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David
Knight wins ACU Extreme Championship ‘It was hard, really hard, all of it, not just one bit, the hardest one yet!’ said KTM UK rider David Knight following his outstanding win at Eddys X-treme Enduro on Sunday. This was just what Paul Edmondson had planned. A tough course, fairly short in comparison to the Heads of the Valleys last December, but intense with no place to rest. The weather was very kind, providing a dry day with sunshine at times and a course which was wet in places, dry in others but designed to test all levels of rider to their maximum. Knighter described the mud as ‘claggy’, sticking to the bikes and in the tyres and making the going difficult in places, quite different conditions to last year’s very cold event at Tong. Because of the events billing as the opening round of the FIM Europe Extreme Cup there were plenty of riders from the Continent and Scandinavia who were eager to get a good start in this prestigious competition. Norwegians Becker Johansen, Martin Hovin and Andre Wold have raced in the Battle of the Vikings and they are committed to compete in all the 2015 FIM European Extreme Enduro rounds. Spanish trials rider Mario Roman finished Erzberg in 2014 and he climbed onto the podium at Extreme Lagares, Pitted against them were the Brits battling in the second round of the ACU British Extreme Enduro Championship. It is fair to say that the Europeans learned why the UK breeds such good extreme riders, once they had experienced the course at Parkwood Offroad Center, Tong near Bradford.
At 9.30am the first race began. Getting off the line quickly was crucial, within yards riders hit a small but very tricky rock section with a large rock step at the end that needed a clean run to get through but as the main pack hit it, mayhem ensued for all except the first handful of riders. Mick Boam cleaned it and tore away from the pack. Local favourite Mark Houson got caught in the melee and by the end of the first lap Boam was a minute clear of everyone. It looked done and dusted, even at this early stage but Houson calmed down, stopped crashing and gradually caught the leader, overtaking Boam on the daunting Rock Wall. Boam kept in touch with Houson for quite a while but eventually slipped nearly two minutes adrift as the pair increased their margin over the rest of the field.
The Youth class was hotly contested. Brad Williams had a cracking ride to take sixth overall and the top Youth spot ahead of Brandon Sharples with first timer Sonny Parker putting in a superb ride to take third in class. A spirited effort from Elliot Bradshaw got him up to fourth with James Jackson taking fifth. The huge Sportsman class went to Russell Waller who battled his way past plenty of experienced Veterans to climb to thirteenth place overall and eventually take his class win. Luke Thomas also did well, finishing just four-minutes behind Waller to take second spot, nearly 17 minutes clear of third placed Craig Macormick. Gary Nicholson and Josh Bailey completed the top five.
Eurotek KTM mounted Paul Bolton soon made up ground and moved into the top three but by the end of the first lap Knight had complete control. As he closed on backmarkers the going became more difficult in places and the big Manxman worked hard to steer clear of trouble, even he found a big rut to struggle with for a while. Bolton moved to second place and he and Knight both hit the ditch jump lap after lap, eventually becoming the only two riders to consistently tackle this formidable obstacle. MPS Racing’s Jake Subachus had one of the most spectacular crashes at the jump on his Sherco, landing short and catching a log with the front wheel. Planted to say the least! Tom Sagar, Colwyn Bay KTM UK, was in the thick of it as usual, battling with Jonathan Richardson at times and trying hard to keep Mario Roman at bay. Bolton closed significantly on Knight at the three-quarter point of the race but Knight simply stepped up a gear and eventually pulled a three-minute lead to take a very well deserved victory. Bolts kept up his pace to take second behind Knight, both riders a lap up on Jonathan Richardson who surprised many onlookers to take third spot. He had never been out of the top five at any point and certainly deserved his podium place. Tom Sagar finished four minutes after Richardson in fourth spot with top overseas entrant Mario Roman taking a hard-fought fifth.
Such was the strength of the Pro and Expert class that top Clubman Nathan Ball took 36th overall, six places clear of Mike Pye who was second in the Clubman ranks. Ball rode his own race, picking up a place here and there and stayed strong until the end, taking the class win. Mike Pye was also in the mix but struggled with traffic once or twice. He still took second in class ahead of third placed Ryan Armitage who had lead the class initially. Reece Morewood, fourth in class, just got the better of Lee Hattersley, whose bars had worked loose at one point. Hattersley finished disappointed in fifth. Looking at the entry list it might have seemed a forgone conclusion that Knight would win, which he did, but he was forced to use every ounce of his considerable experience to keep out of trouble and keep pushing forwards to take the win. In extreme enduro anything can happen, and usually does. Having the experience to deal with problems and set-backs and the knowledge on how best to navigate a busy track is what sets riders apart and on Sunday January 25th David Knight was a man apart. With the victory sealing the ACU British Extreme Enduro Championship, David Knight said: “That was spot on. The first event in Wales was totally different with a new venue and long laps; so unexpected to all the riders. I ended up beating Graham Jarvis there - who is arguably the best extreme endure rider in the world - by 10 minutes, so that was obviously great for my confidence and a great start back on KTM. “But this event was so different. Everyone is relatively familiar with the course, but it was a lot wetter than usual and it was the toughest race held here for years. It was really claggy; a struggle to clear the tyres of mud. It was hard to keep a rhythm, as there were a lot of riders getting stuck in places so I couldn’t keep a line. But some hard time on the bike is always good. “It’s great to get another British title and we’re only in January! To win both races against some top racers is mega. It sets me up well for the next SuperEnduro round in Finland this weekend and I’ll keep working hard for the rest of the year.” It was a terrific event, pure entertainment for the spectators and pure hell for some riders but without doubt, the best Eddys Xtreme ever at Tong. Results: Vets, Youth & Sportsman - Pro, Experts & Clubman
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With a week to go the event was full and a reserve list was in operation.
The first race of the day containing the Veterans, Youth 13-16 and Sportsman
riders held the largest contingent although the second race had more than
enough riders for the faster pace and more difficult sections. The course
was altered slight between the two races, the infamous waterfall section was
added for the Pro, Expert and clubman riders, as was the ditch jump and a
handful of other more minor changes.
Houson was unstoppable and deservedly claimed victory but Boam rode
superbly well, just losing out to Houson slightly on the faster sections of
the course through the woodland.
Alexis Owen completed the Veterans whitewash of the top three spots as Ross
Hall and Jamie Jenkins grabbed fourth and fifth places.
With a well-worn course ahead of them, crowded with thousands of
spectators, the Pro, Expert and Clubman riders set out at 12.30pm for two
and a half hours. Knighter made sure he was first into the rocks and first
out, closely followed by Spanish Pro Mario Roman on an Appleyard Husqvarna.
Jack Edmondson steered his Leisure Trail KTM UK machine clear of trouble to
be the third rider through as riders piled up behind him and struggled to
get untangled, giving Jacko a small break and a relatively clear track.
The Expert class also had two front-runners who set a blistering pace and
certainly mixed it with the Pros. Luke Flack and Sam Ludgate both challenged
for the class win but it was Flack who eked out a three-minute gap by the
end of the race who took the win (and 10th overall) with Ludgate second and
Henry Moorhouse third. Zac Sherwin and Keelan Hancock just missed out on
podium places.
