|
enduro
news |
|
|
AMCA |
|
  Amcazing! Statement from Pete Carter - co-ordinator of the 2008 AMCA British Hare and Hound Enduro Championship... 2008 saw the inaugural running of the AMCA's British Hare and Hound Enduro Championship Four rounds were run by the four AMCA Enduro Clubs namely: Cotswold Enduro Club, Chiltern Hills Enduro Club, Xmoor Enduro Club and lastly Southern Counties Enduro Club. The series main aim and hopes were to initially keep it low key and to make up the majority of the entries through the four clubs membership bases and not attract too many one off pothunters This was for the most part achieved and although entries at most of the rounds were slightly disappointing. The series most felt was a success and can be built on for 2009 with hopefully some major support from both the trade and industry within motorcycle sport The possibility of up to eight rounds to be run with a bit more glitz and glamour but without sacrificing the main aim of running good old fashioned Hare & Hound events for all abilities. A massive thanks to all the clubs for taking the series on which was a gamble for all in many ways but I?m sure all feel was well worth it. All the clubs were put under massive pressures not in the normal way but by the good old British weather The first round run by the Cotswold Enduro Club saw superb conditions on the Saturday and then overnight and all day Sunday we had heavy rain which turned the Shuckburgh Hall track into a monster and a true extreme challenge Next up wash Chiltern Hills Enduro Club at the superb Lane End track Again good conditions on the Saturday and then an unbelievable sight of 6? of snow on the Sunday with many riders not being able to get anywhere near the event ? the club had no choice but to cancel and reschedule. At the re scheduled event Saturday again was set fair and on race day more rain but the event ran and was also very tough for most Then round three staged by Xmoor Enduro Club at the superb Rifton Barton venue. To add to the again rainy conditions the riders had the added challenge of using trials tyres on the rear making grip and braking a character building exercise in its self. This alone made the event extreme for some Last but not least saw the vastly experience set up of Gary Warr's Southern Counties Enduro Club running the fourth and final round at their Milton Abbas venue a good mixture of woodland, open going and even several by now very deep river crossings added to by yet again torrential over night rain. This left many a rider thinking there was no way the event would run, but with Gary's choice of venue and track design to match the event and organisation was spot on with the track even getting better as the race went on. The car park was for some more of a challenge but no tractors were needed just a few 4X4?s and a little camaraderie saw everyone leave the venue with no dramas So in short a tough series for both riders and clubs but a great success that can only get bigger and better and will develop into a true British Championship A massive thanks to the AMCA for fully backing this series not only financially and in trophies etc. but in the user friendly way they assist clubs in all ways Yours in sport Pete Carter Championship Results: Photo: Gary Wright in action at the SCEC round.
Report: Lee Davey. Images: Debbie Tucker. Easy to ride Enduros have always been a hot-topic, especially amongst those who favour the more traditional type of event. As the name Enduro would suggest, a certain degree of endurance is required - in both bike and rider - to actually finish. Some events carry the "Stubble-cross" nickname in reference to their easy-to-ride laps and its here that the problem exists for some. This brings me to round 3 of the AMCA Enduro championship which was hosted by the Xmoor club (yes, that's how it's spelt) and held at their Rifton Barton venue near Tiverton, Devon.
I've ridden quite a few traditional time-card Enduros and can honestly say that this course had its fare share of tricky but rewarding sections that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the ones on offer at a traditional event. Whilst walking parts of the course before the race, other riders would stop to chat and without any prompting, would say what a cracking event Rifton Barton is; where hard routes are exactly that - hard, proving that multi-lap doesn't necessarily mean easy-lap. For further details of the AMCA Enduro Championship visit www.amca.uk.com or for full results of this event visit www.xmoor.co.uk AMCA Enduro Championship - Xmoor results 31-8-08: Championship: 1st Wayne Mundell, 2nd Gary Wright, 3rd Darren Wheeler. Expert: 1st Darren Kiff, 2nd Kevin Harris, 3rd Dave Nuttall Over 40's: 1st Mark Tucker, 2nd David Lote, 3rd Kevin Delbridge. Clubman 2-stroke: 1st Richard Tucker, 2nd Courtenay James, 3rd Sean Renvoize. Clubman 4-stroke: 1st Gary Sims, 2nd Andy Ball, 3rd Tim Stoddart. Sportsman: 1st Sam Cross, 2nd Shane Brown, 3rd Darren Vincent. And if that wasn't enough, there was a youth race in the morning as well. Using a slightly shortened course, the youngsters (some as young as 10) were flagged away at 10am with an 11.30am finish. Until you've seen 85's ridden without an ounce of fear in slick conditions, you can't appreciate just how fast some of them are. Dominic and Sophie Thomas were flying the flag for Kawasaki and have no doubt been taught by their father Simon. Sophie was absolutely flying and looked as composed at the finish as she did at the start - elbows high and never a sign of nodding-donkey syndrome. Stars of the future? For sure. Xmoor Youth Enduro results 31-8-08: 125 2-stroke: 1st Steve Holcombe, 2nd George Bayliss, 3rd Peter Knowles. 85 2-stroke: 1st Dominic Thomas, 2nd Sophie Thomas, 3rd Ashley Scott. 110-150 4-stroke: 1st Luke Brereton, 2nd Elliot Jaques, 3rd Jake Dormer. |
Now, I've never, ever walked a course to find a car parked on the hard
route for a bit of up 'n' over or so many lorry tyres that need to be
crossed - 15 at a rough guess and being the anorak that I am, I had to
check the size - 22.5inch - not great with a 21 inch front wheel and an 18
inch rear. Did I mention the 4ft log pile that splits these two obstacles?
It came of no surprise to see where the majority of the spectators were
gathered. With all the rain that we've had this summer(!) and a great deal
of the course being cambered it didn't come as too much of a shock to find
the majority of the course to be very slippery indeed; the compulsory
trials rear tyre didn't help a great deal either. From my incredibly poor
start the first lap proved to be a toughie. At the first easy/hard route
choice I was making good progress up one particular hill until, in the
blink of an eye, I found myself pointing the way I'd just come. Slithering
my way to the bottom wasn't an option as most of the hill was dotted with
fallen riders so it was a case of push, push, push all the way to the top,
digging my boots in with each step just to keep upright. Once at the top
of that particular hill there was a short section of flowing woodland
before another slippery hill that was decorated with bikes and riders.
Again, it was a mixture of pushing and riding before making my way to the
top and then dropping downhill into some more woodland. In an attempt to
catch some of those who had snuck past, I picked up the pace through the
forest only to clout something with my back wheel, causing an instant
compression-puncture - all pretty eventful for a first lap. The silver
lining to this particular cloud was a bit more grip, but possibly at the
expense of losing the tyre from the rim, but with this event proving to be
as difficult as it was, I knew that finishing would hopefully bring a
decent result with the immense satisfaction of finally seeing the
chequered flag. Out of the whole course, the Junior Kick-Start-style
car/log/tyre section proved, for me, to be one of the most manageable
parts on offer and I looked forward to it each time. Thankfully, the curse
of the camera/spectator didn't catch me out. Apart from the audible crimp,
crimp, crimp from my flat back tyre it somehow remained intact and after a
very, very gruelling 3 hours I crossed the finish line and as a measure of
just how exhausted I was, my usual Cheeseburger and cup of tea seemed
almost as unappealing as loading my bike and heading for home.