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Knighton |
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The golden Summer of 2010 continued & this weekend the sun shone on the picturesque Welsh town of Knighton for the CWAC 4th round of Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship. The Central Wales club have an excellent start area with a large hard standing in a factory car park & a camping field beyond. The Puoline Suzuki Fast Eddy & KORR KTM teams were the first to arrive & they set up camp close to the start. While the riders walked the tests, their mechanics fettled their bikes. Only David Knight's KTM sat on it's stand unmolested in a state of readiness that was almost menacing. The Midwest team connected their Husabergs to the computer so the bikes could chat on facebook. Scrutineering began at 3.00pm. There was no sound test. The Bradley King family got some early tyre changing practice in when they blew a tyre on the motorway. Allyn Scotland completed an engine split on his Suzuki at 2.00am to trace a blocked oil way that was blowing out his drive seal. He optimistically drove from Scotland to Wales before testing his spanner work. There was no parc ferme so the clink of fettling mixed with the sizzling of the BBQ's as the riders & their support crews relaxed into the warm Summer evening
For the 3rd year the small Central Wales team have hosted another cracking event. The course & the facilities were superb. The organisation was spot on & the welcome was as warm as the weather,
Defending British Enduro Champion David Knight has continued his winning ways in the ’10 BEC series claiming overall victory on both days of the fourth round of the championship, the Central Wales Motor Club organised Knighton Enduro, held in Mid Wales. Despite being made to work hard for his win on day one having been beaten on the opening two special tests, Knight claimed the eventual overall win before an impressive performance on day two saw him move to within striking distance of yet another overall British Enduro Championship title. Winning the opening day by just four seconds Knight overcame a steady start and after pushing hard during the second and third laps won six of the day’s eight special tests. With the tests much rougher and rutted on day two Knight topped each of the day’s seven tests to finish 32 seconds ahead of Daryl Bolter and remain unbeaten in the ’10 BEC series. David Knight: ‘I struggled a bit on the first two tests on day one. I was riding ok but just wasn’t able to get the power down as easily as the smaller bikes could. I had to just hang in there and wait until there was a bit of a line on the tests. Once there was I was able to push harder and managed to close the gap and eventually move into the lead. I felt a lot more comfortable on the second lap and then things got better again on the third lap. With two reasonably short tests it kept things close between all of the top riders. Apart from the first two tests I won all the others, so I was pleased with that. We made a few changes to the bike for the second day, and went for a harder front tyre, which gave me a lot more confidence to push hard in the corners. I knew once I finished the opening test that things would be better. I had a really good day and enjoyed it a lot more than the first day. As the tests started to get rougher I started to pull away. The three back--to--back tests at the end of the day were great. It was a great event and with the good weather it was really enjoyable. I’m looking forward to the Dyfi Enduro in August now, where I can win the BEC title if things go to plan.’
With a possibility of clinching a British title at the weekend, round four of the Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship would eventually turn to disappointment for Putoline Suzuki by www.fasteddyracing.com racer Tom Sagar, after a solid opening day turned to retirement on day two of the Knighton enduro, ending any hope of clinching the E2 championship early. With Sagar and teammate Paul Edmonsdon in with a chance of cinching their respected championships at the Knighton round, the team carefully considered their choice of machinery. From experience in 2009 where Edmondson won on a 290cc RM-Z on the wet grassy conditions, Sagar opted to switch to the same machine instead of his usual RMX450Z, but sadly the conditions would not be repeated, leaving him down the order in fourth on day one. Sagar commented,"Paul proved in 2009, that the smaller bike was ideal. Unfortunately though, the wet conditions played into his hands then, where in truth perhaps the RMX450Z would have been a better option in the dry this year. Day two was naturally a real blow with a DNF, but hindsight is a wonderful thing, and while it's obviously disappointing, we'll just have to regroup and get ready for the next round." With teammate Lee Edmondson suffering a faulty spark plug in the two-stroke class and team manager Paul Edmondson suffering with set-up woes throughout the event, Knighton would be a round for the team to forget. Paul Edmondson commented, "Not a good round for any of us really. The bike choice was our biggest mistake for Tom. In fairness, last year's conditions were perfect for the smaller bike, bit I'm convinced that if Tom had been on the RMX we'd have had a much better result this time. Lee was unlucky, but lucky that the plug tip breaking off didn't cause us bigger issues, whereas I need to spend some time looking at my bike set-up to get back on the pace for the next round." The team now look towards round five of the championship on 14th and 15th August. The Dyfi Enduro in Wales. Team Sponsors: Putoline, Suzuki GB PLC, Metzeler, Moose Clothing, Lazer, Smith, Gaerne, DEP, MXM Graphics, Renthal, Talon, Regina, Optima Racing, Fasteddyracing.com, Rygor Commercials.
