed again at the sixth and final day’s motocross race, which placed him just outside the top three in the E1 final standings. Topping the Enduro 1 class in New Zealand was former World Enduro Champion Juha Salminen, who returned to international enduro competition after two years of racing in the US GNCC series. In winning the Enduro 1 class Salminen helped Finland win the Trophy Team competition. Finishing as runner-up in E1 was Italian Simone Albergoni, who also placed second in this year’s E1 world championship. Third was reigning E1 world champion Ivan Cervantes. Backing up Marc Germain’s strong performance UFO Corse Yamaha rider Maurizio Micheluz ended the event in eighth in the Enduro 1 class, producing one of Italy’s best individual performances. Finishing in sixth, 10th, fifth, eighth and sixth respectively on the first five days Maurizio added a solid ISDE performance to his season of strong WEC results. Early in the week former world championship motocross rider Darryl King was well placed in the Enduro 1 class aboard his WR250F but was forced to retire from the event on day three due to an injured elbow. Finishing close behind Micheluz in the final E1 class standing Australian Yamaha rider Christopher Hollis placed an eventual 10th while countryman Anthony Roberts finished his week in 14th on his WR and French veteran David Fretigne piloted his Yamaha to 15th having placed third on day one. Mark Germain (Yamaha France) Enduro 1 class – Fourth: “On day one I knew I could win because I like flat, grassy special tests. Once the special tests started to get rougher I wasn’t quite fast enough. It was an advantage being the first rider on day one but after that it’s difficult being the first rider on the special tests. I found that the course on day four was not so hard for me, despite the weather not being so good. We spent a long time riding on big stone roads in the forest. Being the first rider in the event the tracks were pretty nice to ride, but with the soft ground I think that it would have been difficult for the riders at the back of the entry. It’s been a great race but there were not so many spectators during the week. The organisation was really good, the track was well marked, and I liked the special tests – for me it has been a good six days.” Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class – Eighth: “It has been a difficult event, especially on day four and five. The conditions are very soft in many places, which made it hard to not make any mistakes on some of the special tests because of the ruts. But I have enjoyed the race, especially the third day, which was my best. I am also pleased with my riding during the week. I didn’t make too many mistakes and generally everything went well.” Merriman on the podium in E2 class UFO Corse Yamaha rider Stefan Merriman claimed a well deserved podiumat the end of the 81st ISDE finishing third in the highly competitive Enduro 2 class. Although competing for Australia the New Zealand born rider had a promising start aboard his WR450F with a victory on day one taking an early E2 class lead. Placing in third on day two Merriman then finished as runner-up on days three, four and five to claim his eventual third place in the final rankings. Winning the Enduro 2 class was Finn Samuli Aro. Competing for the Finnish Trophy team along with E1 class winner Juha Salminen Samuli won just two of the event’s six days in the E2 class but his consistency ensured that come the end of the competition he was the rider to beat in E2. Following Samuli home was countryman Mika Ahola in the runner-up position. Taking part in his first ever ISDE competition as part of the French Trophy team UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert performed like an experienced six days rider and claimed an impressive fifth overall in the Enduro 2 class. Finishing third on the opening day Johnny then finished in fifth on days two, three, four and five to place close behind US rider Kurt Caselli. Stefan Merriman (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class – Third: “The event certainly hasn’t been easy, it’s been really challenging on days four and five. Just staying upright on some of the special tests has been tough and trying to push 100 per cent has been really difficult. As far as Six Days go I reckon it’s one of the best we’ve had for several years. I reckon that some of the Club team riders must have found it tough from day three onwards because there were some really difficult sections on the course and tests. The Australian team has ridden really well. The weather and terrain conditions suit the Scandinavians and the British riders more than the Aussies, so the team result is great. I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to win the E2 class but there are so many things that have to go right in the six days to win. I caught quite a lot of riders on the special tests, which cost me time, but dealing with slower riders is a part of the ISDE.” Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class – Fifth: “I was not exactly sure what to expect from my first ISDE but I am happy that it has gone well for me. I think that the French team have also ridden well, and I am proud to have been a part of it. I have learned a lot from this experience and although the conditions changed a lot during the week I enjoyed the event. The final motocross race was amazing, it was an incredible feeling racing against Joel Smets.” Saturday 18th November Day 5 Dusty Martin writes: The started Ok & the boys were going steadily but then boy did it rain. The course became impassable in places so checks were closed & the entry were sent to the Pre-finish. All our boys are Ok & looking forward to tomorrow. Jeff Edwards writes (prophetically) Day 4. A hard day for the Welsh Teams, but with the tough going we fared better than most. We are disappointed the organizers scrubbed penalties at one check which prevented us moving up the leader board. Teams are now in 9th and 10th places. Best British teams. Rowan twisted his knee badly after a spill today and will need heavy strapping to enable him to ride day 5. He’s a tough lad and I feel sure he will give it his best. Day 5 is a repeat of day 4 and with heavy rain and cold weather forecast; it’s bound to be another tough one. Official results are still unavailable