Enduro News - bobperringclassic05

The Bob Perring Classic

The Bob Perring Classic was a series of annual events run in the Crychan by the Welsh Trail Riders Association as a reaction to events that were won & lost on the test. In the BPC the challenge was to get to the test.

The Bob Perring Classic 2005

The 2005 Bob Perring Classic was cancelled due to an administration problem. For connoisseurs of Bob's courses, here is one of his favourite photos for the 1978 Nant-yr-Hwch Enduro in which we can see one of the top riders of the time whipping through a particularly fast section of the 38 mile lap. Unfortunately the event had to be stopped after several competitors died when they toppled over & were dragged under by the weight of their Belstaffs. Younger readers may be interested to know that Belstaffs were heavy cotton jackets & trousers that were coated in wax to directed rain water into holes around the neck & crutch.

Bob Perring Classic 2004 Report by Bob Perring for Enduro News

A cold sunny autumn morning on Sunday 28th November saw 68 riders sign on for a day's "fun". By 1pm 25 had retired & of the 43 finishers only 4 were clean (1 Championship & 3 Expert). Tim Lewis 125TM who was flying on the test had a lapse of concentration & clocked in a minute early & handed the Premier to Tom Sagar who was only too pleased to help out the other Championship rider. Chris Bird retired when an old shoulder injury played up. Of the Experts 400 4T champion Keith Horsnell reveled in the conditions having a good tussle with Jonathan Hinam 125 Husky to take the win, while Paul Sagar 250 Yamaha finished 27 secs adrift but on time. Out on a 450 Gas Gas for the first time Neil Williams found it a bit of a handful & is looking forward to getting back to a "T again. Aled Williams 125 KTM beat Alun Davies 250 KTM by a minute to claim the best Dyfed Dirt Bike Club rider. In the Clubman class Paul Boother 250 KTM came a long way from Mansfield so taking the Best Clubman award made the trip worthwhile. Close behind were John Leigh 250 Yamaha & Arwyn Rees 250 Yamaha 4T who were faster on the test but slower on the going. A loose tongue after a few pints saw WTRA member Andy Bird take up a very late entry however he did coax his WR250 around to take a bronze although he looked a bit shop soiled at the finish. In the Sportsman class local rugby player Dylan Davies 250 Alfer was the top man beating fellow local rider Colin Newman 250 Alfer by 40 mins on the going but only 8 secs quicker on the test. Other local riders who did not fare so well were Michael Price 250 Alfer who did one lap before remembering he had dig the garden & Alan Davies 250 Gas Gas, the bike Gassed up & he Gased out. Iron Man Honest Haydn Powell found riding Carl Tileys WR400 was no antidote to being 58 & wisely joined me at the Burger van. His traveling companion Dave Lee 250 Yamaha on seeing Haydn decided that another lap was not in his best interest. Paul Green 250 CRF took the Best 4T by a big margin from Bolton riders David King 250 Yamaha & Paul Fletcher 250 CRF who went OTA but finished. In the veteran class Andrew Knapman muscled his 510 Husky around beating John Cadwallader 250 KTM by a minute with Wayne Williams 250 Gas Gas & Gary Shaugnassy 300 KTM in close proximity. A good challenging day but a pity there was not more support from Championship riders. Congratulations to Brian Fallows on a successful first event as CoC. Results posted online at 5.45. Well done.

