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Hard Rock AMCA/Rock Oil Hare and Hounds Championship The penultimate round of the 2011 AMCA/Rock Oil Hare and Hound Championship, organised by Cotswold Enduro Club, proved to be very tough as competitors battled against the heat, the course and each other at the superb Wymeswold MX track in Leicestershire. The Wymeswold venue is undoubtedly MX based but in addition to the impressive track the Hare and Hounds course ran out into the countryside for nearly five miles, giving a lap of over 10 minutes to the fastest riders. The course proved to be quite fast but several of the field sections consisted of large, rolling natural whoops, which saw riders adopt a variety of techniques to get across them quickly. The MX track had the obligatory jumps but careful planning from the CEC saw the course incorporate some of the huge pipe sections that riders rode through as other competitors were jumping above them. A very unusual sight. Although the sun was out and the conditions were dry and dusty the dust was not a problem initially as a strong breeze kept the MX track clear but as the breeze dropped an hour into the race the whole area was covered with a fine dust. Visibility was still good and had little or no effect on the racing as riders were well spread out by this point. Joe Jones took the lead initially with Darren Carter no more than a bike length from him. Carter was riding well, considering he had been out of action with a broken wrist since July, and he battled hard to stay with Jones. Local rider and AMCA MX star Matt Porter eventually caught and passed the pair, holding his lead to the end of the gruelling three-hour race and taking the Overall Premiere win. Jones put three minutes between himself and Carter to take the Pro/Championship class win ahead of second placed Carter as Derek Bawn made his way to third. Bawn had run out of fuel at one point and spent 10 minutes pushing his bike, in the hot conditions, to the pits before rejoining the race nearly a lap down on the leaders. James Paczynski nailed the Expert class by a clear lap over second placed James Berrill. Paczynski held fourth place overall for most of the race and excelled on the MX section of the course. Aaron Edwards kept Berrill in his sights and finally took third place in class. Martin Kohv edged clear in the Clubman 4T's as Matt Keeling and Ashley Stokes finished within seconds of each other in second and third places. Jack Powell gradually took control of the Clubman 2T class and put four minutes between himself and second placed Darren Thorpe with Mick Reynolds a further three minutes behind in third. A two way battled ensued in the Ladies class with Emily Davey taking the honours over Helen Spiers as Eric Shaw won the trail class ahead of Ian Jones. The Veterans were as competitive as ever, both in the Over 40's and Over 50's. Jason Hope on his new Edmondson Racing 300XC lead the Over 40's initially until a coming together with Dave Selkeld saw the pair change places. Hope found he was using more fuel than usual and had to pit twice to refuel as Selkeld stretched his lead to take the Over 40's win by two minutes with Hope in second place and Martin Jakeman in third spot. The Over 50's was equally as competitive. All of the top three riders completed 13 tough laps but it was Colin Griffiths who came out ahead of Eddy Tait with 50th Birthday Boy Keith Townsend in third. The Sportsman class also witnessed a very close finish. Andy Pulfrey took the win by four minutes from Ricky Franklin, who had a one-minute advantage over third placed Nathan Jenkins. Three hours in hot and dusty conditions at the beginning of October, when riders usually experience mud and rain, proved to be very tough but the course held up well and provided some very close racing across all classes. The event was very well organised and well run by the Cotswold Enduro Crew with a well thought-out course that suited all classes of riders. Well done! Results Extra Sensory Perception For the second year running Tyn Twll/ Berwyn Leisure has been
cancelled due to lack of entries. 35 confirmed (not all paid) entries on
Sunday the 7th August. Whether its down to the events that have been
there recently or the distance for riders to travel or events on the
same weekend its not clear. We just asked riders to let us know if they
wanted to ride - we asked for no money up front which is always a gamble
because riders have no commitment to turn up especially if its wet
leading up to the event. This is a nightmare for Clubs and Organisers at
present. Many things need putting in place leading up to events such as
Caterers need to know numbers, how many loos, how many staff and so on.
All helpers involved with the Cotswold Enduro Club have normal jobs or
work for themselves and all sacrifice a lot of time and in most cases
money. I know this will mess people about with which ever Championship
they are contending, time off work, dropped rounds and so on but would
any of you go to work on a Monday in the knowledge that come Friday it
would have cost you in the excess of £2000+ to do so "I think
not" that is what it would cost the CEC to run this event on the
riders that have booked in at present. The CEC is not all about the
money but we can not afford to run at that sort of a loss. Most events
this year have either ran at a small loss or small profit which is
acceptable and normally evens its self out usually as the year goes on.
The CEC although a Club is run like a business and in turn needs to be
solvent at the end of each year to pay for the Presentation/Trophies
& Vehicle Maintenance and so on. No one is to blame it is the
environment we are competing in at present. Riders have freedom of
choice to pre pay, not to pay, phone enter, turn up on the day book in
on the phone for several different events on the same weekend and make
their minds up on the morning who's event they are going to go to. Most
of the above do not help Organisers plan the events. Any decision to
cancel an event is not taken lightly and creates a lot of work in many
ways.It is such a shame Tyn Twll is not running - a lap had been planned
which would have been completely different to both the Elite Sprint and
the GBXC which have been there recently. My knowledge of the venue and
with the help of the land owner a superb lap was planned and that is not
PR Bull S**T. CEC was the first Club to run at Tyn Twll and early events
were 15 miles plus and were acknowledged as some of the best events at
that time. CEC always puts 100% into track building and running events
the riders have once again missed out on and if the effort is put in
this top off road venue. This round will not be replaced the next round
of the Rock Oil British and combined Club Champs will be for double
points so if you score 30 points for example it will double to 60 points
and so on. I know it will not suit all what has happened but there is
nothing we can do about it at this stage of the season. People that run
Off Road events have not got ESP (extra sensory perception). Sorry for
any inconvenience caused ensuring riders of our best intention at all
times Extra Sensory Perception For the second year running Tyn Twll/ Berwyn Leisure has been
cancelled due to lack of entries. 35 confirmed (not all paid) entries on
Sunday the 7th August. Whether its down to the events that have been
there recently or the distance for riders to travel or events on the
same weekend its not clear. We just asked riders to let us know if they
wanted to ride - we asked for no money up front which is always a gamble
because riders have no commitment to turn up especially if its wet
leading up to the event. This is a nightmare for Clubs and Organisers at
present. Many things need putting in place leading up to events such as
Caterers need to know numbers, how many loos, how many staff and so on.
All helpers involved with the Cotswold Enduro Club have normal jobs or
work for themselves and all sacrifice a lot of time and in most cases
money. I know this will mess people about with which ever Championship
they are contending, time off work, dropped rounds and so on but would
any of you go to work on a Monday in the knowledge that come Friday it
would have cost you in the excess of £2000+ to do so "I think
not" that is what it would cost the CEC to run this event on the
riders that have booked in at present. The CEC is not all about the
money but we can not afford to run at that sort of a loss. Most events
this year have either ran at a small loss or small profit which is
acceptable and normally evens its self out usually as the year goes on.
The CEC although a Club is run like a business and in turn needs to be
solvent at the end of each year to pay for the Presentation/Trophies
& Vehicle Maintenance and so on. No one is to blame it is the
environment we are competing in at present. Riders have freedom of
choice to pre pay, not to pay, phone enter, turn up on the day book in
on the phone for several different events on the same weekend and make
their minds up on the morning who's event they are going to go to. Most
of the above do not help Organisers plan the events. Any decision to
cancel an event is not taken lightly and creates a lot of work in many
ways.It is such a shame Tyn Twll is not running - a lap had been planned
which would have been completely different to both the Elite Sprint and
the GBXC which have been there recently. My knowledge of the venue and
with the help of the land owner a superb lap was planned and that is not
PR Bull S**T. CEC was the first Club to run at Tyn Twll and early events
were 15 miles plus and were acknowledged as some of the best events at
that time. CEC always puts 100% into track building and running events
the riders have once again missed out on and if the effort is put in
this top off road venue. This round will not be replaced the next round
of the Rock Oil British and combined Club Champs will be for double
points so if you score 30 points for example it will double to 60 points
and so on. I know it will not suit all what has happened but there is
nothing we can do about it at this stage of the season. People that run
Off Road events have not got ESP (extra sensory perception). Sorry for
any inconvenience caused ensuring riders of our best intention at all
times
The 4th round of the Rock Oil Amca British Hare & Hounds Championship took place at Owthorpe between Leicester & Newark a 50/50 split of 3 miles of technical woodland and 3 miles of fast open headlands were on offer for all the riders that took part. Rain on Friday had left the track in prime condition and would stem the dust which has plagued the event in the last few months. The forecast for the Sunday was for heavy rain and it was just a case of when it came and not if - so a prompt 10.00am start under at the at point blue sky! The Pro/Champ can Experts were first off, the 2 stroke and 4 stroke Clubman classes followed by the Veteran 40+ and Veteran 50+, Ladies & Trail and last but not least the large Sportsman class. All away clean and then the wait for the first man back … First to show was former Champion and Rock Oil Supported rider Darren Carter closely followed in by another Rock Oil rider Joe Jones, Tom Hirons was next followed by Genus rider Anthony Dean. The first Expert was hard charging James Paczynski followed by Aaron Edwards on his new 250TM he was sure to benefit from the extra horse power on the open going after being on his normal 150. Darren Bedford made up the top 3 on lap one The 4 strokes and 2 strokes saw all top boys enter lap scoring on lap 1 with less than a minute between all of them. The very competitive Veterans were mixed in with each other and as in previous rounds would be close throughout. The large Sportsman class was sure to be just as competitive with several riders swapping position in previous rounds. Ian Jones was the only Trail rider but he would ride hard until the end. 3 Ladies at this round which was encouraging and all would ride hard throughout the event. Originally set for 3 hours and in another classic statement at the riders meeting it was announced it would run for 3 hours come hell or high water. So after hell and high water turned up in abundance at 12.00pm and reports of riders sliding into the crops the race was cut down to 2.5 hours. The rain in the woods even on the slightest incline saw riders stuck or struggling so the right call was made and damage was kept to a minimum. So at the end and taking the overall Premier award was Rock Oils Darren Carter making an unscheduled ride as he has been doing MX for the last 2 seasons. Taking 1st place in the Pro/Champ class was team mate Joe Jones so a good result for Rock Oil. 2nd was Genus racing Anthony Dean who last year crashed out at this event, I believe he now sprays himself in tree repellant at every round! In 3rd saw young Tom Hirons both Tom and Anthony on 11 laps and 13 minutes after time so very close at the end. Luke Lusher in 3rd spot on 14 minutes after time.
