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Greg Evans |
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Straight after the BEC at Knighton Greg headed out to round three of the UEM championship in Italy. So far this season Greg has dominated the E2 Senior class by winning each of the 4 days so far and also enjoyed top 3 overall results at each round. Greg described the event as very hot and dusty with temperatures around 40 degrees !! , a typical Italian Enduro which used a river bed for the extreme test and a very fast, long, dusty and dangerous cross-country test. Greg won several extreme tests and MX tests overall but played cautious on the long cross country test and refused to take risk and choose to maintain a safe lead in the championship which he has again extended after this round. Greg finished a very close second each day and won overall the E2 class being the most consistent rider, only steady cross country test times which where around 8minutes and 30 seconds cost him winning both days, in general he was about 8-10 seconds a test too slow there and the other two tests where to short to make up the difference, loosing day 1 by only 3 seconds and day 2 by 13 seconds. Greg Evans “This has been the hardest round so far for me, very dry and hot and nothing like we ride in the UK, so to be coming away with another 2 days of good results and to extend my championship lead is great. I felt really good in the extreme and MX test and won quite a few overall, but I just did not feel comfortable in the cross-country test and decided not to take any risk and ride tactically, it proved a good decision as many riders had accidents there, once again by KTM 305 EXC-F worked perfectly and it has the perfect combination of power and weight when the conditions are difficult” Current UEM Championship Standings E2 Senior Class 1 Greg Evans Mounter KTM 305EXC-F 140 pts 2 Mickael Meige France Honda 125 pts 3 Arnaud Devisy France Suzuki 103 pts 4 Maurizio Faccin Italy Yamaha 101 pts 5 Andrea Beconi Italy Suzuki 94 pts
Mounter Motorcycles KORR Racing's Greg Evans is a rider on top of his game at present. At rounds three and four of the ACU British Enduro Sprint Championship (BESC) he was bested only by Britain's number one rider David Knight. The following weekend he travelled to France to contest the opening round of the UEM European Enduro Championship and dominated the Senior E2 class on both days while coming agonisingly close to claiming the overall win on day two. With results like that in mind the BESC decided to catch up with the talented Welshman to get the inside line on his season's progress… Hey Greg, you've had some outstanding results of late. Let's rewind to rounds three and four of the BESC. Talk us through how you felt your weekend went? Greg: 'Yeah it was a good result at the BESC. But I actually went off a bit too aggressive into the first couple of tests on the Saturday and made a few mistakes. Nothing too major but it set me back quite a bit, which left me playing catch up. Afterwards I settled into it and was riding good, even getting within nine seconds on one test to David (Knight). Sunday I rode much smoother, minimized my mistakes and took another second place.' While David Knight still has the edge over the Elite class, there's a fierce battle for second at each round between four of you. How are you enjoying that battle? 'Obviously, Knight still has an edge over us all but Si Wakely, Darryl Bolter, Phil McLaughlin and myself are all about the same pace. It's actually a really fun situation to be in as it makes me have to push to my limit on each test. But at the last round I felt that I had the edge over them all, which was good. I was on top of my game.' How have you been finding the format of the BESC? 'To be honest, I didn't really enjoy the event run last year at Rhayader but the rounds so far have been awesome and I'm really getting into them now. The amount of tests we've been racing is brilliant training for the British and European enduro championships, and great fun too.' With the volume of tests that you're riding at these events have you found you need to approach a test differently than maybe you had before? 'These Sprints are quite intense. With about a ten-minute lap it's quite a long special test, which you're riding about every 25-30 minutes, so it becomes quite physical about half way through the day. Mentally that's also very draining so your concentration needs to stay sharp otherwise you'll crash. However because every second counts you also can't afford to ride too cautiously, it's a fine line to learn.' There's been quite a contrast between the venues. Rounds one and two were cross-country based while rounds three and four were a mix between motocross and extreme sections. How did you adapt to it? 'At first I was a little unsure what to make of the motocross track as it was very hard-pack which isn't my preferred terrain. I enjoyed the extreme sections, it was very tight in places, almost single lined, which showed my pace is right there on that stuff which is very pleasing.' Given the relatively short rest periods between each run does this allow you time to make changes to the bike to improve your performance? 'Normally in an enduro you're constantly on the move, so the set up you start with is what you'll usually race with all weekend. But at the Sprints you go out, do your test and think I can alter this, change the suspension setting, or even try different gearing to see if it improves your time. You've also time to check out the sections you are struggling with, to see if there's a better line through them.' The first round of the UEM European Championship is just completed and what a weekend's racing that was for you - first in Senior E2 both days. That was an outstanding performance. 'It was a dream weekend to be fair. Coming off my result at the Sprint put me in good spirits for it and I was well fired up. I was riding well each day and went pretty much mistake free. Unfortunately my only major error came on the final enduro test when I was fighting for the overall win. That slip off cost me the outright win on the day but more importantly I dominated my class, which I'm more than pleased about.' Entering the event did you expect to be at the forefront of the results or did it come as a surprise? 'Well, my form was good and I had an idea I could be top three in my class but I didn't expect to be so far up in the overall. After the first test I knew I was right there for the class win so I pushed hard for that and came out on top both days. I'm looking forward now to the next round in Poland where hopefully I can continue with these results.' You've also changed machinery this season and you're riding a KTM 305 EXC-f. 'That's correct, I'm on the new 305 this year. It's just got so much torque and power it's unbelievable. I can pull a higher gear without having the weight of a bigger bike to muscle around. I'm really enjoying the change and all credit to the team and Julian Stevens, my mechanic, as he's putting a tremendous effort into everything we do.'
