Steady Eddy rd3
at Ashby

Veteran Jason Hope made a rare outing at Fast Eddy’s Steady Eddy event at Ashby Moto Park on Sunday and managed to manhandle his 450 Yamaha MXer into first place despite fierce competition from Ryan Griffiths and Mick Boam.

Dry weather throughout the weekend saw half of the Ashby venue experience dusty conditions while the woodland section was in great shape although a couple of small muddy areas forced riders to take their time and pick lines very carefully.

The MX part of the course was well watered before racing began at 9.15am with the Youth race.

Henry Yardley was first off the line in the BW85-150 class and he held the front position throughout the race ahead of Frankie White-Edwards and Charlie Brewin but a strong challenge for the overall win came from Charlie Chater on his SW85. Chater won his class and took second place overall, the only rider to match Yardley on laps. James Palmer took second in class with Scott Draper third. George Yardley matched his brothers performance with his own class win in the 65cc’s, four minutes clear of Adam James in second and Keelan Hope in third spot.

Despite some technical difficulties, which were fixed with a rock, Jack Sandland started the day well for the Sandland clan with a win in the Autos, putting pressure on Dad Kev who would race in the Clubman 4T class later in the day. Layton Sulley made the runner-up position in the Autos with Bert Boam completing the podium line-up.

The Adult race saw Veteran Jason Hope on his game after a poor start. Hope concentrates on his son Keelan’s riding these days but a last minute decision to enter the event paid dividends. The MX part of the course was perfect for him but the Yam proved to be a bit of a beast in the tight and twisty woodland section which made up nearly half of the course.

Fellow Vet Ryan Griffiths had moved on from his 20 year old Kwak to a new Beta RR and thanks to the bike’s electric start found himself third into the first corner rather than thirty-third. Hope on the other hand was left sitting on the start line as the Yam struggled to start but after eventually firing up, he powered through the field to take the lead and the win after two hours of racing.

Mick Boam, also on a Beta, was on Griffiths’ rear wheel for the whole two hours and took third overall just five seconds adrift of Griffiths at the finish to make it a veteran top three overall. In the Veterans 50+ class Steve Kenny took the win with 14 laps to his credit.

With no Pro, Expert or Clubman riders in sight the event was no less competitive and the Vets made up nearly a third of the entry alongside the Sportsman and Novice ranks.

The Sportsman 2T class was also a close-run affair. Elliot Bradshaw, fresh from his Enduro-X success, rocketed through the bulk of the Veteran class, which had left the start line ahead of him, eager for the overall win but the top three vets were untouchable. Bradshaw had his own battle going on as Brad Lilburn challenged him lap after lap for most of the race and got within half a second of the Sportsman leader at one point. Bradshaw kept his nerve and simply turned up the gas to eventually take the class win nearly 40-seconds clear of second placed Lilburn while Luke Knight circulated in third spot to complete the Sportsman 2T podium.

Kev Sandland made it a family double by taking the Sportsman 4T class win by an impressive three-minutes clear of Tim Miller in second place. Miller has been absent from the track most of this season and to turn up and grab the runner-up spot was quite an achievement. This pair of riders dominated the class, finishing two laps up on third placed Chris Bedford.

Kirk Giles and Thomas Kirby headed the Novice class with Giles just getting the advantage over Kirby, winning by a 22-second margin as both riders posted 16 laps. Richard Baker grabbed third in class on 15 laps.

Another successful Steady Eddy event from Paul Edmondson saw riders enjoy a great atmosphere at Ashby Moto Park, which was as competitive as a Pro event, especially in the Veterans class.

Results

Well done fast Eddy racing.

Steady Eddy Rd.2 at The Gaer, Welshpool
8th June
Report and photos Tim Tighe

The Gaer near Welshpool threw up a huge range of riding conditions for the second round of Paul Edmondson's Steady Eddy series. While parts of the course were near perfect, other parts were wet, sticky, slippy and rutted. It was hard to believe that there could be such variety at one venue. Heavy rain in the run-up to the event made the choice of course difficult for the Fast Eddy crew.