but after test 23 (unfortunately this test will be scrubbed & the first 2 of the only will count) Euan McConnell is leading Brits in 39th, Tom Sagar 45th, Simon Wakeley 59th, Edward Jones 61st, Daryl Bolter 71st, Andrew Edwards 84th, Chris Hockey 87th, Dylan Jones 92nd, Ashley Woods 96th, Richard Hay 150th, David Johns 162nd. Friday 17th November Day 4Juha Salminen, Finland KTM leads (left photo Geoff Osbourne) from Simone Albergoni, Italy HONDA, 3rd Marc Germain / France YAMAHA, 4th Samuli Aro / Finland KTM, 5th Stefan Merriman / Australia YAMAHA, 6th Mika Ahola / Finland HONDA, 7th Kurt Caselli / USA KTM, 8th Ivan Cervantes / Spain KTM, 9th Johnny Aubert France YAMAHA, 10th Shayne King / New Zealand HONDA Dusty Martin writes: Day 4 done. The boys are in good spriits. All ok and home tonight. A couple lost a minute but the check had to be re-routed after them so we expect it the stage to be scrubbed. Euan McConnell had had sum real great tests. Overall I am really pleased. Being realistic we need the other teams to have problems to get further up the leader board. Tomorrow it will be the same course as today so it could be hard. Unofficial Trophy Team standings after Day Two of the ISDE: 1. Finland 2. France, 6:19 (time behind leader in minutes/seconds) 3. Spain, 11:28 4. Australia, 12:50 5. Sweden, 13:49 6. Italy, 13:52 7. New Zealand, 19:18 8. Great Britain, 35:07 9. Slovakia, 35:16 10. USA, 38:34. Unofficial Junior Trophy Team Positions (under 23 years) 1. USA 2. France, 3:32 (time behind leader in minutes/seconds) 3. Australia, 4:16 4. Germany, 6:26 5. Italy, 6:55 6. Finland, 7:11 7. Great Britain, 8:53 8. Netherlands, 11:13 9. Spain, 14:43 10. New Zealand, 17:43 Northriding Team Dirtbike Dawg writes: After 4 days the Northriding team are doing very well. Day one saw Luke Lusher drop 2 minutes before hitting the dirt, his fuel pipe came off the Dirtbike-traxs honda draining the tank, Will Midgley and Mark Weaver had steady days remaining clean on time. Day two. Will and Luke cleaned the day mark lost 5 mins on the going, Mark riding in the E3 class is finding the course a lot rougher than Luke and Will because of the amount of bikes that have used the course before he get there. Luke's bike has started to give problems, the rear brake is proving difficult to bleed, and worse the bike is loosing water from the water pump. Day 3 Luke has to nurse the DBT Honda due to water pump problems but puts in some excellent tests and cleans the day. Will remains trouble free and cleans the day. Mark on his 525ktm drops 12 mins on the going. Day 4 Luke is still managing to nurse the Honda despite still have water pump problems, but cleans the day. Will also cleans the day. Mark at the back of the field drops a further 15 mins. Special mention to Mick Seward's MPS team rider Lee Edmondson he is caught out as a bridge collapses trapping his bike in a ravine. He then walked 10 km to get a farmer to tow the bike out, and then finishes the day, we believe the jury will give the time lost by lee back Ollie Moyce writes: Day 3 M.P.S Team (Mick Seward, Ollie Moyce and Lee Edmondson) Again the weather was not on anyone’s side today. It rained all day and made the first test very slippery. All of us had a steady test and the first check was ok. In the next few checks there were 2 Enduro tests and they were fairly cut up but it was vital to get a move on because the checks were quite tight. On the second of these checks was a bridge which unfortunately collapsed half way through the entry list and so it was near impossible to cross the river. A few people worked together and carried their bikes across and a few tried to launch the bike across! One of these people was Lee. He ended up putting the bike underwater and being stuck for a long time until help arrived with a winch. By the time I reached near the bridge we had been directed around it so they had to scrap the check. Once lee had got his bike out of the water and pumped the water out he was on his way again and stayed on time for the rest of the day. I (Ollie) on the other hand didn’t stay on time!!! This occurred after I had cleaned the tight check. I rushed through the check and fueled up and clocked in. Due to one reason or another my fuel cap wasn’t tightened up and the test was directly after this time check. As I started the check my fuel cap came off and I only realised 50 metres down the track. I had been splashed with fuel and the pain was excruciating. I tried to carry on but was in agony and had to strip off and pour water ALL over myself. When the pain had gone down I borrowed some riding trousers from some nice kiwi people and put the rest of my kit on, went back to my bike which was still in the test and carried on. At the end of the day I had lost 26 minutes and not sure how long my test was so I was way down. That is the reason I am in about 450th place. I finished the day though and was still going. Everybody else finished ok. Day 4 Different course today but same weather. The time schedule was on A unlike the past days which has been on B. Down the long road again to the first check and then test which was again pretty slippery but not as much as recent days. Had to get a bit of a move on in theses checks because of the tighter times. Cleared the check ok and then straight into an Enduro test which went well but was very rutty. This check was pretty tight as well but made it on time and then in the next check there was another Enduro test which was very similar to the first and again went well. This check proved to be similar to the day before and one section caught out a lot of riders before me and due to this we were stopped by a marshal and then re-directed around the problem area. I came into the check 11 minutes late due to the detour but not sure whether they have scrapped the check yet but we didn’t even get a chance to try the boggy bit before being stopped so it wasn’t our fault we lost time. Then it was to another mx test called “Pylons” which as you can imagine navigated around some pylons funnily enough. Another check after that to the place called “Maroa” which was the check just before the ride back on the road and into the final mx test of the day. I had a good test time on this one and it came up that I did the 37th fastest time of the day. Tyre changed and filter done ready for the next day.
