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  The Rock Oil AMCA British Hare and Hounds Championship Cotswold Enduro Club incorporating the Emlyn Prole Trophy The eighth and final round of the Rock Oil AMCA British Hare & Hounds Championship ran last Sunday at Haresfield, Gloucester. Haresfield looked to be quite a track, five miles of fields, woodland with plenty of bogs dotted around just for fun. Unfortunately the track could only be seen in 100 metre sections as thick fog reduced visibility and dropped the temperature considerably. It had been a while since riders experienced conditions such as this.
This was a proper winter hare and hounds event. Even before riders left the line, Cotswold boss Pete Carter informed them that the race was cut from three hours to two and a half because of the conditions and the state of the course. In all fairness, the course didn't seem too bad initially, it was wet and slippery in places and the boggy sections looked as if they could only get worse but in the woodland sections the ground was comparatively dry. Within a few laps of the start the course began to deteriorate and the event became a matter of survival for the many contenders for class championship honours who kept plugging away to the finish line. Matt Porter's vast experience saw him gradually pull an unassailable lead, slowly putting distance between himself and Pro rider Ben Swambo, in second place. Derry Milling did extremely well to top a very competitive Expert class with eleven laps to his credit as Sam Hoskins rode to second place ahead of Tony Griffiths in third. Andrew Bull sealed the Clubman 2T championship spot by winning his class a lap ahead of Luke Parry who in turn had a lap advantage over Hayden Maller. The two-stroke boys certainly had an advantage in the mucky conditions, Bull and Parry were up on laps compared to the top four-stroke Clubman riders. Jake Eadle grabbed top 4T spot while David Wathen came a close second less than a minute adrift with Pete Couldridge in third.
Ruth Graham beat Bethany Wood to the finish line to claim the Ladies class win as Sportsman Paul Smith matched many of the Clubman riders lap for lap to take his class win from David paget and Martin Stanley. Trail class rider Ian Jones struggled around the course for two laps to take his class win, he was the only entrant, but he finished which is a better result than many others who gave up or whose bikes expired.
The course was really well laid out, the Cotswold EC crew had obviously put in a lot of effort, and in better conditions would have been fantastic but the winter had to arrive at some point and it did with a vengeance last weekend at Haresfield. Premiere Matt Porter
Hope Under Dinmore provided a very tough challenge for riders in the Cotswold AMCA Rock Oil Hare and Hounds Championship. Rain and drizzle throughout the race made the technical course a tough test but Matt Porter got his head down after a disappointing start to win the race by a decent margin. Cotswold Enduro Club's event at this impressive venue was very well attended as three races ran as one in an effort to catch up on cancellations and date changes. Over 100 riders took to the line for the AMCA Rock Oil Championship, Cotswold's own Club Championship and a round of the Slow Pete Series, all three organised and run by Pete and Wendy Carter. A huge range and mix of abilities was certainly put to the test around a technical five-mile loop that looked fairly straightforward at first glance. Heavy overnight rain on Saturday and light rain as the race began on Sunday morning made the routes through the three woodlands tortuous in places as the track climbed and twisted its way up and down banks.
For those who made it through the trees, another test towards the end of the lap made sure each rider went through lap-scoring clean but soaking wet. A 400 metre long stream section saw choice of line take on a new meaning. Choose right and the water was tyre deep, choose wrong and it was up to the seat and many riders learned right from wrong by trial and error, the crowd of onlookers enjoying the spectacle of those who made the wrong choice. After just one lap it was crystal clear that momentum was the key to getting around the course and this was especially so at one particular climb that turned through ninety degrees up a steep slope and just as riders thought they had made it, climbed again. It was this last little step that was the killer for many. Some riders revelled in the conditions but the majority found it hard going, a real grueller. The Pro/Championship class and the Experts were joined by a few wily Veterans, whose experience proved invaluable in tackling many of the climbs. Premiere award winner Matt Porter didn't have things all his own way as almost every Championship class rider got away from the start line before him and entered the first wooded section at the end of a long start straight. Porter had his work cut out and fought his way to fourth place by the end of the first lap. Within a few more laps he was overtaking backmarkers who were finding the going tough and he lost track of just where he was in the race. Porter simply maintained his fast pace and reeled in all those ahead of him finding out much to his surprise that he had taken the Premiere award as the race finished. Originally scheduled for three hours, it became clear that this would be unattainable for the majority of riders and the race was cut to two hours, to the relief of many. The riders who could handle the going were disappointed but most breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Shaun Buchan rode hard and fast to win the Expert class ahead of Chris Pryce and Andrew Gorse while Darren Hill maintained forward momentum on his way to winning the Clubman 4T class ahead of Jeremy Hassel and Darren Morgan as Andrew Bull beat Mike Slater and Katy Walker to the top of the Clubman 2T class. Paul Hoskins put all of his fifty plus years to good use by winning the 50+ class ahead of Martin Drinkwater and Martin Groves while the youngsters in the Veterans 40+ class were headed by David Tomson from Mike Vaughan and Mick Belcher.
