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Grit Off Road
PresentsButts Quarry Medley 26TH February 2012 Introducing our famous Hare and Hounds with a twist. Riders are invited to indulge in a Medley of races consisting of a 2 hour Hare and Hounds with a chance to qualify and compete in our new and exciting Butts 'Pursuit' to follow in the afternoon. The 'Classes, will be Expert, Clubman, Over 40, Over 50, Sportsmen and Senior A. Qualifying for the "pursuit" challenge will be based on a percentage of riders in each class. Position targets will be announced at the riders brief. We hope to have around 40 - 50 qualifiers. What is the 'pursuit'? A full explanation of the 'Pursuit' challenge will be given in the
riders' brief after the Hare and Hounds Race. For the press release:
The Indian summer weather hit Driffield over the weekend as True Grit Off Road hosted the final round of the 'Northern Counties Hare & Hounds Championship'. The team in the sweltering heat designed another fantastic track, adding in plenty of woodland, open straights and quarry sections. After spending all of Friday afternoon and Saturday hammering in posts, stapling arrows and putting out tape to mark the course, the track was all set up and ready to go for the 3 race format over the weekend. Looking at the line-up of riders on the entry list it was bound to be a fantastic race to round off the season. First away at 9am on the shortened track was the 'Stars of tomorrow' with the Senior B class topping the youth entry list, with 30 riders raring to go alongside the Ladies and Junior classes. Nathan Ball shot off the start line like a rocket with his rivals trailing behind him but it was True Grit's top youth rider, Dan Bewlay who finished his final season riding his KTM 85 on a high, taking the win from young gun Brandon Sharples who was on a mission but just couldn't catch Dan, finishing 1 minute 30 behind in 2nd. In 3rd place of the Senior B podium was Nathan Ball, with all the lads completing 12 laps. The Juniors on their small machines saw a larger line up than usual waiting to set off on the start line.Dawson Marriot had an astonishing ride and is definitely one to watch in 2012 as he took the holeshot from the other Juniors and led from start to finish completing 10 laps. Reece Pickersgill did enough to clinch the championship top spot by finishing 2nd behind Dawson with 9 laps, and Harrison Matthews rounding of the podium taking home 3rd place. The ladies class saw Anita Gordon off the start line first, taking the holeshot with the young girls Ellie Cooke and Nieve Holmes hot on her heels. The newest rider to the Ride Off Road UK team, Nieve Holmes on her Honda 150 had an amazing ride finishing 1st with Ellie Cooke 3 minutes behind in 2nd and Anita claiming the final trophy in 3rd position . The main race was for the adult riders, ranging from beginners to experts giving all abilities an equal opportunity to compete for a trophy. With a short race turnaround from the youth race to the adults, the track was still in top condition from the young riders. Experts and Over 40's line up saw 15 year old Luke Flack take the holeshot for the front row making it to transponders on the first lap with an incredible lead. After 2.5hours Harry Hillas took the win from Danny Morse in 2nd and Luke Flack settled for 3rd place after a battle with Morse.
Over 40's riders proved there is still life in the old dogs yet as Lee Smith took the win after completing 14 laps ahead of Chris Cooper in 2nd and Paul Hamilton in 3rd both completing 13 laps. Ben Murphy upped his game from the last race moving into Clubman E1 and still took home gold from Michael Kay in 2nd and ex Senior A rider Lee Sealey in 3rd. Reece Morewood, fresh from the Natterjack last weekend took the win of the Clubman Open class with young motocross rider Coby Wright in 2nd and Joe Wheeler rounding the class off with 3rd all completing 13 laps. Sportsman E1 Championship winner Kris Weston, showed a phenomenal ride completing 13 laps. Kris finished 6 minutes ahead of Callum Morewood in 2nd. James Heaney collected 3rd place taking home another trophy to balance out his mantel piece. Andy Johnson and Matty North had a close battle but Andy piped Matty to the post by 48 seconds. 3rd place went to David Haith all completing 13 laps.
