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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. Results pending
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ENDURO
riders are aiming to raise another big sum of cash for injured
servicemen and their families.
Jon
Hinam wins Mercia Rd1 
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.
