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Rhayader 2 Day |
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 Rhayader
2 Day - 8/9th September
The penultimate round of the Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship took place at Rhayader MCC's Cwmythig complex last weekend. Cwmythig is a great bank basking in the early Autumn sunshine with spectacular views of the Welsh countryside. The weather for scrutineering on Friday was perfect. A reluctant spectator was Daryl Bolter who is recovering from a shoulder injury & would not be competing. As the sun went down so did the temperature. The march of the motor home has changed the atmosphere of the campsites in the evening. The old days of beer fuelled banter around the Barbie have been replaced by the lilting theme of Eastenders drifting out of dozens of open windows. By nine the field is tucked up for the night & out of a starry sky, a heavy dew fell. Saturday: A misty morning & the grass was like glass. The 60 mile lap connected the Waun, Red Lion & Abbeycwmhir forests. The Day 1 schedule called for 2.5 laps from the Championship class & 2 laps from the rest. The first riders - Ollie Moyce & Simon Wakely - were flagged away at 8.30. The test was a couple of hundred yards from the start. It weaved for 7kms around the steep slope of the hillside & included the MX track with it's whoops, flat tops & Wall of Death. There was no sighting lap & no rush to be the first to take the dew off the grass but Paul Edmondson was on a new bike & in no mood to hang about. He set the fastest ST1 time. Others struggled. Jason Thomas & his Yamaha broke into a impromptu waltz on the first corner that wasn't strictly ballroom. Jonathan Williams overshot the crest of the hill & fell heavily. He broke his leg & the air ambulance was required. Most riders found the slick conditions tricky. Euan McConnell laid his TM down between the start & the test. Ian Shuttleworth, Freddie Broadway & Tyson Maytorn-Jones were wearing black arm bands as a mark of respect to ex-125 champion Vaughan Richards who died suddenly in the week. The Veterans were the last class away. Some marking came down on Stage 2 & a few riders missed a turning. It was corrected quickly but it tightened an already tight check. Ollie Moyce injured his hand. Paramedics determined that no bones were broken but Ollie decided not to continue & aggravate the injury. With so many events & championships approaching their climax, there is precious little time for recovery. From the start Robert Lynn's clutch was slipping. It was excess fluid pressure. He bled it & continued. Simon Wakely set the fastest 2nd test but Paul Edmondson maintained his lead. The timing team of Andrea & Richard Snowden were spot on with live results piped directly to spectators in the pavilion & hard copies printed out after each class completed a test. Tim Lewis injured his ribs/shoulder & retired. Nick Morgan's rad developed a leak next to the burger van but there were no eggs available. Trevor Hughes retired. His hands had not fully healed from the pounding they took at the D2D. The soil on the first half of the test was soft & sandy. Berms developed around the inside of the tight corners as the loose stuff was flung to the outside. Miss the line & the riders were play Lawrence of Arabia in the dunes. On his final test, Tom Sagar set a phenomenal time to win the day. "This is an motocross test and I'm not a motocrosser but I'm learning about it" he said afterwards. Paul Edmondson only missed the top slot by less than 2 seconds. Gerthin Price won the Experts ahead of Jon Hinam. Darren Carter did well to get his sick Honda home in 3rd but it wouldn't be starting Day 2. Gareth Hopkins was the Best Clubman & Rhienalt Davies was the runner up. Gareth from Newport is riding in his first season but his first test time would have put him into the top 5 of the Championship class. He will certainly be moving up next year. Greame Naismith was the Best Veterans & Irishman Adrian Lappin was the runner up so he was. Six Days excitement is growing. On Saturday evening Euan McConnell & Greg Evans crated up their ISDE bikes, Greg's dad Phil had ridden Greg's bike up on the road from South Wales to run it in. Sunday. Day2. Overcast but warm. The schedule was 2 laps/3 tests for the Championship & 1 lap/2tests for the rest. Mick Seward was one of several environmentalists who subconsciously tried to reduce his carbon footprint by forgetting to turn on their petrol. The fuel in the carb took them 50 yards into the test. Bugger. Daz Hughes was baffled by the sudden loss of his exhaust. Robert Lynn lost 40 minutes when his chain got jammed around his front sprocket. With very little separating the top 4 Championship riders, the final test would be a nail biting finale. Paul Edmondson set the fastest time of the day but Tom Sagar - minus 6 spokes - maintained his lead to take the Premier & Euan McConnell was the runner up. Only 5 seconds separated the top three. Following Tom's example, other riders minimised thier machines. Paul Bolton dispensed with his rear brakes & Chris Hockey ripped off the whole rear end of his bike. Jamie Paget was the Best Expert & Gethin Price was the runner up. Gareth Hopkins won the Clubman class. Graeme Naismith was the Best Veteran & Leo Cordingley was the runner up. Congratulations to Chris & Georgie Hockey who were married last week. It must be every young girl's dream to honeymoon in a dusty field outside Rhayader. Rio in October can only be second best. Results Day 1 Classes Day 2 Classes Overall Photos available from Keith Bowen KTM D3-Racing The Rhyader 2 day is always a challenging and demanding enduro, with the course