Clubman 4 stroke saw Noel Joyce and Martin Kohv also have a close race especially in the early stages but at the end it was Noel who took the win. Martin had to settle for 2nd this time and in 3rd was Mark Hickinbotham with a very impressive ride. Mark is improving at each race and copes well when it gets tough. The 2 strokes also saw close racing but at the end 1st went to Mark Birchall 5 minutes a head of 2nd place man Danny Clarke, series regular Malc Russell took 3rd place with a great ride. Veteran 50+ was another class sure to be close but at the end Colin Griffiths was 1st with an out standing ride, Eddie Tait on his BMW took 2nd with another consistent ride and hopefully no back problems afterwards. Mr I have no luck Jerry Adams was 3rd but had to work very hard for it as on lap 1 he had to come in the pits to re fit his gear change so would be playing catch up for most of the race. John Kerwin was 4th 2minutes behind. Veteran 40+ this class without a doubt is the most competitive, race long battles between the top riders was the order of the day Martin Jakeman took top spot but had to work hard in the early stages. Following Martin home was Rob Sewell and 3rd was Pete Benton, Rob and Pete both on 10 laps and 7 minutes after time. So again right to the wire and a pleasure to watch, 4th saw John Bradford on 1 minute behind Rob & Pete. The Sportsman saw ever improving Dan Mason take a well deserved 1st place just getting out for a last lap 17 minutes after time saw Dan the only. Sportsman rider on 10 laps- well done. 2nd spot went to Neil Bolton who must have been close to Dan as he just failed to get out for an extra lap and timed in on 9 laps and 1 minute after time. Ashley Wilson took a well deserved 3rd and was only 1 minute behind Neil, Jason Hartwell took 4th again only 1 minute separated them. Ian Jones was top Trail rider on 6 laps. The Ladies saw Emily Davey cope best in the conditions to finish 1st on a very credible 8 laps, 2nd saw Wendy Swales win through at the end and I believe had her bike stolen from her garage that night- we hope you get it back. 3rd spot Jane Tudhope rode well but did get more vocal as the track got wetter. So to conclude come hell or high water another superb round the racing in all classes was even closer than in previous rounds. Round 5 at another top venue this time in North Wales - Berwyn Leisure Park is the place - don't miss out book early A big thanks to Rock Oil for the product prizes and Phil the Land
owner at Owthorpe, Pete Cobbe Enduro Photos and all the staff that make
this series stand out from the crowd Hare and Hounds at its best bought
to you by the AMCA and Rock Oil Lubricants. To book in either visit www.cotswoldenduro.co.uk
A Dusty Rock A good turn out of riders took part in round 3 of the Rock Oil Amca British Hare & Hound Championship at the weekend at the fabulous Shuckburgh Hall venue. Five miles of mainly woodland going made for a bit of shade and slightly cooler temperatures but all would find the three hours long and hard enough with the clay hard pack sections turn into 3ft powder burm's which had no strength and would catch out many a rider. With only one open field section of just short of a mile in length there wasn't many places to catch your breath as the field was hard packed, rough and bumpy. One section of the field did have a surprise for some riders if they ran long into the last corner - this section for some reason was very wet and boggy and it laid in wait for any unsuspecting rider that ventured near and did swallow several bikes all having a right game getting them out these riders were sure not to make the same mistake on the next lap. So 3 hours in front of them saw the Pro/Champs and Experts out first then the 4 Stroke Clubman followed by the ever growing 2 Stroke Clubman class and also the Veteran 40+ and Veteran over 50 class which also grows at each meeting and always provides fast close and competitive racing between the main contenders. Another big class was last this being the Sportsman novice class along with the Pre 86, Ladies and Trail riders. All classes for the most part were away clean on a slightly shorter first lap which missed a section of the pines woodland on lap 1 the track was built nice and wide in most parts and would make for a reasonably quick lap with plenty of overtaking options in place to allow for the faster boys and girls to get past. So lap 1 saw the Pro/Champs and Expert riders doing a 12 minute + lap time for lap 1 this would average out to 13 minutes + for the remaining laps. Current Rock Oil Champ Joe Jones along with Poole Motorcycles Phil Studley made the early running along with Expert riders James Berrill & James Paczynski all were sure to go well on the technical track but at the end Joe pulled out a good lead to take the overall Premiere award which left Phil Studley taking 1st place in the Pro/Champ class with what looked like a very sensible ride as I believe he is now on a weeks holiday with his family and was not out to take any un necessary risks. 2nd in class was young Tom Hirons who was several minutes short of getting out for another lap. Taking 3rd was Genus racing Anthony Dean who has changed his bike and his approach of wooded venues as last year he spent a lot of time wrapped around most of them, so well done Anton. The Experts saw James Berrill take top spot and would have finished 2nd overall. 2nd was James Paczynski who had no clutch for the last 2 laps and I am sure would have pushed James Berrill right to the flag without his problems. Another young improving rider Aaron Edwards on his little TM battled into 3rd spot. Only 4 riders managed 14 laps in 3 hours but on 13 laps and taking top spot in the 4* Clubman was Martin Kohv, Noel Joyce pushed him right till the end less than a minute apart to take 2nd in class in 3rd spot was Geordie Smith just missing out on another lap but still a well deserved 3rd spot. The 2 Strokes saw Jack Powell in 1st place just managing to get out before the 3 hours was up and timed in 15 minutes after time. 2nd and I am sure frustrated was Sam Hoskins- Sam missing out on another lap by less than a minute which could have made all the difference. Next saw Danny Clarke take a comfortable 3rd spot with a consistent ride, his pit crew having to work out his position old school as there was no monitor at this event so the pit crew needed to watch the race even more closely. Veterans over 50 saw on form Eddie Tait on his BMW take a well deserved win and is the man to catch in that class this is the second meeting on the trot Eddie has found his petrol! 2nd went to Steve Bradley with a very consistent ride. Jerry Adams took 3rd spot but an early pit stop with a broken gear lever saw Jerry loose time and would have to ride hard to catch up with the front two.
The Sportsman Novice also saw a lot of new faces so predicting this class was another hard one but at the end with a very credible 12 laps saw Ben Beadle in 1st and 5 minutes behind saw Shane Marriott take 2nd spot. 3rd was Tom Jennings less then 3 minutes behind Tom but good consistent riding paid off. Last but not least saw series regular Ian Jones on his little sorrow take the win on 7 laps. No Ladies class again at this round which is a great shame. So to conclude - the driest Shuckburgh ever the curse lifted for this event. A top day, a top venue, a top series sponsored by Rock Oil and bought to the riders by the AMCA - a true Championship for the riders. Results Six rounds still remaining - all are welcome - give it a try it's true
Hare & Hounds with nothing added or taken away!!