The course was well thought out and had the weather been dry it would have been awesome but the rain made the course very tough, too tough for some riders who simply wanted a Sunday ride-around, but for those who were there to race it presented an extra challenge to which many rose and met head on. This was a very tough event and outstanding course that really sorted the men from the boys. Well Done . Results
Cotswold Enduro Club ran round 3 of the Slow Pete Series at the infamous and unpredictable Ashby Moto Park Weeks of rain leading up to the event and then a semi dry period meant that we would have a good chance of running the event and then Friday night heavy rain all night, Saturday drizzle - a track inspection to make a final decision was needed 50/50 was the outcome so we modified the track and took out most of the wood section we then sent a marshal out to try it out he came back in one piece a little hot and bothered but staying tough but ride able So the decision was made - a full restricted entry turned out on the start line the briefing with all the normal do's and don'ts with the addition of the statement that this would be a true event of endurance for both man and machine. The riders would have to dig deep and ride the track and not just race it these words definitely sunk in and as over 90% of the riders finished with the old school riders winning through as they are used to these conditions as most events 10+ years ago all used to be tough and would test a rider right until the end Several noticeable riders that shone through were club regular Jerry Adams who lead the event for the first few laps on his Pre 86 KTM pogo stick. Eddie Tait in the Veterans over 50 12 laps completed on his one off special Yamsherco bike. The Veteran 40+ riders all rode strong with Keith Jenkins taking the class win and finishing 2nd overall to also Veteran 40+ rider Julian Cook who took the overall Premiere award just managing to get out for another lap at the end
The most impressive performance of the day must go to super Veteran/Trail
rider Ian Jones on his CRF230 Ian did a very impressive 11 laps which
would have won him the 4* class, 2nd in the 40 strong Sportsman class and
would have been 2nd in the over 50's, 7th in over 40's - all this and I am
sure he won't mind me saying that he is 68 years old and when the going
gets tough Ian shows the young rider's how it should be done on what is
considered a pure trail bike which weighs a tonne. Another rider which also made a big impression was young Olivia Tudhope
encouraged throughout the tough race by boyfriend Max Woon she made it to
the end with a fine determined ride, brother Ben Tudhope also coped with
the conditions well . Jeremy Hassell in the 4* class was another rider who is improving each
race and again coped with the conditions well.
