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Greg Evans |
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Taddy and Greg have been testing and practising hard to prepare for the indoor season of races which start next weekend in Milan, followed by the first round of the World Indoor Cup in Barcelona the weekend after. Young Jake Gowan - an up and coming moto cross rider - has also been training with Taddy and Greg. His brother Joel who spends more time in bed than the pillow. He was also riding round on his gasgas,riding around all day without hardly ever stopping the boy is like a robot but can eat more than Euan McConnell.
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.
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 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 |
Greg
goes North
Taddy Blazusiak factory Red Bull KTM rider, Greg Evans (D3 Wayne Mounter
KTM)
and KTM D3 motocross rider Jake Gowan have been testing and practising at a
secret purposely built enduro cross track in the northern hills of Cumbria.
"It
is amazing we have had two days in the mountains with nothing but glorious sun
shine" said Greg.
Indoor Enduro World Cup - Rnd 3 Genoa, Italy 2nd Feb 2008 
Tough
One 08 - 26th January, Nantmawr Quarry,
Oswestry 
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