Katie Rocks at Hope Photos
by Eddy Todd The second round of the Rock Oil AMCA British Hare & Hound Championship took place at the ever popular Hope Under Dinmore lat weekend - a full entry were rewarded with fine weather and good track conditions on this five mile mainly wooded circuit. 25 Pro/Champ and Experts made up the first line with current champ Joe Jones, Derek Bawn & Lee Edmondson to name a few. It was sure to make for some close racing throughout the 2.5 hour duration. Joe & Derek got off to a good start and soon made a break from the chasing pack, Lee Ed had a bad start and had to push hard to get by the riders in front to gain sight of the front runners. Ben Swambo also had problems starting his bike and was last away eager to catch the pack Ben was lucky to get past the start straight as he nearly looped out several times in his quest to catch up. Derek & Joe were locked in battle for the early part of the race but Lee Edmondson caught and passed both of them only to pull out a lap later with back brake problems. Derek also ran out of luck at the end as he ran out of fuel with only ½ mile to get to the end so it left Tom Hirons and Ross Benton to try and catch Joe although Tom pushed really hard at the end Joe took the win with a 3 minute lead over Tom
The growing 2* class was next with 24 riders on the line the start was sure to be important to have a semi clear track. In front young Katie Walker got a now familiar good start and worked hard throughout the race and was rewarded with the class win but was pushed hard all race by 2nd place Tom Crump both on 10 laps and 4 minutes overtime. Simon Hamer was 3rd but 9 minutes adrift of Katie and Tom. Veterans over 50 was up next some very good riders again in this class with the likes of Jerry Adams on form, Eddie Tait club regular Colin Griffiths and Roger Billam all sure to go well with a wealth of experience in abundance between them all. But at the end it was Colin that took a well deserved win over Jerry Adams who only last year had a heart attack at Monmouth but with his mentor mechanic and dietician Andy who has coached Jerry back to full fitness! 3rd in class and only 1 minute behind was Mr Consistent Roger Billam
who always goes well at Hope, all 9 Vets over 50 again finished At the end Martin was the victor taking 1st place David Salkeld failed to finish that leaving a very close race between Pete Benton and Lee Barnett. Lee pipped Pete to the post both on 10 laps and 10 minutes after time. The 34 strong Sportsman class filled the line and made for cramped conditions into the first few corners but this soon spread out and made for some very competitive racing throughout. Again a lot of new faces made the predictions very difficult on who would take the top positions but at the end Steven Griffiths took 1st place but was pushed to the end by Tom Jennings for 2nd. 3rd went to another improving rider Dan Mason he also had to push right until the end as Pete Robertson was right on his tail both on 9 laps and 8 minutes aftertime. Last but not least was the newly bought in class of the Pre 86 machines unfortunately only 1 rider took up this class and full credit to him he rode hard completing 9 laps which would have seen him finish in the top 7 of the Sportsman class- so well done David Davies for 1st place we hope to see more Pre 86 bikes in the future. So in conclusion another top round of the Rock Oil British combined with the Cotswold Club Champ rounds this series is good value in many ways - 2 Championships in 1. Product prizes from the title sponsors Rock Oil, half price entry voucher for the top 3 finishers in each class and 2 lots of end of year trophies and product. The Rock Oil Champs presentation given at the Dirt Bike Show in
November along with free entry to the Show for the top 3 in each class The next round is at the fabulous Shuckburgh Hall in Daventry set in a Private Estate and Deer Park on Sunday 24th April Camping available from Friday afternoon @ 2.00pm - you would pay good money to camp at this Picturesque location To book in either visit www.cotswoldenduro.co.uk
Ashby
De La Vaughan The Cotswold Enduro Club ran round 2 of its Slow Pete series on Sunday 20th March at Ashby Moto Park, near Ashby De La Zouch. Good weather leading upto the event meant that the track would be in prime condition. A full entry lined up to take on the mixed terrain made up of 2 Mx sections, 1 made up of deep mulsh and lined with trees, the other a clay based man made fun track with safe jumps and corners leading onto a mile section of grass trails and onto a small open field section. Last but not least a wooded section extending again to approx 1 mile in length with several wet sections just to steady things up a little. The track in some places would get better and in others such as the wet mulsh sections these would challenge the rider on each lap with power sapping berms and rutts was more like riding wet sand or welsh bogs with many riders hitting the dirt on more than one occasion
The large entry of Sportsmen were away first all 53 made a clean break with no incidents and after 2 hours of very competative racing the winner in this class was Jack Powell followed home in 2nd by Sean Wainwright, 3rd saw Harri Phillips and 4th Luke Wainwright and making up the top 5 Tom Hodgkinson. Only 8 of the big Sportsman line up failed to finish Next away the Veterans of 40's and 50's - these classes were sure to cope with the changing conditions better than any of the other classes with vast experience sure to show through making up the top 3 in the over 50's was 1st place Eddie Tait even suffering some early senial dementure after wondering around the pits area for some time after forgetting where he put his petrol - I hope he remembers where he lives! 2nd went to hard charging Roger Billam on 1 minute behind and making up the top 3 saw Colin Griffiths a further 1 minute behind Roger all completing an incredible 14 laps - all 11 Vets over 50's finished
2 Stroke Clubman was another class that saw many new faces to the series and again made for some fast and furious racing no one could afford to let their guard down for 1 minute but at the end Darren Thorpe took the win and only 1 bike apart for 2nd place was hard charging Adrian Measures. 3rd saw ever improving Sam Hoskins take the final position all on 15 laps
The trail class saw club regulars Eric Shaw and Ian Jones have a 2 hour battle. Ian at the end was the victor, Eric had to settle for 2nd spot both completed 10 laps Last but not least was the Ladies class, Emily Davey had no competition so took the win completing 12 laps which would of seen her finish in the top 20 for the 53 strong Sportsman class so well done and lets hope more Ladies take up the sport soon So again a resounding success another great track and a lot of new faces, this can only make this series get better. Book in early for round 3 on the 8th May at Shuckburgh Many thanks to Keith Staines for the hire of this superb track he and his family and friends have put a lot of hard work to create the practise track and I hope it pays off and the riders support it on practise days ect - check out the next practise day by visiting www.ashbymotopark.co.uk
"Not so Slow Pete" The Cotswold Enduro Club ran round 1 of its Slow Pete series on Sunday 27th February at Redmarly, Gloucestershire The Series designed for Clubman/Novice riders has become a very popular format with no Experts allowed and the courses for the most part built to suit all abilities but ny no means too easy! The venue at Redmarley was 100% sand and was in perfect condition even after heavy rain on Friday and Saturday morning The British Youth Enduro Club ran on the Saturday with all riders enjoying the track and conditions, so the adults on the Sunday would be in for a treat with the same track but with the addition of a new field which added approx 1 mile to the track totaling 4.5miles in length consisting of mainly fast open field going with the addition of a wooded cambered bank, two steep climbs, two steep decents, technical sections and several boggey bits for good measure. 148 riders took part and all were away safely after the dead engine start.
The racing in all classes was fast and competitive through out the 2 hour duration, a lot of new faces would make prediction of results very unclear with last years front runners having a wake up call with some of the new blood pushing hard from the start. The conditions were perfect through out the race and with only 15 minutes to go the heavens opened with a 5 minute hail storm which left a carpet of marbles over the ground. This then melted and caused near chaos to some parts of the track The riders and especially the Marshals' having to work hard to keep things together which they did in superb style. Results So to conclude a great start to Round 1 of the Slow Pete Series good numbers and close racing superb track and seven rounds to go. The next one being at Ashby Moto Park on March 20th. This event is restricted - so book in early.
The Rock Oil British AMCA Hare & Hounds series moved down to Rockfield near South Wales for its 4th round. The crew turned up on Tuesday to start work and conditions were good but with non stop rain Wednesday & Thursday the planned track had to be completely re planned so that it would run what ever the weather would become on Sunday. This was done with the sacrifice of at least 1-2 miles and a large amount of technical going which would be impassable if wet. So
come Sunday 4.5 miles was on offer with enough challenging going to
make it interesting along with the normal fast open fields it would
run whatever. Sunday - the weath
1st back with a lap time of 11.05 was Pro rider Matt Porter followed by Land Owners Son Rob Breakwell and in 3rd was Poole Motorcycles Phil Studley. The 1st Expert back was young Tom Hirons who would be sure to go well in these conditions. 2nd saw local Man Dan Bishop chasing hard, 3rd and 59 seconds behind Tom was Matt Lewis. The 2* & 4* would be next to show - and 1st in the 2* stroke class was fast chasing Aaron Edwards and saw Danny Clark 7 seconds behind and in 3rd club regular Colin Griffiths only 26 seconds behind the leader. First for the 4* saw Gareth Delahay with a 21 second lead over young Ashley Stokes a further 40 seconds back and in 3rd was Noel Joyce. The always-competitive Veteran class were next at lap scoring on form David Salkeld in 1st and on current form would be the man to catch in 2nd and 34 seconds behind was Rob Sewell - series regular and in 3rd spot was hard riding Martin Jakeman. The Sportsman saw 1st back james Paczynski he would be hoping not to get stuck in any fences this week! 10 seconds behind James was Jack Powell and in 3rd saw on from Martin Kohv making up the top 3. The Ladies competitors were next but 1st through was Ruth Graham followed closely by Emily Davey and in 3rd was young Emma Perkins. After trouble starting her bike on the line she would have to push hard to catch the other girls, all three riders are improving and getting faster at each meeting.
In the Experts Tom Hirons took 1st place and was running with the
Pro riders all-day and posted the 4th fastest lap time overall. 2nd
saw former top rider Dan Bishop hold onto his early position. 3rd was
ever improving Andrew Keyte on his new KTM which seemed to suit him.
The strong Sportsman class saw James Paczyinski hold on for the win with no damaged fences at this round. 2nd went to Jack Powell with a strong ride especially as 3rd placed man Martin Kohv was only 1 minute behind at the end so very close for 2nd & 3rd. At the end the Ladies taking 1st place after a poor start was Emma Perkins. 2nd was Emily Davey just 2 minutes behind both on a very credible 12 laps. Taking 3rd after leading on lap 1 with a time of 26 minutes on lap 2 Ruth must have had a problem as her average lap time was 17 minutes but still managed 11 laps, but would not catch Emma and Emily at the end. So to conclude…. another great event at another top venue and good racing in all classes. Frank Morgan back at his best doing the filming, superb trophies yet again sponsored by 4X90.com and not forgetting product prizes supplied by series sponsor Rock Oil. All this making this AMCA Hare & Hound Championship stand out from the crowd. With 3 rounds remaining all are welcome to ride so check out the
website www.cotswoldenduro.co.uk
and get booked in for round 5 @ Wymeswold - Sunday 26th September.
Matt Porter takes the 3rd Rock The third Rock Oil British Amca Hare & Hound Championship was
staged at Owthorpe between Leicester & Newark on Sunday 27th June with
a 3-year gap since this venue was last used. A lot of hard work was needed
to cut through the endless brambles and brash to create a fitting course
for the riders. This was achieved with a 6.4 miles course of Woodland and
open going. The woods were split into two halves to break things up a
little - the first section was 2.4 miles of woodland and then open
headland - 2 miles in length and then another 2 miles of woodland to
complete the lap. This worked well and gave the riders a break from the
heat, which was the hottest day of the year so far. So onto the race….The
Pro/Champs and Experts were off first on the short shape start straight
before entering the first section of woods. Next to go was the 2* & 4*
Clubman classes, several riders came together in the gate way but soon got
going again. The Veteran class was next and made a clean getaway and would
be soon on the 2* & 4* class. Last off was the Sportsman & Ladies
class. Some riders decided to crash before the woods slipping on the grass
but again they all sorted themselves out and entered the 2.4 miles first
section of woodland, which was sure to spread them out. With a 15-minute
lap time anticipated for the Pro/Expert riders the wait was on to see who
would show first. Joe Jones the series leader was first to show with
fellow Rock Oil team mate Matt Porter (above) next 2 seconds behind them
came Poole Motorcycles Phil Studley in 3rd only 2 seconds behind Matt in
4th was series new comer Lee Sampson, 51 seconds behind Joe the leader.
