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All content © Bob MuIIin | ||||||||
 
Gav Houson wins Fast Eddy
Original Nestled neatly between Saturday’s Enduro GP Sprints and Sunday afternoon’s GNCC race the Sunday morning Fast Eddy Original attracted over 160 riders, all eager to tackle the awesome course laid out by the Fast Eddy crew. Many of the tougher woodland sections had been tamed down a little but even so, what was left was challenging and in usual Hawkstone fashion the course roughed up fairly quickly. This race was a perfect opportunity for national riders of all levels to be part of the big picture, a British World Enduro event. The Sportsman class just edged out the Vets on numbers but together they made up well over half the entry. The Experts lead the way and Jack Ditchfield grabbed the holeshot ahead of a large pack all fighting to get to the front. The shortish run-up to the first corner ensured there were no major dramas and everyone was away cleanly although one of the favourites, Ben Murphy, was last but one off the line and had plenty of ground to make up right from the start. Gav Houson put in a rare appearance and showed he had lost none of his pace by taking the overall win and the class by nearly a minute clear of Murphy, who had fought hard to get back to second spot. Sam Nunn was jammed in the middle of the pack initially but managed to break clear and put in a great ride to finish third as the flag came out at the two-hour mark. With Experts filling the top 10 slots it was rider Rick Du Feu in 11th place who headed up a huge class of Vet riders over 40 years old, some well over 40 as second placed Mark Houson will testify. John Shirt’s renewed passion for Enduro saw him holeshot off the start, much to his surprise but it was Du Feu who posted an extra lap on his way to the class win, the ex-motocrosser in his element around the MX part of the course, as Houson took second in class by over a minute clear of third placed Andy Frost. Cole Cookland’s recent good form saw him nail the Youth class win and take a very creditable 12th overall into the bargain. He too had a lap to spare over Sam Davies and James Palmer in second and third places. Clubman rider Tony Cadman followed Cookland to the finish flag, winning his class by just 10 seconds ahead of Grant Thornton who was charging hard by the end of the race. Luke Owen secured third with 30 seconds to spare. The Sportsman class was ultra-competitive. The charge to the first corner was breath-taking but everyone came out in one piece and it was Craig Ulliott who eventually took the class win by a lap over Ben Martindale as Lee Pallett secured third spot. The Novice riders had a really tough challenge but only four of the original 18 DNF’d. Anthony Ward claimed victory by some two-minutes over Kris Farrar who was half a minute ahead of third placed Kristian Ankritt. Every single rider was happy to see the chequered flag waived after two hours and eager to get changed quickly and witness history being made as all the Enduro GP classes went shoulder to shoulder for the first time ever. Numerous track changes took place and it all became significantly harder for the World boys but the National riders had shown just what a great pool of talent we have in Great Britain around a course that was far from easy. Well done everyone. Results
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