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All content © Bob MuIIins |
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Jack Rowland wins @ Norwood Norwood Teversal has a reputation for being a very difficult course to ride in wet conditions. Thankfully lady luck was on everyone's side and the weather played its part in what turned out to be one of the best RAW Enduro events of the 2015 season. A fantastic turn out of riders, all eager to race Norwood in dry conditions, were greeted by a fast flowing track which took on average 10 minutes per lap. As usual at RAW Events the youth classes had the full course to themselves for their 90 minute event. Youth B class honours went to Cole Cookland, he finished one clear lap ahead of his nearest rival RAW regular Ben Wood. Keeping the trophies in the family Cory Cookland managed to hold off newcomer Keelan Hope for the final podium spot. Harry Conner had a superb event at Norwood taking the Youth A win by just over a minute from Thomas Widd. Dom Richardson battled with a sore knee to still gain valuable championship points in third place.
All in all Norwood has left a sweet taste in everyone's mouth, the course, the weather, and the competition was superb. Already secured for 2016 Norwood will feature on the RAW Championship Fixtures one month earlier in June 2016. Thanks to all marshals for a great job well done. The Next RAW championship event on August 2nd will at Tosside in North Yorkshire for what looks like being a cracker of a meeting. This is the final time that this venue can be used so don't miss out folks. More info on the RAW Enduro facebook page or visit www.rawenduro.co.uk
Sherco Boys Storm Helmsley. It seems the only place in the north of England to escape the heavy rain showers over the weekend was Helmsley in North Yorkshire. RAW Enduro race organiser Wayne Braybrook was praying for rain to soften up the ground, unfortunately, Friday evening showers never even got through the trees onto the ground. A fast flowing loop was laid on to offer a true woodland experience, a very small line up of riders in each race made the most of lots of open track to enjoy what turned out to be a great day of Enduro competition. In the youth event which ran for a full 90 minutes Thomas Widd and Dom Richardson almost held hands for the entire race, at the flag Widd took the win with Richardson following him home in runner up spot. Reece Pickersgill overcame an average start to take third place. Youth B class honours went to Ben Wood on his small wheel 85, MX ace Kieran Austin used Helmsley to hone his Enduro skills taking a well earned second place trophy. Sam Boyd ran in third only a few seconds behind the top two. A small but keen entry lined up for the first adult race of the day, Mark Cockfield once again took a great holeshot and at the flag managed to take the win in the sportsman vets class. He was pushed really hard by Shane Marriott fresh from the IOM TT races, Marriott ended up second after Dean Foster collided with the woodwork on the final lap dropping him to a sore third place. Stable mates Ryan Chapman and Michael Lee topped the Sportsman class, both men on Sherco 300’s. James Gamble grabbed third place ahead of his mate Dan Lappin who was happy to take fourth place on the day. Dawson Marriott again took the win in the beginners class ahead of championship rival Liam Ryde, James Healey worked hard to finish in third. Lancastrian Ian Heyworth took the Over 50 class win from Mark Wardingley who now has his sights set on a good championship battle to the end of the season.
A small entry did nothing to change the day, RAW Enduro still ran the three races on the day, and all riders enjoyed a great rip around the Carlton Grange Plantation. Next on the list is the Iconic Norwood Teversal in Nottinghamshire on July 12th. This event will only run at Norwood if the week before the event is dry weather. Keep up to speed on the RAW Enduro facebook page.
Raw Enduro Championship Nidderdale in North Yorkshire hosted Round 4 of the RAW Enduro Championship on May 17th. The picture postcard venue which overlooks Gouthwaite reservoir was the perfect setting for a great day of Enduro competition. A healthy turn out of Youth riders were treated to the full adult loop, the one and a half hour event saw Thomas Widd take the youth A win from Harry Conner with Max Mawer rounding out the podium. Furious Frank Skillin fresh from a training school with Wayne Braybrook, took a runaway victory in youth B with the ever improving Jack Long finishing in second place. A slightly delayed start to the first adult event of the day saw Lancastrian Joe Wheeler take the sportsman vets class win, Mark Barrow had to settle for runner up after leading the way for the early laps. Neil Myers helped his championship points tally with a healthy third place on the day. Using his dads 300 Factory Sherco Michael Lee won the sportsman class by a mere 50 seconds from his mate Ryan Chapman. James Cooke Thomas was happy to take third place after a short break from racing. One of the best Over50 class turn outs of the season saw John Lofthouse win the class from Ian Heyworth, now getting back on the pace after his GNCC debut Mark Wardingley finished a credible third. A disaster start saw the beginner championship leader Dawson Marriott last away from the start, the lad from Mansfield toughed it out though and still managed to take the win ahead of number 84 Liam Ryde. Darren Kendall finished in third.