The Steady Eddy series is designed with Sportsman, Novice and Vets In mind. No Pro, Expert or Clubman riders makes for a much more easy-going event with riders of similar capabilities able to race without the worry of hindering the faster lads. It is an excellent starting point for many novice riders, a gentle introduction to XC racing.

Harry Edmondson made light work of the Youth race, even though conditions were extremely tough for the young riders, while Mick Boam took the honours in the adult race, spending nearly the whole two-hours standing on his pegs and gliding effortlessly around the extended adults course.

The Gaer had quite a few significant changes to its usual layout. The quarry near the start line had a new access point to the woodland section which saw riders disappear underneath a new footbridge for a five-minute loop of the woods before re-emerging into the quarry and its slippery climb out onto the open going.

The youth race had a shorter course than the adult race, which was fortunate because the young riders struggled initially with a long muddy section which rutted-up badly. Only towards the end of the first race did conditions begin to improve.

Mathew Martin took the hole-shot as the BW85-150 riders left the start line with Charlie Berwin close behind but it was Henry Yardley who soon worked his way to the front. Harry Edmondson was in the second row to leave the start line on his SW85 but soon showed his Edmondson pedigree by taking the overall lead and eventually the win around this very tough course. Yardley won his class and grabbed second overall with Martin third overall.

Charlie Chater and James Palmer grabbed second and third in the SW85’s as Sion Hughes won the 65cc class ahead of Adam James and George Yardley. It was extremely tough going for the two Auto class riders, Keelan Hope and Bert Boam but these youngster battled onwards with Hope winning the class and Boam second.

Before the adults race kicked off the course was extended significantly to take in a second woodland and even more field sections. This addition to the youth course proved to be a challenge in places. The field sections dried and the going was very good in places but the woodland held the water from the previous days rain and even the smallest of slopes became tricky, one in particular saw a gaggle of marshals working non-stop to keep riders moving.

The Veterans were first away and Mick Boam led the field through the quarry section and into the first woodland. Kev Freeman was just a couple of bike lengths adrift while Tom Edwards was fending off a hard challenge from Sportsman 2T rider Elliot Bradshaw.

Bradshaw had been shaken just minutes before the start when his gear change sheared off but Jack Edmondson, on marshalling duties, offered him his bike and Bradshaw took full advantage of his good luck to head the 2T class and challenge for the lead as the race progressed.

Boam seemed to be completely unperturbed by the conditions and using his huge Trials experience he wove around the course standing on the foot-pegs for most of the race. He seemed to be cruising near the end of the race but as soon as a challenge from Kev Freeman and Elliot Bradshaw raised its head he turned up the gas to maintain his lead with ease. Freeman took second overall and Bradshaw third, all three on 17 laps.

As Bradshaw battled with the two leading vets, Josh Bailey pulled clear of Brad Lilburn to take second place in the Sportsman 2T class. Lee Richards led the Sportsman 4T’s home, three laps clear of his nearest rival Dean Hancox while Chris Belford took third.

Colin Griffiths had just one rival competitor in the Veterans Over 50 class, John Citine. Griffiths won the class and managed to claw his way to eighth overall, which was an excellent result.

The Novice class saw the closest finish of the day. Ben Kay and Tom Walker matched each other lap for lap for most of the two-hour race with Kay eventually pulling a 30-second lead in the closing laps to take the win. Paul Love finished in third spot.

Towards the end of the race the course had to be cut. It was virtually impassible at just one spot. Half of the field of riders was eternally grateful while the other half wondered why it had been cut, they were enjoying the challenge.

This series of events is designed for improving riders and Paul Edmondson saw no reason to allow one small spot to spoil the event for many riders. Quality bike time is the aim and struggling to get around the course is not part of the deal at Steady Eddy events.

Fast Eddy even arranged for the Red Arrows to put on a display while the race was running, a little over the top perhaps, but Eddy always knows how to put on a great show.

