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Crychan 2004
 For over 25 years the only dry
thing to be found in the Crychan was Bob Perring's sense of humour but this weekend's Welsh Trail Riders Association's
3rd round of the Motul ACU 2004 Enduro Championship was the exception that
proves the rule. Although Bob designed much of the course, the event had a Mediterranean feel as
the sun shone & a warm wind blew in from the Continent. With
the sad loss of the Eppynt Army Ranges, WTRA has once again returned to the
bony embrace of the old forest but the new name seems to have breathed fresh
life into the old girl. The event - sponsored by Steve Plain Motorcycles & Talon
Engineering - was held on the 8th & 9th
August with the start at Llandovery Rugby FC's ground. Machine
examination was on the Friday & exhaust re-packing was the order of the
day. Euan McConnell - making a welcome return to the Championship - was one of
many riders sent back from the noise test although in his case a quick
re-reading of his Sherco specification sheet was all that was required. Late
arrivals could be scrutineered on Saturday morning but there was a 20pt
penalty. Luke Lusher & Paul Hempkins were two. Jack Twentyman was another & he would have more problems on Day 1. There was a compulsory Parc Ferme for all motorcycles on both
the Friday & Saturday nights. Day 1 dawned behind a heavy mist but the sun
had burnt it off before the first
riders - David Knight (photo: Jonty Edmunds) & Paul Edmondson - started at 09:01am The A schedule
on Day 1 was 3 laps Championship, 2.75 laps Expert
& 2 laps Clubman. From the start
the course went by road to Cynhordy before turning
right onto the Tirabad road. Close to the Picnic Site the riders left the road
& tagged onto the end of
the lap for a few hundred yards of rough going before Check 1/5. This warmed up the bikes & riders before the timed MX test in Hopkins
Field used in the club's 1999 World round. This test was laid out by
Steve Plain & Rob Sartin on the grassy slopes with several steep descents
into off camber turns. David Knight
was caught out by the first of these but still went on to set the fastest
time. Following the test there was re-fuelling. The course then eased the riders into
the forest with a few familiar tracks like Cadogan's Loop, Eddy's Folly &
Pig Hill before introducing a sense of unease in the tunnel of trees below the
Verandah where the pine needles suddenly gave way to slippery rock. The riders
then climbed Honeysuckle Hill & followed Dalesville. There was a tricky little hill at the end. The
course then
went over the slab at Cwm Cadoran & off to left near Bonkys. On the 3rd
lap some Experts missed the turn, the dozen arrows, the 30 feet of tape, the
log across the road, etc. Most realised their mistake but Jack Twentyman did
not & missed the final test. Chris Whitehouse also retired at this point
with a broken radiator on his Husaberg 550. The riders then climbed the
Vatican. There was a superb view from the top of the hill of the green
patchwork of Mid Wales in all her Summer Glory but all most riders saw was
the small patch of grass ahead of their front wheel as the recently felled area was
a minefield of logs & stumps. It may have been here that Katie Wakely
broken the gear shaft that forced her to retired. Another hazard visible from
the Vatican was a "spectator" in a metallic blue 4x4 driving on the course endangering both the riders & the club's future access to the forest. The descent
down Cefn Bank was pure Perringarnia. The course then drops down the Elevator & follows the stream
to the Culvert along Ben's Track to the start of the XCountry test. The
organisers had run a blade as far as the bridge at Shattocks crossing &
filled in with hardcore. The
bridge at this point was a stipulation of FE & made a very tight turn.
From the bridge the track followed the course of the 2002 Snowrun test. This is
the lowest part of the forest & it has become a lagoon in the past but in
the dry weather it became a series of sandy berm. The test was
not timed on lap 1 of Day 1. Following the
test there is a mile to Check 1 along Taffs Trail. It is a very long mile. It
was cleared for the World round to be ridden in the opposite direction but was
cut after the first lap. It is not much easier in this direction. From Check 1
to Check 2 was approximately 13 miles. Following
Check 1 the course ground along Misery Mile & Cwm Clyd before climbing
Lower Bonky's. Upper Bonky's has become very rocky & instinctively
attracted Perring on the first lap. The old boy was rewarded by rare sight of
a David Knight lapse in concentration. The riders then rode the Tube, Swimbath Road, the Beeches & Trout Hill. After crossing the stream at
Bob's Stick the course crossed a field of tussocks. Many people think the
shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line but many people make
deep ruts so think on. The course then climbed Early Bird & Lee Sargents
before descending into the Snowrun Quarry. This part of the course would have been
familiar to riders of last year's Eppynt. A 20' drop, a boggy track & the
steep zig zag descent of Parachute Hill to 5 Roads. The riders then climbed over
Stick Hill to Check 3. This stage was also approximately 13 miles. The
afternoon heat was starting to take a toll on all the riders & Vic Lusher
- with a flattened exhaust - had to take some time to recover in the shade of Huw Watkins' van but he carried
on to finish the day. Following Check 3 there is a short
(2 miles) liaison section
across the Tirabad road into a refuelling area by the mast in Glyn Saer (1
mile east of Hopkin's Field). The riders then rode down Cefn Ludlow to Check 4
in Glyn Saer. This final stage of the lap is also 13 miles & it is marginally less technical than
the other 2. At Check 5 Kelly Patterson joined in with party atmosphere by
setting up an impromtu barbeque. Marshals & riders dealt with the
situation & Kelly was able to finish his slightly charred KTM 450. At the
end of day, David Knight was the winner & Paul Edmondson was second. Juan
Knight was 3rd. Daryl Bolter continued his progress in the rankings by
finishing 6th & on my petrol. Tom Sagar won the Experts ahead of Lee
Edmondson. Darren James was the Best Clubman & James Yearsley was the
runner up. Graeme Naismith won the Veterans & Paul Armstrong was the
runner up with test times that wouldn't look out of place in the Championship
class. It may be time to raise the bar. Marcel Woon had to retire to A&E
when his daughter injured her arm but it turned out not to be too serious. The
dry conditions made the course hard & unforgiving in places but there were
no report injuries & 137
riders made it to the finish at the end of a hot & exhausting day. The sun
rose on Day 2 into another clear blue sky. My jeep was jammed in 3rd gear so apologies
to anyone who got in my way on Sunday morning. The schedule for Day 2 was 2.75
laps Championship, 2 laps Expert & 2 laps Clubman. Wayne Braybrook & Jason Darby
must remember that they only have to break the beam at the end of the test
& not the equipment. Once again David Knight won all 6 tests & the
Premier. With one round left to go, he has also won the 2004 Championship.
Paul Edmondson was the runner up & won the 250cc Championship.
With a 7th & 5th Wayne Braybrook took the 250 4T Championship
& Richard Hay has won the 400 4T Championship.
Tim Lewis improved on his Day 1 performance
to finish 7th. Jason Darby won Best Expert & Lee Edmondson was the runner
up. With a 44pt lead Jason also secured the 250cc Expert Championship with one
round in hand. Tom Sagar retired.
Jack Twentyman put
his Day 1 problems behind him to finish 3rd & Chris Whitehouse repaired
his radiator to also record a Day 2 finish. Tony Dinham has an unbeatable 41pt
lead in the 500 4T Expert Championship. Robert Lynn was the
Best Clubman & Neil James was the runner up. Graeme Naismith again won the
Veterans ahead of Andy Knapman. Day 1 runner up Paul Armstrong was classified
NS. The rain that was forecast for Sunday arrived after
the riders had finished & turned out to be just enough of a light shower
to refresh the closing marshals. 121 riders were classified as
finishers.
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