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Mercian Dirt Riders |
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 Practice
makes perfect
Mercian Dirt Riders held a practice day at their fantastic Llangrove venue on Sunday 15th August. This was aimed at riders who were new to the sport, and riders who thought about giving it a go, bought a bike but not yet ridden it on a track and aimed to give the youngsters a sample of a Hare and Hounds Track. The club also put in several sections for the more experienced riders who they knew would also turn out for a cheap days riding. The weather was set fair for the day and the ground conditions were dry and hard. This would make for a dusty day, the club had not considered this when putting Suzi and the tea facilities next to the track, downwind. (This is like a 'Sahara sand storm' was mentioned) This was new to the club so the thought was to give the adults an hour then switch to the under 16's for an hour. The course was approximately 50% of the Hare and hound route utilising the motocross track, the bottom stream and the powdery durex wood… with easy cut outs for the less experienced. At 10am the adults started their hours riding and seemed to be having fun, around half were taking several of the easy routes (Motocross experts were also seen on this route more than once…)and the other half were sampling the stream bed (Dry at the moment) the full motocross track and the powdery climb in Durex wood. For the second hour the youngsters went out and started steadily, as the time went on you could see their confidence growing and they were thoroughly enjoying being out on the adults course with some even trying out the harder routes. This hour on hour off continued throughout the day until 4pm when most had gone home for a well earned Sunday roast. Mercian Dirt Riders would like to thank all for the hard work. Glen, Phil, Susie, and Gail for organising. Chris, Potty, James, Jimbo, the Tillings mob, Darren, Adam for Marshalling and ensuring all went smoothly on the day. Next event is August 28th at Pempergwym. Next Practice is September 04th at Clearwell chicken farm. Entries are available at http://www.cmf-engineering.com/mercian/fixtures.htm
Gareth Hopkins wins MDR Sprint Mercian Dirt Riders held their Inaugural Sprint Enduro on Sunday 17th July at the Chicken Farm Clearwell. This track is shared between the Mercian Club and the West Glos and is a mixture of fields and woods and covers around 120 acres. The Mercian track building team regulars were assisted by a few young eager helpers for this event and built a flowing track of around 4 miles in length. The experts and Super vets had an extra loop in the first wooded area with 2 log obstacles to give them another 2 minutes on their lap which was then diverted for the other classes. The weather was damp early Sunday and there was some drizzle in the air when the riders left at 9am for the sighting lap. The going in the fields was greasy and several riders managed to drop their bikes and you could see levers being changed back in the vans before the racing started in earnest. Once every rider was back and the course closing marshals gave the all clear it was decided to get the event started at 09:45 and to try and squeeze an extra lap in. First Rider away was Steve Biddle followed by Craig Thomas and then Kevin Wallace. ext up were the Super vets led by Paul Mills. Closing the first group of riders and giving the track marshals the all clear to change the track once through was Andrew Knapman who was cool as ever and kept pace with all the riders. Next up the Vets, Clubmen and Sportsmen and Lonely trail rider Rhys Evans on his trusty KMX (with slightly bent handlebars from a crash on the sighting lap). After the first lap public announcer for the day Gail gave all the riders an individual welcome back to the start (This went on for the entire day). There were lots of smiles and comparing lines through the tricky bits back at the vans, which was the whole idea of the day. After 4 laps there was a 30 minute break for Lunch which gave several of the Marshals a chance to blow out the cobwebs and have a couple of laps and Glen Thomas the chance to repair the tape (his excuse for racing around on the quad). In the afternoon session a further 3 laps were done, the feedback was that the track was getting better and better and even the rain did not affect this. Results