Senior A class saw Isaac Archer chased young Michael Tatham who showed a exceedingly good battle for the majority of the race but Michael just couldn't hold on any longer, losing his win two laps from the end, leaving the lads only 12 seconds apart through the finishing gate. Jade Gordon completed the podium with 3rd place. The Hobby Beginners saw an outstanding ride from Steve Johnson who completed an extra 2 laps up on 2nd place Adrian Fickling and in 3rd place was Shane Syrett. To finish the day off, the quads were set away at 2.15pm. In the expert class after an extremely late entry, Scott Woodhead started a lap into the race and still managed to bring home 1st place. Big thank you to the Quad riders for their continued support of our events. True Grit Off Road would like to thank Remote Services and Steve the medic for keeping us safe during the weekend. Results
Soaring temperatures hit Butts Quarry over the weekend as team True Grit Off Road hosted 'The Elite Ironman / 2 Man Team Challenge'. The team set up the track, adding a few different routes using the best lines, weaving in and out of small areas of woodland and across the old MX track. Keeping hydrated was going to be a must as the track gave no rest to riders as the sun continued to beam down over the venue with not even a slight breeze around. Sunday kicked off as the sun shone down upon the start line, in the base of the quarry at 9am as the 'Stars of Tomorrow' lined up with their team partners. The youth riders were given a taste of the 'Le Mans' start as they were asked to stand behind the marked line, leaving their race partner holding their bikes as they too were filled with excitement. As the flag dropped the young guns began to run to their bikes and it was top Senior B rider Dan Bewlay who fired up his borrowed KX 85 first, and blasted his way towards the holeshot corner followed by Nathan Ball and Nieve Holmes. Dan had Nathan hot on his heels as Nathan had his mind set in gear and wasn't letting the TGOR's rider out of sight! Team mates Dan Culkin and Jamie Dilworth stood and watched anxiously from the pits as a simple mistake from either rider could have been fatal to their positions. Robbie Wallace was the third rider to appear on the first lap not far behind his two rivals. Rider # 1, Dan Bewlay was forced to pull into the pits and quickly swap with his team partner Dan Culkin, as he appeared to have a flat tyre, leaving Culkin to continue the race in second position. Dan Culkin pushed hard, riding out of his comfort zone to catch Nathan when he took a nasty fall just a few laps into his session, aggravating a reoccurring knee injury. As the race carried on, Jamie Dilworth swapped with his race partner Nathan Ball who was in first place. Ross Johns took over from Robbie Wallace in second and Nieve Holmes swapped the transponder with birthday girl Sarah Thomas in 3rd place. The race moved towards the finish after 2 hours of excitement, with all the teams swapping positions continuously, the gate was closed and it was Jamie Dilworth and race partner Nathan Ball who won the race with 23 laps followed by last minute entered riders, Ross Johns and team partner Robbie Wallace in second and Dan Bewlay and Dan Culkin in 3rd both with 22 laps. The only girls' team of the youth race, saw Nieve Holmes and Sarah Thomas finishing 4th. An excellent effort from the girls against all the youth lads and a great way for Sarah to celebrate her 13th Birthday! Now for the Elite Ironmen and Ironmen teams,
Throughout the whole 4 hours, Butts Quarry saw sweat, rising temperatures, fast pit lane changes, ironmen slow down, and rivals battle the race out swapping positions relentlessly. Team members were back and forth to the rider position and lap times screen, to make sure their race strategy was working to plan and holding that very important class position. Expert ironman class saw the unstoppable Ironman Damian Butler (top) get into race mode, keeping a consistent lap time throughout the 4 hours with his close rival Alex Owen riding on his tail through the race, both notched up an amazing 35 laps. Damian pushed hard to keep Alex off for the final lap and beat him to the finish line with only 8 seconds separating them. Andrew Sykes with 31 laps took the final podium place and took home the third place trophy. Expert Team class was dominated by Danny Morse and DBT rider Jordan Botchett. True expert rider Danny Morse put the fastest lap of the race in with 5 minutes 20 seconds, claiming the win two laps ahead of the 'Bald Brothers' Ryan and Daryl Patrick in second. Dirtbike-Traxs' top man Pete Botchett hitched up with Speedwell Motorcycles' Paul Hamilton for a dab at the expert class and proudly took home 3rd place. Clubman Ironman saw a brilliant performance from Daniel Haswell as he battled his way through 4 hours of heat, and arduous riding to put in an expert amount of laps, taking the win from Richard Graham in second with 32 laps ahead of Mark Paine in third. Clubman Team class was won from start to finish by Team Solan, Matt & Richard, as they took the hole shot and finished the race 1 lap up on Lee Stansfield and Dan Hunter in second. Team DST members Craig Parker and Neil O'Leary took a well deserved 3rd place win back to Normandy Barracks at Leconfield, East Yorkshire after completing 28 laps.
Sportsman Team saw Jamie Bullock and MX rider Ashley Thompson take the lead for most of the race until Brad Thornton with race partner Dave Rushton catching the team up and pull an overall 5 minute lead ahead of the guys leaving Jamie and Ashley to take second place two laps ahead of Dave Thornton and Andy Rushton. True Grit Off Road would like to thank Remote Medical Services for their continued support, our Sponsors, Riders, Marshals and Spectators for the support they have given over the weekend at Butts Quarry and a special mention to our growing Military competitors of Team DST from Leconfield, who had nine riders competing this weekend at Butts Quarry. A big well done to everyone, and thank you. Results True Grit Off Road's next event is at Driffield for Round 9 of the Northern Counties Hare and Hounds Championship on 2nd October. Hope to see you all there. Next championship round is Round 6 at Bolton By Bowland on 17th July run by Dirtbike-traxs. Enter Via www.dirtbike-traxs.com Report By Gina Bewlay
Round 4 of the Northern Counties Hare & Hounds Scramble Championship was hosted by True Grit Off Road at MOD training ground in Driffield, East Yorkshire. The team designed another fantastic track adding in plenty of woodland, open straights and quarry sections. After spending all of Friday and Saturday hammering in posts, stapling arrows and putting out tape to mark the course, the track was all set up and ready to go for the 3 race format over the weekend. The youth and lady race kicked off the day at 9am with the young riders aged 7-15yrs all eager to hit the track for their 90min race. True Grit's very own rider Dan Bewlay powered his KTM85 off the start line taking the holeshot followed closely by Tom Rial and the rest of the senior B's and ladies. It was Dan Bewlay who came through the transponders first and led the race from start to finish with an extremely impressive fastest lap of 8 minutes 25 seconds, completing 11 laps in total. The battle for second position was between Ben Schneider and Nathan Ball, whose lap times were consistently around the 9 minute mark. Ben snatched 2nd place from Nathan by just 21seconds leaving Nathan to collect 3rd place. The ladies class saw a close battle between the top 3 riders, as Anita Gordon, Ellie Cooke and Nieve Holmes were all out there for a fight to claim the trophies. Nieve was last off the start line giving her the only option but, to push herself harder than ever before to catch the other ladies and managed to bring herself into 3rd position, where she remained for the majority of the race. It wasn't until the last lap that Ellie Cooke came into view which made Nieve's mission 'possible' to move herself even higher up in the results table. Just a few corners to go until the race was over, Nieve made a quick move, overtaking Ellie but ran out of time to chase Anita. Anita kept the pace strong throughout the race and took the top spot from Nieve in 2nd and Ellie Cooke in 3rd with only 8 seconds separating up the girls.