The 2* class saw Luke Parry and Darryl Mead battle it out right up to the
end both on 12 laps and 5 minutes after time
Sir
Rupert Remembered Round 1 of the Rock Oil 2012 British AMCA Hare & Hound Championship took place at the spectacular Shuckburgh Hall venue in Warwickshire on Sunday 26th February. The sad and sudden death of the Land Owner Sir Rupert Shuckburgh just weeks before initially put doubt on the running of this round but the family were happy for us to carry on as normal knowing how much Sir Rupert looked forward to the events and he would always be around during track building and on event day to make sure everything was ok and see if we needed anything - he will be sadly missed by us all he was a true Gentleman and without him giving us the opportunity to ride at such a unique and picturesque venue which is normally only used for Shooting and Fishing and is set in a Private Deer Park with its Hall and Private Church which all add to the profile of this superb venue - God Bless we will not forget you So back to the race a good entry was in for a real treat the track was five miles in length and made up of mainly woodland going the track builders went for a wide flowing track for the most part. With being round 1 and a lot of new riders signing up for this Championship it was thought best to make sure that everyone enjoyed it as people that have rode Shuckburgh in the past and if wet know that it can be a monster and can break the best but the conditions could not have been better. So three hours of true Hare & Hounds in front of the riders 25 Pro and Expert riders took up the first row followed by the 2 Stroke & 4 Stroke Clubmen the third row was the two Veteran classes the Over 40's and Over 50's and Pre 86 . Last but not least was the Sportsman Novice, Ladies & Trail. All classes got away clean and entered the woods, the first lap would be shorter as approx one mile was cut off to make the start safer and to spread the riders out a little, this section would be added on lap 2. After the first hour the race was shaping up lines and berms were now in place and making for some superb racing in all classes. Matt Porter and Joe Jones in the Pro Champs were nose to tail most of the race as were the top 10 riders in the Experts all swapping and changing position through out. The 2 Strokes saw some real battles with only young Andrew Bull taking full command of the class the following seven riders never more than 1 minute apart throughout the 2 hours. The 4 Stroke class although seeming to get smaller also saw competitive racing with less than a minute separating 1st and 2nd. The Veteran 40+ was going to be the most competitive class for sure with the top four riders all capable of winning the event out right never mind in class. The Over 50 Veterans was also well attended and good racing was on the cards as it always is in that class. The three Ladies were also not going to take it easy either, with Emily Davey and Ruth Graham more than capable of finishing in the top half of any event and would not just settle for position and I am sure see how many Men they could beat. Three Trail riders took part and did just that Trail rode and did 8,7 & 6 laps. The always large Sportsman Novice class also had real close and competitive racing with 2nd 3rd and 4th all finishing on the same minute. 14 minutes was the average lap time of the Pros. 15 minutes for the Experts. 16.30 for the Clubman 2 Stroke and the same for the Clubman 4 Stroke. 15 minutes for the top Veteran over 40. 18 minutes for the Veteran Over 50, 19 minutes for the top Lady. 19 minutes for the Sportsman Novice. 22 minutes for the Trail. So good lap times on a nice flowing course a good start to the 2012 season. Results Next
round of the Rock Oil champs is Saturday 21st April 2012 at Ingoldmells
Beach
The first round of the Slow Pete Series Championship took place at Turnpost Farm Wymeswold Leicestershire on Sunday 12th February Three inches of snow and up to minus 10 degrees below temperature leading up to the event would not affect the running of this meeting I would like to say because the Cotswold Enduro Club has 20 years experience of running events with vast knowledge of building tracks in all weather and terrains "had nothing to do with it" because the course was made up of flat fields throughout with ridge and furrow A MX track which would have been dangerous to run conventionally - as much of the track was frozen, so we went on the grass surrounding it and went across the MX jumps sideways to make it a little more technical and to slow things down - all of which worked fine with all the riders being warned at the briefing and advised on how to ride in these frozen conditions most took notice and all made it off the start line with next to no incidents
The conditions would not really improve even though it did start to thaw out a little but this made things even more slippery as the underlying surface was still frozen to at least 3" deep So all in all most riders said they enjoyed the experience and all would have learned something on how to ride in frozen conditions Results Well done all that took part and a big thanks to all our regular marshals and First Aid Round 2 of the Slow Pete Series is at the infamous Shuckburgh Hall in Warwickshire on the 18th March and still eight rounds remaining so come and support this series designed for the Beginner/Clubman riders with no true Experts allowed So all are welcome it is an Open Championship so you don't have to be a Club Member - Details Report: Pete Carter Photos: Andrew Marshall
Rock Oil AMCA H&H Final Round There could not have been a better setting or more impressive course than Haresfield, served up by Cotswold Enduro Club, for the final round of the Rock Oil - AMCA Hare & Hounds Championship. A impressive course, just shy of six-miles, looked as if it would favour the faster riders with long, sweeping sections across the undulating fields but bogs and woodland sections provided some relief for the more technically capable riders to pull back time in the dry and sunny conditions on the day. The bog section featured some very deep holes and riders took organiser Pete Carter's advice and steered well clear of them but the woodland sections and MX section were a pleasure to ride and flowed well, even with so many riders on the course. With many classes still wide open there were plenty of valuable points up for grabs which prompted an entry of around 130 riders for this three-hour final event. The obligatory 'take it easy on the first lap' instruction was totally ignored as it is at all events and there were a couple of off's at the end of the start straight but once cleared, the riders hit a fast and open field section where the packed classes started to get strung out. Although there was a Pro class, the riders in it were overshadowed by the Expert riders when it came to posting laps. Expert James Paczynski lead the field with 15 laps to his credit, just ahead of James Berrill and George Bayliss but the saying that 'it ain't over til it's over' was never more appropriate as Paczynski was overtaken in the dying minutes of the race by Over 40 Veteran rider David Thomson, who went on to take the Premiere position.