usually having tough forestry going, some tight check times and a long motorcross style test of over 9 minutes. Fortunately the weather stayed dry but cool, but Saturday morning there was a heavy wet mist and the ground was like ice, the grass extremely slippy but with the ground hard underneath there was little traction to be found. The Enduro started at 8.30 am and the riders rode just 100mtr before entering the first timed MX test. About 50% of the championship class slipped off at least once and Tom was no exception, after a jump the front end just washed away and he fell but at the end he had only lost 4 seconds to the fastest driver Paul Edmondson. Test two after the 1st lap of the forest and the mist had gone and the MX track was dry and now we hoped Tom could top the leader board, but by his own admission he just did not find a good rhythm and stayed in 3rd position, still 4 seconds adrift from an on form fast eddy who had won this event 20 years earlier !! And was determined to do it again. Out in the forest there was one tight check claiming a few minutes and only several championship riders went clean, no problems for Tom here but back to the final MX and he had work to do, to figure out how to get the better of fast eddy, he attacked the final test clearly determined and finished with the fastest test of the weekend and took the day win by 1.5 seconds!. Day 2 and Tom started in incredible form but too much front brake on the test sent him over the bars in a turn and he would loose quite a few seconds getting going again but despite this he still won the test by 4 seconds !! and recorded the only test time under 9 minutes so far. The forest check times were relaxed and the course proved no problem on Sunday so it was down to just the 3 MX tests, predictably Tom won the second test but this time it was Euan McConnel chasing in 2nd position. The final lap of the forest and we had a slight problem, something had damaged several spokes in the rear wheel all on one side and as the course was so hard and rough we were naturally concerned for the wheel on the final MX test, Tom relaxed his pace to save the wheel on the big jumps but still did enough to finish winner on the day, and testament too how strong talon wheels are that he could race with several spokes missing ! and the wheel was still ok at the finish so we need not have worried. Next Event: WEC Rd 8, France 15/16th September
TM & McConnell seal ’07 BEC Enduro 3 title Electraction TM UK rider Euan McConnell is the ’07 Enduro 3 class British Enduro Champion. Topping the E3 class on both days of the fourth round of the ’07 BEC series, the Rhayader Enduro staged in Mid Wales, Euan secured the E3 title following two solid performances aboard his 300cc TM. Finishing in fourth overall and as the highest placing E3 class rider on day one Euan claimed an impressive overall runner-up result on day two, finishing just four seconds behind event winner Tom Sagar. With dry and dusty conditions at the Rhayader Enduro contrasting massively to the rain and mud of the opening two rounds of the ’07 BEC series, this year’s Rhayader Enduro proved to be a little easier than expected despite several tight checks on day one. Producing his best form of the championship to date Euan placed in fourth overall on day one, comfortably ahead of fifth placed rider Ed Jones and only eight seconds adrift of third place finisher Si Wakely. Making no major mistakes on any of the three timed tests a slightly off the pace final test stopped Euan placing higher. On day two the hillside special test once again decided the Championship class finishing order and determined to improve on his day one result Euan started the day well finishing as runner-up to day one winner Tom Sagar on the fist test. Going on to again finish second behind Tom on the day’s second test Euan, competing as one of the last riders in the Championship class, then finished as runner-up on the last test to Paul Edmondson and in doing so claimed a well deserved overall runner-up result, as well as comfortably topping the E3 class. Also producing impressive results for TM at the Rhayader Enduro were Expert class riders Jamie Paget and Gordon Clarke. Despite Gordon throwing away the overall runner-up spot on day one after clocking in one-minute early to claim an eventual finishing position of 15th, Jamie finished just 19 seconds behind class winner Gethin Price in fifth. On day two Jamie rode superbly and topped the overall Expert class while Gordon topped the E3 class with third overall. The Electraction TM UK team’s next event will be the seventh and final round of the ’07 World Enduro Championship in France next weekend before returning to the UK to compete in the final round of the ’07 BEC series, the Natterjack Enduro. Euan McConnell: “I really enjoyed the Rhayader Enduro. The checks in the various different forests were drier than they’ve been for a long time so they weren’t anywhere near as difficult as they could have been, and even though the check times were pretty tight on day one they weren’t quite tight enough to change the results at the top of the Championship class. “I didn’t really have any problem during the event. The opening test on day one was incredibly slippery but I rode pretty well. The only two mistakes I made were riding between the time check at the end of each lap and the start of the special test – I crashed twice there during the weekend. “I didn’t have any bad tests on day one but none of them were quite as quick as I’d have liked. I was just a few seconds too slow on each one. The second day was much better though – I was on the pace from the start of the day and put in three consistent tests.”
