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Edmondson Racing |
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 Team
Edmondson Racing
June Race Report, As our May Race Report was well overdue and with so much success from our riders of late, it was mentioned by a close friend it was time we let everybody else know what's been keeping us so busy. Stepping back to the month of May and earlier, we have to start with the great turn of speed and string of wins from our junior rider Brad Freeman. Back in March he pulled off his first of many outright victories against his fellow adult competitors in both the GBXC and Rock Oil Cross Country Championships. Never looking phased or out of his depth, he continues to impress all around with an effortless riding style and pace to match. The last few weekend's racing has seen him become a Three time British Champion in clinching the ACU Youth Cup title in the BESC series, The Fast EDDY Rock Oil Expert Cross Country Champion and the ACU Fast EDDY British under 16 "Extreme" Champion. Not bad for his first season aboard a full sized 125 machine and best of all we are very impressed with the way he's modest with it and how little physical effort he needs put in to go so fast! A great recipe for a future star rider and a great asset to the Edmondson Racing Team. Well done Brad and to the old Fella "PETE" who is still kept in line by big "Tone" as Brads ever supportive granddad!
Finally a quick mention to young Dan Charles who continues to make some great
videos of the events and team's riders shown through You Tube. Check out his
work by searching 1144DRC on the You Tube site and see the corner speed of young
Brad at the Adstone round of the BESC!
With a flurry of events over the last month Team Edmondson Racing has done themselves proud with a host of personal achievements as well as outright event wins for each rider. Turning the clock back to the start of the season, our goal was not to "re-invent the wheel" but to progress and gain better results and individual performance from each of our three riders. That goal has been achieved and we are pleased to say every member of the staff have contributed to its success! The one who seems to top that chart is our youngest rider Brad Freeman. Brad (above) has really stepped his pace up a gear over the last few weeks with an outright win at round two of the recent Fast EDDY Rock Oil series and now a double win at rounds five and six of the BESC. A simple change of Handle bar style and height has transformed his stance and speed to a level that has surprised us all. The Fast EDDY series win was particularly gratifying as it was the first time Brad has taken a full on adult win against riders of "Elite BESC" and Championship BEC level. Above all he is enjoying his riding and not taking big risk's to get the speed or results, which shows real and genuine progress in his chosen direction aboard two wheels. A broken chain and late start penalty robbed him of a double class win at the recent Helmsley BEC but we have to applaud his progress so far. Well done indeed from all around you!
The rider with the hardest job of progressing is our elite class rider Lee Edmondson. To go from above mid pack to knocking on the door of some of the best riders in the country is a big step to achieve, especially as full factory teams are now bringing that same talent under their respective awnings at an international level. Lee is riding really well aboard the 250 cc two stroke and with times becoming ever closer to the front runners his progress has not gone unnoticed, better still by both individuals and other teams riders. The goal now is to help him achieve the next step in him taking a podium place before the season ends. At this rate we think it can be done as he has always had a big mountain to climb following in brothers Paul's footsteps. Day two at Helmsley saw him in front of the infamous "Fast EDDY" after two tests but the elder "Bro" pulled out all the stops to beat him on the day by a mere six precious seconds! An encounter with a tree saw a very swollen forearm by the end of the day, which needed a trip to Llandrindod hospital to confirm only bad bruising of the muscle with no broken bones. All said and done he now holds fifth place overall in the BEC and a commendable 3rd in E2. Our message is stay calm and keep nibbling away as your time will certainly come with the effort you and your mechanics are putting in.
Can't go without a mention to our loyal supporters and sponsors who contribute a great deal to helping the team's results tally continually on the up. A gracious thank you indeed and hope all our efforts meet with your expectations. Best Regards, Derrick Edmondson.
Sweet success A busy month for the 2012 Edmondson Racing Team so far continued at the weekend with the first round of the GBXC race series. Held at the famous "Sweet Lamb" rally complex in the heart of Wales, the superb venue with fast stretches of open track suited well the "XC" range of bikes chosen by the team for this season's activities. With all three riders racing in the afternoon Pro race it was Lee who
produced the best result with a very fine second place overall behind last
year's series champion Tom Sagar. A great "Hole shot" by lee as he led
in to the first turn and up the steep shale bank, to end lap one in third spot.
A close battle with Ryan Voase continued throughout the 2 ½ hour race with both
riders separated by only a handful of seconds. After a calculated second fuel
stop for lee rather than the risk of running out on the last lap, the team info
A big thanks to Joey, Pete and Kev manning the fuelling duties of the team and to all our supporters as a whole that help maintain this upward progress of our three riders. Many thanks indeed!