The main race was for the adult riders, ranging from beginners to experts giving all abilities a chance race. It was an impressive line-up with upwards of 200 riders on the start line all filled with adrenaline and raring to go. With a short race turnaround from the youth race to the adults, the track was re-directed to extend the morning track, adding an extra loop for the main race. It was Expert first timer, local school boy Luke Flack who powered off the line to take the holeshot closely followed by Grant Hacking, who quickly took the lead from the youngster. Current British motocross points leader Brad Anderson was battling through the pack after setting off last, putting himself in 2nd place after just one lap. As the race went on the top 2 riders, Ryan Voase and Brad Anderson battled it out, but it was Anderson who took the win from Voase by just under 2 minutes and Danny Morse finished 3rd all completing the most laps of the day. In the very competitive class, the over 40's, Ian Barnett completed 12 laps and took the win ahead of Howard Blundell in 2nd and Ashley Jones in 3rd. Clubman E1 saw a close race between Ian McMahon and Michael Smith, Ian just had that extra bit of energy left and pulled away giving him a small lead to take the win from Michael Smith in 2nd and James Allinson in 3rd. Clubman Open class saw a remarkable performance from Rideoffroad UK's rider Rob Dawson on his GasGas who claimed top spot with and extra lap against Danny Clarke in 2nd and Michael Kay less than a minute behind, taking home 3rd.
The Senior A class saw an incredible race as Michael Tatham returned back after spending a few years riding motocross. Championship leader, Lee Sealey had his work cut out as Michael never left an event without the top spot trophy. The two youngsters battled it out from start to finish, chasing each other in and out of the woods for the whole 2.5 hours. Michael came through the finishing gate only 43 seconds ahead of Lee who took 2nd place. Dirtbike-traxs rider Jade Gordon pushed herself throughout the race, matching the top boys 11 laps to take home 3rd position. Hobby class was shown how it was done by beginner Oliver Leddy who took the win by 24 minutes ahead Shane Syrett in 2nd. Team DST rider from Leconfield, Major James Brown finished off the podium and took 3rd. The final race of the day began at 2.30pm as True Grit Off Road offered
a 90 minute race for the Quad riders. As always at Driffield just before
the Quads are about to set off, the wind picked up and it poured with
rain, but that didn't worry any of the rider as they all were ready and
waiting to go on the start line. Expert class saw an astounding ride from
Lindsey Duke who clocked up 11 laps and took away 1st position followed by
Matt Alberti with 9 laps claiming 2nd. Lewis Ryan was in 3rd but was
forced to retire after 30mins. True Grit Off Road would like to thank the Sponsors, Riders, Marshals and Spectators for the support they have given over the weekend at Driffield. With a few special mentions to the East Riding TRF for their continued marshalling support, Ultralife for their offer of free tasters of their Energy Products and goodie bags for all of the main race class winners, DP Brakes for their offer of pads at greatly reduced prices to riders with proceeds going to help our TGOR Riders to enable them to compete at the highest level. Finally we welcome our growing Military competitors especially to the Team from the Queens Royal Lancers (QRL) and Team DST from Leconfield, good to see you guys. The next TGOR event is on 2nd/3rd July at Butts Quarry, Derbyshire for an Ironman/Team event, details out shortly. Report by Gina Bewlay Photo by Sonya Bewlay
A Voase to be reckoned with True Grit Off Road kicked off the Putoline & Eurotek KTM sponsored Northern Counties Hare and Hounds Championship with round 1 at the old favourite venue at Driffield, East Yorkshire with an entry of nearly 300 riders. Working hard over the last few weeks, the True Grit team put together a fantastic track for all abilities using woodland, quarry and fast flowing sections, with a shortened version track for the youth race. The day got under way as the sun shone across the track at 7.45am as the young riders queued up to sign on. After a message from the broken down medics the youth race had a slight delay but got underway at 10am as Martin Field set away the riders on their 90 minute Hare and Hounds Scramble. Doltan Shannon led the Senior B's off the start line taking the holeshot, but it was Tim Gardham who took the 1st place win with an outstanding ride, the only rider of the morning race to complete 16 laps, closely followed by True Grit Rider Dan Bewlay who sadly missed out on getting the 16th lap by only 2 seconds, 3rd place went to Billy Steinman who was 6mins 47 seconds behind Dan Bewlay but also completed 15 laps.