With the postponement of round 2 of the BEC due to heavy snow in Scotland Greg decided we would not waste the weekend and go Supermoto racing at Wigan. We converted a 250 EXC-F adding borrowed wheels, brakes and suspension and set off for some Tarmac action. Organised by the NORA club this would be round 1 of the Supermoto British championship and Greg entered the 250 National class. Saturday was a day for testing and for Greg, so he could get used to the new set up of his bike and to learn to trust the supermoto tyres. Mixed weather of sunshine and showers meant we were constantly changing wheels between slick and wet tyres, something very new for the team. After a day of testing Greg finally qualified in 3rd position for Sundays racing, a very satisfying result considering we where using a modified Enduro bike against specialist Supermoto machinery. For Sundays race we made a few overnight modifications to the bike including fitting a HGS MX silencer to gain some more power and a new set of a slicks supplied by Triple-D Motosport . Greg battled all day mixing it at the front and finished the day a creditable 2nd overall. For Mondays racing there was no 250 class and he would race against open class bikes which on the faster tarmac sections could easily out power the smaller 250. However he started the day 24th on the grid after a poor qualifying session and by the end of the days racing had moved inside the top 10 and was first 250 home in the final outing. Greg Evans “ I really enjoyed my different weekend, its not the first supermoto I have done, its a nice change from racing off-road. Last time I raced I used a 450SMR which had no shortage of power, this time it was much more difficult on a 250 Enduro bike against the bigger bikes but I still had allot of fun and the bike went really well. I would like to thank Ray Woolhead for loaning me wheels and tyre warmers and Neil from D3 for the tyres, advice and front brake system and also to Smooth for trusting me with his leathers – sorry about the gravel rash !!! “ Next Event: Rd 2 & 3, BESC, 24/25th April
2009 International Six Day Enduro - Figueira da Foz, Portugal Greg was selected & competed in the Trophy Team at the 2009 International Six Day Enduro in Portugal despite carrying a pin in his leg. He finished 15th overall in the E1 class & won a Gold medal
The last round of the 2009 European Enduro Championship took place over three days in Tuscany Italy on 18th 19th and 20th September. While travelling there through some very heavy rain showers I thought we were in for yet another wet meeting, but Thursday morning dawned bright and beautiful and that’s how it stayed for the racing. The British part of the paddock was well set up and as always the atmosphere and camaraderie was excellent. Administration and technical was cleared swiftly by all the Riders which meant just one thing, a British invasion of the ice cream cafe across the road from the paddock. An ISDE style opening ceremony with all nations parading through the narrow streets to the town square got the event off to good start. Friday seen all riders have a good day with everyone staying on time. There were two tests, a typical Italian, rocky, technical enduro test lasting over seven minutes and a cross test which was on a stubble field in the town, with a few manmade jumps and a layer of dust on a hardpacked surface. All riders finished the day safely. I finished the day in 5th position. Saturday was the same format. Again everyone finished on time and I was 6th.Sunday was a motocross day. The organisers had done a great job transforming the cross test into a motocross track with all classes riding 8 laps. All the Brits performed well in their respective races. I finished 4th overall in the E1 championship. This meeting was also a Nations Team Event and the British Veteran team were a well deserved 2nd. Seniors were 5th and Juniors 4th A big Thank You to all supporters and pit crews for their help throughout the four rounds.
The Enduro European Championship opened in Letojanni beach resort close to Taormina, Sicily. SPECIAL GREG, DANGEROUS DARREN AND JAMIE JIMBENA PIPKIN PAGET All made the long trip down to Sicily south of Italy for the first round of the UEM championship. Greg and gang turned up slightly late eventually arriving late Thursday night 10pm. They all had an early start Friday morning as they had three special tests to walk. Originally there were three special tests a cross test on the beach front at Letojanni, and two enduro tests one being very rocky and tricky with many off cambers and a series of steps to go up and down, the other a very fast up hill farm track that was very slippery and hard packed. After walking all the tests the cross test was cancelled due to the sea coming in and washing most of it away however they managed to combined a little bit of the sand in with the enduro test one. DAY 1 Saturday morning 9am saw the first man away. Darren Carter started the first lap but was forced to retire due to bike problems which he repaired during the day and was back in for Sunday. Greg and Jamie started on the same minute. Greg rode a very good race but had two crashes and made a few mistakes which cost him the EJ2 win and placed him in 3rd. Jamie Paget also had a good race but made a few mistakes which left him in 14th place in the EJ2. DAY 2 Started an hour earlier. Darren Carter started well but made a lot of errors which left him with an 11th overall in EJ1. A ride he is not happy with and knows he can do better. Greg rode better on day 2 with not so many crashes but still only managed 3rd. Therefore finished 3rd overall in EJ2. Jamie Paget stepped up the pace on day 2 bettering all of his test times and moved him in to 12 place in EJ2.