British Sprint Enduro Championship - Rounds 3 + 4 Team Edmondson racing was out in full flare for this, the second venue of the 2012 series. A great natural course and at last the weather to match, made a welcome change to any previous event this year. Elite class rider Lee Edmondson had a impressive weekend and showed that the riders he is doing battle with are more than aware of his improvement in speed over last year. A steady start on the slippy surface showed a cautious approach, which he built upon as the day progressed. By late afternoon he held an impressive 9th, as again over half the riders in front were factory / importer supported and every bit expected to be there. Now feeling very at home on the 250 two stroke XC his confidence is growing after a great result in the very muddy "Abbey" event which saw his best ever BEC result to date. Its great to see such improvement in any rider and the whole team deserve a pat on the back as they all have a hand in its development. Expert rider Rich Ely on the 250 XC-F had an average day as he did strain to match the pace of the class leaders. More at home on slower more technical terrain, the fast area's of MX type going is proving a challenge when riders of a more MX background enter the BESC arena. Never the less, he plugs away accepting tips and motivation from team boss "Derrick Eddy" in the true spirit of a friendly and jovial team atmosphere even when he's told to get his 'Fat Arse' out of the seat more! Young Brad Freeman in the new 125cc "Youth Cup" suffered similar
effects as his first full season up from a big wheeled 85 shows his task of
mastering an adult size bike will ta On the whole a good but unrewarding weekend that will motivate the lads to ride harder the next time out at next weekends GBXC opener at Sweet Lamb in Wales. Big thanks too for birthday boy "Dan Charles" who again produced a great pair of videos, one on the team riders and the second of the event itself. They can be both viewed on You Tube under the search of his reference 1144DRC. The team congratulates him on his enthusiasm in his newfound skill. The number of hits he receives regularly shows how much his subscribed viewers receive them not to mention Off Road Racing enthusiasts as a whole. Congratulations too to the BESC organizers and marshals, as I am sure everyone had a warm and enjoyable weekends racing. Well done!
So far the newly formed Edmondson Racing Team has had a very promising start to the new season with its three riders over a variety of classes. The January opener from young Brad Freeman taking the win in the youth class of the “Tong Hall” Eddy’s Extreme was a great start to which he continued with a win in the clubman class of the recent RAF’s “Ardua” Timecard Enduro. His performance at the BESC was equally as creditable with a P2 on day 1folowed by a lower P6 on day two after more than his fair share of contact with the icy ground! The highs and lows all count as valuable experience when starting out in the world of adult competition, so the team is very happy so far with the young riders performance over the three very different disciplines he’s ridden so far. New recruit Rich “Fast” Ely on the teams only four stroke machine has
embraced the same success with his runner up overall slot at the same Ardua
Enduro followed by his double class victory at the BESC. Two individual day wins
see’s him lead the Expert class comfortably and a well earned confidence boost
he needed after a couple of “Off” seasons of late aboard other machinery. Third team member Lee Edmondson enjoyed his first victory in the same timecard event with a convincing ride to win both special tests and the event overall making the long trip south for the team well worth while in readiness for the scheduled BESC event at Elemoor. Sadly the icy conditions there were not as rewarding to Lee as he hit the Deck hard a few too many times early on and a brace of P11 finishes did little to show his pre season form. The up and coming BEC round one in his own Welsh “Backyard” should be more of a true test of his ability and the performance of his 250 XC two stroke bike. In all, a steady start with hopefully more to come. Team boss Derrick as well as the mechanics of Jonny and Joey head to Wales this weekend for the Abbey Enduro and the BEC season opener. See you all in “Sunny Wales?...... I wish!
