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All content © Bob MuIIins | |||
 
WOR EXTREME CHAMPIONSHIP - THE LOG SLOG Gethin slogs it out for the win! Pics by DOC WARD "Gethin Humphreys was in unstoppable form as he powered his GASGAS 300 to victory on home ground in WOR's latest Extreme Enduro bonanza last Sunday at the LOG SLOG.
This new format had riders start at 9.30am and do a morning session of 4 special tests, timed to the second over very tricky ground for 4 miles per test. This really was a demanding test of man and machine and all of the riders that managed to achieve the required 4 scores did superbly. Then an afternoon session of a 2-hour Hare & Hounds Enduro over a much bigger 9-mile lap that had a bit of everything thrown in the mix for the hardy riders. It was like stepping back 25 years and being at an event that Enduros used to be all about. There was no glamour and clean kit, no riders afraid of the cold or mud, bogs and bike stoppers that the course designers had laid out it was for enduro heroes only and the modern-day terminology of "extreme enduro" fitted the event perfectly. The scores of both events where cumulated to give the overall scores and see the riders presented with a prestigious and very well-earned slice of Log from the forest at the presentation.
A stand out ride was Aled Price, revelling in the conditions and praising the standard of the event with his post event feedback as he blasted to a double win in the Expert class with a near 3-minute advantage overall on Runner Up, Dawson Marriot. Marriot after promoting up to the Expert class now starting to shape podiums in the faster group of riders for himself. 3rd place in the Experts went to Robert "Burts" Crayston and at 15 years of age, Just, he showed some real maturity and class to show his protentional in the coming events at Expert level. Grant Churchward was the man to beat in the always competitive Exp Vet class as he powered to a Double win over Mark Kirby in both sessions and had fellow South Wales based rider, Gareth Leonard in a sold 3rd spot Overall in class.
Karl Greenhall was another Triple D rider that made the trip down from Cumbria and blasted the podium. Karl taking a double win of sprints and H&H to push the two Steve's, Norbury and Cranshaw into 2nd and 3rd placed respectively after the slog around the logs they had all just faced. Over 50's glory belonged to Expert class winner, Aled's dad, Allan Price.
Allan is a veteran of old school enduro and he simply revelled in the snotty
conditions. Price took the win although tied on points with the very neat
riding skills of James Brown in the Silver placing by virtue of the tie
swinger being the winner of the Hare and Hounds race took precedence due to
the tougher and longer challenge of the course and duration. Bronze placing
overall in the Over 50 group going to Martin Wells whom was solid on 2 second
place finishes. The event's post-race feedback has been superb with the riders really enjoying the severity and demanding nature of the event. They certainly got what they signed up for and the WOR Events team once again proved that Steve Ireland and the gang really do have their fingers on the pulse of Extreme Enduros as they have been for almost two decades now and continue to deliver new and innovative events within the sport.
Hare and Hound Class Results Hare and hounds overall: Results Overall results ...WHERE RIDERS HAVE TIED ON POINTS THE WIN / ADVANTAGE WENT TO THE RIDER THAT PERFORMED BEST IN THE 2ND SESSION OF THE DAY , THE HARE & HOUNDS RACE. DOC WARD Photographs Rd 1 of the PMI WEC 2019 is now under the belt and the rd 2 of the WEC series is later in the year on a new date to advertised of 5th May. WOR wish to thank all the staff, Overall title sponsors of the series, Protect My Income, the caterers, medics, all of the fantastic staff and volunteers but as always and most of all the riders for supporting the events and making them so good with their endeavour, determination, skills and effort. More on WOR's upcoming events, including the Playday and final rd of the Wulfsport Winter series in 2 weeks on Feb 24th along with March's big WES (WOR ENDURO SERIES) 2019 Kick off at rd 1 Baden Hall on the 9/10th of March and the Maeshafn Rd 2 special on March 23/24th can be found at www.worevents.com/events
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WOR Events introduced this "instant classic" to the extreme
enduro calendar exactly a fortnight after their amazing Michelin Tough One and
what a superb event the Log Slog turned out to be. Set on a proper old school,
rutty, rooty, and very demanding forest course, the event was besieged by
horrendous sideways rain and sleet for the days leading up to race day and
that left conditions underfoot very sloppy and soggy to say the least but as
always in the Llandrillo Woodlands high above BALA in North Wales, the forest
always remains rideable and offers riders a challenge. The day had snow, rain
and lovely sunshine all rolled into one to add to the experience.
Gethin
Humphreys won both sessions of his event, by 4 minutes on the special tests
and by 1 minute and 25 seconds in the Hare & Hounds from Runner Up,
Charlie Frost. These two looked, sounded and performed at a different level to
the rest of the field but that took nothing away from the other performances.
The best Clubman with a 4th in the morning tests and a 1st in the Hare
& Hounds was Martin Luckwell with Ryan Crayston taking a very close
Runners up spot, just seconds from Overall Victory and matching his younger
Brother Burts by getting on the podium, making dad, Neil boss of Triple D
motorsport in Cumbria, very happy and the journey down for his two lads well
worthwhile. Third placed Clubman Overall after the two events was Glyn Mcguire
with a second and a third spot respectively and there really was nothing
between Crayston and Mcguire for the duration of the entire event.
Special
test