The Mercian Dirt Riders returned to Llangrove near Ross on Wye for the first round of their 2011 Championship on the 10th April. The full entry was rewarded with unusually warm Spring weather and an excellent Clubman course. After a comprehensive briefing and a warm up, the 3 hour race started at 11.00am. The uphill grassy straight stretched out the riders before turning them down to bottom of the valley. Gareth Hopkins (left) took the holeshot on his new Wayne Mounter KTM 350 from Nathan Etheridge. Andrew Cooper led off the Clubmen ahead of Roger Holland and Veteran Andy Smith. In the bottom of the valley the riders drop down a steep descent into the stream. Gareth Hopkins used all his MTB downhill experience to launch himself into the abyss while later riders were noticeably more cautious. The organisers had cut an easier line around the side but in the heat of the moment it went unnoticed. Later - as the riders slowed - it got more use. One hundred yards and a couple of cooling water splashes later the course climbed out of the stream into the bluebell wood and out onto the MX course. Much of the course was used a few weeks before for the British Enduro Sprint and it was still slightly whooped in places. Mild mannered Graham Chowns became Superman for a moment when his mistimed a bump. Despite a heavy crash Graham was up for carrying on but the bike was less sure. Pete Hayward also got in some air time on the fast back straight up the farm. As the riders hit the home stretch there was a second steep descent the stream that causes a couple of hold ups. At the end of the first 5 mile lap Gareth Hopkins led from Rhys Davies with Rob Breakwell in 3rd. Darren Vincent's progress was easy to follow after he lost his baffle. Gareth Hopkins was the overall winner with 16 laps from runner up Derry Milling. Derry did well as he has had a plate in his wrist for 8 months and he is awaiting for a bone graft. Neil Thomas was 3rd. Ryan Leary won the Super Vets with 14 laps ahead of Phil Gardner. Roger Holland was the best of the Clubman 2T. Lee Curtiss was the runner up. Ryan Nash's chain snapped on the line at his first event but he had no similar problem at Llangrove and clocked up 11 laps. Andrew Cooper clocked up 15 laps to take the Clubman 4T class by 2 laps from last year's best Sportsman Trevor Beck. Sportsman Steve Price retired after losing his radiator cap and John Morgan broke his throttle on his second lap but he carried on for another lap pulling on the cable. Results - Photos
Mercian Dirt Riders held the final round of their 2010 championship at Pandy near Abergavenny on Sunday 24th October. A week before the club had been laying out a course at Aberbeeg when they found the land was double booked. Unphased - the team moved to Pandy which was handy.
Mercian Dirt Riders held the 5th & penultimate round of their club championship at Llangrove in the Wye valley on Sunday 19th September. Mercian have some excellent venues and Llangrove is no exception. The gentle sloping valley has an MX track, stream crossings and woodland with nothing to worry a sportsman. Overnight showers had left the ground in good condition and the weather was overcast but dry. A full entry lined up for a leisurely start at 11.00am. The broad start line gave all the riders plenty of time to sort themselves out before they funneled into the first gate. Rhys Davies took the holeshot from Rob Breakwell in the Experts. Craig Thomas, Craig Jones and Paul Jones led away the Clubman class. Roger Holland had a flyer from the ranks of the 2T sportsmen as did Nicholas Stephens in the 4Ts. The 6 mile course was run anti-clockwise. A camber and a cornfield led to the woods. The first stream crossing had a steep exit but there were plenty of experienced marshals to develop alternative lines. Ashley Tirrings lost his front wheel on a camber and injured his hip. All the best Ashley. After 12 minutes Rhys Davies emerged out of the stream below the start and climbed up to the finish line in a clear lead. Mark Perrott was in 2nd & Rob Breakwell was 3rd. Mark & Rob had a great battle all day. Rhys Davies won the overall ahead of Rob Breakwell in 2nd and Mark Perrott was 3rd. Llangrove was the ideal prelude to Rhys' first ride in the Natterjack next weekend. Pihl Gardner clocked up 14 laps to win the Super Vets from Adrian Evans & Gareth Evans was 3rd. Darren Williams was the best of the Vets and Paul Mills was the runner up. Kevin Wallace won the Clubman class from Paul Jones & Dia Beer. With 13 laps each David Wolfe & Michael Crumb rode out of their class in the Sportsman 4Ts and Roger Holland led the Sportsman 2Ts from the start..Alan Gould gave his XR200 another airing & he won the twin shock class with 9 laps. Josh Morgan's clutch burnt out on his 4th lap but he managed to make the holding pen and he pushed his YZ over the line for a finish. - Results - Photos