The adrenaline kicked in for the juniors as they watched the other classes set away They rode on the smaller bikes ranging from 50cc to 65cc and some as young as 8yrs old, but after an outstanding race it was Dawson Marriott who completed 11 laps with a 1 minute 35 second lead on Oliver Dougherty who was closely followed by Cain Tailford also completing 11 laps.
It was excellent rider Ryan Voase who showed everyone how it was done with the fastest lap of the day of 9minutes 24seconds, completing 16 laps. Adam Smith turned up with a late entry but proudly took home 2nd place with 15 laps and in 3rd place Alex Owen with 14 laps. Clubman E1 winner David Appleyard snatched the winning spot from Harry Eccles by 15seconds and Luke Gorse taking home 3rd all completing 14 laps Ride Off Road rider Rob Dawson led the clubman open class from start to finish on his Gas Gas and took 1st place with Steven Watson claiming 2nd 1 minute 21 seconds behind, both completing 14 laps and Matthew Ward in 3rd just missing out on the 14th lap by 3 seconds. In the over 40's class of 28 riders it was Stewart Mowbray who showed a fantastic performance with a lead of just under 5 minutes over David Salkeld in 2nd and Rod Heald taking 3rd . Sportsman E1 was won by young Mike Gilby who rode most of the race without a clutch with J.Webster just under 3minutes behind in 2nd and Julian Holmes in 3rd all completing 13 laps. Sportsman Open was an extremely popular class with 52 riders all competing for the top spot. Andrew Page just got through transponders 34 second before Simon Jenkins taking the win from Jenkins rider 302 in 2nd and Shane Marriot in 3rd all completing a strong 13 laps. Senior A containing riders of 14 - 16years on 125cc bikes was led from the start line by new True Grit rider Gina Bewlay who was very keen off the start taking the holeshot but soon was over taken by Lee Sealey who took the win, 4.5 minutes ahead of Henry Blundell and Isaac Archer in 3rd all completing 12 laps of the circuit. Finally in the adult race was the hobby class for beginners where Alan Moorhouse with 10 laps took a well-earned win from Rob Marchant in 2nd and Mark Payne in 3rd.
Dave Thornton won the clubman/4x4 class nudging an extra lap on the rest of his competitors with 15 laps, he was followed in by Steve Johnson and Matthew Ambler in third both with 14 laps. The three riders posted times that would have seen them sit comfortably in the middle of the expert pack some riders to watch out for next year when they move up perhaps? Scott Woodhead and Jack Naylor fought hard throughout the race to achieve 14 laps which secured there 1st and 2nd place result respectively in the sportsman class, and pulled two laps on their nearest competitor Jason Hill who finished in third. Finally TGOR would like to thank all the riders, marshals, medical cover and admin staff for making this a fantastic event and we very much look forward to seeing you all in May. Next round of the National Cross Country Championship is on the 19/20 March at Ellington Banks Ripon. Results Report by Gina Bewlay. Photos by Sonya Bewlay
As an unwritten rule for TGOR race reports, we usually avoid any mention of the weather conditions……however……on this occasion 'by god' didn't the heavens opened. Despite 48 hrs of almost continuous rain true grit off road were determined to prove Driffield xc can ride wet or dry . And what a spectacle it made, 9 am sharp the 60 strong youth and Ladies class soon put the smiles back on their faces with some sideways action around the sweeping holeshot corner. Straight into the lead was Number 1 Billy Steinman closely followed by the mixing and changing senior B and Lady competitors. After a 1 minute interval the junior class pinned it down the straight.