More

Steady Eddy at Bicton
20th April

The 2014 Steady Eddy series got underway at a dry and dusty Bicton Farm near Shrewsbury on Easter Sunday. With no Pros, Experts or Clubman riders allowed, the Vets, Sportsman and Novice and Youth riders had the course all to themselves.

A slightly delayed start was due to track watering but when racing got underway the Youth riders tackled the slippery surface with ease and tore through the woodland section, Harry Edmondson leading the way to the chequered flag.

Veteran 40+ Mick Boam battled briefly in the adult race with Jason Hope but eventually took an easy win as Hope retire as planned after a handful of laps.

Bicton Farm always provides great racing and excellent entertainment with its mix of open fields and woodlands. Following a week of sunshine the ground was hard with the promise of dust so nearly half of the course was watered before the start of racing and the going became very slick so Fast Eddy delayed the start to give the water a chance to soak in before the Youth racers were let loose on a sighting lap to get a feel for the conditions.

Parts of the course remained tricky for the first few laps but soon dried to provide plenty of grip as Brad Lilburn, Jamie Osbourne and Harry Edmondson fought for the lead. Lilburn and Osbourne continued to battle right to the race end but young Harry was on a mission and pulled a huge gap at one point before steadying slightly towards the end of the race. Osbourne eventually got the better of Lilburn to take second overall and the BW85-150 class win with Lilburn second in the same class while Henry Yardley took third.

Harry Edmondson nailed the SW85cc win along with his overall win and was followed home by Cole Cookland and Charlie Chater. George Yardley topped the 65’s ahead of Adam James and Archie Lycett while Lewis Hurdsman put in another stellar performance in the Auto class to take the win three-minutes clear of Cory Cookland with Keelan Hope taking third in class.

The second race of the day saw the Sportsmen enjoy the luxury of splitting into 2T and 4T groups while the Vets were split into 40+ and 50+ with Novice riders in their usual single group.

The vets 40+ lead the field off the line and within a few corners a head-to-head battle developed between Mick Boam and Jason Hope with Boam getting slightly the better deal. Hope, carrying an ankle injury, only planned to do a few laps and managed to take the lead briefly before retiring. Boam cruised onwards on his Beta, picking his way through the woods with ease and getting great lines despite the heavy traffic at times. Ryan Griffiths closed on Boam as the two hour race neared its end but Boam kept a respectable 12-second gap to take the win with Griffiths second and David Williams fourth overall and third in the 40+ class.

Third overall and topping the Sportsman 2T class was Elliot Bradshaw who is enjoying a great period of on-form riding over the last few weeks. He was one of only five riders to post 21 laps and the only rider other than a veteran to do so. Joining Bradfshawe in the top three Sportsman 2T was Jordan Kendrick-Jones and Craig Szczypek. Ryan Phillips and Lee Richards both clocked 20 laps in the Sportsman 4T class with Phillips taking the win, Richards second and Neal Wailing third.

The small but quality line-up in the Veterans 50+ class saw Colin Griffiths take the win by just under a minute from John Lofthouse as Shaun Murray grabbed third in class.

Not content with third in class in the Youth race, Henry Yardley joined the Novice class for his second race of the day and it paid dividends, he won. Second placed Shea Ryan and Andrew Wheildon in third pushed him hard throughout the first half of the race but Yardley pulled clear by nearly two minutes to take the class win.

As the last few racers finished the final lap the rain, which had been predicted, started to fall. Luckily the day was done and dusted and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Bicton once again provided a terrific course, which was run in the opposite direction to the Fast Eddy event a few weeks earlier, and by 2.00pm everyone was packing up and heading home with plenty of Easter Sunday left to enjoy with their families.

The Steady Eddy events are becoming increasingly popular and for this season Paul Edmondson has also included Clubman riders in the ‘No Pro or Expert’ ranks to give Sportsman, Novice and Vets a good shot at the limelight for a short while.