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Last shout for Lossie
2013 ACU British Enduro Championship
Round 1 - March 30/31st - Lossiemouth

Only seven days remain until the entries close for the 1st round of the 2013 ACU British Enduro Championship hosted by Elgin Endurance Club with support from Club sponsors Ricky Mair & Gordon Brown of Highland Temporary Works Ltd.

While it would seem that the rest of the entire United Kingdom have suffered from copious amounts of rainfall throughout 2012 we here in our little micro-climate that is known as the Laigh o’ Moray in the North East of Scotland have had virtually no rainfall and are looking forward to the 1st round of the ACU British Solo Enduro Championship in March! I wont say anymore as I can remember only too well when everything had to get postponed for a month due to severe winter conditions we suffered in April 2010 although the event was bathed in sunshine when it ran the following month.

For many Lossie will need no introduction, having been the main venue for previ-ous, well received British Championship rounds and also the traditional 2 opening rounds of the Scottish Enduro Championship. For those unfamiliar with this small forest on the Moray Coast here’s a brief description:

The forest itself is close to the popular seaside holiday destination of Lossiemouth and the RAF base. Elgin is the nearest major town. The forest is for the most part, fairly flat and is normally very well drained. There are few highly technical sections in the course. The description so far suggests a fairly straightforward ride in the woods. This assumption is common for 1st time Lossie riders, however very few retain this view after a day or 2 of racing.

Lossie Enduros test rider stamina to the limit, the perceived flat landscape encour-ages quick riding through the trees but the unseen, bumpy nature and stumps soon start to sap energy. The surface constantly changes, loamy earth merges into loose pebbles but the real sting in the Lossie tail is the sand. Mile after mile of deep, soft sand! Ride it fast and your left with a sense of achievement, ride it slow and you’ll exhaust yourself . Either way it’s a great feature of any Lossie Enduro, the long ride along the “dunes of death” and the tight and twisting special test. In 2010 after the event David Knight described it admirably by saying “it was a really hard work out”
This year the riders start in Lossie then there’s a road section which takes them to Birkenhill Wood, the venue for the first special test. Birkenhill is a small privately owned wood that the owners have kindly made available as the venue for our Scot-tish Championship H&H events. The test length is 2-1/2 miles and for the most part will be fairly flowing. Birkenhill is fairly well drained, but heavy rain can make for slip-py going through the trees. The wood has much greater elevation changes than Lossie. After the exertion of the test, a fairly relaxed road back to Lossie Forest, the roadwork is all two way traffic. On re-entry to the forest the public car park will be a fuel stop.

The run till the end of the lap is probably the toughest section of the course and it includes the dunes and the 2nd special test. After the struggle through the dunes there is a very short respite before the test. The Lossie test is long by any standards and is probably the most technical section of the whole course. It is almost 100% sand and winds it’s way through very tight trees. After the test it’s a short ride back to the pit area and the end of the lap.

So far the current entry list for the first round is made up of both the well established riders known to many and younger riders who are very quickly making their mark in the enduro scene.

Finally, all of us at Elgin Endurance Club look forward to welcoming you the riders from far and wide and we’re sure you’ll have a great weekend, so get your entries in. and join us in here in Scotland for the Easter weekend.

Barry Hamilton, Club secretary.

Regs & Entry forms can be found on the Clubs website and on The Scottish Enduros website. www.ElginEnduraneClub.com www.ScottishEnduros.co.uk