A well done to all riders in 25 years TGOR have never experienced those conditions , And Thank you all for your grate support we look forward to 2011 with you , www.truegritoffroad.org.uk also add us on facebook. Pics by CH-Images
Once again the partnership of True Grit off Road and Dirtbike-Trax proved to be a successful one with them providing an excellent Bank holiday weekend of XC Racing at Butts Quarry MX/XC venue… With perfect summer weather in the whole of Yorkshire these last few weeks, the Organisers were slightly worried with the rain forecast in Derbyshire. Despite this factor the team were determined to create an alternate fast flowing fun course for their 140 strong entry list!!! Sunday 9am sharp the race hungry youngsters darted into the first corner with Dan Bewlay taking the Senior B holeshot, closely stalked by Billy Steinman, Dan Suddaby and Matt Clark. Archie Flack took the early lead in the Juniors Class while Ben Turner, Dan Clark and Sol Coburn battled for second position. The young guns weren't phased by the ascends and descends despite the wet weather. Great determination was shown by Toby 'No Fear' Flack holding it open on his KTM 50cc Auto, Class Positions were exchanged throughout the 1.5hr Hare Scramble. Eventual overall winner was Dan 'Scrub' Bewlay with 2nd merit going to Billy Steinman and Kwak rider Dan Suddaby in third, Junior Class proved to be a great Battle with Ben Turner taking the gold over Archie Flack in 2nd and Sol Coburn in 3rd. Well done to all of the Young competitors. Parents later commented on how at ease they felt having a Mobile Paramedic circling the course aboard his KTM exc, 11am on the dot - Race Director Martyn Field set off the Iron men as they limped and dived and dashed doing what ever means necessary from the le mans style start into their 4 hour challenge around the testing Butts Course. At a minute interval the Iron teams' first rider raced into battle, who would get the clean run up 'The HILL' ?? The First Hour into the event, if the rider didn't enjoy themselves the spectators certainly did with the weather conditions creating major problems for some riders, 1.5hrs past and the waterfalls stopped, the riders were able to get into their rhythm , with racing, tactics and team work in all classes. Overall Iron Man winner was Expert Tom Braddock an impressive 3 laps in front of his closest rival Karl Waltho. 2nd. Expert Iron Man was Liam Eddlestone with James Goodall in 3rd, Karl Waltho 1st place clubman followed by Ian Coburn in 2nd and Luke Flack in 3rd closely followed by Reece 'Ginger Nut' Morewood in 4th place. Sportsman Iron Man Winner from Start to finish was Darren Skilling, with Karl Chadwick 2nd and Craig Hope 3rd. Expert Teams proved to be the days entertainment after the slop had dried and all riders found their grip. A close battle between team Biff/ Brewster - Team Samson/Healy and Team Houson/Ward scoring laps within seconds of each other. Expert Iron Team eventual winners were Lincoln Brewster and Biff Smith. 2nd Place went to Tom Healy and Lee Samson, with Gav Houson and Liam Ward in 3rd place. Clubman Iron Team Trophy went to Rob Pearce and Neil Marshall. 2nd place to Ed Field and J. Allen with Howard Blundell and Stuart Goodall in a very good 3rd. Sportsman Iron Team was clearly won by Ian Hayworth and Joe wheeler 2 laps clear of 2nd place Tom leoard and Craig Emmerson with Scott Thompson and Stuart Thompson in 3rd. Well done to all riders who showed an impressive ride with only a handful of DNF's despite the morning showers, not a single reported injury which is great news. Thank you very much for attending the IRON MAN Challenge and a big thanks to all Marshalls, spectators and riders for making this a easy fun weekend. Hope to See you all At DBT's New Venue - Manby Motoplex for round 9 of The National Putoline Hare scramble championship 18th, 19th September Thanks from the TGOR Team.
2010 Rnd 5 National Putoline Hare Scramble Championship 30th May was hosted by Team True Grit Off Road at the ever popular Driffield Venue, East Yorkshire. The large amount of effort to bring a new flowing virgin course was more than worth it with the great feedback received after the days racing. At 9am sharp the race director set the Hare Scrambles young up and
coming stars and ladies class off the start line into there 1.5 hr event.
In the senior B Class Michael 'Spike' Gilby got the hole shot with Dan
Bewlay and Billy Steinman closely battling for second position. After the
1 minute interval the ladies class steamed to the first corner to battle
for first, in contention was Ellie Cooke in her first ever event.
Lee Sampson took the Lead during Lap 3 and pulled an impressive gap but unfortunately on his 5th lap his rear wheel collapsed forcing him to DNF. Young Scott Took advantage of this and rode a solid impressive race to win his first expert event after racing senior A in 2009. An exciting 2nd place went to Alex Owen only 1 second in front of David Wilson eventual Expert 3rd all on 9 laps. Over 40s was won by Simon Bastow with Steven Pattison 2nd closely followed by Chris Ball 3rd. Clubman E1 was extremely close with a 55 second gap between 1st and 3rd. Darryl Tate brought it home with Liam Eddleston in 2nd and the very talented 16yr old Jane Daniels in 3rd. Clubmen open was won by Lee Stansfield in 2nd Chris Cooper and 3rd Ryan Patrick all on 8 laps. The competitive Sportsman E1 Class had Barry Cox in first nearly
2minutes in front of Darrell Patrick who in turn was a minute ahead of 3rd
place Richard Bentham all on 8 laps. Sportsman open was a close battle
through out with a unbelievable 4 tenths of a second gap between 1st and
2nd Sam Alderman just nipped it over Darren Simpson with Gareth Hawkins in
3rd. The 40 plus entry in Novice class was won by Mark Stimson in 2nd Sam
Obrian and 3rd went to Paul Daley-Smith all on 7 laps. Senior A Class saw
Jade Gordon take 1st place Callum Morewood 2nd place and in 3rd was Gina
Bewlay for a Bewlay 2nd and 3rd in the senior Classes. Clubmen/ 4x4 winner Andrew Dixson showed an impressive ride with 9 laps in 2nd with 8 laps Steven Johnson and 3rd Andrew Kelly on 7 laps. Sportsman Quads saw 15yr Old Lewis Robbie Ryan show the way with 9laps and a 6 minute lead over 2nd place Richard Croft 8 laps and Mathew Ambler in 3rd also 8 laps. As always it proves our events cater for all levels of rider abilities with only a small handful of DNF's which is great to see!! Results TGOR would like to thank you all for your continuing support and hope you all enjoyed the weekends racing , look forward to seeing you at Butts Quarry Team/ Iron Man event 4th July 2010. Also a very big thanks to Doug and the rest of his East Yorkshire TRF lads for the very professional manner in which they marshalled the event , look forward to teaming up with you for future TGOR events.