MRS Sherco mounted Lee Sampson was second off the start, using his extreme Enduro skills Lee rode straight over the large log section rather than taking the chicken route around turn three, this left him to take the lead and never look back. Chris Hughes rode a strong race to be the only other expert on 19 laps in runner up spot. Phil Hancock took his 300 Beta to a sound third expert class finish. Once again the Expert vet’s class was super competitive. Mick Boam overcame a slipping clutch on his Beta to take a good win; he was kept honest by Martin Sandiford who after getting stuck for over two minutes made a great charge towards the end of the event narrowly missing out on staying on the lead lap. Old war horse Alex Owen had a great day and finished third in class. Clubman was once again a battle of the young guns, Nathan Ball was overall winner from Buxton’s Iain Robinson and Brad Lilburn netted a bag full of third place points. In the clubman vets Mark Lodge was overall victor around 4 minutes ahead of holeshot king Danny Clarke. Lancastrian Paul Heys was the final award winner in class. A great weekend of off road competition was made possible by lots of hard work and imagination from the RAW Enduro staff. Thanks to the land owners for the use of this stunning venue. The track is now being graded ready for the next event in the not too distant future. Thanks to all RAW supporters, the next event on the calendar will be on June 7th for a Practice day at Ripon; this will be followed by the fifth round of the championship on June 14th at the awesome Tosside in North Yorkshire. The next RAW event is an Enduro Practice Day at Ripon on the 7th June www.rawenduro.co.uk
Sherco
Putoline 4 Hour Championship Raw Enduro had a brand new course in store for all competitors at round one of the Sherco Putoline sponsored 4 hour series. For the riders who walked the track first thing Sunday morning, it soon became apparent that everyone was in for a treat. Wayne Braybrook had used all his course designing skills to put on an awesome flowing Enduro track, paying particular attention to the width of the track to allow great competition over the 4 hour event. Youth riders, albeit a small entry, were treated to their own 2 hour event. Max Mawer grabbed the holeshot and went on to win the Youth A class. Liam Crowe bagged a solid second place on his D3 KTM, with newcomer Archie Wakefield taking third place. Only two riders were entered in youth B, Ben wood won the class, and Jaysi Austin made the trip from Nottinghamshire worthwhile taking runner up spot on her factory SA prepared machine. Onto the main adult 4 hour event, after a safety briefing and explanation of the team class rules, a slightly delayed start saw riders flagged away in their classes. Solo riders simply man up and race for 4 hours, teams have one rider on track and another rider waits in a changeover area. When the first rider needs a rest they change by tagging their partner to release them onto track.
Over 40 vets solo rider John Bradford feeling more at home on his new KTM took a convincing win in class, Derek Carr took second place as he got the racing bug back, and local rider Gary Lancaster finished third in class. The D3 KTM pairing of Anthony Crowe and Neil Crayston had a successful day racing, with great support from team D3 staff; they took a one lap advantage from second place Andy Pulfrey and Lee Parry. The latter two missed out staying on the lead lap by a mere 3 seconds. Towards the end of the race positions were getting tight, the team change over area became very busy as teams threw the second “rested” rider out as attempts to put together short sprint laps to help the team progress were used as a tactic. James Gamble and Dominic Richardson did this to great effect as the two RG racing boys took the Sportsman team Class. Self-confessed athletes Stu Gordon and Mark Vardy had a rare outing and in doing so took a great runner up spot. Stu Gordon later admitted to possibly having over trained prior to the event. Dawson Marriott and Shane Marriott took a well-deserved third place in class on their Mansfield Motorcycles KTM’s. A mention has to go out for the winners of the Beginners team class, Jake Dean and Paul Dennison had a great ride to win the class. Jake Dean in his first year of riding has now stepped up to being a regular rider. Well done boys. Sean Lightbody took the win in the Beginner solo class, clocking up 25 laps over the 4 hour event.
Perhaps the most competitive class of the day was the Sportsman Vets team class. Neil Myers and John Leith won the class despite BIG pressure from the second and third place teams, in fact the whole top 3 teams were separated by a mere 6 seconds after 4 hours of riding! Steven Dean and Andy Kirby just held off Dean Foster and Jim Franklin in a last lap dash to the flag. Agri Weld director Dean Foster managed once again to have a fight with a tree, and once again the tree won. Race 2 off road owner Gary Nicholson took the win in the sportsman solo class on his Husky, he was kept on his toes by the Yorkshire Gooner Mark Cockfield who needed to pit for running repairs to his Husky which may well have cost him the chance of taking the win. Overall a great day of competition left all who attended with the feeling of a well-managed Enduro event. Yes the weather did make the day super enjoyable, and once again the RAW Enduro staff and marshals worked hard to ensure everyone was well looked after.