Team KORR traveled to the 4th round of the BEC knowing that it must repeat its form from the last round and take class wins on both days to keep championship hopes alive. Both Greg and Daryl have shown fantastic form recently and only David Knight has been able to better them in the UK. The Central Wales Auto Club had once again marked out 2 excellent special tests close to the Radnor forest which would provide great viewing for spectators and close racing for the competitors. Day 1 and Greg left the start determined to win and really put Knighter under pressure by winning the first 2 tests and taking a 4 second lead, on the remaining tests both DK and Greg battled over fractions of a second followed closely by teammate Daryl on his 250F. In the final stages Greg made a small mistake on the cross-country test and David moved in front by 0.58 of a second. Knighter then opened a 4 second advantage on the last 2 MX test to win the day. But Greg finished a strong runner up and took more importantly the E2 class win , likewise Daryl also won the E1 class convincingly and took 3rd overall. KORR Expert rider James Giddings also enjoyed a good outing by winning the E1 Expert class on his Premier Bikes 125 EXC.
After this weekend both Daryl and Greg lead their respective E1 and E2 classes in the BEC along with David Knight who leads the overall.
Manxman Alex Rockwell has once again proved he means business by placing two top six results at the Knighton Enduro organised by the Central Wales Motor Club. Starting the weekend in good spirits Rockwell headed into the opening test a man on a mission; placing the third fastest time on the fresh Welsh grass put him in a perfect position for the rest of the day. As the course dried under the summer sun the tests became dusty and the times began to fall. Going into the penultimate test of the day Rocky was five seconds ahead of Suzuki's Paul Edmondson in fifth place but a small mistake proved to be costly as it dropped him to sixth. Pushing hard on the final test he was unable to make up the lost time and finished the day in sixth position but pleased with his overall performance. After re-walking the tests on Saturday night Rockwell knew he could save some time and went into the second day with his eyes wide open. Right from the opening test he set times which kept him inside the top three of the championship class and he kept on pushing throughout the day. After a near perfect race he was rewarded with a well deserved third place and only twenty seconds behind Daryl Bolter in second place. Alex Rockwell "I couldn't have really asked for a better
weekend; everything has just fallen into place and my bike has been amazing.
The weather was really good which always helps although the dust meant it was
hard to see on parts of the going but overall it's been an awesome event. The
tests were a little slippery on Saturday morning but they soon dried out and
the test times got really quick. I wanted to beat Paul on the first day and I
was gutted when I made a small mistake on the penultimate test but I'm still
happy with sixth. Sunday was pretty much a perfect day for me; I knew I could
go quicker than I had the previous day and I just got my head down from the
start. To finish with a top three result is fantastic and something McConnell achieves top result at Knighton Scotland's Euan McConnell has secured an E2 class win on his D3 Racing KTM at the fourth round of the British Enduro Championship at Knighton on the weekend. The lanky Scot started the event with a disappointing 10th position overall on Day One, but fought back to achieve fourth overall and a class win on Day Two. Read more... Details . The Gas Gas UK Enduro team headed to the fourth round of the Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship this weekend looking to build on their strong results from previous rounds. Organised by the Central Wales Motor Club the Knighton Enduro proved to have some of the best designed tests of the year so far and provided some close racing for both Ashley and Daniel in their respective classes. Wood started the first day well setting a quick pace from the off and found himself battling with Husaberg's Ollie Moyce for the duration of the day. Eventually beating Moyce by over eleven seconds he finished the day in seventh place overall and second in the Under 23's class. The second day was a repeat of the first with Wood engaging in a lengthy battle with Moyce but unlike the previous day a small mistake on the fourth test mid day threatened to give the lead away to Moyce. Fortunately for Ashley or unfortunately for Ollie he had a huge crash towards the end of the day which dropped him down to nineteenth place and handed Ashley eighth position. In the Expert Class team mate Daniel McCanney was having a battle all of his own but rather than with another rider it was with himself. Whereas McCanney has usually been quick to get 'into the groove' he struggled to stay focused on the first day and was forced to settle for second behind Jonny Walker. Disappointed with his result he started the second day determined to take first place and that's exactly what he did; dominating the rest of the class McCanney finished over thirty seconds ahead of his closest rival and looked to have returned to his usual form. Ashley Wood: "I always enjoy the Knighton but this year it's
been even better than usual. The course has been really good and the tests
were good fun. I'm happy with my result on Saturday; I fought hard to beat
Ollie all day so to come away in front of him with seventh is great. Sunday
was the same again really; I got into another fight with Ollie and he took Daniel McCanney: "It's been a bitter sweet weekend for me to be honest. I don't know why but I just couldn't get my head into gear on the first day and my test times suffered. I really wanted to take the Expert Class win on both days but second was all I could manage on Saturday. Sunday was much better and I rode quite well; my bike was awesome and the tests were good so I was happy to come away with the class win. Overall it was a positive weekend but I'm still disappointed about Saturday." Midwest Husaberg UK Team Race Report - BEC Rounds 6 & 7 at Knighton, July 10/11th
Fresh from success at the UEM in Poland the Midwest Husaberg UK enduro team arrived in Wales for rounds 6 & 7 of the BEC in high spirits knowing that bike set up and rider preparation was ready for good results. The course was to be 3 laps of 45 miles with 2 special tests per lap which would lead to over 8 hours in the saddle. Currently 6th overall in the championship Ollie Moyce struggle to get the power of the 4 stroke down on the lush grassy fields of the special tests at the start of the day but as a line appeared and the grass dried up he improved on his times to get with in a couple of seconds of his rivals by the end of the day leaving him 4th in E2 class and 8th overall on day one. E3 team mate and fellow under 23 competitor, Jamie Paget again found the lush grass a little tricky for most of the day and was disappointed to finish 3rd in E3 class and 13th overall but hoped for drier test conditions tomorrow.