The TGOR team had been hard at work over the previous few weeks to give the riders another well organised event with a track layout that would suit all standards of riders. The weather was always going to be a huge factor over the weekend with the forecast being very unsettled. It was a cold, early start on the Saturday for the 10 fortunate riders who managed to secure a place on the training session run by former MX GP rider Ryan Voase. The feedback on the training session was a resounding success, with everyone who attended finding Ryan's expertise and knowledge a huge benefit. Clerk of the Course Martyn Field got the afternoon race festivities underway with the kids and ladies classes. Just as the clouds came over and delivered the first of many rain showers, Luke Flack got the hole shot and led the pack way into the distance with Spike pushing him hard. Luke maintained his lead all the way to the flag with Michael Gilby finishing 2nd and Tim Gardham coming in 3rd place. With the rain coming in fits and starts throughout the afternoon the younger class of Juniors had to work extremely hard to battle the slippery conditions. Ben Turner put in a fantastic performance to come in 1st place, completing 5 laps of the course and 6 minutes ahead of 2nd place rider Brandon Sharples with 4 laps and Archie Flack in 3rd also completing 4 laps. In the Ladies class Jade Gordon romped home completing an astounding 5 laps and a massive 16 minutes ahead of 2nd place rider Gina Bewlay on 4 laps and 37 minutes ahead of 3rd place rider Emily Schneider who completed 3 laps. Next up it was the turn of the Quads to brave the now very wet and slippery riding conditions, especially in and around the wooded sections. With a health turnout from the Quad fraternity the sound of the starting horn at 15:00 was drowned out by the thunder of the expert class, followed by the Clubman and Sportsman classes. The conditions proved to be extremely difficult for man and machine in all 3 classes, with a significant number of DNF's throughout the 1½ hour race with the weather alternating between heavy downpours and brilliant sunshine. All top 3 riders in the Expert class completed a very respectable 7 laps, however it was David Baldwin who came out on top over 2½ minutes ahead of Andrew Vernon in 2nd and Peter Heap only 24 seconds behind Andrew in 3rd,. All completed a remarkable 7 laps. Steven Johnson came in 4 minutes ahead of Tim Cark to claim 1st place in the Clubman class, with Mark Scott in 3rd, all on 6 laps. In the Sportsman class it was John Kerwin who led throughout and finished some 15 minutes, almost a full lap, (time for a move up in class one thinks!) ahead of 2nd place Matthew Ambler, with Paul Robinson close behind in 3rd place. Alterations to the track on Saturday night were made ready for Sundays Adult solo race to include the famous quarry section. That night the TGOR team hoping for some brighter, drier weather. Sunday morning and bright skies, had the crossing of fingers paid off it seemed so, but as the riders lined up the heavens decided to open up and continued with the same pattern of the previous day. The egar 300+ riders were not going to let a little rain spoil their fun including Graham Jarvis, looking fresh and raring to go after his monumental result at Hells Gate in Italy, Army BEC championship rider Kev Murray, mad for a bash at the National Putoline Championship between his operational commitments overseas. The Experts were set off first with Harry Hillas battling it out with Damian Butler for the hole-shot, it was Harry that came out of the first corner slightly ahead and increased his lead, clocking in a good 30 sec ahead of Josh Bendell, who fought hard for the second place spot after the first lap. Harry Hillas was untouchable over the 3 hour race and maintained the 1st place spot right to the end. The battle for the 2nd and 3rd places was a different story with the Josh Bendell, Kev Murray, Graham Jarvis and Tom Healy all battling each other and the treacherous conditions. Bike trouble with an engine misfire saw Graham retire after 3 laps, leaving the other three to try and eat into Harry Hillas's lead. Josh Bendell was the next to retire due to injury after clipping a tree in one of the tricky wood sections. Tom Healy maintained the second spot for most of the race until a bad crash allowed the experienced Kev Murray in to claim 2nd place some 5 minutes behind Harry Hillas, Tom Healy managed to hang on to 3rd place, a mere 1½ seconds ahead of Craig Reynolds who early in the race recovered from a pretty spectacular off coming out of one of the many wood sections. All three completed 9 laps of this demanding course. The wood sections would prove to be the down fall for a many riders on Sunday, with the continuous rain making the tracks through them deeply rutted and extremely slippery. James Reeves led the Clubman E1 class into the first corner, but it was Jack Colley, back for his first race after breaking his collar bone mid way through last season, who was first through the gate after the first lap. Jack's lead didn't last long as Ashley Crossley fought hard to take the 1st place with 8 laps and 5 minutes ahead of Jams Reeve in 2nd and Ian Harrison in third. It was Andrew Hornshaw who led the Clubman Open class into the first corner and it was a very tight contest for the top three spots right to the end, with only 2 minutes separating them. Andrew Hornshaw triumph into 1st place with 8 laps, 1 minute ahead of Lee Smith in second and Steven Watson another minute behind also on 8 laps. The Over 40s class showed many of the younger riders how to tackle these testing conditions being the only class to have all their riders finish the gruelling 3 hours. Phil Smithson claiming 1st position with 8 laps local lad Rod Heald a true veteran of Driffield cruising in 1 minute later also on 8 laps. Chris Bursell claimed 3rd spot with 7 laps. In the Sportsman E1 Class Mike Slater put in an impressive 7 laps to
claim 1st some 7 minutes ahead of 2nd place rider Jack Midgley and