After a season supporting the high profile Fast EDDY Race team, Edmondson Racing have taken the decision to enter the 2012 season with a team bearing its own name. Beginning early January (while boss man Derrick is away on Dakar duty with rider Stan watt and the Frontrow GB team), riders Lee Edmondson, Brad Freeman and new recruit Rich "Fast" Ely will make their debut. Lee EDDY needs little introduction as a prominent team player in 2011; only difference is the switch to a 250 XC two stroke for his assault on the BEC E2 class and also the "Elite" class of the BESC series. Throw in the GBXC, Welsh Two Day and selected other events and that should keep him busy most weekends! During the 2011 season, we had reported the impressive results of young rider Brad Freeman. He started the year on a Big Wheeled 85 in the Youth class in most of his Cross Country outings from which he won the high majority. Beating some quality competition, he began to mix it with the adult racers so much so that a decision was made to move up to a full size 125 almost a year ahead of any initial plans. For 2012 he becomes a fully fledged member of the team on 125 and 150 two stroke machinery with his main aim of a podium in the newly formed 125 Youth Cup at the BESC. Other events include the GBXC + Putoline Cross Country series and selected races that his age allows. Thirdly, we have also decided to bring on board Rich "Fast" Ely as an Expert class rider to chase the BEC Expert E1 title he held a couple of season's back. Since his title he admits that some "average" performances need to be addressed and the motivation of bearing the "Edmondson Racing" team name is what is needed to do just that. His bike will be the 250 XC-F 4 stroke and he too will grace the entry list of all BEC and BESC races. The growing number of "Veteran" class's at many cross country events have also led to a limited support of midland based rider Jason Hope on a 300 XC two stroke who will bear the team graphics and benefit from the intended training. From late January onwards, the team have planned some early "Test" days to ensure that it has bikes set up from the "off" rather than changing spec as the races pass by. "It's a step back from the high quality team we supported in '11 but
with so much equipment at my disposal, I still felt it positive to go again in
2012. We had "courted" a couple of top-flight riders to see if our
budget was compatible but sadly it didn't happen. From this I decided to support
the riders mentioned and hopefully help them progress in a strong and forward
direction" As mentioned at the beginning, Team Principal Derrick will be away in South
America on Dakar duty with team Frontrow GB rider Stan Watt. Stan will be riding
the new 450 Rally Replica and with a strong five man support crew not to mention
two 4 x 4 support vehicle's, his 2012 Dakar is looking like the best single
effort of any individual UK rider in its History! "I keep telling him that it can be done with a fraction of the budget
and one mechanic but even though he openly agrees, he still insists on having
the quality of an Ex Troy Corser Moto GP mechanic on board as well as some
"man Servants" to make it all run smoothly as the Dakar could ever
be" So a very busy start to 2011 and we will keep you all posted as things progress….. Regards, Derrick Edmondson.
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Not to be outdone in the championship stakes, Our Expert rider Rich
"FAST" Ely also picked up a major ACU British title with a real gutsy
effort at the Canada Heights round of the BESC. Pushed to the final run on the
second day he needed to finish close behind his nearest rival to secure the
crown and walk away he did as the 2012 Expert British Sprint Enduro Champion.
Only a few days later he was to ride hard again in the very wet and arduous
Welsh Two Day Enduro to claim runner up spot and best four stroke in the Expert
class. Bike washed and on again to the last round of the ACU Fast EDDY Extreme
Championship where he was to win four out of four races at the Adstone venue.
Only taking part in this single event he managed to amass enough points to
become third in the whole series and round off a busy ten days of travelling and
five aboard his trusty 250 cc Four stroke mount. Another story of success for
"fast" and our team as a whole.
Taking
on a major change of brand and machinery for our next rider leads us on to Lee
in the elite and championship class. As Edmondson racing through HM MOTO UK
takes on the importership of the fantastic quality Italian HM MOTO range, It was
decided that Lee should also make the switch from 250 two stroke to a 300 four
stroke in order to remain in E2 class. Against the big risk of endangering a
great combination, Lee has taken on the challenge and continued his progress in
2012 with a win first time out in a small Extreme Hare and Hounds event in
nearby Rhayader aboard the new HM CRE-F 300 "R". Like Ely, his effort
at the last round of the BESC was noticeable and a fine pair of fifth places
netted him sixth overall in the series against world level riders like Siestola,
McCanney, Rose and Tom Church. He too returned home to prepare for the Welsh Two
Day Enduro hosted in his very home town of Llandrindod Wells and was to really
show he can mix it with the best beating the likes of McCanney and fellow HM
Moto pilot Tom Sagar on some individual special tests. After two days of
horrendous mud and rain he was to walk away in third overall and best four
stroke rider in the event proving he is on the pace aboard the new red mount.