The Experts saw Richard Blunt 1st, 2nd out was Stuart James 10 seconds
behind the class leader 3rd out was Ashley Wilson a further 27 seconds
back from Stuart. The 2* & 4* were due back next first to show was
Colin Griffiths 2nd saw Aaron Edwards and only 3 seconds behind him was
Jason Duggan. In the 4* class on form Glenn Coltman appeared 1st followed
by Luke Copestake and in 3rd and 56 seconds behind the class leader saw
Samuel Strong. The Veterans next and with some on form riders in this
class it was sure to be close racing through out the 3 hour race but 1st
to show was series top Vet Martin Jakeman followed in by Genus racing
David Lote 3rd saw hard charging David Salkeld. The Sportsman and Ladies
class was next the 1st Sportsman out of the woods saw John Bowering then
on form and ever improving James Paczynski in 2nd and 3rd was Ni The 4* class saw early leader Glenn Coltman stamp his authority on his class by leading from start to finish over 4 minutes ahead of 2nd placed rider Shane Brown who pushed very hard throughout to keep 3rd place man Noel Joyce away as at the end there was only just over 1 minute between them. The Veteran class saw new blood take the honours with David Salkeld a full 3.5 minutes ahead of top Veteran Martin Jakeman but both on a very credible 12 laps 3rd saw another team Genus member in the trophies by the name of David Lote who is always in contention. The Sportsman class saw young rider James Paczyinski make his mark at this round and I am sure will repeat it in the future 2nd went to another consistent rider John Bowering who pushed hard throughout the race but faded a bit at the end but still had a 2 minute lead over 3rd place Martin Kohv who had had the class wins in earlier rounds. The 3 Ladies all rode well with Katie taking a convincing win and finishing a credible 47th overall Emily Davey took 2nd with another strong ride and I believe loved the fast open fields on her 300cc KTM 3rd and also on the same laps as Emily went to Ruth Graham with another good ride and is improving at each event. So to conclude another superb meeting at another top exclusive fresh un spoilt venue the Rock Oil Amca British is really shaping up now with round 4 at one of North Wales' best venues the series delivers what it says on the box "True Hare & Hound racing for all abilities" bought to you by the AMCA and Rock Oil a Championship for the rider Report by Pete Carter All photos courtesy of Phil Moorley (Land Owner) Results by Laptracker
Round 2 of the Rock Oil British AMCA Hare & Hound Championship took place at the picturesque Private Deer Park of Shuckburgh Hall in Warwickshire. This venue has a formidable reputation for being one of the most testing tracks if its wet. Many a rider in the past being pleased to have managed 2 laps in 3 hours. In the dry Shuckburgh is one of the most enjoyable rides but with the forecast being for heavy rain all Saturday night this had a reflection on the entry - along with other events taking place on the same day. Some riders even pulling out before the start which gives you some idea of Shuckburghs' reputation. with sections on the track known as the killing fields and the near impassable hill when wet known as Avery ride so after early morning modification to the track - which took out most of the sections that would fail - the track length was reduced to 4.2 miles of mixed woodland and all the riders voted for the whole 3 hours
Joe Jones took the lead on lap 3 but Darren took it back the next lap. The pair led the chasing pack for the next 10 laps. Darren eventually pulling out on lap 11 with an aggravated wrist injury - which was the reason, he didn't compete at round one. So it was left to Joe Jones to lead the pack, which he did with his consistent smooth riding to take the overall Premiere for the day.
Last but not least saw the Sportsman and Ladies class. The first Sportsman back was Stuart Smith followed by on form Martin Kohv & 3rd to show was James Paczynski just over a minute adrift of the leader but at the end of the race Martin took the class win by a large margin. James would take 2nd and John Bowering came 3rd - 20 seconds behind James both on 10 laps.
So to conclude a tough but ever improving track saw lap times get faster smiles get bigger and a general thumbs up for a hard but enjoyable event. Trophies again sponsored by 4x90.com, product prizes by title sponsors Rock Oil presented again by Malcolm Brettle of the AMCA. A big thanks to Sir Rupert Shuckburgh for the land. To all our hard working professional marshals and lap scorers. Enduro Photos, Dizzy Racing Spares, and the Caterers Jenny & Lisa and everybody else that make this series stand out from the crowd. Rock Oil British - a championship for the rider Next round - Owthorpe, Nottinghamshire, Sunday 27th June - 8 rounds 6 to count. Report by Pete Carter. All photos courtesy of Pete Cobbe Enduro Photos. Results by Laptracker
5.2 miles on offer and a standard 3 hour duration for this series, dead engine start was the order of the day with the Pro Champs and Experts our first then the 2* & 4* Clubman followed by the over 40 Veterans and last but not least the Sportsman and Ladies class. All classes were away safely with only 1 incident on the start section, which soon cleared, so who would be first to show? Number 54 Joe Jones came through scanning first with a 25 second lead over Poole Motorcycles supported Phil Studley and 3 seconds behind him in the Pro Champ class was Genus racing Anthony Dean. The first Expert back was Richard Blunt 2nd was current Cotswold Enduro Club Champion Tom Hirons and only a few seconds behind Tom saw Freddie Broadway in 3rd The 2* & 4* classes were due next… 1st 2* was Aaron Edwards and only 2 seconds behind saw Chris Pryce and 1 second behind him was Ian Shuttleworth. First back in the 4* class saw Dean Pitt in 1st 39 seconds behind in 2nd was Glen Coltman 3rd back was James Collett. The next class due back was the very competitive Veteran class, which is always hard to predict but in 1st on lap one was Rob Sewell 2 seconds behind was Martin Jakeman and in 3rd was Jerry Adams.
The large Sportsman class and the Ladies next, 1st in Sportsman saw Richard Davis and 2 seconds behind him was James Paczynski followed in 3rd by Martin Colwell First in the Ladies class back at lap scoring was 14-year-old and competing in her first adult Enduro young Katie Walker 2nd back was Emma Perkins who now has real competition with young Katie and 3rd to show was Emily Davey who now has to up her game to keep with these two young guns So that was lap 1, things were sure to change in some of the classes with 3 hours of technical going along with the unusual heat for April. Trees, water, roots and deep ruts all would take there toll on some for sure. So in the Pro Champ class 17 year old Rock Oil supported Joe Jones took the overall Premier leading the whole race from start to finish.
The Veterans saw mixed fortunes for some but saw very competitive racing throughout the 3 hours. At the end 1st went to Martin Jakeman who was very surprised at his result, Rob Sewell was second but only just because Genus racing David Lote was hard on his tail and only finished 14 seconds behind for 3rd spot. The large Sportsman class saw some changes from the early laps but Martin Kohv took the win after taking the lead on lap 10 after swapping position throughout the race with young James Paczynski who finished 2nd, John Bowering was a consistent 3rd for the last 6 of his 10 laps so 3rd spot for John. The six strong Ladies class saw the early leader Katie Walker lead from start to finish a full lap ahead of the other girls 2nd saw Emma Perkins on 9 laps and Emily Davey 3rd with 8 laps, so the Ladies class has some strong competition throughout and the chasers need to up their game to catch young Katie. So in conclusion a real strong start to the first round of this Championship. The trophies again sponsored by 4x90.com, which were superb, product prizes for all classes supplied by title sponsors Rock Oil. The AMCA Enduro. Coordinator Malc Brettle presented the trophies. Enduro Photos took the pictures. So all in all a complete package and a true British Championship bought to you by the AMCA. Round 2 is on the 2nd May at the unique Shuckburgh Hall near Daventry A CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE RIDER Report by Pete Carter
Ross Bent on Lea - Results The Cotswold Enduro Club ran round 1 of its domestic club championship at Winkworth Farm in Lea Wiltshire. Not sure whether to run the event with the weeks forecast being so bad, a phone call to Land Manager Matt Hicks soon made the decision "just run it I will sort any mess out don't worry" then he tells me he is going skiing on the Saturday to Val d' Seire! So run it we did heavy rain on the Saturday night added to the already water logged venue many of the ditches had flooded with up to 1-2 feet of water in the gateways. Also in the low lying fields the stream at the backend of the track had burst its banks and again was at least a foot high on the track itself. The only consolation was that no mud would stick to the bikes it would wash off and the tyres would be clear so grip and steering initially would be good. The worst thing that could happen was that the track would get tacky and semi dry out if that was possible. 2.5 hours was the race time and 4.75 miles was the track length. The riders were all notified if they didn't stick to the track the race would be shortened which at the 1.5 hour mark the decision was taken to make it 2 hours because some riders were going wider and wider- not all deliberately but damage was being done. 140 riders took part, 26 didn't make it to the end most of them suffered machine failure due to water problems in the electrics and also at least three completely submerged their bikes into the stream with only the exhaust and rear wheels showing. Two managed to get them started again so at the end most that took part enjoyed the event for what it was a true endurance for both man and machine. Being so busy along with all of the marshals it was difficult to watch what was happening during the event so the results are as follows but one person that did stand out and definitely deserves a mention was young Ross Benton who rode a very mature race in horrendous conditions and took the overall Premiere award. This was Ross's first overall Premiere and to do it in those conditions against a lot of really good Experts - so he deserves a big pat on the back. A big thanks to the Landowners Jeremy & Melanie Newman and also to
the Land Manager Matt Hicks who now has a lot of reinstatement work……….
I hope you enjoyed your holiday!!