Podium finish for Greg in Genoa Under 23 ACU Enduro Squad member Greg Evans continued last years UEM Enduro success by claiming the Runner Up spot at the inaugural 2008 UEM Indoor Enduro Cup, held in Genoa, Italy on Saturday night. Combined with the FIM World Championship round, Evans had qualified for the UEM Cup due to his superb results in the 2007 outdoor UEM Championship. Scutineering was between 11am & noon on Saturday morning. Free practice started at 2.40pm. Greg & Si Wakely were in the same group. There was a big hill on the course & Greg was happy to get his first jump off it behind. Timed practice started at 5pm & Greg set the fastest time in the Junior class. 9.22pm. Greg & Si rode in the same heat. Greg was feeling nervous because he couldn't get into a smooth rhythm but he qualified in a safe 2nd & Si finished 4th. 10.50pm The Final. Over a tough and exciting course, and in front of a huge Italian crowd, Greg made the Final through hard-fought heats. And what a final it turned out to be - as will have been witnessed on Eurosport! Si Wakely got the hole shot but the Italian, Fossati took the lead until he was quickly passed by Poland's Michael Szuster and Greg Evans, with Si taking up third place at this point, before eventually hitting trouble. Szuster was just holding off Evans but Greg looked to be able to catch him until his rear wheel lost traction on the steep water-covered hill, just after the deep rock pool not only made the crowd gasp in unison but could well have spelt disaster. It was the same problem on the next lap and Greg started to slip down the field. Unknown to him his rear rim lock had snapped. However, a superb fight back on the last lap saw him in a tangle of riders & machines crashing over the finish line to claim the Runner Up spot to Szuster & confirming to the crowd that the young Brits are a force to be reckoned with. After the race Greg said: "I absolutely loved it. I was disappointed not to be closer to Zsuster but that's racing. You've got to take the bad with the good. I was equally chuffed when I picked up my phone & found I had 14 text messages congratulating me on my win. Thanks everyone." Greg will be staying in Italy for the week to train with Tom Sagar & KTM. He is hoping to get an entry in next weekend's Hell Gate. Thanks to Optoma Mortgages, Julian Stevens D3Racing & Wayne Mounter Motocycles for their support. Check the race out on Eurosport 2 Tuesday 5th Feb at 10am. Tough One 08 - 26th January, Nantmawr Quarry, Oswestry A year is a long time in a young man's life & 12 months ago Greg Evans did well to finish 14th in 2007 Tough One competing against some of the World's best extreme riders in the hostile arena of Nantmawr quarry. Today - with UEM & ISDE medals in his trophy cabinet - it seems only natural that he should finish in the top ten but his progress has not come without hard work. Greg is from a Motocross background & he got his nickname of "Special" from his speed on the tests. The rockfest which is Nantmawr requires trials skills & Greg has spent the winter developing them at every opportunity even riding up & down the steps outside Wayne Mounter's shop in his hometown of Pontypridd. "I was very pleased with my race, everything went pretty much according to plan. I kept a cool head while fitting the back wheel and got off the start in a reasonable position. I did get caught in traffic on the first lap, and that cost me a lot of time and a few positions, it also made me have to work harder on some of the sections to pass and move up the field. The trial bike training and bike testing I've been doing over the last few weeks really helped as the course was very trialsy. I thought the course in general was very challenging with with a variety of unusual sections which was excellent practice for my forthcoming World Enduro Championship extreme tests. Another big plus for me was the lights supplied by Trailtech - thanks Guys Straight after the event Tom Sagar and I drove to Northampton for ACU Awards ceremony where I collected European E1 Junior runner-up and ISDE Gold Medal. We even made it in time for the main course where Tom scored another first - in clearing his plate. I'm really looking forward to the 08 season and thanks to everybody for their help and support, especially Optoma Mortgages, Julian Stevens D3Racing, Wayne Mounter Motocycles, Ktm Uk, Insight Renewables, Kreiga, Trailtech, Acerbis, SixSixOne, Metzeler and Motorex. Thanks to the team at WOR for another Great Event Greg Evans
First bike Suzuki quad aged 2 then CR50 auto. First race aged 6. Various Welsh Schoolboy MX champs. First enduro Blackwood H&H 2004. Third fastest British rider in 2005 Slovakia ISDE until he broke his writ on Day 3. Parents: Phil & Kay. Brother Scott (nipper)
Recent Events ISDE Portugal with a plated femur 2008 BEC Muntjac 3rd Genova Indoor 3rd Tough One 2007
2007 European E1 junior runner up Dyfi 2 Day Premier 2007 British Enduro Championship 2007 Cwmcynydd H&H Premier 2007 Muntjac 8th |
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at Three Sisters
Greg
4th in Europe
Indoor Enduro World Cup - Rnd 3 Genoa, Italy 2nd Feb 2008 
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