closely followed by Chris Perry in 3rd with 7 laps. Sportsman Open had
Lee Stansfield dominating the class in 1st place with a massive 12
minutes ahead of William Charnook in 2nd and George Stanley in 3rd. All
three achieved a respectable 7 laps. Finally Darren Skillin, still buzzing from his Dirtbike Traxs Winter series overall win, in 1st place in the Novice class with Justin Sizer hot on his heels in 2nd, both managing 7 laps. Maybe a move up to Sportsman for these two is now on the cards ! Jason McGarry fought hard for his 3rd place and came off looking fresh and chuffed to bits with his 6 laps. Once again a fantastic weekends racing was had by all, brave determined riding in all the classes both young and old in what was by far the hardest conditions seen at Driffield for many a year, a big thank you from the True Grit Off Road team to the local TRF group who marshalled doing a great job also would like to thank all those that took part and hope to see you all at the next round of the championship at Butts Quarry over the weekend of 13/14 March. If you can't wait till then booking in for the Fun race at Ellington Banks, Ripon on the 28th Feb. More photos by Andy Greenwood
BIFFSTAR SHINES IN DRIFF WIN Sunday dawned with clear blue skies and warm sunshine as the hoards of riders started to arrive for the 10, 30 am start, with a start grid approaching 300 riders this event and the national putoline hare scramble championship was once again attracting the masses, the event was to be run in 2 x 90 minute sessions with both sessions scoring championship points this was to make up for a round lost during the wet summer. On the front row ready for the off were the 040 and experts and bang on 10.30 starter martyn field set the race in motion. 040 rider Ian Shannon took the RAS sport hole shot award and lead the first group around the mx section, after the other groups were started all eyes were focused on the final set of woods to see who would emerge first and the first rider insight was Aaron Holmes on a Craig KTM with harry hillas hot on his heels, the biffstar was in third on the team sandiford husquvarna. As this leg of race progressed hillas took the lead with biffstar moving in to second, the promising young midlander Joe deakin had pushed in to 3rd place on the husky sport 125 and was fighting hard to close biffstar down but he couldn't catch him and the first leg ended with harry hillas taking the win from biffstar and deakin the riders now had an hour break before the restart, the break was much welcomed as the riders seemed to have been pushing harder than in a 2.5 hour duration race possibly knowing they had a hours recovery time . after a quick refuel and a drink the riders took up positions on the start grid and for the final time in this series starter martyn field gave the 10 second warning but before he could finish the countdown a unknown rider started his bike and the final race of the series was under way as the riders emerged out of the dust on the mx section and sped towards the first of the plantations it was the biffstar on board the sandiford husquvarna x lite that was in the lead , as the spectator gathered around race control for the riders to complete the end of the first lap it was the biffstar who came into view first as he clocked through race control he had a commanding lead of 45 seconds over second place man harry hillas , Joe deakin needed to reel the biffstar if he was going to win the championship and the £1000 first prize, but this time it was a step too far , as biff went on to win the race and the championship , second in the experts was Oliver hart with 3rd place going to josh bendel. In the clubman E1 class niki walker took a win in the first race and a 5th in the second race Stuart Gordon will be pleased with 2 second places, super smooth David slaked made the job look easy in the 040 class with 2 wins, Simon bastow picked up a second and a 4th place in this very competitive class, in the sportsman E1 class James reeve was the best rider with a 1st and a 2nd , levi Johnson won the 1 leg in the clubman open , Elliot Shaw took the first leg win in the sportsman open while martin Dawson jnr took a win and a 3rd . The TGOR team had provided another superb event with slick event management and a transponder timing system that provides accurate results even through the clouds of dust that reduced visibility. Well, what a championship it's been, For the 3rd year, the events have struggled with the weather through the summer months, but thanks to the riders for supporting the championship in such numbers. and a big thanks to putoline for their support and fantastic prize fund , next year promises to be as good if not better as once again the hard working teams from TGOR and Dirtbike-traxs join together to provide the 2010 championship with dbt already looking at new venues . Don't forget the presentation night Harrogate town football club Saturday 5 December.
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The Chief Marshal made some slight changes to the track, adding an
extra loop to gear it up a step for the gruelling 4 hours of the Ironmen
and the 2 man teams. The race got under way at 11.30am with the scorching
sun making some riders feel fatigued even before getting on their bikes.
The 10 second board was shown for the front row, consisting of all the
Ironman solos and expert team riders anticipating the run to their bikes
for the 4 hours to begin. It was 'Flying Ryan' Bulman who showed the front
row how it was done as he sprinted to his bike held by his team mate Ian
Sigley and jetted off to take the holeshot before the dust picked up. Back
row were set away 60 seconds after, with all the Clubman and Sportsman
teams raring to go, Team Solan took the holeshot followed by young rider
Jake Barnard.
Regular
championship rider Julian Holmes took the win of the Sportsman Ironman
class on his GasGas and took another lap on Matthew Howarth in second and
Shane Marriott in third, both completing 31 laps single-handed in the
anticipated high temperatures.