Lincoln Gases MOD The Cotswold Enduro Club ran an open meeting at Swynnerton Training Area at Cold Meece near Stone staffs on the 14th Feb. Over 600 acres were on offer but only 200 were needed for the 5.5 miles that was set up for this very first bike meeting on this vast MOD land. A complete mix of terrain was on offer, pine woods, natural bomb holes and banks, man made bunds, sandy and grass sections, wooded areas and just for a good mix concrete. Tarmac and asphalt sections all 3 above were not well received but to a large extent had to be used to join the section together. So onto the race a good mix of Experts made up the front line on form Gas Gas rider Lincoln Brewster top AMCA MX2 front-runner Lee Payne. Kwack mounted Andy Cripps, Grant Hacking and up and coming Mark Roberts also club regulars George Baylis, Tom Hirons to name but a few made up the 18 strong line up. The combined 2stroke and 4 stroke line up was sure to make for some close racing. Rock Oil regular Andrew Gorse made the long journey to compete along side the likes of Glen Coltman eager to try out his new big bore 280KTM. Next the Veteran classes the 40+ and 50+ possibly the most competitive class. The 40+ saw the likes of Jerry Adams , Rob Sewell, Lee Barnett and also Pete Benton making his come back after a knee operation in 2009. 18 riders made up the 40+and the new 50+ class with its 7 riders was sure to be just as full on. With ever-competitive Ian Nurden, John McGowan and Ian Porter and the rest proving life begins at 50+. Forth row was made up of the Mx Clubman some new names and club regulars would make for an unpredictable result. The last line saw the Enduro Sportsman and Ladies class bringing up the rear. The race lines would hopefully be in place for these classes as some of the going was quite technical and would assist in making the right choice for these riders. So 3 hours of Hare & Hound racing a dead engine start the flag drops the first line is away. Andy Cripps takes the hole shot, Mark Roberts hits the deck with front end wash out next the 2 stroke & 4 stroke enduro boys first into the corner was Andrew Gorse followed by Daniel Goodwin. The combined Veterans were next away and saw Simon Bastow in first, Ian Strudley 2nd and Jerry Adams 3rd. The Mx Clubman saw Roger Withington first followed by Chris Nurden and Colin Richardson, The Sportsman and Ladies were last but not least Lance Hurdsman, Keiran Jordan, Kirk Giles made up the first 3. So who would be first back on lap 1? Lee Payne was the first to show but Lincoln Brewster was first through lap scoring then Lee and 6 seconds behind Andy Cripps. Lee lead for the next 2 laps but retired on lap 5 and Cripps was in third place and would finish there at the end. Mark Roberts swapped the lead out on the track with Lincoln but could not hold him off, Lincoln lead the race from start to finish apart from laps 2 and 3. So at the end it was Gas Gas mounted Lincoln Brewster with the overall Premier win. Mark Roberts 1st Andy Cripps 2nd and Grant Hacking 3rd in the Expert Plus class. After a consistent ride Mick Belcher took the win in the Enduro Experts followed by Lee Carpenter - who's son Russ said, "he was going round like Miss Daisy". The Mx Experts was won by young George Baylis who finished 4th overall 2nd in the Mx Experts was Aaron Tiley 3rd was David Wathen.
The 4 strokes saw Mark Cheethan take the win and lead the race for 11 of his 12 laps. Next saw big bore KTM rider Glen Coltman dig deep till the end and come back from 4th to take 2nd, 3rd went ever improving Shane Brown. The Veterans 40+ saw Simon Bastow first at timing then 2nd behind was Jerry Adams 3rd came Rob Sewell but at the 3 hour mark Rob Sewell took the win 2nd was Simon Bastow and in 3rd saw Lee Barnett with a consistent ride. The 50+ saw Ian Nurden 1st, the flying farmer Steve Hough 2nd and 3rd was John McGowan at the end Ian Nurden won leading every lap a well-deserved 2nd went to John McGowan and 3rd to Mick Cheneller. Mx Clubman Danny Clarke was 1st back 2nd was James Paczynski and 3rd was Roger Withington, but at the end all change James Paczynski on his 1st competitive ride took the class win Tom Brandon 2 minutes behind took 2nd and 3rd was Billy Robinson all on 11 laps. Last but not least was the Sportsman and Ladies Keiran Jordan 1st back followed by 2nd Lance Hurdsman and 3rd Darren Hill and that's how it finished at the end although they all swapped places during the race the top 3 all managing 11 laps. 1st back out of the 5 strong ladies class was Emily Davey, Ruth Graham was 2nd and 3rd through was the very vocal Jayne Tudhope. The first 4 ladies all swapped position throughout but it was Emily Davey in 1st it obviously paid as Emily walked the track on the Saturday. 2nd was ever improving Ruth Graham and in 3rd was Olivia Tudhope a young lady that can only get better and I am sure will top the class soon, So in short a new venue with huge potential most riders enjoying the some what different terrains ect this venue will now be booked for a round of the Rock Oil Amca British Hare & Hounds Championship possibly the last round because what ever the weather this place will run good drainage of the land and the massive hard standing car park area. We will also try to avoid most of the concrete and asphalt paths in future but because of the road grid system roads needed to be crossed to get to each section. A big thanks to Landmarc especially Deborah Moloney and the rest of the staff who were most helpful and accommodating and helped me through the minefield of MOD paperwork. Report by Pete Carter
Several new venues are in place along with the most popular from last year. Another round in place for 2010 making 8 rounds. All rounds will be open meetings so anyone can ride you don't have to be contesting the whole series to compete. Again there will be trophies at all of the rounds going down to 3rd place in each class supplied by www.4X90.com also possible product prizes at each event. Two rounds can be dropped from the 8 for whatever reason for example: bad result, holiday, riding elsewhere ect.. The format and classes is user friendly and uncomplicated, the series is fully backed and supported by the AMCA. The series winners will all be presented with the end of year trophies and product prizes at the Dirt Bike Show in November and walk away in the knowledge that they are a true sanctioned Governing Body British Champion. All details will be on Enduro News, the AMCA website and Cotswold Enduro Club website as and when the information regs and details become available
So lets get ready to Rock 2010 -be part of a true Hare & Hounds
Championship- A series for the riders!
The final round of the Rock Oil 2009 British Amca Hare & Hound Championship took place in possibly the most horrendous conditions this year. Driving rain 60mph winds all met the riders on the start line even the mega phone struggled to reach the riders with the information for the day. A vote was taken to cut the race time down but all voted for the 3 hours. So just after 10am the first group were away - this being the Pro Champ and Experts.
So taking the overall Premier award for the day was Mr Consistent Keith Jenkins
So
a true endurance event for all concerned not just the riders but for all the
marshals as well to keep control of the race. What a great night everybody had - a Halloween Fancy which most dressed up for, the Rodeo Bull which is a must at any party where there are kids because the Bull kept them under control all night! The Disco, the Bar and the friendly staff at Enduroland made for a great weekend.
Bring on 2010 a Championship for the rider. A massive thanks to this years sponsors Rock Oil - 4X90.com for supplying all the trophies for each round - Gas Gas Uk - 1st Mx - Hirons - TR Distributions and to DK Off Road Also to the clubs for staging the rounds Xmoor, Southern Counties and Cotswold Enduro Club and most of all the riders for supporting and believing in the series.
"Rock Oil takes the right turn" - 18th October A completely new venue saw round 6 of the Rock Oil 2009 British Amca Hare & Hound Championship take place at Turn Post Farm-Wymeswold Not sure how it would be received mainly because it was based on and around a full Amca Mx track with out lying ridge a furrow fields, ditches, a bog section, flat out fields and a couple of man made log sections made up the 5.5 miles loop Many of the riders travelled up to 7 hours to compete so at the end many were asked if they enjoyed this track most said they did and some even wanted more even after the 3 hours. So thumbs up for the venue which we will be using again next year for the Club Champs and Slow Pete rounds and possibly a round of the Rock Oil Series So back to the race… Pro/Champ and Experts made up the first row series regulars and some new blood made up the group, top Amca and Imba Mx rider Matt Porter being one of them. Also 2 up and coming riders Charles Statt and George Baylis were also sure to go well in the Experts putting pressure on the likes of Genus Racing Anthony Dean and Stephen Grimshaw along with Gary Simms all regular series riders The next class was the 2* & 4* Clubman again with all the series regulars such as Mick Belcher, Andrew Gorse and Gareth Prosser in the 2* class still in contention and if Mick doesn't blow another engine, it could be tight at the end. Also a lot of new faces made up the group 4* regulars and in contention for the title Genus Racing Matt Lefevre along with Pete Ballinger, Shane Brown and on form Andrew Grant. Along with many others should make for a good race Next on the line was possibly the most competitive class being the Over 40 Veterans. The title up for grabs saw all the regulars like Gary McCoy who must have been jet lagged after travelling such a long way from down South. Born again Martin Jakeman along with Russell Benson and looking for a bit more luck and riding time. Jerry Adams after having the season from hell with so many bike problems. Simon Bastow was also sure to be in the mix along with club riders Glen Coltman and Lee Barnett Last but not least was the Sportsman and Ladies class 34 in total Colin Griffiths, Nick Tucker and Darren Hill all in with a shout for the end of year spoils would surely make for close racing The 2 Lady riders were new to the series but both I am sure would ride hard regardless.
Yet another great meeting with only the final round to go which is on November 1st at Enduroland-Adstone-Northants A heated Marquee, Licensed Bar, Music, a Rodeo Bull, Racing Cars and Fancy Dress being the dress code if so desired all on the Saturday night and should make for a great series finale And of course 3 hours of racing on the Sunday will conclude the 7 rounds of a true British Hare & Hound Championship Trophies on the day down to 3rd place For further information visit www.cotswoldenduro.co.uk Photos supplied courtesy of Pete Cobbe Report by Pete Carter
Cotswold Enduro Club staged round 5 of the Rock Oil 2009 British Amca Hare
& Hound Championship at Rockfield Monmouthshire First back was Darren Carter with a 54 second lead over Keith Jenkins a further 10 seconds back was Ben Adams who was hoping for a little more luck after recent bike problems at previous events.