Wakely performs well at ’07 BEC Rnd 4 Current European Enduro Championship Junior E2 class leader Si Wakely produced Husqvarna’s best result at the recent fourth round of the ’07 British Enduro Championship, the Rhayader Enduro staged in Mid Wales, where the MPS Racing Husqvarna team rider finished in third overall in the Championship class on day one and in fourth overall on day two. Producing two solid results Si claimed a deserved third place finish in the event’s combined overall results. Disappointingly for Husqvarna Husky Sport Enduro 1 class rider Daryl Bolter was unable to compete following an injury sustained to his right shoulder at the recent WEC GP of Slovakia. With the Rhayader Enduro the penultimate round of the ’07 BEC series MPS Racing Husqvarna’s Si Wakely hoped to continue his recent run of good form but knew that just like last year competition would be fierce at the top of the Championship class in the Mid Wales event. But day one started well for Wakely as he recorded the second fastest time on the opening day’s first test before going on to post the fastest time on test two. With the majority of Championship class riders staying on time during the day despite several tight checks the third and final test of the day didn’t go quite as well as the first two for Si and he posted the third quickest time, which placed him in third overall at the end of the day. With Daryl Bolter unable to compete it was left to Husky Sport’s Chris Hockey to fly the Husky flag in the E1 class. Following a steady opening test Chris performed well on tests two and three to claim a solid seventh overall aboard his TE250 and as runner-up in the E1 class. On day two Wakely wasn’t able to perform quiet as well as he did on day one despite never being too far behind eventual event winner Tom Sagar. Third quickest on the opening test Si was then bumped down one spot on the second test to fourth. With little to separate the top five Championship class riders Si recorded the fifth fastest time on the event’s final test to place fourth overall on day two and third in the competitive Enduro 2 class. Although putting in three extremely consistent tests on the second day’s competition at the Rhayader Enduro Chris Hockey was unable to repeat his E1 class runner-up spot from day one and finished fifth in class. Daryl Bolter: “I knew that the chances of me racing were slim but I hoped that I’d be ok to ride as things have been going really well for me this year in the BEC. I tried to ride on the Thursday before the event but there was no way I’d be able to finish the race. The shoulder that I injured in Slovakia was just too painful. I tried riding on the Thursday before the race but I couldn’t hold on properly over breaking bumps.” Si Wakely: “The event went pretty well, I’m happy with the way I rode. It was really close at the top of the Championship class on both days. I was pleased with my third place result on day one. Although it was really slippery I had a good opening test finishing second to Paul Edmondson and then a great second test, which I won. My third test was a little bit slow though. But I’m still pleased with third overall. “The going wasn’t too difficult, although you had to push on and not make any mistakes on the tight checks. The second day was pretty similar to the first for me. I had two good tests and then my third test wasn’t quite as quick. I needed a really good final test to get third again but Tom, Euan and Paul were all really quick and I ended up fourth. Finishing third overall is great though.” Maximum Solutions Suzuki RHAYADER ENDURO PROVES CHALLENGING FOR PAUL The penultimate round of the British Enduro Championship took place last weekend at Rhayader, with the two-day meeting proving a challenge at all levels. A misty start to the Saturday morning turned the grass into ice-like conditions, making the first special test tricky for most. Equipped with his near-standard RM250 Paul Edmondson made light work of it and the famous Cymithig Hill to set the fastest stage one time. The RM250E coped well throughout leaving Paul to finish the first day just over one second behind leader Tom Sagar, after eight and half hours in the saddle. With day two running slightly shorter, and a fastest special test time put in at the end, Paul pulled five seconds back on the leader to end the day four seconds adrift and again in the runner-up position. After completing the weekend Paul commented, “With a great mix of motocross and Enduro conditions and also the use of the hills in the area, the RM performed faultlessly. I’m looking forward to the last round which is sand-based and is one of my favorite track conditions, I am expecting great results here” Rhayader