Smallest riders of the day, the junior class saw young James Rial speed
off the start line on his little machine and disappear into the woodland
with the rest of the class following behind. It was Oliver Dougherty who
is continuing to become a stronger rider each race who set the juniors
fastest lap and proudly took home 1st place closely followed by Reece
Pickersgill taking 2nd place back home to Huddersfield. Newcomer to the
sport, Joe Boulton kept up with the regular club riders, matching their 8
laps and finishing 3rd.
Sportsman E1 class saw the unstoppable Kris Weston take the holeshot
leaving the rest of his class behind as he disappeared into the woodland
on his first lap. Kris lead the race from start to finish and continued to
edge himself that extra bit further away from 2nd each lap, finishing the
race with 12 laps and over five minutes ahead of Ben Murphy taking home
2nd. Julian Holmes and Ryan Bulman were hot on each other heals for most
of the race, but the nasty fall in the quarry from Ryan allowed Julian to
take the final podium position. Biggest class of the day, Sportsman Open
had rider 313, Andrew Page collecting Gold, 90 seconds ahead of Ryan
Newbury in 2nd both completing 12 laps of the course. Regular member of
the championship, Matty North completed 11 laps, finishing the podium in
3rd.
The ladies class had a great turn out and were next to fire up their
bikes for the 90 minute race. It was Kate Smith who showed true girl power
as she beat the ladies into the first corner closely followed by Megan
Wilson. Ellie Cooke rode excellently and completed 13laps and took 1st
place, Hope Jennings and Megan Wilson followed closely, both completing 12
laps taking 2nd & 3rd respectively.
After a large influx of enter on the day riders at the signing on desk,
the ladies worked hard to make sure all the riders had an entry and their
transponder. The adult race of 2.5hours kicked off at 12noon with a strong
start line of 6 rows ranging from experts to hobby/ beginners.
Following the Main adult solo event and the final race of the day, The
Driffield venue saw in excess of 20 Quad competitors on the start line for
the first round. First away was the expert and clubman riders, Clearly
enjoying the conditions in the expert class was David Baldwin, whilst not
posting the quickest lap time of the day David proved that consistency
would win this event and racked up an impressive 17 laps and 1st place
with Josh Barrett behind on 16 laps and Lindsey Duke who posted the
quickest lap of the day rounding off the podium in third.
The
Holeshot went to Ben Turner closely followed by TGOR Leanne Field, Tommy
Grimmer and Lee Watson, This proved to be a step up for the youths and
ladies with the conditions rapidly deteriating, the likes of Toby flack
and Izzy Skillin Battled on aboard there small autos for a finish with
nothing but smiles and Reece Pickersgill showed some true potential for
the future despite his unfortunate dnf , it has to be said the youths and
ladies really deserved a well done they truly beat the challenge of the
course. Ladies class was taken by Anita Gordon four minutes ahead of 2nd
place Emily Schneider and Birthday girl Ellie Cook in 3rd. Senior B saw
Robbie Dowson produce an impressive ride clinching 1st from Luke Cockburn
2nd and Billy Steinman 3rd the Juniors was lead from start to finish by
Ben Turner with Tommy Grimmer 2nd and TGOR Leanne Field rounding off the
podium. Brave award of the day goes to Dan Clarke after getting his finger
stuck in the brake caliper causing a nasty cut get better soon mate!!
Again well done Youths and Ladies!!
The
190 strong adult line up looked impressive on Gus Gorses professional
start line set up and proved there was no such thing as just fair weather
riders at TGOR, Experts and over 40 were first to be let loose for the wet
and wild 2.5hrs with Tom Healey taking the Lead, followed by Craig
Reynolds Alex Owen and Josh Bendall batteling for 2nd in to the woods, Tom
led from start to finish showing he can produce the goods wet or dry ,
Manchester Extremes Craig had the battle of the day with Alex Owen ,
2.5hrs of continuous swapping and changing with the eventual 2nd going 2
Craig , Clubman E1 was all about the young guns, won By Luke Gorse with a
excellent ride on such a technical course just taking it with a equally
impressive ride from Dirtbike-traxs Jordon Botchett in 2nd and Liam
Edlestone 3rd . Clubman Open winner Ryan Patrick set the fastest lap of
the clubman with Matty Bell 2nd and Dean Johnson 3rd. Over 40s proved they
still have what it takes with 1st Rob Heald 2nd Howard Blundell .
Sportsman e1 Harry Eccles 1st Chris Perry 2nd and R bentham 3rd .
Sportsman Open 1st Joe Wheeler 2nd George Stanley 3rd Ian Hayworth .
Novice Ryan Bulman 1st Joe Moore 2nd and Darren Hart 3rd .Senior B was
dominated by Michael Spike Gilby, Coby Wright 2nd and Callum Morewood 3rd.
11am
on the dot the 2.5hr adult race began, Expert Class had a last minute wild
card entry from 16yr old TGOR rider Scott Altass, remarkably first place
after the opening lap through the transponder lap scoring was Scott
closely stalked by the very fast and smooth Lee Sampson a thrilling battle
for 3rd had began between TGOR rider Tim Pattinson (right), Expert
Championship Leader David Wilson and Alex Owen,