Bob Perring Classic 2003

The 2nd Bob Perring Classic took place on Sunday 23rd November in the Crychan Forest near Llandovery. The start was in the Sand Quarry & the weather was dry but frosty. To make the most of the available daylight the start was brought forward to 9.01. Apart from a 10 minutes delay due to the late arrival of the ambulance, the WTRA organization was as smooth as a smooth thing that has been smoothing itself for over 25 years. In this 2nd running of the event, Bob Perring had once again recreated a traditional forestry enduro where the winners would be decided on the going. The 29 mile course was not technically difficult but it suited experienced riders who could sustain a steady pace whilst avoiding the pitfalls which lurked in the darkness to trap the unwary & drain them of their energy like the Undead. The schedule was 4 laps for Championship, 3 laps for Experts/Clubmen & 2 laps for Sportsmen. Late entries Paul Edmondson & Juan Knight were unable to ride leaving a small Championship class of 4 riders. From the start the course wound up through the trees to Scrach & down to the stream crossing at Bob's Stick then over thrashings with dyke across the middle that gave the rider's bashplates their moment in the sun. The Timber Yard was skirted by an off camber climb up a tunnel of trees to Early Bird 1 then up Lee Sargents, down Early Bird 3, along the Fast Blast to the Fire Tower & down to the Snowrun Quarry across a second field of thrashings. Dropping off the 15' bank behind the quarry that was opened up for the Eppynt, the riders were prepared for the descent of Zig Zag Hill to 5 Roads & then up Stick Hill to the out check at the Cortina. Despite being one of the highest points in the forest, the Cortina is also one of the wettest & ever since it absorbed a Ford Cortina - before the current crop of mature trees was planted - it has had a taste for machines. The Snowrun test, Misery Mile, the bridges at Cwm Clyd, Bonky's Loop. the Tube, Boy from the Castle, Swimbath Road, The Beeches, the Castles, Cemetary Hill (cut after 1st lap) to the test close to the Sand Quarry & the end of the lap. Andrew Edwards (above pictured by Gary Jones) took the Premier with Chris Tett as runner up. Occasional competitor Jonty Edmunds lost time on the going but renewed his qualifications to report with authority on the Enduro scene by winning 2 out of 3 of the Special Tests. Daryl Bolter retired. Neil Williams (pictured right by Keith Davies) won the Experts & was the only rider to finish clean on time. Paul Boother was the Best Clubman ahead of Wayne Jonstone. Andrew Knapman won the Veterans class ahead of John Cadwallader. Chief Marshal Taff Davies put on a set of numbers & finished 4th in the Veterans. Fellow marshal & first time competitor Chris Davies from Cardiff also finished in the Sportsman class. Andrew Sansom won the 4 stroke class ahead of Paul Green. Expert Anthony James will remember drawing rider number 13 as he hit a patch of ice close to the start & had to retire. Stuart James from Aberystwyth also retired with a wrist injury. Peter Milford from Penarth didn't finish but he take his CCM out on a second lap. Everyone was pleased to see the return to fitness of Dave Bayliss. Of the 126 starters, 54 riders were classified as finishers but only 40 finished within their hour.

The Bob Perring Classic 2002 Report by Bob Mullins

The inaugural Bob Perring Classic took place on Sunday 24th November in the Crychan Forest. I loaded up the jeep in the dark under a clear sky illuminated by a waning moon & a bright morning star. The event was a one day replacement for the notorious Beacons - an event that would be won on going but not by me. From the start in the Sand Quarry the course dropped 100 feet through the trees on greasy slope behind the holiday cottage. Several riders took the opportunity to remove heavy items from their bikes such as mudguards, radiators, & brake/clutch levers. It was also an ideal opportunity to road test body armour. As my kdx folded under me I found myself standing on it & I surfed most of way down but - before I could hang 10 - I hit tree. The course & I then rose slowly up through deep ruts to the Rally Road & the Special Test. The Test - which was the first offroad stage of WTRA's 1999 World Round - was fast & wide with plenty of safe places to pass. It went around the Castle, over Trout Hill & down the Ruts with No Name (which has been graded & become the Ruts with No Name & No Ruts). The weather was dry but the ground was wet. The glare from the bright winter sun - low in the sky - made it difficult to see the course at times particularly when a rider's eyes became misted with tears as mine did.. After the test we peered into the gloom of a tunnel of trees that connected with the Swimbath Road. We went down Geriant's & up Bonky's before dropping off the Tube down the Boy from the Castle & Pinoooo's. The course then crossed the bridges in Cwm Clyd, along Misery Mile & the Nut Trees to the end of the Dead End Road. We then followed a kinder version of the Snowrun test to a steel bridge at Shattock's Crossing & over Ben's Drop to Check 1. The in check with 2 exceptions was easier as it ran along the side of the road from the Culvert to the Dayglo posts, down to the County Road, up Eddy's Folly & Pig Hill then down the Cortina & the Veranda. A single rut that climbed steeply off Scrach reminded everyone how lucky they were that the weather was dry. At Cwm Cadoran the riders came across the first "exception" when the course - following a grassy firebreak - turned left up a loamy climb. Although the course as a whole was demanding, this was the only place where riders needed to get off & push on the first lap. The second "exception" was Lee's Leap (Sportsmen excused), a steep, rocky rut down the side of the Sand Quarry to the Finish. There were 4 laps for Championship & Experts, 3 laps for Clubmen & 2 laps for Sportsmen. The schedules were tight & I lost time on the first lap (In fact I lost my watch) but I got a second wind when I found that almost half the field had already retired. I soon had the second wind knocked out of me as a couple of hundred yards before the above picture was taken on the test when I had the choice of several ruts & chose them all. The bike whizzed off into the long grass. I could have been injured if I hadn't hit a stump with only slightly less than sufficient force to blow my testicles out of my ears. For the rest of the 2nd lap I rode slowly & standing up. Half a mile from Check 3 the course had been changed. As I descended an unfamiliar & unbelievably steep hill I saw a tree ahead of me. A few feet up the trunk was a pattern of chips cut out of the bark. As I wondered what they were my front wheel disappeared into a hole, I head butted the tree & another bark chip flew into the air. The bike slid from under me & cartwheeled down the 45 degree slope off the course & into a tangle of fallen trees. The sun was low in the sky by the time I crossed the finishing line. Of the 114 starters 43 riders were declared as finishers but only 30 finished within their hour. I was not one of them.