Mark Gray's story - day 1 - missed a turning on the road en route to check 1. Then to make up time, ranted the little TE250 to the extent that a pint of engine oil made it's way through the crankcase breather into the airbox and back into the carb. Bike then stalled at the check and took 90 mins of clean-up and kick-starting to get it going. There should be a special prize for houring out before the first check...Once it started, Mark was able to complete the lap and take a restart for day2. day 2 check 2. Highsided his TE250 out of a corner and flew about 20ft into the bush, breaking his collarbone. Although it was a right-hand bend, Mark has a cat-like ability to rotate during the flight in order to land on his right collarbone. This is the fourth break on the same bone so it's looking a bit skewiff on the x-rays. Landing in the middle of a huge bramble, Mark couldn't see the bike or the track when he stood up after the crash. Finding his way out of the bush, Mark then had to ride his bike back up the slope onto the track, then 5km of going before getting back to tarmac. Good job the 'trail bke' TE250 has leccy start. Paul Kingston's story - Day 1. Big crash on a washout on a fast fire-road enabled Paul to carthwheel the bike and remove the seat with no hands. Unfortunately, the course marking is not up to WTRA standards so hazards like this aren't marked in advance. Paul finished the day 30 mins late. Day 2. The Husky cut out half way through check 2. Paul stripped off the bodywork and checked all the wiring but couldn't get it going. After about an hour, an Australian rider stopped to help "I sell these bikes back home, mate, and they al do this" he then pulled the blue wire out of the CDI, bared some more metal and stuffed it back in - problem solved. Pul had houred out at this point, but at least he was able to ride back to Parc Ferme Gary Clarke's story Day 1 was brilliant. Enough time, great going. Dropped 3 mins on a tight check but concluded that if it stays like this, I'd be on for a finish. Day 2 - after p*ssing down all night, the course turned to mush. after the first 373 riders had been through, it was mush and huge ruts and roots. My best efforts weren't good enough and I dropped just over an hour on the three big checks. At the end of the day, the ****** at Parc Ferme told me that I had to retire. After I protested loudly, they produced a "restart" form which I filled in to apply to the Jury for a restart. Day 3 - Whether it was the jury process or just the typical arse-elbow confusion that we see a lot of over here, my timecard was at the start line so I took it and restarted. I got as far as check 3 before houring out again. So that was it, team WTRA's race was run. No more restarts are allowed so I've got time to send a few emails before going out to watch the racing. Day 4 - rained a lot again and they've move up to 'A' schedule, it's not going to be easy for the club riders.
News has very recently filtered back to the GB service area that BAFMA (army) rider Kevin Murray, who had been setting a blistering pace and who was in 40th place after day 3 in the E1 class on his 4 stroke 250 has seized the engine on the first check. Kev was tight on time last night and performed a very rushed oil change which in the limited time available meant only a small quantity of new oil was put in the engine for him to travel the 500m to the finish check at the parc ferme. The engine ran OK for this short burst and Kev filled up in the morning work time before setting off so it is doubtful if this was truly the cause of his mishap - it may have been waiting to happen anyway - the colour of Kevin's exhaust confirms that he has been working the engine very hard. Only time ( a commodity in short supply here) will tell if he has been able to re-start the engine to get going again. Thursday 16th November Day 3 Juha Salminen still leads from Marc Germain by 54 seconds. NZ top man Daryl King retires see Bikesportnz.com . Jason Thomas withdraws. Edward Jones & Kev Murray have incurred 10 second penalties. Oliver Moyce drops to 449th. Chris Hockey replaced tank. The leading GB club team - Wales A - have all improved their positions. Check out British Riders progress . Czech Rider Vaclav Danek's stolen Husaberg has been recovered. At the halfway stage 84 riders have retired & 13 riders have been excluded. Dust Martin writes: Jason failed to start today after CMO said he should not ride with his broken thumb as his insurance would be invalid if he was to incur another injury & therefore his start permission was withdrawn. Day 3 is over. All had a steady ride. I am pleased. The course is now very rough. There is a new course for Days 4 & 5. Fresh test tomorrow. No major problems so far. Creeping up the results. Fingers crossed please. The weather has been showery & sunny spells. The same is forecast for tomorrow. Chris Hockey phoned to say hello to all his family & friends. "The riding in New Zealand is unlike anything I have experienced before. On the surface it looks like the sandy going of the Natterjack or Breckland & when it gets wet it looks like Wales but it is volcanic pumice which is incredibly light. The back or the front are continually braking away. I had a stomach bug at the beginning of the week which affected me badly for the first 2 days but I am feeling