After the Mercian Dirt Riders club collected £6,000 in one day for the Gloucestershire branch of Help For Heroes at its final event of 2009, this year's effort supports Welsh Warrior, the Richard Hunt Foundation. Private Hunt was the 200th soldier to die as a result of the conflict in Afghanistan and last year his family, from Abergavenny, set up the foundation in his name. The foundation provides assistance in a wide variety of ways for Welsh regiment service and ex-service personnel and their families. The trustees can help in a wide variety of ways, from specialised equipment to holidays, and grants are awarded on a discretionary basis by the trustees. The foundation is non-political and seeks to raise awareness of the real cost of war on servicemen and women. Pte Hunt's parents, Hazel and Phillip, and sister Fiona, who farm
near Abergavenny, continue to be great supporters of the club. Last November, sponsored riders helped raise £5,800 through sponsorship, and a raffle, and funds collected eventually topped £6,000. Find out more about the foundation at http://www.welshwarrior.co.uk and Mercian Dirt Riders at http://www.cmf-engineering.com/mercian
Mercia Dirt Bike Riders kicked off their 2010 season in style with their first round at Llangrove near Monmouth on Sunday 11th April. With temperatures comparable to those in Greece & Turkey, the early spring day felt more like early summer. The view was spectacular as the spectators in the start area looked across the valley at an impressive course laid out before them. The ground was in perfect condition & the start was at 11.00am. Mark Perrott took the holeshot from Jon Hinam with Sam Jones in 3rd. 2009 champion Steve Biddle was 4th. Rob Breakwell stalled on the line & he was last of the Experts away. The course dropped down into the valley & the field funneled into narrow bridge over a ditch. Only one rider found the bridge was a little too narrow. The riders then crossed a stream & climbed through a garlic strewn wood to the MX course. Jon Hinam (above - photo: Mike Davies) moved to the front & by the end of the 10k lap he had established a 20 second lead over Mark Perrott. Rob Breakwell had made his way from the back into 3rd place. By the time the riders had started lap 2, the marshals had extended the course to include more of the stream. Dereck Nicholls also included a lot of the stream into his KTM when he dropped it. Huw Lloyd Evans lost his front break lever. Sam Jones lost time when his gear selector worked loose. James Leighfeild retired when an old wrist injury re-surfaced & his hand swelled up. Andy Williams also called it a day when his KTM began to send smoke signals that it had enough.
Photos Mike Davies Richard Jones facebook
Help
for Heroes at Aberbeeg The Mercian Dirt Riders held the final round of their 2009 championship at Aberbeeg on Sunday 15th November. The event was dedicated to private Richard Hunt & all money raised will be donated to the Help the Heroes charity. Richard died in hospital in Birmingham on 15th August - 2 days after being wounded in an explosion in Afghanistan. Clerk of the Course Dave Pinney briefed the riders before the start & Richard's mother Hazel thanked them for their support. The weather for the set up crew was strictly for heroes as 100 mile an hour winds battered South Wales. The wind backed off on Sunday morning but there was still enough to whip a couple of hefty showers across the open hillside. The field was flagged away at 11.00am in 4 ranks. Shane Carless took the holeshot in the Experts class ahead of Andrew Marsh. Steve Biddle's front brake failed on the first downhill & he lost half a lap getting back on track. Kalem Hicks took 2nd. Paul Armstrong was 3rd & Dan Bishop was 4th. Super Vet Brian Collins was 5th. Clubman 2T championship leader, Rhys Davies had a great start in 7th place overall but he snapped his chain & the championship slipped through his hands like the links off the sprocket. The 7 mile course compressed a lot into a small area but there was still plenty of variation. After the start the riders dropped into a Cwm & zigzagged their way up onto the moorland. A steep loop over recently felled woodland proved to be too much for the Sportsman in the wet conditions & it was cut. By the end of the first lap, the transponder came into their own as number plates disappeared beneath a coating of mud. The pits became littered with disguarded googles. At midday a heavy shower - with a sleety feel - swept over the mountain & powerwashed the field. The rain left the course was very slick. A rocky climb into & out of a mud hole became an impromptu sauna but - for the most part - the lap held up well. There was a fancy dress prize & several riders entered into the spirit to raise sponsorship. Matt Norton of 1st Para took a mate's ride as Scooby Doo. PC Gareth Thomas was an escaped prisoner & Lee