RAW Enduro Round 2 Ellington Banks Ripon Sherco riders Fire warning Shots at Ripon RAW Enduro rolled into Ellington Banks near Ripon for round 2 of the 2015 championship on March 15th Mother’s Day. Well supported by the committed Enduro mums on the special day, all competitors enjoyed a great relaxed atmosphere in what turned out to be a superb day of Enduro competition. Youth riders were first out on track at 8.30am sharp, with a new improved lap scoring system being used for the first time this year, it proved to be the perfect test run for the timing system providers to ensure their systems were what RAW Enduro expected from them. The Youth A class results was a battle of 4 riders for over half the race, separated by less than 10 seconds. Thomas Widd eventually overhauled Harry Conner by a mere 7 seconds at the flag, whilst Dominic Richardson was delighted to take his RG Racing Husky to third place on the day. Youth B Honours went to Jacob Wilson who narrowly snatched the win from Ben Wood, Ben spent the majority of the event battling with a sticking throttle. Jack long took his immaculately prepared KTM 65 to a great finish in third place. After a seamless transition of day entries thanks to the new rider admin systems, the first adult race of the day were flagged away right on 10.30am. Mark Cockfield woke up when he got up and grabbed the holeshot from the sportsman vets line. Having put his round 1 disappointment behind him Cockfield went on to secure second place in class only to be beaten by Ashley Jones on his KTM. Lancastrian Mick Bottomley had a solid race to nett a fine third place and in doing so kept his championship assault on track with a great haul of points from Ripon. The 2015 Sportsman class is shaping up to be a great season long battle of the young guns. Ryan Chapman continues to improve as he settles into his 300cc Sherco, his confident style took him to a fine win in class. Luke Owen held on to second spot by just 6 seconds from RG Racing rider James Gamble on his CRF250. Dawson Marriott took his Mansfield Motorcycles KTM to his second win of the season fending off stiff competition in the Beginners class. Newcomer Aiden Ferrell took a great runner up place on his Husky, with Tom Patrick still improving through the adult ranks hanging on to a solid third place on the day. Rosie Rowett and Sarah Thomas are having a great battle in the ladies class, Rosie held on for the Ellington win despite having a few niggling problems with her front brake. Sarah Thomas was more than happy with her runner up place, whilst Nikita Miller rounded out the ladies top three. In the old lads class (Over50) John Wadsworth came out on top after a trouble free calculated ride, group leader of the Todmorden connection Ian Heyworth rode to a fine second place, and trials guru Steve Shaw was giving his 250F Sherco a good blast round for a satisfying third place. With a short break for marshals to have a lunch, and some subtle changes to the track layout to test the more experienced riders, the afternoon event riders were briefed and flagged away from the start area. MRS Sherco rider Jack Rowland was out on a brand new ISDE Replica Sherco testing man and machine in readiness for the upcoming start to the British Enduro Championship. Now settling into the blue 2 smoker, Rowland controlled the race despite some half way stage pressure from Zac Sherwin who was up for a great race on the day. Sherwin only just missed the time cut off meaning Rowland had the extra lap on the results sheet. The hard charging Lee Sampson held off stiff competition from Josh Law and Jordan Rose, both of the latter were out on immaculately prepared Sandiford off road sponsored 300cc Shercos. The Sandiford name rose to the top of the Expert vets class as team owner Martin Sandiford went on to win from Mick Boam. Boamy kept Sandiford honest by only loosing 3 minutes over race distance. Alex Owen was third best Vet in class a further 40 seconds down the track. The 2015 clubman class is looking like it’s going to be a tough one, Iain Robinson was more than happy to take the class win. He was chased home by a battle of the young guns Josh Bailey and Brad Lilburn, Lilburn couldn’t match his round 1 winning performance, but his continued effort means he will be a rider to watch this year. Josh Bailey is riding most weekends; his runner up place was just what the lad from Derbyshire deserves for all his hard work. Only three finishers in the Clubman Vets class didn’t dampen the competition, Mark Lodge took the win by just over a minute from the returning to full fitness David Haith. In third place a few minutes adrift Danny Clarke took his number 700 KTM to a great final podium spot. Another great event delivered by RAW Enduro, the next event will be on April 12th when even more new race features will be launched to entertain spectators and keep riders up to speed with in event action. Thanks to all RAW supporters, see you all in April.
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Onto
the AM adult race and a full line up of riders were flagged away right on
time at 10.30am. Holeshot hero in the sportsman vets class Mark Cockfield
didn't quite manage the start he had hoped for as he rounded turn one in
around 7th place. For the rest of the event he suffered with a sick sounding
Beta. Refusing to stop and change the spark plug he did eventually take the
class win. Almost back to full fitness Mansfield Motorcycles owner Shane
Marriott missed the win by a mere 4 seconds on home turf. Martyn Thomas
celebrated his birthday week by taking the final vets trophy home with him.