Scottish Riders Report Euan McConnell who tied up the E3 British Championship at the weekend crowned a great weekend for the Scottish riders at the Rhayader British Enduro Championship. Fabulous weather greeted the competitors on Friday and the warm temperature continued for the weekend. The sky was overcast and it remained dry ensuring perfect riding conditions. The parc ferme and one of the refuelling checks was based in the centre of the 5mile special test, which made viewing easy and enjoyable for the pit crews. On Saturday morning there was a thick mist, which made the special test very slippery, some riders including Euan McConnell fell on the 100yard stretch before the start of the test. Euan did not make many more mistakes after that, finishing fourth overall for the weekend. Sunday went down to the wire when the win could have gone to any one of the top four including Tom Sagar who went on to win or Simon Wakely and, of course, Paul Edmondson. Euan pushed his TM 300 to the limit, and finished just behind Tom Sagar. Euan has won the E3 class at every round of the Championship clinching the title with three days remaining. Euan spent Saturday night packing his bike ready to represent Great Britain in Chile in November. A badly damaged hand did not stop Richard Hay finishing just outside the top ten in the Championship Class. Richard had clipped a tree at the Crychan and his hand was swollen, during the pit stops he never complained and rode on never dropping a minute all weekend. With no time penalties Richard finished 7th E1 and 11th overall. Scottish Champion Murray Thomson does not enjoy motocross special tests and a fall on the very first test in the misty, slippery conditions set the tone for the weekend for the mud specialist. Murray never lost any time throughout the weekend and he was happy to pick up as many points as he did. The dusty test with big jumps was not Murray's favourite, although he pulled himself up to 8th E1 and 13th overall Expert. There is a picture of Murray with both wheels in the air allegedly Tracy has a copy! Derek Little went out on Saturday on a mission, he showed a blistering pace and set the second fastest Expert special test on Saturday morning. Although he slipped a couple of places over the weekend Derek was out to prove a point and finished 2nd E1 and 4th overall in the Expert class. Derek managed this with a faulty front brake, or maybe because he had no front brake, you'll need to ask him. On Friday he had bled the front brake and it still caused problems on Saturday, Derek worked on the brake again on Sunday morning and it performed much better for the final special tests. Derek's dad Johnny said it would never have happened if he still had a blue bike.
Graeme Naismith blew up his Yamaha 125 the weekend before the Rhayader. Graeme had to beg and borrow parts from Ride On and Mickey Oates in Glasgow to have his bike ready for the event. Graeme was not sure what had caused the problem and spent the weekend willing his bike to the finish. In typical Naismith style he won the Veteran class on Saturday. On Sunday it came down to the wire, Graeme finished just 1.15 seconds ahead after the first special test and he finished just 0.05 seconds in front at the finish giving him the overall win for the weekend. The final round of the Metzeler British Enduro Championship is at the Natterjack on the 29th and 30th September. There are a couple of very close points between riders and it will prove a very exciting weekend with some professional diggers coming in to build the sandy special test. The last round of the British Enduro Championship is the Army MCA Natterjack Enduro in Hampshire on 29th and 30 September.
After an absence of 9 years the EMG Motor Group Rhayader 2 Day Enduro made a welcome return to the British Enduro Championship calendar on the 9th & 10th Sept 2006. The event was the 4th & penultimate round of the series & was based at the club's spectacular Cwmythig Hill complex a few miles north of Rhayader with a 50 mile lap linking Brondre Fawr, Red Lion & Bwlch Cefn Llian. There was only one test but it snaked for 4.5 miles around the start area & included the MX course with it's jumps, table tops & Wall of Death which attracts crowds of several thousands on 3 Wednesday evenings in the Summer. Clerk of the Course Malcolm Bates had also included a couple of tight checks to satisfy the purists. Day 1 dawned grey & damp but the forecast was for sun & it soon rose to burn off the haze. The tariff was: Championship (2.5 laps - 3 tests) & Experts/Clubman/Veterans (2 laps - 2 tests). The first riders (E1) were away at 8.31. Disappointingly there were only 142 starters - 38 riders having cancelled in the preceding fortnight.
