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 WWW.Wibberley
Wins Witley
The Witley Classic
Warren Heath
Round 1 SEEC Timecard Enduro Series
Report and Photo Richard Troth
No doubting the effort Witley MCC put in to make this one of the most
popular events in the SEEC Timecard Enduro calendar, 18 mile lap of pure
forestry going and 3 special tests which consisted of a Cross Country Test,
Enduro Test and an Motocross Test, i felt the winning recipe was going to be
desire and fitness, entry of over 160 riders a very cold February morning
that turned into a torrential downpour before the end... a proper Classic
Enduro.
Championship Class
Daryl Bolter on the Crescent KTM was favourite pre-race and was very much
pumped up ready for this event as a warm up to his busy British Championship
season ahead but from the off he had a small teething problem on his new
bike which by the time it was fixed his adrenalin had waned so used it as a
training event and still managed to post the fastest test times, Ben
Wibberley on the Freestyle Husqvarna was relishing a battle with Bolter but
even without he pushed hard all day and kept his timecard clean to take the
win, runner up was Steve White is his first ride in Championship class on
the Zinclad KTM and kept clean all day on the going times, 3rd Malcolm Coles
who has not ridden competitively for a while showed his ability today for
all to see but felt a bit deflated after brake failure towards the end that
held him back a bit, 4th with a solid performance was Dan Lawry whom had a
fantastic season last year driving sidecar enduro and still a bit lost minus
his third wheel, 5th Darren Osborne also on his debut in the elite class.
Expert Class
No doubting the winner in this class Tom Ellwood who would have been a
contender for Championship class victory with superb test times and kept
clean on the going, runner up Jack Barwick who was pushed all the way by
Mark Kirby who was relishing in the testing conditions who came home 3rd,
4th Dom Wilson with a solid showing and consistent throughout the event, 5th
James Meston who is one to watch with good skills but needs to calm down a
touch to bridge the gap.
Vet A Class
Neil Challice comes and goes and has an enigma about him but today he laid
his cards on the deck and showed all he is the man to beat in this class by
taking the victory and to be honest everyone in this class has to try and
raise their game if they want this title, runner up was Dave Coles who like
Neil managed to stay clean on times all day, 3rd Al Ranger who relishes on
challenges and loved the event and was very much worthy of that final
podium.
Vet A O50 Class
Great battle in this class with the top 3 all staying clean on the going
which resulted in the test times being the key factor and it was Paul
Armstrong who looked fearless on the tests and seemingly faultless which
gave him the class victory, runner up for the rarely seen smiling face of
Euan Harrison whom I am sure gave his all and will be happy with that
runners up spot, 3rd Joe Beard who was so close to Euan he could smell his
aftershave.
Clubman A Class
Maybe I should take up crystal ball readings as I predicted the top 3 in
this class although not in the exact order as they finished but I did have
Darren Perry as class winner and he did not disappoint with his effortless
looking style but was pushed by royalty in a pair of Kings namely Scott and
Peter and have not seen Scott so aggressive and I feel that’s what gave
him the family victory over Peter today who had to settle for 3rd spot.
Vet B Class
Probably the most popular victory today with Jeff Cannons taking the top
spot and very much deserved with a mixture of aggression, skill and that
burning desire of wanting to win, Shane Babey made the long journey from the
South West and put in a sterling effort for 2nd place, 3rd place Matt
Hubbard who performed so well on the special tests but lost time on the
going which affected his result but never less a great start to the season.
Vet B O50 Class
It did not start to well for John Muizelaar after getting a branch caught
under his rear brake causing him to stop to try and repair and then his
transponder not working correctly but John is not fazed by these small
problems and went on to stay clean on times and put in fastest test times of
class to take a very well earned class victory, runner up was Craig Redmond
with a solid showing and like John stayed clean on times, final podium went
to Stephen Scott.
Clubman B Class
What a fantastic start to the season for Dorset Police MCC rider Neil Deakin
with an emphatic class victory and very much the star of the class, runner
up and what a great start to his Clubman B career for Jonathan Bird after a
successful season last year as a sportsman, 3rd teenager Ben Harding who
excelled on the tests but lost time on the going.
Evo Class
It’s always great to see the bikes of yesteryear out there still competing
and victory went to Honda XR280 ridden by Hans Gilham, runner up a Suzuki
PE175 ridden by Alan Woods and 3rd a Kawasaki KDX200 ridden by Colin Fox.
Sportsman Class
Liam Hastings took class victory with a solid performance and stayed clean
on times all day and posted fastest test times of the class, runner up Mark
Barter from Dorset Police MCC, 3rd Neil Wilkinson who was only a whisker
away from runners up spot. Photos
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