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enduro
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BEC Lossiemouth 2010 |
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Farioli KTM rider David Knight has claimed two more day wins in the 2010 British Enduro Championship, this time winning the Grampian Motorcycle Club organised Lossiemouth Enduro held in the north of Scotland. Winner of the opening round of the series back in February, Knight claimed a comfortable winning margin on both days finishing close to two minutes ahead of Tom Sagar on day one and just over two minutes ahead on day two. David recorded the fastest time on all of the event’s special tests. The first rider onto the long, technical and sandy Lossiemouth special tests Knight quickly set about distancing himself from his rivals and in completing the day with no mistakes enjoyed a well-deserved and commanding win. Day two again saw Knight take charge early on. With many riders finding the long, three-lap, second day tiring Knight revelled in the rough, and unforgiving conditions of the special tests to secure his third consecutive day win of the ’10 BEC series. David’s next event will be the third round of the Enduro World Championship, which takes place in Italy on the 22/23 of May. David Knight: ‘It’s been a fantastic weekend, but a tough one. Being the first rider onto the tests on day one meant I was just trying to work out where the best line was. Even on the second lap it was hard to push hard going into the turns, but on the third lap both tests were really rough, especially the beach test. The sand was so dry and soft that it was really hard to get into a flowing rhythm. It was a really hard work out. The whole day went well. I didn’t push too hard, I basically pushed as hard as the track would allow. I put in a good time on the first test of day two, and got steadily faster. I made a mistake on the second motocross test, but that was my only mistake really. A second day of three laps was hard work, but for me it was good training for world championship. Everything was spot on throughout both days and I really enjoyed it. I hope the event runs again next year. It would be good if there were a bit more support for the event. It would be a real shame if the event wasn’t on the BEC calendar.’
The rescheduled second round of the Metzeler British Enduro championship took place at the weekend in the Lossiemouth Forest in Scotland where all three Team Putoline Suzuki by www.fasteddyracing.com riders took podium spots. Tom Sagar put in another fine performance on his RMX450Z, emerging with the E2 championship lead after two days of consistent riding. Being strong from the off, Sagar initially rode close to the times of David Knight, who increased the gap as the day progressed. However, Sagar stayed focused and took everything in his stride, finishing strongly after almost 14 hours of riding over the two days. Paul Edmondson was also riding at the event in the E1 class, but had a big slip off during one of the special tests on Saturday, leaving a 22-second gap behind leader Daryl Bolter. By the end of the day the gap had dropped to seven seconds, but Edmondson was unable to produce any more to secure the win. Although battered and bruised on Sunday, Edmondson dug deep to win and secure the E1 overall victory. Lee Edmondson returned from injury to ride his RM125 in the two-stroke E1 class, completing both days and taking second position. Paul Edmondson, team manager, commented: “Tom produced an extremely strong ride over the weekend, the bike performed as he liked and to take the lead this early on is a real confidence boost. I'm pleased to have put another Suzuki on the top step, although I'm aching a fair bit today! And with Lee coming back into his first round after injury it's been a great weekend all round.”  KORR Racing Report
After postponement of this round in March due to Snow the event finally went ahead as planned in and warm conditions this weekend, the Lossiemouth Enduro has two fantastic tests, a large Sandy MX test which uses the surrounding woods and banking's and a very tricky cross country test. On the first day riders would go directly from the start into the MX test !! and expectedly most riders complained about some arm pump or difficulties associated with not being warmed up properly. David Knight as usual set the standard time but only just after he had a rare and early fall, Daryl and Greg placed 3rd and 4th overall respectively. All championship riders would complete 3 laps of a very tough off-road course which had no rest sections and combined with a total of 8 special tests made for a long and hard day, by the end of Day one Daryl was fastest E1 rider and took the class win and 3rd overall. Greg however suffered bad luck again when lying in 2nd position in the E2 class, a electrical problem surfaced and created a intermittent fault, having lost over 15 minutes of check time the bike then stopped completely in the final test and Greg had to trace and fix the problem in the test, a damaged wire was earthing out on the frame, Cruel luck for Greg who was leading this same event last time here and the chain snapped on the same test !!! . But the ever cheerful Welshman was determined to finish and gain valuable championship points, Greg finally finished 8th in the E2 class and at least salvaged some championship points. James Giddings in the 125cc Experts Class had a good day to finish 2nd in class and only a few seconds of the lead.