The large and probably the most competitive class was up next this being the Veterans (over 40's) first to come through lap scoring was club rider Rob Sewell, 6 seconds behind Rob was Martin Jakeman. Martin would be looking for a better result than at round 4 to keep him in contention for the Veteran title. On form Gary McCoy was close behind in 3rd place.
The only Lady rider Emma Perkins took close to 23 minutes to complete lap one but got faster as the day went on with a best lap time of 16 minutes and 29 seconds. Emma would have finished 22nd in the 41 strong Sportsman class had she entered it. So that was lap one some things were bound to change as the race went on. One of the top Veteran riders Jerry Adams was one rider that was having no luck at all this season with yet another machine problem. With Jerry not even completing 1 lap. Martin Jakeman also had some small problems, which saw him loose sight of the front-runners and would have to work hard to catch up. Young Joe Jones in the Expert was playing catch up for a start whilst getting used to his new 250 KTM in preparation for the beach race. Simon Ellway also having problems only completing 3 laps. 2* Clubman and series contender Michael Belcher saw his hopes dashed when his engine blew up putting a hole in the casings. Emma Perkins nearly put paid to her race by throwing herself into a deep wet ditch, which took several marshals and spectators to get Emma and her bike out! Young Ben Gwyther having an off and aggravating an old injury. Pro rider Phil Studley had to push hard at the end after some earlier problems. Another Pro rider Darren Carter also had a big off going into pigeon wood and bent his bike and a bang on the head saw Darren seeing 2 KTM's and until his vision came back did not know which one to get on!! Expert rider Tom Hirons de railed his newly fitted moose and tyre and had to fit a spare wheel to carry on. Keith Jenkins made a rare mistake and let Derek Bawn through with only a few laps to go. So all in all many riders having an eventful race. So at the end of the event the Premier went to Rock Oil and K-Tech supported rider Darren Carter.
So another top event in this Rock Oil Amca British Championship with two rounds to go and the class front runners far from being crowned. There is all to play for at round 6 & 7 which have now been confirmed for the 18th October and the final on 1st November details on our website and Enduro news. A special thanks to all the marshals on the day some of which normally ride and I am sure now appreciate what the job entails A big thanks again to Darren Gwyther of 4x90.com for the superb trophies again So lets make round six and seven Rock!
The Cotswold Enduro Club are ready for round 6 of the Rock Oil 2009 Amca British Hare & Hound to be held at Turn Post Farm - Wymeswold Leicestershire on Sunday 18th October This replaces the original scheduled event on September 20th, which was to be in the Dorset area but due to land issues and clashing of events not only in the same area but elsewhere it was believed best to re schedule and move this round. The track will be some what different to the previous events in the fact that it will consist of a full Amca Mx track approx 1 ¼ miles in length, a small amount of technical ditches, humps, bumps, ridge and furrow and a good amount of flat out hedge chasing. So it will suit all abilities not just the technically gifted amongst us. 5 - 7 miles is predicted with fantastic parking areas so no problem in getting stuck. Just off the main A46 Leicester to Newark road, so all main roads to the venue. Round 7 the final is in place so lets rock and make this series stand out from the crowd A championship for the riders. Details
"Joe rocks Hope" Cotswold Enduro Club staged round 3 of the Rock Oil Amca British Championship at Bury Farm Hope Under Dinmore Near Leominster on Sunday 28th June 5 miles of natural old woodland, small spinney's, streams and a few sections of flat out going made up what was declared by most riders to be a fantastic venue and track and with it being 90% in trees it was quiet cool considering the out side temperatures along with the ¼ mile of stream kept the riders wet and chilled on each lap, especially one section which became very deep. The start saw the Pro/Championship riders and experts going first. Then the 2 stroke and 4 stroke Clubman. Third were the Veterans and last but not least was the Sportsman and Ladies. All groups got away almost clean with only one incident which saw John McGowan being taken down by his friend on the first corner and on inspection he found that his front brake hose was ripped out which finished Johns race after travelling less than 100 yards So who would appear first on lap 1- it was current series leader Darren
Carter with a 42 second lead over young Expert rider Joe Jones (above). Then pro
riders Derek Bawn and Phil Studley made up the first four with the remaining
Pro and Expert riders not far behind. All posting 15 mins plus laps this time
was sure to come down as the burms and lines became more defined indeed it did
but only to a 14 min+ lap for the fast boys. Darren Carter pulled out after 5 laps with the bike missing after the stream played havoc with the electrics on each lap. Top Amca Motor crosser Matt Porter also giving it best before it was too late with his mx bike not being set up for the wood ect too fiery and too stiff for the terrain. So it was left to young Joe Jones to take up the running closely pursued by Phil Studley and Derek Bawn. Phil and Derek battling for most of the race, Phil was closing on Joe at the end but not enough so Joe took the overall Premier with Phil 1st in the Pro class and Derek 2nd and Ben Adams a credible 3rd after going on reserve 200 yards before the finish and allowing young Expert rider Tom Hirons to get back past after the pair had battled for position for the last 2 laps. The Experts saw Tom Hirons take 1st being pushed on in the last laps with his battle with Pro rider Ben Adams, Tom put 11 min on second place man Anthony Dean and with a good ride for 3rd was Simon Ellway just over a minute behind. In the Clubman 2 stroke class racing was as just exciting with positions changing through out but at the end it was club regular and ever improving rider Gareth Prosser taking 1st - 2 minutes behind for 2nd was Freddie Davies and another 2 minutes behind for 3rd was Mick Reynolds. The Clubman 4 stroke saw Justin Brooks make his return to the club a good one with an excellent 1st place but only just! Because only a minute behind and catching was Samuel Strong to take 2nd, 3rd was Matthew Leferve with a good steady ride. The Veteran, which is always very competitive, saw close racing especially at the beginning of the race but on from Martin Jakeman took the win and considering last year with knee problems he thought his racing was finished. 2nd went to Gary McCoy again with a good ride. 3rd went to Russel Benson who seemed to enjoy the more technical going and worked hard for his position as David Lote was closing in only a minute behind. Next up the Sportsman saw several lead changes during the race but Andrew Burton fought hard to win only 35 seconds ahead of 2nd place man Colin Griffiths, 3rd went to Sam Titchmarsh a further 2 minutes behind. Last but not least saw the one and only Lady Emma Perkins take her class
with a credible 8 laps.
Pro/Champ Expert
4 Stroke Veterans Ladies Sportsman COTSWOLD ENDURO CLUB Round 4 club champs Hope Under Dinmore 14th June 2009 Report by Jim Buchanan The weather was awesome for this, the 4th round of the CEC club champs at the excellent venue of Hope Under Dinmore, near Leominster. This was only the second CEC race I'd ever done, with amazing memories of my first at the mint Sellatin track near Oswestry at the end of 07. Being a lover of all things wooded and technical I did not feel let down by this, a proper woodland track. The track was around four miles long, of which around 3 3/4 was tight technical turns, ruts and full-on suspension testing whoops in the midst of an excellent wood, probably not favoured by your average stubble field and MX hero! In my opinion it was ace, just what a cross country scramble track should all be about. The race duration was 2 1/2 hours (something to do with it being a club champs which I didn't get!) and being a regular frequenter of the WOR race series I have to admit I was quite surprised by all the categories. Lap counting was done by having a barcode sticker zapped on your lid, making you feel like a packet of peas through the checkout. At first it was a bit of a long procession affair through the trees, until you could spot the overtaking places and traffic started to thin out. The thing I was most impressed with at the end was the printouts you could get for a quid, which gave you all your lap performances, average speed, etc, great idea, although as I got my first win of the season I have to admit to being a bit gutted with no trophies or anything to take home to remind you of your efforts, but I suppose that keeps costs down and hey, it's the track that counts! Two riders making surprise appearances were GasGas's Gareth Hopkins, who with his MTB downhill background was well suited to the endless turns in the woods and GBXC's fast boy Mark Roberts who went past me like i was standing still! Both riders didn't hesitate to impress with their performance as Mark was fastest overall, seven minutes ahead of Gareth, both being the only two riders to rack up 11 laps. Chris Mawdley took the win over Lee Barnett in the Expert Enduro, and Tom Hirons was no 1 MX expert over Owain Rees. Top Enduro 4 stroke Clubman was yours truly (Buchanan of the Jim variety!) and 2 stroke Enduro Clubman winner was Gareth Prosser and Ash Prowden took the MX Clubmen win. In the Vets Martin Jakeman took the top spot and John Bowering was top Sportsman rider. For all results and future races check out www.cotswoldenduro.co.uk
Carter Takes the Shuckburgh Rock Cotswold Enduro Club ran round 1 of the Rock Oil 2009 British Amca Hare & Hound Championship at the spectacular Shuckburgh Hall near Daventry on Sunday 19th April. Set in a private Deer Park and with the majority of the track set amongst broad leaf and pine woodland with a small open field section, hills banks, bogs, descents, cambers made for a fairly tough event but I think most riders enjoyed the challenge. A dead engine start in all classes saw the Pro riders off first followed by the 2* & 4* Clubman, Veteran and finally the Sportsman and Ladies. The damp grass saw many slipping and sliding in each corner. Then into the cambered decent section follow by a ditch crossing and into the broad leaf woodland which is clay based soil and was still very wet and slippery in many places. Then the hill section which didn't cause too many problems as for once Shuckburgh was a lot dryer than normal as this hill as seen the beating of many a rider in the past. After the hill along a single track and the descending into several wet bog sections known as the killing fields and plantation after that a short breather around the headland of a grass field the first part of which was nearly as tough as the main track. Then into a pine woodland with roots and ruts soon appearing across yet another wet section and into a hilly pine woodland which was fast and flowing as it past 2 old Carp ponds and then into lap scoring and out for another 5 miles of Hare & Hound madness.