Jamie Paget improved on Sunday with commitment and achieved 2nd in class and 11th overall to maintain his consistent results. Determined to improve on the previous days results expert rider Arran Poolman pushed on and went one position better and gained 2nd in class and 3rd overall to give him his best ever results from a BEC round so far setting test times which would place him well in the championship class. Tyson Maytom-Jones was still struggling with steering issues and didn't feel that confident to push on too hard on Sunday but equaled his results from Saturday and was pleased to finish and find out what the problem was and after investigation from the Midwest Husaberg UK technicians turned out to be a loose shim stack in the front forks giving him no damping and thus causing turning problems. Again all Midwest Husaberg UK team riders and machines finished both days of the event and are now all set to travel to the UEM in Italy this weekend. Freestyle Photos by Bob Mullins
More Photos Bob Mullins Keith Bowen Martin Harding Missing If anybody mistakenly picked up a fuel tin, watering can quick-fill and a goggle box containing five pairs of goggles from Service 1 on Saturday afternoon, the rider in question was unable to compete today as his fuel tin was missing and no goggles. If anyone knows the whereabouts of the missing items then please contact me on this email or 07974 175906 |
David
Knight wins Knighton
At 9.00am, the Mayor of Knighton flagged
David Knight & Paul Edmondson away to start the event. The first test was just outside the
town along a gentle green lane. It was an open MX test on sloping field. There
were few surprises but a sheep track before the crest of one of the hills
caught out several of the riders with a kick & a heavy front end landing. It was ideal
for Greg Evans. The glucose rush of his Sugar Puffs kicked in & he
set a cracking time - 2 seconds ahead of Tom Sagar in 2nd. Tom was
riding RMZ 290 similar to the bike Paul Edmondson won on in 2009. Daryl Bolter was 3rd,
Alex "Rocky" on the MPS Husqvarna was 4th & David Knight was
5th. Allyn Scotland's seal stayed in place but he retired with an electrical breakdown.
Jase Corden's Yamaha
WR250F also had an electrical failure. He returned to Knighton to prep Mike
Altass's 2t to ride Day 2. The 2nd test was also in the first stage. It
was on predominantly grass with a steep, rocky gully at it's centre.
David pulled back one second from Greg. Cambrian Timings Live-times
would relay their battle to the support crews & spectators through the
day. Chris
Hockey's knee injury has not healed & he was forced to retire. Jack
Twentyman got lost but he managed to get back on track without losing any time. The
schedule was 3x45 mile laps for the Expert & Championship & 2 laps for the
Clubman. Check 1 to 2 was tight with a lot of thrashings. On his second MX test Darren Jones lost the end of his
muffler & the packing was blown out. Darren managed to re-packed the
exhaust & hold it in place with wire & ductape but it cost him a
minute at the next check. Despite the dry weather the Radnor never dries out
completely & there was a bog just before Check 4. Fortunately there was
time in hand & marshals to point out the bet lines. The Championship & Experts rode the final
MX test back to back. Coming into the test, David Knight had
clawed himself into the lead by the slenderest of margins of half a second
from Greg Evans. With dry ground & defined berms David made no mistakes
& won the day by 4 seconds with 2 faultless runs. Greg was 2nd & KORR
teammate Daryl Bolter was 3rd. The Putoline Suzuki Fast Eddy team of Tom Sagar
& Paul Edmondson were 4th & 5th. Despite losing his rear brake, Alex
"Rocky" Rockwell turned around the MPS Racing team's recent spate of
bad luck with a 6th place finish. Jonny Walker won the Experts from Danny
McCanney. Jack Twentyman was the best of Veteran A ahead of Murray Thomson.