The return of the Rhayader was a great success. Congratulations to everyone involved & let's hope it returns every year. Photos by Keith Bowen
Newly crowned ’06 FIM Enduro 3 World Champion David Knight claimed victory on both days of the fourth round of the ’06 British Enduro Championship, the Rhayader Enduro held in Mid Wales, and in doing so claimed the ’06 overall British Enduro Championship title with one round of the series still remaining. Competing aboard his D3-Racing prepared KTM Knighter finished day one 35 seconds ahead of Scott Euan McConnell before going on to finish close to one minute ahead of Australian Jake Stapleton on day two. Winning the opening test on day one by 13 seconds Knighter remained unbeaten during the first days competition going onto top the second test by five seconds, when he got caught up in track marking rope, before finishing 12 seconds ahead on the third and final test. At the end of the day David placed 35 seconds ahead of Euan McConnell with Jake Stapleton a further three seconds behind. With the first day having started overcast the weather improved as the day went on. With the Rhayader Enduro including two tight checks David, like the majority of the Championship class, remained on time with the day’s results being decided on the spectacular hill side motocross special test. With the weather bright and sunny from the start of the day two Knighter recorded an opening special test time 20 second quicker than his nearest competitor Si Wakely, which set himself up well for the day. Despite check times having been tightened for day two the majority of the Championship class riders again remained on time with the increasingly rough and rutted test again deciding the results. 15 seconds quicker than anyone on the second test of the day Knighter than ensured that he made no mistakes on the final test on day two and by finishing 11 seconds ahead finished 52 seconds in front of overall day two runner-up Jake Stapleton to claim his seventh day win of the ’06 BEC series.. In winning the Rhayader Enduro Knighter continued his unbeaten run in the ’06 British Enduro Championship having topped the Brandon Park Enduro, the Lossiemouth Enduro and the Tywi Enduro. David’s next event will be the final round of the ’06 FIM World Enduro Championship held in France on September 23/24. David Knight: “It’s been a great weekend for me, and it’s great that the Rhayader Enduro is back in the British championship. Winning the Enduro 3 world championship last weekend and the British Enduro Championship this weekend is great. The event itself was good – having only one test was a bit disappointing but at least it was long, so it didn’t make that much difference. Having two tight checks made up for it though, although it would have been nice if they were a minute or two tighter. I guess if it had rained then things would have been a lot different. “Day one went well. The tests were really slippery, which made it difficult to push hard. I got stuck in the test marking ropes on the second test, but that was the only drama I had really. I used a different front tyre for day two and I felt a lot more confident all day. I was pleased with the way I rode. The two back-to- back tight checks on the final lap on Sunday were great fun - it was about 40 minutes of forest riding pretty much flat out. I just have the final round of the WEC now and then I can relax a little but it’s great to have won the British championship title again.”
Electraction TM UK riders Euan McConnell (left) and Jake Stapleton shared top honours in the Enduro 2 class at the fourth round of the ’06 British Enduro Championship, the Rhayader Enduro, with Euan topping the E2 class and finishing as overall runner-up to David Knight on day one before Jake topped the E2 class and placed as runner-up to the reigning Enduro 3 world champion on day two. On day one just three seconds separated the two TM mounted riders as they claimed the first two positions in the Enduro 2 class and placed in second and third positions overall. With McConnell getting the upper hand over his Australian team-mate he recorded his best result of the ’06 BEC series as well as producing some of his best form this year. Third quickest on the opening test, McConnell then posted the second fastest test time on the second run through the motocross special before doing enough to claim the overall runner-up spot and top the E2 class on the third and final tests. Starting the day steadily Jake placed just one second behind McConnell on the second test before posting the second fastest time, and placing just 12 seconds behind Knight, on the third and final test of the day to ensure he finished as runner-up in the E2 class. On day two it was Jake that performed best of the two Electraction TM UK riders. Despite again getting off to a relatively slow start and only managing to record the fifth fastest time on the opening test Jake then recorded the second overall fastest times on tests two and three to claim his first Enduro 2 day win of the season and place as overall runner-up to David Knight. Although performing consistently on the second day’s three tests Euan