|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Share |
||||||||||||||||
|
Enduroland While the great and the good of Super Enduro were relaxing before the Spanish round the mere mortals of UK Enduro were gathered at Arena UK near Grantham for Enduroland's much hyped Timber X event last Saturday. In the wilds of Lincolnshire the Arena UK equestrian centre provided a superb venue for this indoor event. The main arena was crammed with jumps, logs, log pits, tyres and a matrix around a double 'U' shaped course that was to provide plenty of thrills, spills and entertainment throughout the day. The hard packed surface of the arena was spot on and provided plenty of grip without rutting up at all. A 50 metre start straight led to the first log pit, an small and unassuming obstacle that decided the outcome of many races as front runners hit the deck while the rest of the pack streamed past. A series of wooden jumps lead to a 180-degree log-lined corner, that had as much grip as a skating rink, while the main focal point of the course, and finish line, was the double jump in the centre of the arena. Throw in another log fan around the second u-turn and a tyre section of very large, flat tyres and the course was complete. Easy to describe, not so easy to negotiate when a slight misjudgement or small crash put riiders out of contention in many cases. With riders limited to eight per class, due to the start gate start, there were plenty of classes. Three Clubman, two Veteran, two Youth 14-17, two Youth 10-13 plus a Ladies class, Pro Elite class, Sportsman and Experts made for a non-stop schedule where each class got three four-lap races, climaxing in a Super Final where the winners of each class, excluding Youth 10-13 riders, went head to head in a single race. For the classes of riders with multiple groups such as Clubman and Vets there was a final for the top four riders in each class (top two in each Clubman class plus highest points scorers to make the race up to eight riders). Ben Clarke dominated all three races in Youth A ahead of Reece Pickersgill and Cole Cookland while Kieran Ryan took two wins and a second place to head up Youth B followed by Harry Craig and James Dover. The final showdown saw Clarke leading by a country mile until a crash allowed Pickersgill to take the win while Clarke recovered to second spot ahead of third placed Harry Craig.
The combined final saw Dan Boam edge out Dan Mundell as George Price nailed third overall. Brendan Whittle earned his place in the Superfinal with a win in the Sportsman class as Craig Hawkins and Ian Mace filled the other podium places. Hannah Styles didn't have things all her own way in the ladies class and had to fight for her win, two firsts and a second put her into the Super Final. Nieve Holmes took second place and Rosie Rowlett third. Matt Readman was the only Clubman rider to post three wins. He headed the A class followed by Matt North and Richard Bentham as Dan Hurd grabbed the B class win from Jack Chapman and Nick Read. Ben Howard won the C class, recovering from second in the opening race to take two wins, as Tom Kirk took second and Ryan Armitage third. Howard went on to win the combined showdown of all three classes ahead of Tom Kirk and Dan Hurd. Scott Austin grabbed the opening win in the Expert class but Dan Boam bounced back to win the two remaining races, demoting Austin to second and Gav Houson to third. The Experts really showed just how the course should be ridden and put on a superb display of skill across all three of their races. Two Vets classes provided the most entertainment. Chris Salt was really in form and won all three races in the A group, despite a couple of wobbly moments, as Darren Lee took second and Dean Devereux third. Andy Daniels had his chances in the B group and dropped it on the last lap in one race to go from first to third. Mick Boam was most consistent and lead the group but Mark Houson wasn't far off in second spot. Daniels made it to the semi final and took second place but Chris Salt was in his element and posted yet another win as Darren Lee took third. Houson lead the charge to the first corner but went down hard, recovering enough for last place. The Pro-Elite ranks held a few noteable riders, headed by extreme specialist Paul Bolton on his Eurotec KTM. He was up against team mate Tom Healey and MPS Husqvarna rider Jack Rowland while Gary Daniels, MXer Matt Porter, James Dent, Richard Ely and Aaron Smith did more than make for some serious competition. Bolton's unsurprising two wins and a third place following a crash in the final race saw him take Pro class victory and a place in the Super Final while Rowland posted three second spots, he was leading a race at on point and got stuck on the matrix. James Dent moved from two third places to grab the final race win and third overall in class. The Super Final looked a done-deal for Bolts but a crash on the first corner log pit, a bikes length behind Matt Boam, saw him battle the whole race and fought back to overtake Dan Boam on the final lap for second place as the other Boam boy, Matt, roared to victory. Timber X proved to be successful, in terms of entertainment but possibly not financially, for Nigel Wheatley. The idea was good and well executed at a great venue. Much more support from spectators would have helped but riders gave it a big 'thumbs-up' and all classes were filled. As a first event of its type for the Enduroland crew, it worked really well and was certainly entertaining. It provided a starting point with plenty of chances to improve but overall, it was a very good event.
Share |
||||||||||||||||
In
the Youth 14-17 ranks Dan Boam took three straight wins in the A group ahead
of George Price and Josh Kirby while in the second group Dan Mundell matched
Boams faultless performance and finished well clear of Robbie Wallace and
Ben Coleman.