As the sportsman class championship hot's up even more , North Easterner
Michael Lee had more than a challenge on a Norwood in the form of Ady Breame.
The pair battled really hard particularly towards the end of the race. Lee
just took the win by 2 seconds at the finish flag. Ryan Chapman continues to
improve, his move to a new Factory Sherco shows his intent for overall
championship honours. Over 50 regular Ian Heyworth had to work to keep his
winning form up, Ian was kept honest by local rider Steve Shaw who finished
in runner up spot. Mark Wardingley enjoyed his Norwood race taking a third
place trophy back to West Yorkshire for his efforts. A great line up of 5
lady riders was brilliant to see. Rosie Rowett continued her unbeaten run of
form taking the class win. Sarah Thomas looked at home taking runner up
place despite not having ridden for some 4 months, and Nikita Miller
finished in third place and is slowly edging closer to the top of the class
with every ride.
After
a break for lunch and morning event presentations, at 1.30 the faster more
experienced riders were flagged away. Jack Rowland conducted a master class
in how to ride super quick on his MRS 300 Sherco. Josh Law out on a 250 2t
Sherco did a great job keeping Rowland on his toes all race. Chris Raynor
was the only other Expert rider to complete 15 laps. Perhaps the most
thrilling race of the day was the clubman class. Iain Robinson Led almost
all race and took a great win. Just behind the battle of the young guns Josh
Bailey and Brad Lilburn was great to watch. Lilburn eventually nabbed second
spot just 3 seconds in front of Josh Bailey. The clubman class will go right
down to the final race, and that's going to be a great race to watch. Danny
Clarke rode out of his skin at Norwood to take the clubman Vets win on 14
laps. Expert Vet Mick Boam once again excelled taking a great win at
Norwood.
After
a short break, the PM race was flagged away slightly ahead of schedule, Jack
Rowland was first back through lap scoring on his 300 2t MRS Sherco, his MRS
team mate Mark Roberts made the long trip from Wales to get in some vital
training time on his 300 4t Sherco, Roberts was running around 10 seconds
behind Rowland before fading slightly as Rowland held strong pace from mid
race distance to the flag to take the win. Brandon Sharples was in a
credible third place until an awkward crash saw him with a nasty broken
wrist, get well soon Brandon. So Josh Law inherited third place despite
riding the last hour of the race with no right hand foot peg after catching
it on a tree stump. Race of the day went to the clubman and Expert vets
classes, Martin Sandiford and Mick Boam continued what has been a season
long battle of two competitive riders, Boam set the pace in the early
stages, Sandiford took around 40 minutes before he made the pass and upped
the pace on his new 250 2 stroke Factory Replica Sherco. Boam had to settle
for second place on the day and simply had no more to give. So a simple test
on the 250 2t Sherco has left Sandiford with the bug for riding well and
truly engrained again. The battle of the clubman went right down to the last
few laps; Josh Bailey took a great win ahead of Brad Lilburn who had to make
an extra stop for clean goggles after ditching them in the early stages of
the race. Iain Robinson kept the championship alive by taking a solid third
place. Clubman honours will go right down to the wire this year. Only two
Clubman vets entered this event, Danny Clarke made the most of the
conditions and took a strong two lap advantage to the finish flag. Mark
Lodge finished runner up.
With
the Pateley track conditions almost perfect, and course marshals adding more
testing parts to the track, the AM event presentation was followed by the
main event for the more experienced riders. A rock garden, an extra downhill
stream section, and a part of the lower river bank were added to spice
things up a little.
MRS
Sherco riders Jack Rowland and Lee Sampson gave a masterclass in Enduro
riding. Taking the overall win, Jack used the event as training for the
upcoming BEC round on his 300 2t, whilst Lee took his second win aboard his
new Factory 300 4t Sherco. Proving the blue machines have great reliability,
Ian Shannon and Doltan Shannon made it a one two in the class for MRS Sherco.
Doltan had to do most of the riding, but dad Ian sure has got the speed even
if the 47 year old body sometimes says stop!! Expert solo’s was topped by
Rob Dawson on his Sherco 300, despite suffering with tendonitis in his
wrist, Rob never fails to grind out a result, and after 4 hours he took the
win from Ryan Heinz who toughed it out keeping Dawson on his toes. Clubman
solo honours went to the gritty Jade Gordon, Jade held a great pace to beat
Paul Daley Smith by one clear lap. Daley Smith loves the harder events, and
his second place reflected a great effort. Clubman team honours went to the
young guns of Josh Bailey and Brad Lilburn, both riders are set for a great
future in Enduro, well done boys. The final two podium spots were a battle
of two local teams. Russ Waller and Dan Sadler put one over their riding
buddies Chris Hay and Joel Sadler by a mere 12 seconds! The latter two can’t
wait for the round two rematch!