failed to reproduce his day one speed and as a result placed fourth in the Enduro 2 class but as the best placed four-stroke. Jake Stapleton: “I don’t know why but I’m still struggling to feel at home on British special tests like they had at the Rhayader Enduro. I just couldn’t get going early on day one, I don’t know why. I’ve been really trying to work out where I’m losing time on tests I’m off the pace on and make sure that I improve on those areas on the next lap, which I did. I’m really happy that I was able to get quicker as the event went on and by the end of the day and was only three seconds from the runner-up spot at the finish, which I’m pleased with. “I really enjoyed the tracks in the forest, even the faster ones that I’m not usually too comfortable on. The second day went even better than the first – I was a little off the pace on the first test but then I came good towards the end of the day. The last test on day two was the only test that I had a rear brake that worked properly. On all the other tests the brake was either too aggressive or I lost it half way through the test. It was perfect on the last test and I had a really good run, which really helped me. I’m really chuffed to have finished runner-up to Knighter. The event was great, the tight checks went well for me. It’s my first E2 class win and the first time that I’ve beaten Paul Edmondson so I’m really happy with that.” Euan McConnell: “The test at the Rhayader was to my liking and I felt good on day one. I finished third on the first test and then second on the second test to David (Knight) so my speed was good. Being so tall I really have to lean the bike over in the corners and because they used fencing posts on the tests I kept hitting my fingers and hands. I had to slow down a lot more than I should have done just to get around some of the corners. Although I felt that I could have ridden quicker I was pleased to have won the E2 class. “The tests were really rough on day two and I felt that I rode a bit too aggressive – I was revving the bike too hard rather than being smooth. The tight checks were good but it would have been better for me if they were a little tighter. I had loads of silly little problems on the tests on day two. My first tests was pretty good but on the second run one of my foot pegs got stuck up, which made things tricky. A good run on the last test would have seen my first or second in the E2 class but it didn’t happen and I ended up in fourth and fifth overall, which is really disappointing.”
PAR Homes Honda Racing Fast Eddy rider Paul Edmondson claimed the '06 Enduro 2 British Enduro Championship title at round four of the '06 BEC series, the Rhayader Enduro, placing in third and second in the hotly contested E2 class. Finishing five seconds behind Euan McConnell and just two seconds adrift of Jake Stapleton on day one Edmondson then placed just one-second behind Stapleton on day two. Despite failing to top the Enduro 2 class on either day Edmondson retained his E2 British Enduro Championship title. With conditions slippery early on day one Edmondson got of to a surprisingly good start having started steadily at all previous rounds of the '06 BEC series. Posting the second fastest time on the opening test Paul then lost some time to his E2 class rivals on the second test before upping his pace on the third and final test, which saw him finish third and resulted in him claiming the same position in the end-of-day E2 class results. On day two Edmondson was back to his usual ways and finished fourth on the opening test. With the day's tight checks proving no problem for the majority of the Championship class riders Sunday's results, like those on Saturday, were decided on the special test alone. With work to do Paul recorded the fourth fastest time special test two, which resulted in an all out attack on the third and final test of the day. A full five seconds quicker than he had been on either of his first two runs through the test Edmondson leapfrogged from fourth to second in the Enduro 2 class, a result good enough to give him the runner-up E2 spot on day two and the '06 Enduro 2 British Enduro Championship title. Paul Edmondson: "It's been one of those weekends where things didn't quite go the way I'd have liked them to. I've been doing a lot of three-hour races so I guess I wasn't as fast as I could have been. That said I'm not too disappointed because I did have some good tests. I also managed to win the Enduro 2 British Championship, which is good and what I set out to do at the start of the season. I've had five wins and two runner-up places so it's been a good BEC season for me really. "Day one went pretty well really, not too many dramas. I started well, which is something I don't always do, and had three steady tests. I really enjoyed the event, especially the tight checks. Going into the final test on day two I was behind Wakely and McConnell and I managed to beat them, which I was happy with as it put me second in the E2 class after being down in fourth after the first two tests. Not beating Stapleton was a little frustrating but I was only two seconds behind him at the end of the day."
