|
|
|
All content © Bob MuIIins | ||
 
Steve Holcombe flies in to win Steve Holcombe moved two steps closer to wrapping up the 2016 ACU GBXC British Sprint Championship last weekend with two hard fought victories at the fifth and sixth rounds of this year's series. He is a single point away from the Champions title with the final two rounds still to run in the series in September, an impressive feat considering the top-notch competition lined up alongside him. The third weekend of four Sprints took place at Ashby Moto Park, Leicestershire, and on Saturday the weather didn't play ball. Scheduled to start at 10.00am the rain was hammering down and the decision to delay for an hour proved wise as the rain abated at 11.00am. Now AMP isn't the biggest venue in the UK but somehow the Fast Eddy crew managed to shoehorn two Special Tests into it, an Enduro and an MX test, both around five minutes in duration for the fast boys but both badly hit by the torrential rain. The Enduro test meandered through woodland and the going was tough in places to say the least but the sections that were wood-chipped handled the adverse conditions very well. The endurocross section just before the end of the test remained in good shape while the MX test ran around the permanent MX track with a huge loop out into another woodland. The ground was hard packed and slippy, a large pool of water had built up after one of the jumps and although it was uncomfortable to ride, it provided plenty of entertainment for spectators. The field of riders was divided into two groups; Championship, Expert and Clubman took on one test while Veterans, Sportsman, Ladies and Youth the other. Each group would have six runs at each test, swapping over around lunchtime.
The Championship, Expert and Clubman group hit the MX test first and Championship leader Steve Holcombe, riding in E3, didn't have the best of starts. He began on the MX track but as it cut through into the woods on a hard packed dirt section his front wheel tucked and he was trapped underneath his bike for around 10 seconds. Rockstar Husqvarna rider Danny McCanney (E1) was on the pace right from the start and won the first two tests before Holcombe hit the sweet spot and started to gain momentum. It was a two horse race for the overall win, which was won by Holcombe. Freestyle Husqvarna's Joe Wootton (E2) was never far from the leading pair and finished the day in third spot but at the top of E2. Daryl Bolter roder his KTM UK 250 KTM to fourth spot with Factory MRS Sherco rider Tom Sagar taking fifth. Jack Edmondson retired following a big crash on the fourth test of the day but returned to race again on Sunday.
In the Expert ranks MRS Sherco's Tom Ellwood (E2) battled all day long with JD Racing's Dan Mundell (E1), honours were even on the MX tests but Ellwood had the edge on the Enduro tests giving him over 40 seconds lead by the end of the day. Brad Williams took third place, he had a test win to his credit early on but it was very tight at the top and he finished the day in third. Brendan Griffiths dominated the Clubman ranks. Riding in E1 he won every test on the first day finishing four minutes clear of his closest rival Michael Evans (E2) while Scott Hoskins took third as the top E3 rider. On the Enduro test the going was tough, especially in some sections of the woodland. Once six runs were completed it was a relief to head to the MX test. Harry Edmondson had a cracking ride in the Youth class, winning the day overall by 10 seconds from fellow Youth rider Henry Yardley as Veteran Andrew Reeves topped his class and took third place overall. Third in Youth was Jacob James while Karl Greenhall just beat Andy Daniels to second in the Vets. Rosie Rowett was outstanding in the Ladies class and took a well-deserved win with Kate Smith second and Gemma Holtham third. Ben Key took top Sportsman spot ahead of Aaron Webb and Dan Charles. A major decision on Sunday morning saw the two tests rolled into one, some of the worse-for-wear sections were cut, with all riders having eight runs over the new big test. It was a move that was generally welcomed by all. It made for closer racing as the new test was a real leveller between MX and Enduro riders. Another bonus was that the sun was out and working hard to dry the course.
In the Championship ranks McCanney had the advantage initially winning the first two tests but Holcombe clawed his way back to the top even though McCanney took a further two wins later in the day. They finished 16 seconds apart with Holcombe taking his second overall win of the weekend. Once again, Joe Wootton had a great ride to take third with Tom Sagar fourth and a slightly recovered Jack Edmondson fifth. Tom Ellwood repeated his Saturday performance as Dan Mundell, suffering from dehydration, clung to second spot in the Experts as Lewis Belfield closed on him fast over the final three tests. Brendan Griffiths repeated his previous days win, just losing out on one test while winning all the rest, to top the Clubman group by over two minutes. A terrific performance for his first season of Sprints. Jake Purcell rode really well to get to second overall in the Clubman ranks with Scott Hoskins taking third. Once again Harry Edmondson dominated in the Youth class and took the win over two minutes clear of Henry Yardley as Jacob James again took third in class. Andrew Reeves continued his domination of the Veterans group despite Karl Greenhall's best efforts to chase him down. A surprise contender rose from the ranks to grab third spot. It was Chris Edwards, who used Saturday as a warm-up event before going for it on Sunday. Ben Key once again lead the Sportsman group from Brandon Holland and Aaron Webb while Rosie Rowett posted her second Ladies class win of the weekend as the positions remained unchanged with Kate Smith second and Gemma Holtham third.
There is no denying that Ashby Moto Park was a tight venue for such an event but it worked, with a few modifications here and there, and as always, the best rose to the top. Great job from Fast Eddy Racing's dedicated crew who overcame significant obstacles to provide a terrific weekend.
|
The two days could not
have been more different. Saturday's two tests plagued by rain and mud and
Sunday's single test in glorious sunshine really made the weekend feel as if
there were two completely different events at the same venue.