much better today & I took a couple of tests off Daryl which has really cheered me up". Wednesday 15th November Day 2 Heavy overnight rain but Day 2 was hot & sunny. The tests were wet & very tricky. The riders were once again on B schedule. Juha Salminen (left photo Geoff Osbourne) leads from Marc Germain. Euan McConnell was the best British rider in 24th place & Si Wakeley is 26th. Jason Thomas' broken thumb is heavy taped but he still rode. Unofficial Trophy Team standings after Day Two of the ISDE: 1. Finland; 2. France, 3m54s behind the leaders; 3. Spain, 6m12s; 4. Sweden, 7m56s; 5. Italy, 8m32s; 6. Australia,8m.53s; 7. New Zealand, 10m36s; 8. Great Britain, 21m01s; 9. Slovakia, 24m29s; 10. USA, 24m54s. Unofficial Junior Trophy Team Positions (under 23 years): 1. USA; 2. France, 1m21s behind the leaders; 3. Germany, 3m27s; 4. Australia, 3m35s; 5. Finland, 3m38s; 6. Italy, 4m24s; 7. Great Britain, 6m44s; 8. Netherlands, 8m24s; 9. Spain, 9m31s; 10. New Zealand, 11m32s. Dusty Martin writes: All British Team members are riding exceptionally well. All finished on time & in good order. Heavy rain overnight made the tests very hard but the day has been hot & sunny. Congratulation to Top Brit yesterday - Si Wakely & Euan McConnell 1 second behind. To put rumours straight Daryl Bolter was assaulted outside a bar last night. He is OK & it has not affected his riding. Jeff Edwards writes: Day 2 Welsh A team 10th. Best British team. B team 15th. No problems to report.
Day 1 : The weather could not have been better for the first day which suited the 25 minute ride on the road from the start to check one. After this check was the first mx test which had cut up pretty badly when I got there didn't crash but had a steady ride and onto check 2. The going overall wasn't too bad, soft in places and quite rooty but the views were amazing. After this check we went straight into another mx test and again it was fairly rough when I got there and I had a little crash. Whilst on the going we pre-rode day two's enduro tests which were considerably cut up when I entered them.
After this was a few more long checks and then back to the first check to ride the first mx test again, I didn't crash on this one and it felt reasonably good. Then headed back on the road to the final mx test of the day near the parc ferme and this one was again a reasonably good test for me. Then into the pre-finish for a few adjustments before changing a tyre and a filter and putting my machine back into the parc ferme.
We had 3 Enduro tests in the middle of the day and they were very cut up so it was best to ride them at a fast check pace and stay on the bike because it was very easy to have a crash.
Unfortunately Mick lost 1 minute during the day but Ollie and Lee stayed on time throughout. Mick Seward (left) Photos by David Moyce
Yesterday was interesting! Jay reported in with an injured finger, but once he removed his glove to show the Army doctor he went very faint and before we knew it he was on his back covered in coats and blankets, feet elevated, with 2 doctors and 2 paramedics attending to him - he had a drip put in his arm and an oxygen mask on his face with 2 ambulances stood by! Then Paul arrived with an arm covered in blood - fortunately he didn't feel faint and the doctor was able to patch him up nicely. Our RAFMSA pit area looked far more like a med centre than a garage! The doctor told me this morning that Paul should have gone to the hospital to have his wound stitched. Chris & I took Jay to the hospital to have his finger stitched - they finally released him at 2140 - Chris and I had been up since 0430 as I had to get Chris to the support crew meeting point by 0500 so we were both pretty knackered. The good news is that both riders felt better this morning and were fit to race. The results are not out yet, but we believe that all 3 stayed on time yesterday. Despite damage to the riders we had no mechanical problems - fingers crossed! WTRA News: WTRA Team member Mark Gray has had another unhappy day after houring out yesterday with a cold Husky, he set out afresh this morning only fall heavily & break his collarbone. Fellow team member Paul Kingston has also retired with a leg injury. Wednesday 15th November Day 2 4.30pm 14th November UK & 5.30am 15th November NZ British Team Breakfast. Richard Hay's arm is improving & he is not wearing his arm support. Jason Thomas' finger is still giving cause for concerned. The forecast rain has arrived. Tuesday 14th November Day 1. Dry. 7.00am start. Marc Germain leads from Juha Salminen. Provisional Trophy Team standings after Day1 Trophy Junior Simon Wakely was the highest placed British Rider in 43rd place. Euan McConnell was 47th. More British results Dusty Martin (British Team manager) writes: Pleased with the day. All finished on time. Checks very slack. Tests very rough. Day 2 & 3 will use the same tests so expect our lads to do better. If it rains as forecast it will suit us down to the ground. It will be very much like Wales. Richard Hay seems to be going fine despite his crash in practice. Jason Thomas has a slight hand injury. Jeff Edwards (Wales) writes: All the Welsh riders have gone clean. It was an easy day with slack check times on the B schedule. The only problem came when Tim Foreman stalled his bike & it refused to start for 2 minutes.