Husky Sport Husqvarna rider Daryl Bolter came away from the fourth round of the ’06 British Enduro Championship, the Rhayader Enduro, with sixth and fifth place finishes in the competitive Enduro 2 Championship class after a weekend full of accidents and incidents. Competing in only his second BEC event of the season having spent the first half of ’06 recovering from a serious wrist injury Bolter was determined to produce a good result but started the Rhayader enduro both low on confidence and feeling a little worse for wear having crashed out of the seventh round of the ’06 World Enduro Championship in Slovakia one week earlier with a partially dislocated left hip. Very much on the pace at the start of day one Daryl posted the third fastest E2 class time on the day’s opening test but then crashed heavily during one of the event’s tight checks, which de-tuned him for the second test of the day. Managing to record the seventh overall fastest time around the third and final test on Saturday having crashed heavily on the tight check Daryl needed to replace a broken clutch perch and received 60 penalty points for arriving late at the next check point. If it weren’t for his one-minute penalty Daryl would have finished in fifth in the E2 class. On day two Daryl again saw mistakes spoil his result as falls on the first and second tests pushed him down the E2 class results. Frustrated at not being able to produce the type of results he was before his wrist injury Bolter nevertheless managed to finish in fifth place in the E2 class on day two and had it not been for his two mistakes would likely have placed close to the top three. Husky Sport Husqvarna rider Chris Hockey also had a mixed weekend at the Rhayader Enduro. Placing as the fourth fastest Enduro 1 class rider on day one, and as the second fastest four-stroke, Chris then clocked in one-minute early on day two having managed to clean the event’s tightest checks. As a result Chris placed 10th in the E2 class on day two. Also competing in the Enduro 1 class MPS Racing Husqvarna rider Ricky Mair finished in eighth and sixth position.
Daryl Bolter: “I’m not sure if I haven’t given myself long enough to adjust to a 250 since coming back from injury but I just seem to be having big crashes all the time at the moment. I felt really good on day one and had a great opening test. I was a little too erratic on the second test and lost a little bit of time but it wasn’t too bad. Then on the tight check I had a big crash, which bent by bars and sub-frame. “I tried to put it behind me for day two but fell again on the first test. I had another stupid little crash on the going them before the second test. I felt good at the start of the second test but then my back end washed out, I fell, and then tried too hard to get going again. The last test wasn’t too bad as I didn’t crash but it’s not been the best of weekends. I was feeling a little deflated after crashing at the world championship race in Slovakia, now I feel even more disappointed. I guess I just need a little more time to adjust to a 250.” Rhayader British Enduro Championship, Scottish Riders report by Campbell Chatham Beautiful weather welcomed the Scottish riders to Rhayader in Wales and this made a pleasant change for this challenging event. This event has been off the British championship calendar for nine years but returned as a major event this year with a full entry months in advance. All the riders were on their bikes for eight hours on Saturday with the Clubmen only riding one lap on the Sunday. The Championship and Expert riders rode 220 miles altogether over the two days through the Welch Forests with the clubmen covering 165 miles. The special test was a mixture of the Rhayader Motocross track and slalom around the adjacent fields making spectacular viewing. Euan McConnell made a blistering start to the event on day one with special test times that were closest to World Champion David Knight. Euan finished day one in second place, as he is continuing to improve as he campaigns in the British and World Enduro Championships. Euan dropped to fourth overall for the weekend but he has now shown his potential at this level. Richard Hay finished tenth overall for the weekend as he prepares to travel to New Zealand for the International Six Days Enduro. Richard is enjoying his ride on the 125 and he has packed his six days special 125EXC off in a container the week leading up to the Rhayader. Fifth on day one in the E1 class and fourth on Sunday lead to fifth E1 for the weekend. ' I was trying to catch Ed Jones on Sunday to help my Championship position but I had a spin on the opening loop on the test that cost me some time' said Richard in his usual upbeat manner at the finish. Ricky Mair had a relatively trouble free event for him, a sticking front brake was his only concern. Ricky finished 11th overall for the weekend and continues to be the most entertaining rider to watch on the special tests with his attacking riding style. Derek Little had a difficult decision to make before the Rhayader as he was in a leading position in the Scottish Championship and a dates clash meant he could only ride in one or the other. The decision was made to ride the Rhayader, as it was one of his favourite events. Derek dropped a couple of minutes on Saturday which cost him in the class results and a broken front brake lever on Sunday slowed him down in one of the tight checks. Derek's never say die attitude saw him finish the long two-day event in 21st place in the Championship Class. Even newly crowned British E2 Champion Paul Edmonson commented that they were two very long days. Kevin Murray finished in 22nd place behind Derek as he competed during leave from the army. He is not getting the chance to ride as much as he would like due to his busy schedule. Paul Chatham rode his new CR125 in the expert class; he was hindered as the settings were too rich while the bike was running in. Paul had to replace 4 plugs during the first lap and that cost him five minutes on the course. On Sunday the bike started to run better and resulted in 8th E1. Paul was disappointed to finish 29th overall; he is looking forward to competing on the lighter machine now the carburation is set correctly. Allyn Scotland was competing in the Clubman Class and had a subdued first day; he was keen to make the most of the weekend, finishing 4th E1 and 8th overall. On Sunday he got his head down and pushed hard in his second test and won the Clubman overall for the day and fourth overall for the weekend. ' I should have pushed harder yesterday but it was very slippery at the start of the test and I did not want to go down. I rode more aggressively on Sunday and it paid off' he said afterward.