Gas Gas UK rider Ashley Wood has followed up his early season success at the Muntjac Enduro with strong results at the second round of the British Enduro Championship held in Lossiemouth, Scotland. In complete contrast with the first round, Lossiemouth provided good weather for the riders with only a light scattering of rain on Saturday night. After walking the tests on Friday Ashley felt positive about the weekend ahead and performed well on both days. Saturday saw him take sixth position overall and second in E2 class. As the course became more rutted in the woodland sections Ashley's Steve Plain prepared Gas Gas machine excelled meaning he could push harder for longer eventually coming away the highest placed rider in the Under 23's category. Sunday proved to be harder than many of the riders expected with back to back tests at the end of the day and the same amount of laps to be completed as Saturday. Never the less Ashley stayed at the sharp end of the results finishing eighth overall and third in class. "I've really enjoyed this weekend, it was harder than I expected especially on Sunday as the track got pretty rough in places but the good weather and awesome test meant it was good fun. I'm happy with my results on both days although obviously I'd liked to have won the Under 23's class on the Sunday as well. My bike was perfect for the conditions and performed really well in the back to back tests on both days so thanks to the usual people, Steve Plain, Rob Sartin and John Shirt Jnr!"
With only 2 days rest following the UEM enduro in France last weekend the Midwest Husaberg UK team headed north for the long journey to Lossiemouth in North East Scotland to compete in the re-scheduled rounds 2 & 3 of the BEC. Conditions were better this time as the event was cancelled in February due to heavy snow and the riders tackled the long, sandy, demanding tests which became extremely bumpy after nearly 14 hours riding over the weekend. Championship E2 rider Ollie Moyce (left) improved on his first BEC results to claim 3rd in class on both days and 1st in the under 23 class. Ollie said “I had a mixture of fortunes over the weekend. On Saturday I struggled in the beach test getting past slower riders but pushed hard to finish 3rd in class and seventh overall, only a few seconds from 2nd. Whilst on Sunday I was having a better day but a lack of concentration meant that I crashed 3 times in the last Enduro test undoing all that hard work. I then had to give it everything to again finish 7th overall and 3rd in class but this time I was the fastest under 23 rider. It was a great event and well worth the 12 hour drive. My FE 390 Midwest Husaberg did not miss a beat all weekend and I would like to say thanks to everyone who helped.” E3 Championship contender Jamie Paget had a difficult first day breaking off his gear lever but improved on day 2 to claim 3rd in class on both days. Arran Poolman Expert E2 rider had a good result on day 1 claiming 3rd in class but on the second lap hit a hidden tree stump and later had an x-ray to confirm 3 broken bones in his foot so couldn’t ride the second day. Tyson Maytom-Jones had a consistent weekend in the Expert E3 class finishing second on both days.
The team next event is the British Cross Country Championship on 16th May at Chevenage Farm, Tetbury.
Neil Chatham had his MPS
Husqvarna debut at Lossie forest near Elgin at the weekend in the Metzeler
British Enduro Championship. Neil picked up the new bike on Monday on his
was back from French European round. With very little time to set up the
bike leading to the event, a solid 4th E1/2 and 20th overall on
Saturday was not were Neil felt the potential of the bike lay. On Sunday
after a few tweaks to the jetting, 3rd E1/2 and 16th
overall was a step in the right direction and he is looking to build on
this performance.