Update Tuesday morning: Just waved all 3 off - we had the pre-ride brief last night from Geraint Jones - it sounded pretty tricky - they are riding the B schedule today though which should help. RAF ISDE website Tim Gordon report: The Army lads were all OK and all Clean. Within the other teams there have been a few injuries but no-one is seriously hurt. There are a couple of riders who may not start tomorrow. I will keep you informed. David Moyce (MPS Rydale) writes: 6-day preliminary report. M.P.S Team (Mick Seward, Ollie Moyce and Lee Edmondson)
We have been in Taupo, New Zealand for 7 days now walking tests and getting acclimatised. When we first arrived the GB container was not in the Parc Ferme so we had a few days for sight seeing. It's an amazing place with hardly any people here.
Next report from the first day of the event!!
It is the greatest show on turf and it’s in New Zealand for the first time. Sunday’s Opening Ceremony formally kicked off the 2006 International Six Days Enduro in Taupo, and it is now just hours away from blast-off with 600 riders from 31 countries nervously making final preparations. From 7am Tuesday, the first group of riders will leave the starting pen at the Taupo Motorsport Park and head off into the Kinleith Forest, just north of the town. Several of the special stages of Days One to Five are within 50m of State Highway 1. Day Six is a special motocross test held at Taupo’s Digger McEwen Park. From that moment, they’re on their own, sharing the dirt, pine needles and rocks but racing against the clock in what is commonly regarded the Ironman of motorcycling. Perhaps favourite for the Trophy Team honours, where riders represent their countries in teams of six, is last year’s ISDE champion nation, Italy. The Italians are again strong this year but they’ll again likely have Finland and Sweden for company as the chase for Trophy Team honours gets hot. Finland, in particular, is a standout team with such “name” riders as defending world enduro champion Samuli Aro and enduro legend Juha Salminen, Mika Ahola and Marko Tarkkala to fly their flag. France, Spain and Australia are also strong contenders. Though they’ll ride under team banners, either for their country or for club teams, the riders will also be hunting for individual honours. Ten are former or reigning world champions, and two of them are New Zealanders, Tauranga’s Stefan Merriman and New Plymouth’s Shayne King. Although originally from the Bay of Plenty, Merriman has raced under an Australian licence for a number of years and he will again be a part of Australia's representative Trophy Team. Merriman, a four-time former world enduro champion, and Finnish pair Aro and Salminen (Finland) are perhaps the three riders favoured to take individual honours. Former world enduro champion Salminen (30) has arrived from the United States where he has just completed his second consecutive season of winning the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series. “I didn’t race the six day last year. I’ve been two years in the US and last year we had a race over there at the same time, so I wasn’t in Slovakia,” he explained. “I don’t know what happened there. But, we are here and we have a strong team and we do what we can, so let’s see who wins. At least we try to do our best, and our best should be enough. We know there are top teams, France, Italy and New Zealand is fast too, and Australia has a good team.” And his secret to lasting six days? “Well you can’t win the six days the first day or second day, but you can lose it. So just start slowly and have a look how it is and, when it’s time to go fast, go fast.” The New Zealand contingent has plenty of sparkle too. King (36) was 500cc motocross world champion in 1996 and that’s his specialty branch of the sport but he turned his hand to enduro racing at the opening round of the New Zealand championships this year … and ran away with the win. He’s joined in New Zealand’s six-rider No.1 squad, the Trophy Team, by his elder brother Darryll (37), a former two-time world motocross vice-champion (1997 and 1998), three-time Australian motocross champion and current New Zealand 250cc and 500cc motocross champion. Also comprising the Trophy Team to represent New Zealand are cross-country ace Lachie Columb (Queenstown) and enduro guns Cameron Negus (Rotorua), Chris Birch (Waimauku) and Paul Whibley (Pahiatua). New Zealand’s four-rider No.2 squad, the Junior Trophy Team (under 23), comprises Jason Davis (Whangamata), Karl Power (Hamilton), Adrian Smith (Thames) and Michael Phillips (Rotorua). To win a gold medal, a rider had to finish within 10 percent of the winner's time in their class (so, if the winner clocks 5000 seconds, a rider can have no more than 5500 seconds at the end of the event). To win a silver medal, riders must be within 50 percent of the winner of their class and, to win a bronze, all a rider has to do is finish. Early Tuesday morning, the riders will find out if they have what it takes to become the 2006 ISDE champion. Words; Andy McGechan Photo; Geoff Osborne Opening Ceremony, Taupo Sunday 12th November Gary Clarke writes: Quick summary ISDE from team WTRA (it's costing me NZD5.00 per hour to use the southern hemisphere's crummiest PC and slowest internet connection in the least salubrious cybercafe (only) cybercafe in Taupo). 1. It pissed down on Thursday. Not just rain, hail too. We picked up our bikes from Husky with no probs. And we got a free baseball cap! 2. The practice track is ruffasfuk. Richard Hay got caught out and spent a night in hospital with a chipped hand bone and suspected spleen damage. He's ok to ride, I think. The terrain is all volcanic pumice. So once you break the crust, it's like riding at Weston Beach Race. Coolest effect is the sulphorous steam seeping out of the ground, so when you hit the berm, you're rewarded with a special effect of a puff of steam in your roost. 