Curtis warded off the foul weather in a toxic suit & gas mask. Julian Crimp announced he will be riding the 2010 ISDE in Mexico. Asked about security concerns Julian said he rode regularly in Wales. Ouch! Shane Carless won the Premier ahead of Kalem Hicks. Both riders did 8 laps. Dan Bishop was 3rd. Leighton Roberts in 4th was one of many riders who suffered with mud in their eyes. Steve Biddle did well to finishe 5th after riding the whole race without a front brake. Brian Collins won the Super Vets & Adrian Evans was runner up. Robert Craig was the best Clubman 2T ahead of Leigh Martin. Antony Marsh won the Clubman 4T & Jeff Cripps was the runner up. Edward Davis finished on his 1983 Husky 510 & he won the twinshock class. After the event the provisional results were posted as the last man crossed the line & most of the riders stayed on for the presentation of awards in the barn. Despite the weather, the Mercian team once again put together a professional event with a real "club" feeling. Get registered for 2010. Details Full results pending Photos available from Mike Davies & All Sport Photos More photos by Bob Mullins
MERCIAN DIRT RIDERS held the first round of their 2009 Enduro series at ABERBEEG. The weather was in complete contrast to last year when it rained all day with gale force winds. The 125 riders arrived at the mountain top venue with clear blue sky and sunshine which lasted through out the event. Thhe new hard surface parking area was excellent with the signing on under a huge barn just in case of rain. Phill Hodges and his team had laid out a seven mile course including a moto cross track, rocky gullies, open going across the mountain top and steep wooded climbs. At 11-00 am the 125 riders in 9 classes started the 3 hour event, Gas Gas Uk rider Gareth Hopkins was the first to complete the lap closely followed by Steve Biddle. Riders lower down the field had problems on a steep wooded clime on the first lap but by the second lap they all new what to expect. Near the end of the 3 hours a large number of riders waited near the timing devices for the clock to signal the 3 hours not wanting to complete another lap having been well tested. Once again Mercian Dirt Bike club had provided their usual excellent course and well run event. The first aid were not called upon to treat any riders and printed results where available soon after the last rider finished. Results Round 2 Mercian Dirt Riders Enduro 17th May 2007 Season Opener Mercian Dirt Riders ran their first event of the year on June 17th and it turned out to be a great success. Thanks to landowner Joe Binns and family the club were able to set out a good course with variable terrain. Many of the riders were worried that the ground would be too wet to run after the heavy rain of the last few days but luck was on our side and the weather turned out fine. The race started with a ride through low woodland and zig zaged up the hill above Pandy the course then turned left up a fast rocky climb to the top of the hill the riders then had a leisurely ride across the top of the hill until they reached the slopes on the other side they then reached their first rocky descent, Sportsman rider Nigel Lloyd fell on this section injuring his leg which put him out of action but luckily he was not too seriously hurt. Then they did a series of climbs and descents through the gorse bushes until reaching the end of the ridge followed by a mad dash back along the bottom of the ridge. Most expert and clubmen riders thought that it was a trail ride so far but the worst was still to come. Although the club had had to cut a lot of the difficult parts out because of the weather they kept the steep descent into the farmyard in and this is where it started to get tough, it was almost impossible to ride down this hill on the first lap while keeping the bike upright however as the ground dried out it did improve but many of the sportsman riders found this part very challenging. They riders then had a good blast down the hill and back to the start. All riders seemed to have a good day and many of them commented on what a good event it was. Dave Bayliss rode most of the race on his KDX stuck in 2nd gear but still finished. Winners were (Expert and overall) Derrick Bawn from Crumlin followed closely by Martin Jakeman from Leamington Spa. (Clubman)class was won by late entry Dale Lewis from Blaenavon followed by Antony Williams. (Veteran) Gerald Poole from newbridge followed by Raymond Whittall from Shrewsbury. (Sportsman) Alan Thomas beat Dean Rhodes from Newport. (Twin shock) Robert Thorlby from worksop beat Edward Davis from ledbury. In the (Trail bike) class Ben Innes from Cleobury Motimer beat Carl Griffiths from Abergavenny.