Ben Swambo lead the Pro field home, clocking up 14 laps to take the win ahead of second placed James Berrill as Ben Adams took third. Adams had a tough time of it when his Kwak refused to start on the line and he eventually took off after the Sportsman class had left, leaving him with plenty to do to get to the front. Both Clubman 4T and 2T class riders were up amongst the front runners and Chris Pryce battled hard to keep ahead of Martin Kohv, the two swapping places on several occasions before Pryce eventually took the 4T class win with Kohv second and Ashley Stokes third. Ben Thomson also had his hands full on the way to a 2T class win, staying ahead of Jack Powell and Sam Hoskins, all three riders on 14 laps.
Tom Jennings had a straight out fight with Dan Mason as both riders fought for supremacy in the Sportsman class with Jennings narrowly holding on to first position as Mason followed him home with Henry Sampson in third spot. Wendy Swales had the ladies class sewn up as the only rider in the class and finished well with 10 laps under her belt while Alistair Fowlie pushed his old Kwak hard to win the Classic Pre 86 class. This was a fitting end to an excellent series that has seen races all over the Central region of the country, with great variety of courses and weather conditions throughout the year and deservedly remains the AMCA's premiere Hare and Hounds Championship series, sponsored by Rock Oil. Results http://www.cotswoldenduro.co.uk
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.
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.
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.
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.
Results Overall Premiere - Matt Porter # 400 - 16 laps 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
entry was really good with over 120 riders taking to the start line, all
willing to give a go despite knowing what lay ahead.
There
were plenty of Veterans in attendance and experience counts in tough
conditions such as these. The Over 40's held Keith Jenkins who breezed
around the course and finished in top place, not that far behind overall
winner Porter. Martin Jakeman held a solid second position all the way to
the finish line followed by Mike ~Vaughan in third. The Over 50's also had
a clear winner in the form of Jerry Adams who banged in an extra lap over
Roger Billan in second and Paul Hoskins, third.
It
was a tough final round of a long series of events and one that will be
remembered by many who were there while others will try hard to forget it.
The open going across a handful of field sections was fairly
straightforward but a slippy top surface soon tested riders mettle when
the entered the woods and hit the climbs that were soon littered with
exposed tree roots.
In
the Pro Championship class James Paczynski took first spot, continuing his
good form of late, ahead of Ben Swambo and Aaron Edwards. All three had
swapped places at times throughout the race but Paczynski's determination,
combined with a little luck, saw him victorious.
Simon
Fell took the Sportsman class win with Martin Stanley in second spot and
Sam Cave in third. Ian Jones was the only Trail rider to finish the event
and won the Trail class comfortably.
Thirteen minutes was the average lap time of the not so fast riders
most treating the track with caution at all times most, if not all would
have parted from their bikes at least once during the race
The
massed ranks of the Veterans class saw the Over 40's and Over 50's all
start together. Rob Sewell got a flyer off the line and was first onto
the open field section where Dave Selkeld (right) proceeded to give
chase alongside the eventual overall winner David Thomson. As Thomson
disappeared over the horizon it was Dave Selkeld who lead the Over 40
Vets home with Martin Jakeman a close second and Rob Sewell third, all
three matching the Expert riders on laps. An in-form Colin Griffiths
took yet another win at the head of the over 50's class by a clear lap
over Eddie Tait and Colin Bush.
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.
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.
The Veterans were as competitive as ever, both in the Over 40's and
Over 50's.
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!