3. Scrutineering was entertaining. No problem with the bikes and during the queue, Euan McConnell entertained us and the dutch trophy team by starting the TM530 by hand. Unfortunately, the FIM don't know how to read their own rule book so the ACU stamp doesn't qualify for helmets over here. Despite the best efforts of Ted Bartlett, the eyetie FIM adjudicator agreed with the misinterpration of the rules favoured by the kiwis. Everyone got through eventually, though. 4. We've walked six of the eight tests so far and they're all a piece of cake, compared to anything on a Welsh event, at least. 5. Weather has something for everyone and if you don't like, just wait half an hour and it'll be different. 6. Time to go as there's a parade throught the town in 20 mins. All the countries march for about 200m while the adoring locals look on in awe. Sunday 12th November Gordon Ayshford – Team manager for Witley Warriors http://www.witleymcc.org writes All the GB bikes were in the parc ferme by close of business on Saturday. I saw the Isle of Man team manager for the first time this morning at the support crew meeting (there has been no sign of IoM at the GB service area and they have made their own travel and accommodation arrangements), he confirmed that the Gas Gas bikes that Andy Waltons’ crew were hiring for the event were all prepared at the Gas Gas pits - which is where they will be returning at the end of each day for the final service before entering the parc ferme each night. The Isle of man team have travelled light in terms of manpower with three riders and a team manager making up the compliment which has left the team manager with a task of recruiting from the supporters that have travelled out a recruit for out-check duties - the essential stake for buy-in to the combined GB support. The Purple helmets are due to arrive very soon so I am sure they will bring some colour and willing assistance to the IoM team! The RAF team have also been absent from the GB service area so far having used the house that they have rented as the venue for setting up the bikes. First-time team manager Martin Pickard, is taking the strain from rider Paul Hearn who has been responsible for all the background work towards the RAF presence this year and now needs to concentrate on his own event preparations. Martin also confirmed at the support crew meeting that Paul and his RAF team managed to start to relax a little at the pub last night having got the bikes into the parc ferme and got out to walk tests. An unfortunate victim of the aggressive MX test track that I referred to in my last report (which I also believe is the venue for the final MX) has been Trophy Team rider Richard Hay who suffered a heavy fall while riding in his usual fully committed style. he spent the night in hospital under observation before being released as fully fit to ride (with an uncomfortable had due to a possible broken small bone). Richard Hay now only has to wait for an administrative query over his licence to be sorted – this has resulted in Ted Bartlett ringing Mary Kerr in Rugby to go into the office and produce a duplicate – if this doesn’t satisfy the administration demands than he will have to join an NZ club and get an NZ licence – we can be confident that with Ted Bartlett representing the Trophy team at the highest level this will be sorted out in time for Richard to Start. There was a team managers meeting last night at which clerk of the course Sean Clarke explained the restrictions of NZ traffic laws – it is specifically illegal to spin your wheels on NZ roads, the penalty is impound of vehicle and licence for 28 days also speeding carries a similar penalty (though a member of the Wales support crew who shall remain nameless, admits that he got away with an on-the spot fine of $190) It is also a legal requirement for there to be a fire extinguisher carries on the bikes at all times when riding off road and for this event random checks will be made – after an initial telling off a second warning carries a $300 fine and third stage is exclusion. Lost extinguishers will have to be replaced at a cost of $50 or $70 depending on who you talk to. It is alse essential to ensure the rear number plate is in place at all times and any lost items are to be replaced before the rider can start the next day – this is to ensure that insurance is in place.
Admin and technical has all gone smoothly although Team GB were shocked when Trophy rider Richard Hay was a little too enthusiastic on the practise track and had a nasty fall off a jump. Both rider and machine, KTM125, were damaged but thankfully both are now restored to full working order and Richard-Iron Man himself-will be on the start line on Tuesday morning. The weather has been very wet and windy but the sun is shining now as riders walk the eight special tests which are a variety of open grassland and forestry. The event will be just one lap per day as 638 riders would be difficult to manage over multi laps though there is some concern that the first and last specials that are ridden every day are narrow and if the rain returns they may cause problems. The terrain is very familiar and is just like Wales with green fields, sheep, cattle, forests and a few big ferns so most of our riders feel that they are at home!
So now we have a few days rest and relaxation with the parade of riders in the town centre on Sunday evening and with a free day on Monday time for some sightseeing, white water rafting or even bungee jumping in the capitol of adventure here in the centre of New Zealand.
