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enduro
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Due to the unavailability of the land that WTRA normally uses for it's MX test, the club decided to cancel their 2006 Crychan BEC 2 day round & hold a one day event instead on Sunday 13th August. The Jubilee was a classic forestry timecard enduro first run in 1977 to celebrate Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee & it was last run in 1984. Today the start was in the Top Quarry & the course went along Cefn Ludlow & crossed the Tirabad Road into the Crychan by a descent onto the County Road that course designer Bob Perring has not used since the early 80s. Skirting Eddy's Folly the riders went to the end of the Dead End Road & a 2nd mammoth descent onto Cadogan's loop. Check 1 was below the Verandah. The 2nd stage went up the Rally Climb, left along Dale's Track & through the nadgery Stumpland near Cwm Cadoran to Spaghetti Junction. The riders then follow the course of the 2004 BEC up towards Bonky's but turning left early to drop onto the road to the Culvert, up the loose stones of hill 67 & over the Vatican. The FE had kindly reinstated the club's access to the Culvert & they used it all. Returning past Misery Mile the course dropped off the side of the road. If this drop was intended for Clubmen, they were from an absailing club. The riders then went over the bridges in Cwm Clee, up Lower Bonkys & right to the end of the Swimbath. For no apparent reason this area has always been strewn with stones the size of half house brick. The course went up a bank of them. Some riders found it so interesting they had to ride it more than once on opening lap. Check 2 was near the top of Trout Hill. From the check the riders went around the Castle & up Cemetary Hill to the start of the test. The test was fast, open & simply consisted of a blast over Trout Hill. After the test the riders dropped into Cwm Cadoran & then climbed over the spine of the Crychan to the Snowrun Quarry before descent the Zig Zag hill to 5 Roads. Stick Hill has also been reinstated & the jagged slab on the corner has become a smooth berm. The riders left the Crychan over the cattle grid that isn't there by the horse paddock. Some arrows in this area had been turned around during the night but were corrected by the opening marshals. Off the Tirabad road the course still had a little sting in the tail along the fence by the mass. The tariff was set for 4 laps Championship, 3 laps Expert/Vets/ Clubmen & 2 laps Sportsmen. The weather was perfect - cool & overcast. Clerk of the Course Brian Fallows had determined in advance that the event should be won & lost on the going & the stage between Check 1 & Check 2 would be the decider. On lap 1 the times were tight but on lap 2 the times for the Championship were 6 minutes tighter. Chris Lee & his Check 2 team braced themselves for the arrival of the first rider on his second lap as the clock approached 11.52am. At 11.54 the whole Championship class on mass burst out of the trees & slid into the check. When the dust had settled, only Tom Sagar & Simon Wakely had cleaned the stage & they had both used a big chunk of their minutes. At the end of the day less than 2 seconds would separate them with Sagar (above) taking the Premier. Robert Reese from Wrexham on a Yamaha YZ250 was the Best Expert ahead of Ashley Wood on a Par Homes CR 125. Katrina Price on home grown was unbeatable in the Veteran class & Wayne Williams from Lampeter was the runner up. John Morris from Neath had time to spare on the tight check & won the Best Clubman ahead of Steve Biddle. Veteran Tony Goodman from Walsall amassed a massive score when he lost his gear lever but he kept going which is what it's all about. Of the 76 starters there were only 3 retirements. If it had rain it would have been a very different story but it didn't & they all enjoyed it. Simon Wakely said "It was the most fun I have had on a bike this year". Aled Evans said "Cracking event today. All at DDBC enjoyed themselves,. Best Enduro we've raced for years", Results Photos Keith Bowen Feedback
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Jubilee
Report by Bob Mullins