Graeme Naismith won the Veteran class overall despite riding on Sunday with his back out of place. Graeme damaged his back on Saturday and was visibly struggling on Sunday; his rival for the Championship did not start on Sunday after separating his shoulder. Graeme soldiered on, as this result will help his Championship chances as the season draws toward the finale at the Natterjack Enduro at the end of the month. King of the Clubman 17 year old K4OFFROAD Kawasaki kx125 rider Bradley King took his first BEC win at the Rhayader enduro in the clubman class. Winning Day 1 by just under 10 seconds. Falling and losing a lot of time on the last test on day 2 resulted in Brad finishing Day 2 in 2nd but still gave him the premier award for the weekend. "I struggled to get into a rhythm on the test but still managed to win day 1 by 10 seconds. On the first test of day 2 I was riding bad, and was missing ruts etc but just before the start of the 2nd test I was told that I won the first test by 7seconds. I Finally started to feel smooth on the last test when I dropped it on a corner. I lost a lot of time because I was trapped under the bike and had to push me way out. I ended up losing day 2 by 3 seconds. The checks were good, I managed to clean them with quite a bit of time to spare so that was pleasing. I really enjoyed the event and 'm looking forward to the Natterjack and hoping for another good result before moving to the experts next year" Entry List Final Instructions Previous Round Brandon Grampian Tywi
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Electraction TM UK
Husky Sport – MPS Husqvarna
The
weekend had some very tight finishes despite the test taking around 10 minutes
to complete. Neil Chatham (left) had finished 1st E1 and 3rd Clubman overall on
Saturday, his best result at a British Championship this year. On Sunday he fell
in the first test and once his dad had done the calculations it was realised
Neil was second in the E1 Class by 0.06 seconds. The challenge was to finish
ahead of Mike Bailey in the final special test at the end of the day and if he
could beat him by 3.45 seconds, the E1 win for the weekend was up for grabs.
Neil went on to set his fastest time of the weekend and clinched the E1 win.
With two E1 wins under his belt this result has pulled Neil closer to the top 3
in the E1 Clubman Championship.
The
Return of the Rhayader Report by Bob Mullins
The first test of the day was within yards of the start & was timed
on lap 1. David Knight got straight down to business by setting the
fastest ST1 time - 13 seconds faster the second fastest rider Paul
Edmondson. Euan McConnell & 
Day 2 was also a 8.31 start. The tariff dropped to 2.5 laps for the
Championship & 1 lap for the rest but the tight times got tighter.
Clubman Brett Moore increased his tariff when he had to return to the start for a
tube twice. E2 Clubman Andy Muller dropped his KTM within
feet of the end of his test but still set the 2nd fastest time in his
class. Rob Faulkner had led the Veterans class with test times 3 seconds
quicker than the fastest Clubman on Day 1 but he crashed out on Day 2
with a suspected dislocated shoulder. Paul Owens from Kings Lynn
dislocated most of the KTM gear lever but he made it to the finish with a
selection of randomly chosen cogs. Rowan Jones forgot he had used his minute at the previous check & clocked in a minute early
at the penultimate check. David Knight continued in a class of
his own but the places were all up for grabs. When the dust
settled Jake Stapleton was the runner up & Paul Edmondson was third. Edward
Jones has made a remarkable recovery from the broken leg he sustained at
Culham. He & his brother Robert both topped the E1 class with Robert taking the win by 1.5 seconds.
Darren
Carter (left) won the Experts & Sean Robinson was the runner up. Allyn
Scotland was the Best Clubman ahead of Bradley King. Graham Naismith won
the Veterans.
David
Knight - ’06 British Enduro Champion press release -
Electraction TM UK McConnell and Stapleton top E2 class at BEC Round
4
Edmondson
claims '06 E2 British title - Photo: Jonty Edmunds
Mixed weekend for Husqvarna at BEC Rnd 4
Neil Chatham was riding at British Championship level for the first
time and worked his way up to 4th 125 and fifth overall Clubman on the
first day. Unfortunately he did not see the yellow flags at one of the
checks and clocked in a minute early dropping him to 15th overall. Neil
had a difficult day on Sunday as he had bruised his ribs on Saturday and
this de-tuned his performance on Sunday finishing 19th overall. Neil had
an uncomfortable 6 hour journey home as he felt every bump on the road
home in the van.