Status report on Witley Warriors Witley riders Richard Alldred and Paul Jay are out walking special
tests having completed their bike preparation yesterday, passed through
technical inspection – the only hiccups to report were due to Richard’s
bike reading high on the noise test, though the grumpy operator softened
as he and his assistant who was driving the tachometer advised Richard to
bring the revs up to the required value very slowly and during the re-test
the bike passed OK. Next was when the technical officer came to apply the
markings to the wheels, frame and engine - Richard’s bike already had
markings from British rounds and the bike was rejected until they were
removed (even though the paint was a different colour). While Dan Alldred
was running back to the pits to get a blade to scrape the paint off with
Ben Alldred produced the hotel room key from his pocket, an ideal tool
that got Richard back into the scrutineering queue before Dan returned.
Richard’s bike was then duly marked with the riders number and
re-painted with a blob of orange(ish) paint in the necessary places for
component identification. A wider view Prior to scrutineering the riders have all been out on the practice track which Daz described as emotional – apparently very rough - though Daryl Boulter was reported to be flying over the whoops like they weren’t there and digging up a bow-wave in the loose berms so it is a case of horses-for-courses. Ex- Witley Warrior Kelly Paterson who has been home in South Island NZ for about 10 months now and is riding this ISDE for the Christchurch Off-Road team on a Yamaha has offered a little inside information which suggests that the going will be fairly easy but the special tests will sort the men from the boys. Having walked one so far – which looked like rows of tape in a flat field but which had a few hidden surprises – having been marked out in a disused area of a pumice quarry there were two levels of going – one at the level you could see as you entered the field and one in the underworld - with severe drop-offs several metres high in places. If any rider forgets where these deceptive hazards are lurking he will find himself rounding a flat bend to discover that the slight rise was not a small jump to show-off your style on but a prelude to the world dropping away from under him – with no landing ramp just a flat hard rock bottom ! As the parc ferme fills with bikes so a hush descends over the whole pits area (the car park of a motor racing circuit) – a calm before a storm that will break out on Tuesday morning. First of the 681 riders will be away at 7.00a.m. with the 46 British riders starting at No 12 Jason Thomas in the junior trophy team and finishing at No605 Julian Crimp in the West of England team at10.21a.m. There are still a few to complete their machinery preparations but I believe the trophy teams have got their bikes in the parc ferme and the army are only waiting for a photo shoot before taking theirs in. There were no Army (BAFMA- British Armed Forces Motorcycling Association) lads around this morning so they may also be out walking the special tests.
St Georges MCC's EDF Energy Team England has received a real boost from one of the UK's largest private network operators. EDF Energy has sponsored the ISDE team of Gavin Hockey, James Yearley & Andy Frost for £3500 to fly the flag in New Zealand. Andy finished 17th Overall in this year's ACU British Enduro Championship. James was 5th in the BEC Experts & hopes to win a 3rd ISDE medal. Gavin rarely competes due to his business commitment to GH Motorcycles but when he does he does well. The team & their support crew will be jetting off this weekend. More info on Chris Hockey & Team England.
Schedule of the 2006 ISDE; The 2006 ISDE runs from Tuesday, November 14, until Sunday, November
19.
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Check
out 
Saturday
19th November Day 6 Dusty Martin writes "Another 6 Days done. All
the lads rode their hearts out. Perhaps the results don't reflect how hard
they have worked. We will have a very well deserved night out tonight.
Well done to all the Brits".
WTRA Team Gary Clarke writes -- Hi Bob, great info on the website. here's the latest on WTRA team.......
We're all out.
Ollie
Moyce (left) M.P.S Team (Mick Seward, Ollie Moyce and Lee Edmondson)
writes:
Then after another check we entered the first enduro test and as
mentioned before this was also cut up and again I had a little spill but
nothing to affect my bike or myself.
Day 2: Torrential rain overnight made the first test of the second day
a very slippery one. (Lee Edmondson avoiding the water on the left) I think all of our team had a small crash here but
nothing major. The times were again on B schedule but the going was still
very soft and some of the checks tight due to the overnight downpour.
After
this were a few more checks before heading back on the road to the final
motocross test which was very dry at this point because the sun had come
out in the afternoon. Then to the pre-finish for a some adjustments before
changing a rear tyre and a filter.
On Wednesday we collected our hired Husqvarna 250cc 2/stroke enduro
machines. We signed the paper work and they were all ours to do any
modifications we liked. The container arrived on Thursday morning and we
were well on our way to getting the bikes prepared On Friday we spent the
day at the practice track testing and making the final changes to our
machines before the technical inspection the next day. All the bikes went
through the inspection ok and all that was left to do was wait for the
start of the event on Tuesday.
The parade was on Sunday and we all marched down the high street to a
greeting of a traditional Maori dance (left) and then speeches from the New
Zealand motorcycling federation and the Mayor of Taupo.
Greatest Show on Turf Ready to Blast Off
Saturday 11th Nov 05: Greetings from Dot Jones in the paddock at the
81st ISDE in Taupo New Zealand.