The top class line out of Veterans saw Jerry Adams first through in close second was Dennis Harrison. Dave Grimshaw and Mr "I don't like trees" Ian Nurden in 4th spot. Richard Main who had a poor start was sure to close in on the front runners as the race went on. After being last on the start line when the bike would not start. The Sportsman Novice class saw Michael Winsor leading the way, second was John Batchelor followed by Mick Wright. The only lady was Emma Perkins but she still rode till the end so 3 hours and 5 miles of a dry but infamous Shuckburgh would the positions stay the same for the duration. Some did and some didn't.
The Veterans was probably the most competitive class and after a problem with the results mainly because a section of track had to be cut out the two front runners where still in the section as it was cut out which allowed 3rd and 4th to move through into 1st & 2nd but after a justifiable protest the times were amended and the results re calculated using the Laptracker System which would have been accurate to a very few seconds of the time lost. So the results reverted back to what would have been 99.9% correct which I believe all the affected riders would have agreed was the right results if that section of the track was not cut out and I am also sure they would not of wanted to win by default. So Dennis Harrison took 1st and Jerry Adams 2nd both these riders rode hard especially the last hour. Richard Main took a well deserved 3rd spot after such a bad start and managed to battle through the pack especially by is own admission he doesn't like trees Dave Lote was close behind in 4th spot.
Photos by Pete Cobbe The presentation took place at 2pm with Tim Royal from Rock Oil presenting the awards which were sponsored by Darren Gwyther of 4x90.com the quality of the trophies and the engraving was outstanding and a credit to Darren and his support for this series. So to sum up a great start to round 1 Hare & Hounds at its best. Round 2 is filling fast so get booked in. The next venue is superb. The SCEC Club put on top notch Hare & Hound events and the 3rd May is the date. A big thanks to all the marshals and helpers on the day and to Sir Rupert Shuckburgh for allowing us to use his estate. And last but not least to all the riders that won awards and also to all that didn't. Your support is much appreciated.
British Amca Hare & Hound Championship 2009. PETE CARTER the main man behind the British Amca Hare & Hound Championship has secured a deal with leading oil company Rock Oil. To be the title sponsors for this years British Amca Hare & Hound Championship 2009. The company which has a long history in off road sport are keen to raise the profile of not only their extensive product range for dirt bikes but also a genuine British Championship run through the Amca which are behind the series once again for 2009 Also involved as series sponsors are TR Distributions 4X90 Extreme - Gas Gas Uk 1st Mx and others, which will be announced later There are six rounds confirmed to date, with the possibility of a seventh round to be announced 1- 2 rounds are to drop, this is to allow for other commitments, bad results & clashing with other events ect. With so much going on within the sport it would be only fair to give some leeway for the riders ect The 2008 running of the series was kept fairly low key for several reasons but for 2009 all felt the need to raise the profile and to attract more riders that want the chance to pick up a genuine British title in the discipline of traditional Hare & Hound events. Starting with the Cotswold Enduro Club on 19th April at Shuckburgh Hall, Daventry a truly awesome venue set in a private deer park amongst varied type of woodland and terrains Then on the 3rd May Southern Counties Enduro Club will run round 2 at their superb venue Somerley Park at Verwood Round 3 again the Cotswold will run at Hope Under Dinmore, Leominster, which is a wooded venue with streams and banks ect Xmoor Enduro Club at another superb Hare & Hound venue known, as Bratton Court will run round 4 and to add to the mix will be run on rear trials tyres Round 5 again the Cotswold with the venue at the superb Rockfield, Monmouth with a mix of open fields and flowing woodland and steep banks and much more Round 6 Southern Counties Enduro Club will run at the tried and tested venue of Milton Abbas Round 7 club and venue to be announced So seven rounds of good old-fashioned Hare & Hounds and a true British Championship status The presentation will be at the Dirt Bike show in November with trophies and product prizes ect Information and links ect can be found at www.cotswoldenduro.co.uk
The series will be known as 'The 2009 Rock Oil British Amca Hare & Hounds Championship'
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The Experts saw James Paczynski take top spot after a race long
battle with Joe Jones but he dropped off at the end for some reason.
Aaron Edwards also rode hard throughout he also had a race long battle
amongst the Pro/Champ riders mainly Luke Lusher. Aaron took a well
deserved 2nd spot, Mick Belcher took 3rd on his newly re built bike so
he must have had every thing crossed hoping for a trouble free race as
he only ran it in the day before. Early front runner Darren Bedford was
4th with a very smooth ride. 
Veteran
over 40 was a mixed bag with 8 or 10 riders all capable of top position in
this class the outcome was uncertain at round 2. Martin Jakeman was 1st
then Lee Barnett and Pete Benton 3rd, David Salkeld lost his tyre and
moose and would not want to repeat that. So at the end it was David
Salkeld that took the win with both tyres on his bike. Next saw Martin
Jakeman with a very smooth and calculated ride take 2nd. Mike Vaughan was
3rd but some way off the front two.
So
after a very eventful and competitive race Joe Jones (right) took the
overall Premiere win with a mature ride. Tom Hirons took 1st place in the
Pro/Champ class followed by Ross Benton for 2nd and 3rd went to late
starting Ben Swambo who managed to keep the front down for the rest of the
race
Again a lot of new faces attended this popular series aimed at
Clubman/Novice riders only and with at least 6 rounds still to run looks
set to be a close competative championship
Next the over 40 Veterans - a 21 strong line up with a lot of pace
amoungst the top 10 riders this class was sure to be close. It indeed was
especially between Martin Jakeman and Mike Vaughan - a 2 hour long battle
saw Mike just get out for an extra lap at the end of the alotted time.
Mike's efforts saw him take the overall Premiere award for the day and
goes to show that the Veterans take some beating - the only rider to
complete 16 laps on the day well done Mike. This left Martin to take the
class win on 15 laps with 1 minute after time. 2nd was Rob Sewell on his
new KTM bike with a badly dinted pipe at the end and in 3rd and less than
1 minute behind was Kev Freeman - all but one of the 21 Veteran finished
The 4 Stroke's next - 21 lined up Geordie Smith took the hole shot but
would he be there at the end? The answer was not, after a low speed fall
in the mulsh at the ¾ mark and dislocating his shoulder and losing
several minutes until it went back in place and he then carried on but to
no avail, because on form Martin Kohv took a well deserved win followed
home in 2nd place and close behind was Paul Tomkins. Next saw 'Ladies Man'
and competing in his first Hare and Hounds event Jordan Wills make up the
top 3- 2 hours is along time without chasing any women!!
Clubman
2* followed by the 4* then the Veteran 40+ and Over 50 with Sportsman last
the Trail, Ladies and the new Pre 86 class.
er set fair and the track was in
prime condition and would only get better as the day went on. 3 hours
of racing in front of the riders at one of the top Hare & Hound
tracks in the Country. 10am saw the first group away which was the
Pro/Champ and Experts, second up was the 2* & 4* riders followed
by the Veterans and last but not least the Sportsman & Ladies
class.
So that was lap one the track in good condition and each and every
class being very competitive with Championship positions still close
in every class this would make for close fast racing which it did
right till the end. At the 3-hour mark and taking the overall event
Premiere with a very smooth rider was former top AMCA motor crosser
and Rock Oil supported Matt Porter. Derek Bawn took the Pro Champ
class win even after a lap 1 collision with a low branch, which split
his new helmet in half. Winded and shaken he rode back to the pits
changed his helmet and now over 5.5 minutes behind the other Pro's
was on a mission to make up the gap, posting the three fastest lap
times did just that with some determined riding and I am sure would
have given Matt a good run for the overall win if not for his first
lap mishap. 2nd Pro saw Poole Motorcycles Phil Studley have a great
battle throughout the duration with 3rd place finisher Rob Breakwell,
Phil also carrying a hard injury from a previous race and in obvious
pain at the end.
In the Veterans David Salkeld was another rider that lead from
start to finish and finished a very credible 6th overall. 2nd in the
Veterans was Martin Jakeman another rider finishing in the top 10
overall. 3rd was Rob Sewell loosing out to Martin at this round.
ck
Sims not far behind the 3 strong Ladies class were out of the wood next.
14 year old Katie Walker (right) was out first with an incredible 2.43
second lead over 2nd place Emily Davey and in 3rd saw Ruth Graham a
further 6 mins back form Katie. Three hours of mixed going and incredible
heat would sure to change many of the early leaders. So in the Pros after
leading for 2 laps Joe Jones lost out to Matt Porter who took the overall
Premiere. Joe took 1st in class with fast charging Lee Sampson 2nd Phil
Studley 3rd all completing 12 laps. Joe & Lee having the fastest lap
times both on 14 minutes 40 seconds, Joe took the edge with a fraction off
a second margin. Stuart James fresh back to racing and proving he still
has what it takes took the win in the Experts after taking the lead on lap
6 2nd went to James Ball with a very mature ride and only missed out on
another lap by a couple of minutes walking the track obviously paying off
3rd place saw Genus racing Gary Sims only just over a minute behind James
so close to the end. The 2* class saw a complete change to the early
running with Andrew Gorse taking the win in style with a strong push
throughout going from 5th on lap 1 2nd on lap 5 and taking the lead on lap
8 of his 11 completed pushed right to the end by Danny Clarke who finished
a strong 2nd only 18 seconds away from Andrew at the end. In 3rd saw Jack
Kitching ride hard through out going from 9th to 3rd in the 3 hours only
25 seconds behind Jack was early front runner Aaron Edwards so very
competitive class and racing throughout.