The newly formed Mercia Dirt Riders held their inaugural Hare & Hounds at Tyr-Pwll Farm, Hardwick, Abergavenny on Sunday 27th August. The weather was ideal with thin clouds coating the spectacular Sugar Loaf mountain in dappled shade. The start was at 11am & the riders were flagged away in their classes. The 5 mile course was in perfect condition. It consisted mostly of fields plus a twisting & turning wooded section. There was plenty of room for passing & in the corners the loamy soil built up into smooth berms. At the end of the first lap Ian Saunders was the leader with Derry Milling 2nd & Phillip Gardner 3rd but by the start of the third lap Gardner had taken the lead which he held until the finish although it was a closely run thing when he had to pit on last lap giving Milling a chance to catch up. With seconds ticking away they both squeezed past the clock side by side to contest the final lap but in the end it was Gardner who crossed the line first to take the premier & Milling was the runner up. The results were posted within 30 minutes of the finish & there was a presentation. The trophies were elegantly simple columns of glass containing a pale liquid & bearing the inscription CIDER. Like the event they went down very well with the riders. The event was the final round of the 2006 East South Wales Centre Hare & Hounds Championship. Derry Milling was the winner & Phillip Gardner was the runner up. Cliff Hayward won the Veteran award. The series sponsor - Andrew Keyte of the Cwmbran Gearbox Centre - presented the trophies. He was 3rd overall. |
The weather was wet for the set up on Saturday and the overnight
sky was frosty but the Sunday morning sky was clear and the Autumn
sun soon warmed the ground. There was ample parking in the start
field which had a great view of the monumental Skirrid mountain.
The riders were all given transponders. Mark Jenkins was lucky that a
marshal spotted he wasn't wearing his minutes before the start. The 2.5 hour race
began at 11.00 am. Rhys Davies took the holeshot from Kalem Hicks and
Super Vet Phil Gardner was 3rd. Andrew Hill's Honda fell over in the Parc
Ferme & flooded the motor. He was the last away. The 5 mile course weaved through a large coppice
of hazel and oak before climbing to the top of the hill with it's
spectacular view of the Welsh borders as far as the Malvern Hills.
Stephen Price found his Husky 125 was a bit lively on the slippery
climbs. John Brown retired when he lost his clutch. The course wasn't
technically difficult but it was relentless with twists and turns at
every corner. The dappled sunlight filtering through the trees also
did it's best to camouflage the odd stump. Ross Clements took a
detour into the trees. He buckled his bars and snapped a clutch lever
but his pit crew got him running again. Mercian Dirt Riders take
safety very seriously and there was plenty of ambulance cover.
Fortunately there was little for the crews to do but enjoy the
sunshine.
Kalem Hicks took the lead on the 2nd lap. Several month away has
not undermined his ability. Kevin Wallace has won the Clubman
championship in his first year with a round to spare and he was
riding well in the Experts. Rhys Davies re-took the lead and
ran out the winner. Kalem Hicks was the runner up. Both riders
completed 11 laps. With 3 firsts and 2 seconds, Rhys has accumulated
94 points and won the 2010 Mercian Dirt Riders Championship. Brian
Collins was the best of the Super Vets with 10 laps. Terry Beecham
was the runner up and Phil Gardner was 3rd. With 5 firsts Phil had
already clinched the Super Vets Championship. Darren Williams won the
Vets from Paul Mills and Mike Wells which is the same order they
finished in the Championship. The Clubman 2t award went to Lee Curtis
with Greg Hodge in 2nd and Jason Tillings 3rd. Dia Beer's 7th was his
worst result of the season but he had the consolation of
knowing he had already secured the Championship. In the 4 strokes
Keith Roden was the quickest from Daniel Helmes and Tom Kayes was
3rd. John Holland won the Sport 2t ahead of Lee and Richard Rossiter.
Trevor Beck - with sponsorship from 
ENDURO
riders are aiming to raise another big sum of cash for injured
servicemen and their families.
The pace was frenetic. By 1.30pm the holding area
was beginning to fill up with the riders who had enjoyed what they had done.
At 2.00pm the gates were closed. Jon Hinam was winner with 14 laps & Mark Perrott was
the runner up on 13 laps. Rob Breakwell was 3rd & Steve Biddle was 4th.
Leighton "I will never ride again" Roberts was 5th. Phil Gardner
won the Supervets with an impressive 13 laps ahead of Gary Green. Darren
Williams was the best Vet from Mike Wells in 2nd. Carl Davies won the
Clubman 2T & Andrew Jones was the best Clubman 2T.
2009
Season Opener Report
& photo by Martin Harding
The
quality of Mercia is not strained.