Yesterday
Ted Bartlett the UK Jury man held a press conference to introduce the lady
riders in the event. Ted had always been a champion of ladies taking part
in off road competition and so he was pleased to present three ladies
teams, one each from Germany, Sweden and the United States. Also the
individual lady riders representing Australia, Japan and two from the home
nation New Zealand. One of these ladies will be well known by UK riders,
Wendy Robinson, nee Buck married a Kiwi and now lives in Auckland. Happy
to meet so many old friends again she is so pleased to be riding in the
ISDE in her adopted homeland and we all wish her a safe and successful
event. In his introduction Ted commented that if more lady teams will
enter the event then the FIM will consider a special trophy to be awarded
to the best lady team. He also mentioned that no lady has ever been in the
winning World Trophy teams but rumour has it that back in the 1920's a
ladies team won the Silver Vase ( now the Junior World Trophy) or at least
there was a lady rider in the winning team. Maybe someone out there has
some info on this and if so please email Dot Jones kalbus4@hotmail.com so
we can set the record straight.
Saturday
11th November. Report from the 2006 ISDE Lake Taupo New Zealand. By Gordon
Ayshford – Team manager for Witley Warriors from GB HQ (left)
Paul’s
bike sailed through as you would hope for a brand new machine on hire
specifically built for this event. Daz Wilcock (left) will submit his
machine for technical inspection along with his army colleagues. Daz has a
dual personality for this competition for while he is a fully fledged
Witley Warrior he is also a warrior for the Queen and Country and is on
duty so falls in with the army drill when required.
Thursday
9th Nov 06: Paul Hearn RAF team writes: "Well, we got here OK.
Everyone has their bags apart from Martin, there's been a baggage handlers
strike in Sydney. The Lodge we are staying in is Out of this World! It has
rained heavily" The team have been out yesterday and walked two of
the special tests, apparently they are very, very much like the Breckland
Enduro. That should suit Paul and Jay, as they both raced the eastern
centre for yonks! As it is Friday now (early morning at my writing time -
12 hrs ish ahead of UK time) they are up early (jetlag eh?) and are off to
the local practice track to get in their first practice and get a
shakedown and test of the bikes under their belts. 
Energy
Boost for Team England
#30
Richard Hay KTM Aberdeen Crashed in practice &
injured hand & spleen. Day1: 226th, Day2: 300th, Day3:
275th, Day4: 235th, Day5 Cancelled. 224th
#14
Ed Jones
KTM Llanidloes Day1: 85th. Day2: 77th. Day3: 74th, Day4:
65th, Day5 Cancelled. 68th
#162
Ewan
McConnnell TM Day1: 47th. Day2: 51st. Day3: 50th. Great
4th Day up to 37th, Day5 Cancelled. 40th.
#61
Andrew
Edwards KTM
#66
Dylan
Jones Yamaha Llanidloes Day1:
116th, Day2: 113rd. Day3: 109th, Day4: 106th, Day5
Cancelled. 116th
#149
Chris
Hockey Husquarna Colchester. Started the week with a
stomach bug Day1:
123rd. Day2: 121st. Day3: 105th, Day4: 104th, Day5
Cancelled. 95th
#146
Tom
Sagar Honda Oswestry
#12
Jason
Thomas KTM
#90
Daryl
Bolter Husqvarna Day1: 77th. Day2: 87th. Day3: 79th, Day4:
72nd, Day5 Cancelled. 71st
#120
Si
Wakely Honda Dorset Day1: 43rd. Day2: 54th. Day3:
68th, Day4: 64th, Day5 Cancelled. 67th
#304
Tim Forman Kawasaki 250 Day1: 436th, Day2:
303rd, Day3: 263rd, Day4: 258th, Day5 Cancelled. 
#330
Rowan Jones Yamaha 250 Day1: 184tn, Day2: 173rd, Day3: 159th,
Day4: 178th, Day5 Cancelled. 193rd
#400
Robert Jones Yamaha 250 Day1: 194th. Day2: 146th. Day3:
132nd, Day4: 115th, Day5 Cancelled. 118th
#244 Kev Murray 250 Yamaha
Day1: 146th, Day2: 142nd. Day3: 127th, Day 4 Retired
with flywheel woodruff key sheared.
#311
Stephen Hunt Yamaha 125 Day1 214th, Day2: 182nd, Day3:
158th, Day4: 147th, Day5 Cancelled. 144th
#250 David Johns 125 Yamaha
Day1: 314th, Day2: 321st, Day3: 295th, Day4: 272th, Day5
Cancelled. 271st
#215
- Mark Gray - Husky TE250 4T - E1 Rented Husky starting
problem - Not Classified on Day1, Day2: Fell heavily & broke
collarbane
#459
- Flipper Kingston - Husky WR250 2T - E2 Day1: 578th, Day2:
retired with a leg injury
#313
Daz Wilcock (on loan from BAFMA) Yamaha 250 Day1 275th, Day2:
268th, Day3: 228th, Day4: 210th, Day5 Cancelled. 198th