A short break for the two weeks ahead to gather a breath and give the motor
home a rest before we head to Wales again mid July for the Hafren BEC. Good luck
to team mechanic Jonny Widen as he holds the spanners this week for team
Frontrow GB and Stan Watt in the world Cross Country Championship Rally Raid in
Sardinia. A big thanks to Joey and Kev for their efforts looking after Lee and
Fast at the welsh and not forgetting to wish one of our principal sponsors
(Steve Malone of Proseal) the best of luck as he too suns himself under a helmet
and pair of goggles out in Sardinia as part of the Cyril Despres Adventure Team
aboard a 350 XC-F. Back in July and hopefully more success under our team belt
as we have to be very proud of what our small team has achieved so far this
year.
Next
up is the teams favorite "Weeble", Rich "FAAAST" Ely! Rich
(right) has a somewhat of a stiff and "energy saving" riding style and
we do give him some stick when we can't see daylight between his backside and
the seat! Never the less he takes it in good humor and he too has seen a
personal much improved results sheet over the last few months since joining the
team. A day one P2 and a day two P3 to take the third step of the podium of last
weeks BESC was a steady ride especially when we take on board he has come from a
Trials background and not one of MX. His Helmsley BEC result was only a hiccup
short of a great weekend with a double day class win and Day two seeing him
taking the overall expert step of the podium. One thing he can be assured of is
that due to the team's relaxed and friendly nature, the "micky" taking
will continue for a short while yet! Keep it up FAAAST!
Lastly
thanks to one of our team members, young Dan Charles. Dan has been lurking with
full intent of using his new video camera at some of the recent events and his
results are first class for someone new in this field. A visit to "You
Tube" is well worthwhile together with putting a search on his host name of
1144DRC. This will reveal both a host of clips from the team's participation at
various events together with longer ones giving a broad overview of all other
riders. Downside was he was not filming at the time when the infamous Tim
"Tony Bou" Tighe had his big crash at the recent Monmouth venue.
Beadle's £250 would have come in handy when dad's thirsty 4x4 needs filling up
with diesel!
rmed
him of his slight advantage over Voase with 20min's left to run. Getting his
head down and throttle open, the gap stabilised right to the finish flag to give
him a well earned runner up position in the pro race and yet again one of his
best ever performances in the GBXC series. At the finish his deficit to Sagar
was one minute and two seconds and his advantage over Voase was 33 seconds with
these three riders the only ones to complete a full 17 laps. Well done Lee!
Rich
Ely Travelled all the way from Kent early on Sunday morning to undergo his first
taste of the Pro class in the GBXC series. Moving up from the expert class saw
him feel his way in to the race with a steady start, almost too steady as his
relaxed approach had damaged any chance of a front running position as the
leaders sped off well in to the distance. The 250 XC-F EFI bike came in to its
own as the fuel injection economy of the bike allowed a single and solitary pit
stop from the standard 10.5 litre tank. A battle with friend and arch rival
James Jackman was won by well over 2 minutes at the drop of the flag and his
days result was a steady seventh overall with 15 laps completed followed by the
long trip home back to Kent!
Ride
of the day was once again achieved by the team's youngster Brad Freeman. Full of
enthusiasm after a test session the previous day in the midlands, saw him
produce the best lap time of his race only 0.2 seconds slower than Lee's Eddy
best on a bike almost twice the cylinder capacity! A riding position issue
noticed at the previous weeks BESC races was rectified from a simple change to a
higher handlebar shape which helped tremendously with his riding stance on the
bike and general confidence in to corners. So much so that starting over a
minute behind the pro's, he quickly made up that deficit and passed "Fast
Ely" by midway through the race to lead the expert class till his last
"Splash and Dash" pit stop twenty minutes from the race end. More used
to the 2 hour morning race, Young Brad held a good pace but couldn't quite hold
off rival Shaun Buchan two laps from home and lost out by a mere 9 seconds for a
runner up position. Even this position was short lived as the eventual results
were to show the class win credited to Biff Smith demoting both Buchan and Brad
down one step lower on the podium. Even so, a great result after his first ever
2 ½ hour race especially as he continues to progress in both speed and
confidence on his small capacity two stroke XC machine.
ke some time. A few front end "wash
Out's" highlighted his lack of adult strength in his upper body but again
his determination and help from the team will without doubt make him a great
rider in the not to distant future. His weekends overall position took a
battering when his rear wheel tyre came off the rim and caused him not to
complete the final run of the day robbing him of an assured P3 in class on the
second day. 
A bitter blow as his efforts over the weekend deserved a better
final result than the points tally shows.
The 250 XC-F is proving the right choice for his style of riding and the team
have high hopes for the rest of 2012 race calendar. Well done FAAAAAST !