Two days of great weather and a well run tough course saw the British elite show their skills at their best in the Metzeler British Enduro Championship at Lossie forest near Elgin at the weekend. There were two special tests, the motocross test at an extended Woodside Motocross track and the cross country test in Lossie forest, both would test the riders in different ways and there were two tight checks in the woods which needed the balance between speed and accurate riding. David Knight is back on top form winning both days; he was chased home by Tom Sagar in second on Saturday and Sunday. Tom had given up a top finish at the Scottish Six Days Trial to compete in Elgin. On Saturday Daryl Bolter finished third ahead of Paul Edmondson with the places revered on Sunday, all the top riders were pushing for every second right from the start of each day as everyone went straight into the first motocross test to start their long day. The top Scottish rider on both days was double Scottish Motocross Champion Neil Flockhart, this was Neil's first visit to Lossie forest and 8th place overall on Saturday was just reward for a determined ride. Neil finished just behind the British regulars and 4th E2 was an incredible result. Neil is super fit but he is adjusting to the pace on the tight checks in the trees. On Sunday a crash in the very first motocross test dropped him down to 10th overall and 5th E2, a brilliant result considering he spent the rest of the day trying to pull himself back into the top ten. Ricky Mair's motocross commitments meant he could only ride on Saturday and the popular local was going to make his mark on his one day appearance. Ricky, always spectacular, especially at Woodside, pushed to the limit with a massive whip every time on the final table top jump. Ricky managed to pace himself and get the balance right between speed and control out on the cross country test to finish 9th overall and 4th E1/4 in the championship class. Ricky went on to win the final moto on Sunday at the Scottish Mx2 Championship and maintain his second place overall. Kevin Murray was a man on a mission over the weekend; he was looking at his absolute best over the weekend on his Yamaha YZ 250. Riding fast and attacking each special test it was great to see him obviously enjoying an outing in Scotland. 5th E2 and 14th overall on Saturday was one of his best results in the series. On Sunday it was game on again for Kevin with another day of superb riding, unfortunately a time penalty denied him a top finish on Sunday. Neil Chatham had his MPS Husqvarna debut at Lossie forest, Neil only picked up his bike on the Monday preceding the event with very little time to set up the bike. A solid 4th E1/2 and 20th overall on Saturday was not were Neil felt the potential of the bike laid. On Sunday after a few tweaks to the jetting 3rd E1/2 and 16th overall was a step in the right direction.
In the Expert class there was a major battle between the top campaigners', although only riding two laps where the Championship boys were riding three, the special test times were better than many in the Championship class. New sensation Daniel McCanney won both days ahead of Gavin Houson back from injury on Saturday and Jonny Walker on Sunday. Fraser Norrie was the top Scot in the Expert class taking 2nd E2 and 3rd overall on Saturday and winning the E2 Class on Sunday with second overall. Fraser, who is just 17 has been looking forward to riding in this event for several years now, he knows his way around Woodside motocross track and he loves the sand out in the forest. Fraser's times were up with the Championship class as he used all of his local knowledge to his advantage. This is the spring board for Fraser's assault on the British Expert Championship this year and all of the Scottish Enduro fraternity is behind him, willing him on. D 3 racing's Murray Thomson once again dominated the Expert Over 40 class despite the fact that he is not a sand specialist and he is not keen on jumps. There were plenty of both at Lossie forest and Woodside motocross track but that did not temper his performance finishing first on both days. This result will give him the lead he has been looking for in the British Championship that he has come so close to winning in the past. Allyn Scotland is focussing on the E1/4 class after a top finish at the Muntjac. Allyn always has a tough first day at the British Championships and pulls himself up on Sunday. This event was no different although 2nd E1/4 and 11th overall kept him in the hunt, on Sunday as usual Allyn finished higher with an excellent 6th overall and kept his 2nd E1/4 position. Two solid days where his fitness shone through and he kept it all in one piece despite some hairy moments. Kagen Mackenzie made the brave decision to ride in the Expert class at this event and 6th E2 and 13th overall on Saturday proved his decision was right. An expensive week had preceded the weekend with two wrecked barrels from the Scottish Championship. Kagen was riding with everything crossed, praying that the bike would hold together. Kagen dropped down the order on Sunday as the two long days took their toll but 7th E2 and 22nd overall gave him points on both days and the engine problems seem to be behind him now. Drew Harvey brought the family up for a break while he took part in this enjoyable event. Drew finished both days with his friend ex British team manager Euan Syme finishing on Saturday as he brings his competitive riding career to a close. In the Clubman Class Gethin Humphrey won both days in a class of his own with Scottish competitors David McArthur and Paul Chatham swapping places on Saturday and Sunday for the final two steps on the podium. David took 1st E2 and second overall on Saturday as he learns the ropes of the enduro scene since swapping disciplines from trials. Paul Chatham returned to form with 2nd E2 and 3rd Overall Clubman as his confidence came back after a couple of years out of the British Championship swopping positions with David on Sunday after a nail biting finale at Woodside motocross special test.