Just before
10.00am - and with the rain stopping - the riders were away. They were
ranked into Pro/Champ and Expert class, followed by the 2 & 4 Stroke Clubman, the
Veterans and last but not least the Sportsman and Ladies. All classes were
clean away on the grass start with only one incident, which soon sorted itself out.
For the spectators there was an anxious wait to see if anybody ever appear out of the woodland or would
the killing fields swallow the entry but with a sigh of relieve - after 12.5
minutes - the current Rock Oil Champ Darren Carter (right) emerged first followed by
Rock Oil team mate and current series leader young Joe Jones (above) only 3
seconds behind. Iin 3rd was Gav Houson who had a bad start so did well to
come through the pack on the first lap.
Gav
Houson (left) maintained his position with a good steady ride to take 1st in the
Pro/Champs class, Chris (the rain man) Mawdsley took a well deserved 2nd
and in 3rd saw Alex Owen only 1 minute behind. In the Experts Richard
Blunt was first back and should go well in these conditions Tom Hirons 2nd
19 seconds behind and 3rd saw Genus racing Keith Jones. Tom & Richard
swapped the lead for the next 4 laps but Richard had to settle for 2nd at
the end after a long pit stop on lap 6 to mend his exhaust Tom pushed hard
and had nearly an 8 minute lead over Richard to take the win. Richard kept
2nd and Keith Jones a consistent 3rd through out. The 2 Strokes Paul Jones
appear 1st followed by Gas Gas mounted Karl Day, Colin Griffiths was 3rd 8
seconds behind the class leader. Paul Jones finished where he started in
1st Karl Day went down to 4th in the middle stages of the race but pushed
hard at the end to take 2nd back and that's where he finished. 3rd went to
Sam Titchmarsh going from 8th on lap 1 eventually whittling down his
rivals to take a well deserved 3rd. The 4 Strokes saw Pete Ballinger out
of the woods 1st followed by Noel Joyce and then on from Freddie Davis in
3rd. Freddie took the lead on lap 2 and that's where he finished, Noel
Joyce finished 2nd with a consistent ride, Pete Ballinger managed 3rd but
faded towards the end.
The ever competitive Veteran class was next. This
was sure to be unpredictable with some new faces and series leader Martin
Jakeman carrying a knee problem into the race. At the end of the first lap
it was Mark Houson in the lead followed by Genus team member David Lote. Rob
Murfin was 3rd with a 54 seconds deficit behind the leader. Mark would lead the class from
start to finish and be the only Veteran on 13 laps. He finished a very
impressive 4th overall, David Lote finished 2nd. After swapping places for
6 laps and chasing him home for 3rd was David Salkeld. He was only a minute behind
& both riders completed 12 laps.
The Ladies class saw some controversy but series leader young Katie
Walker had to be disqualified for outside assistance but for which she would have won by
a good margin. Rules are rules especially at a British Champs level.
The decision is not a reflection on Katie or her family and pit crew but
an innocent over sight on their part, which I am sure, will not happen
again. Any way back to the race taking the win for the Ladies was Emma
Perkins with a great ride considering she had to come back to pits for a
lever and then fit it to her bike trackside before carrying on. 2nd saw
ever consistent Emily Davey on her 450 which is not the ideal bike in
those conditions but she stuck with it to get a finish and 2nd place. 3rd
and again with all credit was the very vocal Jane Tudhope with a best lap
time on 33 minutes. Daughter Olivia came in 4th spot.
1st in the Pro Champs was Poole Motorcycles supported Phil Studley
(top) who
for 6 laps was within 40 seconds of Joe and re fuelling on lap 7 saw the
gap widen to over 1 minute. 2nd Pro Champ saw Ben Swambo with a consistent
ride but tired at the end, Chris Mawdsley finished 3rd. The strong Expert
class saw Club Champ Tom Hirons in 1st, 2nd was on form Richard Blunt who
goes well on more technical tracks, Tom and Richard along with Joe Jones
(right) and Phil Studley were the only riders to complete 12 laps. 3rd in the
Expert class saw the ever-improving Ross Benton just failing to get out
for another lap. The 2 strokes saw a change round from the first lap
positions with Chris Pryce taking 1st Ian Shuttleworth 2nd and early
leader Aaron Edwards 3rd all completing 11 laps. The 4 strokes saw a
complete change from earlier with the top 3 on lap one not even in the
picture at the end. So first at the end saw Ben Rolls take the glory 2nd
was Noel Joyce who changed his tyre before the start which paid off and
came up strong at the end, and not getting stuck this week was Shane Brown
to take 3rd place.
The
2 stroke and 4 stroke riders appeared next Andrew Gorse was the first 2 stroke
followed by Saxon Nell and Daniel Goodwin. The first 4 stroke rider saw Mark
Cheethan 2nd was Glen Coltman (right) 3rd came Tim Stoddart and close behind
was Shane Brown. At the end the 2 stroke class was won by Andrew Gorse apart
from lap 2 he lead from start to finish 2nd came Lee Majewski who battled from
4th place to take 2nd. 3rd went to Saxon Nell with a very consistent ride and
only lost out for a 2nd on the last lap.
The
Third Rock
The
grass start was very slippery but it was the tyre section which caused the
initial problems. Series leader Darren Carter had a big off and was running at
the back of the pack once he got started again. Next up the 2* and 4* were
away several marshals were directed to the tyre section to slow the riders
down on this section. Before the next group went the marshal opened up a
section to avoid the tyres so as not to cause any hold ups as the Pro's and
Experts were due round within 10-12 minutes of the 5 miles lap and with the
Veteran and Sportsman still to go they did not need a blocked track on lap 2.
The changes worked well and soon cleared the riders. First back was guest
rider Mark Roberts on a 450 KTM then Keith Jenkins (above) who was sure to go
well on this slippery and in some parts technical going, 3rd back was series
contender Phil Studley (right) only 29 seconds behind the leader and was sure
to ride as hard as he could in these challenging conditions. The first 3 back
in the 2* class were all in with a shout for top honours in the series. 1st
through was Mick Belcher 2nd saw Genus racings Keith Jones 3rd was Gareth
Prosser. The 4* class saw 1st back class leader Genus racing Matthew Lefevre 4
seconds behind and 2nd was Peter Ballinger next was Daniel Preece. Next the
ever competitive Veteran class saw Gary McCoy back 1st in 2nd was another
Genus racing rider David Lote and 3rd was Martin Jakeman who would need to win
by a large amount and hope the main contender for that class had bad luck or
not finish the event so he was riding to consolidate his position at the very
least. The large Sportsman class saw Aaron Edwards in front followed in 2nd by
Jamie Clallow 3rd was class leader Colin Griffiths who would need to stay
consistent in the tricky conditions. Last but not least saw the Ladies class
1st through with a lap time of 29min and 5 seconds was Olivia Tudhope 2nd was
Ruth Graham and 3rd was Jayne Tudhope and in 4th was Emily Davey who's first
lap took 43.02 minutes of hard graft in such bad conditions.
So
high winds, driving rain, mud, tree roots, off cambers, steep railway backs,
climbs, descents not to mention the logs, tyre and concrete pipe sections
would surely whittle down the entry and change some of the final standings for
the Championship. A mile long open headland field section had to be cut out
because the conditions got worse and riders could not control their bikes and
were going in the newly planted crops. Although a mile shorter the lap times
in the last quarter stayed much the same as in the early laps. Several other
sections were also giving concern and as the rain stopped conditions then
became sticky to say the least with wheels and tyres growing in size the
riders now tiring and most not able to control their bikes because of the
amount of mud on their wheels. The track tape in most of the sections was
being trashed and it became hard to maintain and control the event so the race
time was cut to 21/2 hours. No rider complained at the end as most were
completely wasted. So would the early leader still be there at the end?
So in short we really did Rock and Wallow with the Hog for the final round.
3 hours of fast but fun racing saw Darren Carter
(above) first back with a good
lead over the chasing pack. He was now the Hare the chasing Hound would need
to catch. With in 20 minutes the rest of the classes were back on the main Mx
track, which made for some great entertainment over the multitude of jumps and
fast corners. By the end most were clearing some of the excellent jumps Pete
Cobbe of Enduro Photos was snapping like mad so check out his website 
The
1st Expert back was land owners son Rob Breakwell only 21 seconds behind Rob
was Genus team rider Stephen Grimshaw. 6 seconds behind Steve was young Tom
Hirons with another Genus team member Anthony Dean 2 seconds behind Tom. The
first 2* Clubman back was Shaun Buchan 10 seconds behind him was Ed Gwyther in
3rd and seconds behind Ed was another Genus team member Keith Jones.
The large Sportsman class saw Danny Morris leading with Andrew Burton 2nd,
Colin Griffiths just behind in 3rd.
Results
Premiere Overall winner - Joe Jones
2 Stroke
Darren
Carter (above) was the first man back and he had opened up a small lead over
up and coming youngster Joe Jones and then Richard Warner who had to pull off
after 4 laps after feeling unwell. Up until then he was putting young Joe
under lots of pressure. Darren Wheeler (right), Stephen Grimshaw and current
Veteran leader in the GBXC Champ Keith Jenkins all battling for positions
early on. First Clubman 2* back was Gareth Prosser followed by Keith Jones and
then Mick Belcher. The first Clubman 4* man back on lap one was Matt Leferve,
Michael Cuthbertson and then Paul Brandon.
The
Sportsman saw 1st going to Michael Winsor (left) on 10 laps, 2nd went to John
Batchelor, 3rd was Mick Wright all rode well around the tough Shuckburgh
course. Last but not least was Emma Perkins who always tries her best but
could do with more ladies to compete against.