Steve Holcombe won the Clubman class & Gethin Humphreys was the runner up.
Russell Millward was the best Veteran B ahead of Phil Smithson. In the evening the riders assessed the
damage. Euan McConnell renewed a cracked pipe. Aaron Poolman replaced a new
moose. The electrode on Steve Hunt's spark plug broke off & the fragment
he scored his barrel. Without a parc ferne the repairs progressed into the
early evening at a relaxed pace that recalled a more leisurely era. Across the valley
a steam train chugged by & we could have been transported back to the
50s..
Overnight there was some rain but it barely touched the
ground. On the way to the 1st test of the day Tom Sagar's bike nipped up. David
Knight's first time was only one second faster than Greg's but he would extend
the margin throughout the day. Greg's challenge ended when he misread his time card on the last lap & clocked in a minute early.
On his last cross country test, Ollie Moyce hit a kicker that threw him onto
the front wheel which then scrubbed away. Ollie was thrown a good 20 feet
from his bike. He managed to re-mount but he limped out of the test with his front brake locked on.
Frazer Norrie's power valve played up on the second last test of the
day.
Myles Rosser split a rad hose & lost all his coolant. Leighton Roberts was
distracted by a Hob Nob & missed his minute. David Knight won the 2nd day
by half a minute. Daryl Bolter was the
runner up & Alex Rockwell was 3rd. Euan McConnel in 4th was the best E2.
Despite losing a minute Greg Evans finished in 7t overall. Danny McCanney won the Experts & Gavin
Houson was the runner up. Aaron Poolman was 3rd & Jonny walker was 4th.
Murray Thomson turned the tables on Jack Twentyman in the Experts Veterans.
Steve Holcombe & Gethin Humphreys were once again 1st & 2nd in the
Clubman. Russell Millward & Phil Smithson headed the Vets B. Allyn
Scotland's lost weekend continued when he dropped his van's diesel cap
& snapped his only ignition key. The final straw came when the RAC told
him them incident was not covered. Is any other sport as character building?
Knighter
wins BEC ’10 Knighton Enduro
PROMISE
TO DISAPPOINTMENT FOR SAGAR AT KNIGHTON
Team
KORR
Day
2 and we hoped that we might just be able to push David again but he had upped
his pace a little after overnight changes to his factory machine, there was no
parc ferme so riders had all evening if they wished to prepare bikes for day
2. Knighter confidently won all tests on Day 2 with Daryl and Greg closely
behind with Daryl taking his turn to lead the KORR team and finish 2nd overall
having made a 2 second advantage over Greg on the 7 tests of the day. But Greg
in the final lap on a tight check misread his time card and accidentally
clocked in 1 minute early which dropped him to 7th overall but still made 2nd
in E2 class, so luckily it did not greatly affect his championship position.
James again had a good day in the experts and finished 2nd in the E1 class.
MPS
Racing Enduro Team
I'm aiming
to repeat throughout the rest of the championship. Thanks to MPS and everyone
else who helped out, this weekend was the result of your hard work!
Gas
Gas UK Enduro Team
the lead when I crashed on the fourth test. When he crashed it was a shame
because I was enjoying the chase but it gave me eighth place so I'm happy.
Coming away second in the Under 23's class and third in E2 class on both days
is fantastic. Thanks to John Shirt Jnr, Steve Plain and Rob Sartin for all
their continued help!"
Midwest
- Mixed fortunes for the team in Wales Pictures
by Martin Harding
In
the ultra competitive Expert class where times were matching the championship
class riders Midwest Husaberg UK rider, Arran Poolman having his first ever
ride at the Knighton got to grips with the grassy conditions to finish 3rd in
E2 class and 4th overall even after changing his rear disc on the going. E3
expert rider Tyson Maytom-Jones would have liked the conditions a little
wetter as unusually for Wales it was very dry on the going with dust being a
problem along the forest tracks, he finished 2nd in E3 class and 11th overall.
Overnight
rain meant conditions were near perfect and with a line established on the
special tests Ollie Moyce started where he left off at the end of day 1 with
his first 5 test times matching the multi-British Championship winner Paul
Edmondson and with Greg Evans making a mistake on time check gaining a 60
second time penalty and Tom Sagar out in the morning with mechanical problems
Ollie could relax a little and was in line for his first ever championship
class win but just as the pressure was off him he hit a bump on the third from
last special test which throw him over the handlebars and cost him the win on
the day.
Afterwards
Ollie commented, "I am bitterly disappointed for both myself and the
Midwest Husaberg UK team who have worked so hard to get me to within sight of
my first championship class win, but I am young enough to go on and try again
and pleased with the fact that I put myself in the position of nearly winning
the class and glad I never injured myself. I am looking forward the next
weekend now and the UEM in Italy where I hope to continue my good positions on
lately".