Neil Chatham had his MPS Husqvarna debut at Lossie forest near Elgin at the weekend in the Metzeler British Enduro Championship. Neil picked up the new bike on Monday on his was back from French European round. With very little time to set up the bike leading to the event, a solid 4th E1/2 and 20th overall on Saturday was not were Neil felt the potential of the bike lay. On Sunday after a few tweaks to the jetting, 3rd E1/2 and 16th overall was a step in the right direction and he is looking to build on this performance. The Husqvarna is showing great potential, the handling and the Reiger Racing suspension in particular was fantastic. I have some work to do with the carburetion and I know I can do much better once I have the bike dialled in. Mick Seward has been fantastic with his hard work and advice; it is just brilliant to be apart of the MPS Husqvarna team and to reach the podium in my class on Sunday was an added bonus. The two young guns Neil Chatham and Tom Braddock had to uphold the honour of the MPS Husquvarna Team as Alex Rockwell was unable to ride at Lossie forest while his doctors advised him he needed more time to heal before riding again and Matt Ridgeway is out for a while. Tom Braddock back from a broken foot was also lacking practise riding time as he competed for the first time in five weeks. Following a solid start on Saturday Tom had a crash on the course that cost him some time, there is still a query pending regarding a time penalty later in the day which is still being investigated and the outcome will hopefully mean an improvement in his position for Saturday. On Sunday Tom maintained a clean timesheet on the course but dropped back after a fall in the cross country test. 7th E1/2 and 18th overall Expert did not reflect the effort that had gone into his weekend. Tom commented after the event 'My bike was working just great, it was a tough event and I am not used to the deep sand and although there were no difficulties riding the course it just gradually wore you down and my time off with my broken foot started to show through'. The MPS team is hoping to have a full turnout at the British Enduro Sprint at the end of the month albeit with Matt Ridgeway as a spectator. Davies Brother BEC Scotland report It was mixed fortunes for the Davies brothers up in Scotland but overall came back down to Wales fairly happy and enjoyed the week end. With the sun shining all day on Saturday it was great to be out on the bike and riding a fantastic course with 2 quality special tests. Tudur and Gareth were riding in the experts and it was Tudurs 2nd time on the bike since round 1 of the BEC, a little rusty on the first couple of test but soon came back into it and ended 12th overall and 4th e1/st. Gareth went 2 positions better and ended 10th overall and 5th e2, but not without problems! Deciding to try and jump the log in the check after the XC test was not one of his best ideas and ended up going head over-heels in front of everybody in the check resulting in a very bent sub frame and splitting the rear pipe. Rheinallt was fairly happy with his 13th overall and 3rd e1/st on his second outing in the championship class putting in some impressive times on the xc test and had a trouble free day. Layout of day 2 was the same as day 1 and would test even the fittest with approx 7.5 hours of riding in the championship class. Tudur and Gareth was eager to improve their positions on day 1, but with Tudur smashing his foot against a stump on the first check and riding in pain all day ended up 14th overall and 5th e1/st, disappointed with his result but enjoyed the event as a whole. Gareth upped his game on day 2 with a new sub frame and rear pipe to finish 5 overall and 3rd e2, but once again without trouble with tree stumps sticking out left right and centre, Gareth found the biggest in sight and ploughed straight into it resulting in a two bike pile up and a front pipe that looked more like a pancake! Rheinallt was eager to match his result on day 1, but a few silly mistakes all day and 2 crashes on ST9 he ended up 17th overall and 4th/e1st with Neil Chatham getting the best of him on the last back to back tests! The three are now looking forward for the 3 Welsh rounds of the BEC. The next event for the boys will be the BESC on the 29th and 30th of May in Rhayader.
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Day 2 a both riders set off determined to push the leaders, they had
studied the cross-country test the evening before and found some better
lines which instantly made them several seconds quicker than the day
before and on par with their rivals. By the 2nd lap Daryl had pulled out a
30 second lead in the E1 class and looked set for an easy win, but pushing
so hard early on just took too much out of him, he crashed hard in the
Enduro test loosing allot of time and the very experienced Edmondson
sensed a chance to win and found speed he had not shown all weekend to
reel Daryl in on the last few tests and win. It was a big disappointment
to Daryl that he lost after dominating the first half of the race, but he
simply ran out of energy and could not push any harder to defend his lead.
James went one better and one his E1/2 class with a fine 7th overall in
the experts.
The Husqvarna is showing great potential, the handling and the Reiger
Racing suspension in particular was fantastic. I have some work to do with
the carburetion and I know I can do much better once I have the bike
dialled in. Mick Seward has been fantastic with his hard work and advice;
it is just brilliant to be apart of the MPS Husqvarna team and to reach
the podium in my class on Sunday was a real bonus. Richard Hay (left) was back
from injury and although not fully recovered put up a heroic ride. Not
quite the bionic man as he has always been mental strong with his
performances in the past. Richard was up with the Championship boys and
stayed clean on time on both days as he thoroughly enjoyed his two days
back on the bike.