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Derek Little Reports from Poland on Charlie Mackenzie's Scottish Enduro website Kari Tiainen's Unofficial Results Service Anita Merriman & Lexy Thorogood report for Silver Bullet (nz)
NB No reIiance shouId be pIaced on the accuracy of the information pubIished on this site. |
ISDE 2004 13th -18th September - International Six Day Enduro - Kielce/Miedziana Gora POLAND The 79th International Six Day Enduro was a double success for Finland who won both the World & the Junior Trophies. The British Trophy team finished in a very creditable 5th & the future looks even more promising with the Juniors finishing 4th. NZ rider Stefan Merriman won the overall. David Knight (Photo: Jonty Edmunds) took 3rd behind Finnish runner up Samuli Aro. A mechanical problem hit Paul Edmondson on Day 5 & dropped him out of the E1 top 3 down to 13th. Daryl Bolter finished 14th. German rider Swen Enderlein died on the 3rd day following a collision with a tree. In a separate incident an outrider collided with a car killing himself & 2 of the vehicles occupants. The German team withdrew & the sad news put a cloud over the event. Chris Hay lost compression at the end of Day 3 & had to replace his piston. The best placed British Club Team were Wales A: Andrew Edwards, Rowan Jones & Jonathan Williams who finished 8th. The final day was disrupted by dust (see above) which resulted in only the E1 class competing in the MX test. The Spanish Junior Trophy team were disqualified following an angry disagreement involving the Knight brothers. Motors TV coverage. Eaun Syme's Review Well thats it all over for another year!! I have had some interesting problems over the last few days, which have hindered my sitting down and compiling any reports for the final few days. Suffice to say the lads have been riding well, dealing with all the problems that 6 days throws at you: Wayne losing 1 minute for noise, Paul losing 3 minutes for valves needing adjustment Chris losing 1 minute as bike expires and further 57 to repair Bobby loses 3 due to lack of fuel????? I have to say that the support that the lads have had is second to none. I have been able to assist with all of the outriders this year, and the help and support they are providing their riders is worth every penny. Anyway most of you will have an idea of how the teams have fared so instead of repeating all of that I have decided to do a bit of a Report Card. Starting with the Trophy Team: David Knight: David was our best rider every day, winning the class on day 4 and on every other day staying within 10 seconds of Aro. Only on day one did David have major problems with ignition issues slowing him slightly. But both David and Julian had everyting under control. An awesome performance and I know he give Aro a hard time at the final world round in Germany, be there!!! 2nd in class, 3rd overall! Paul Edmondson: Paul closely followed David with contributions of less than 20 seconds every day. The only exception was when his Hondas valves lost their adjustment, losing him 3 minutes. He sorted the prolem with no major dramas, nor any further loss of time. 12th in Class, another world class ride! Wayne Braybrook: Wayne contributed every day to the team score, meaning he was always one of the top 5 riders to be counted. He came close to having his score dropped on day 5 when he picked up a 1min penalty for noise. However Paul Ed's 3 minute loss on the same day was the score that was dropped. Waynes best day was Monday when he finished 3rd best Trophy teamster!!! Chris Hay: Chris started day 1 cautiously due to his big off in Brazil the year before. By day 2 however he started to pick it up and beat both Wayne and Juan on day 2. Day 3 saw Chris's motor go off song and ultimately destroy itself going from the British pits to the final check, pushing for a quarter mile caused him to lose 17 seconds and a minute to count. Using the same tactics that the Finns used with Salminen, Chris sacrificed his Gold medal taking every minute he could to repair his motor. The piston ring had caught the top of the exhaust post which took a chunk off the the barrel with it. This in turn caused the part of the top of the piston to break off, also part of the piston skirt broke off. Just getting the barrel of took 20 mins. With a lot of metal in the bottom end a lot of cleaning out was required. He then needed to fit new barrel, piston and head. This all took 57 minutes but he was still in and part of the team. To show how on it he was that day, on test times the only guys better were David and Paul! On day five he again placed 3rd best rider on the team with only David and Ed in front. On the final mx (which ultimately was cancelled) he had a cracking battle to finish runner up to one of the Dutch sand experts - certainly justified his place on the team a solid A. Ed Jones: Another Gold for Ed and a solid A for his performance. Ed was always going to struggle in Class as both Salminen and Merriman decided to wage their war in the E2 class. Ed however got stuck in and was well up to the task. Day one we shed his score but every day after that he was well on top of his game placing 3rd best teamster on day 2, 4th on day 3, 5th on day 4 and 2nd on day 5. These scores are just what teamwork is all about, when someone is having a bad day i.e. Chris on day 4 or Paul & Wayne on day 5, the other rider need to be there putting in solid rides no matter what. Juan Knight: To say that Juan was motivated when he heard of the conditions, would be lying. Juan makes no secret of his dislike for dry, dusty Natterjack type going. Unfortunately that was what this event would be all about. So going into day 1 Juan was on it but not like I know he can ride. His 4th place in contributing to the team was OK but I knew he could do better. However it went downhill on Tuesday as we had to drop his score of 2.57 a full 47 seconds slower than the next best teamster. However with Juan you just never know what he is capable of until he pulls out some stunning tests and this happened when it rained on Wednesday. Juan finished only 57 seconds behind Aro. Its just a shame it didnt rain all week. Then we would have seen the true Juan Knight. Geeded up by a wet day, day 4 also proved to be good for Juan with the 3rd best performance of the team. However back to dusty conditions on day 5 and the pace dropped again. To cap his week Juan went out to ride his final mx and was rewarded by being beaten up by some Spanish riders, not the best end to his week. Trophy Team - all in all a very solid result 5th place was what I predicted before the event and thats where we finished. Highlights - the teamwork, Waynes first day, Chris's tests after sorting his bike on day 4, Paul as solid & consistent as ever after more that 18 years on the world scene, Juans wet wednesday, awesome, Ed placing 3rd best and 2nd best on day 2 and 5. Finally David, class win on day 4, but a week of being totally on it and he is now so professional and unflustered I can hardly believe he is the same bloke whose tantrums and tempers had become legendary. 5 golds. 1 bronze, 5th place an excellent effort. I couldnt have asked for anymore from the guys! The Junior Team Daryl Bolter - what can I say? - awesome probably says it best!!! Top 15 placing actually 14th in class, Gold medal at his first attempt. Our best Junior all week, in fact our best rider behind Paul and David. If that doesnt secure Daryl a ride on a factory team for the Junior World Championship next year, then there is something far wrong. (I know Mike Carter is on the case!!!) Daryl with support from Wyn just got better and better as the week went on. The only discussions Daryl and I had were in the run up to the event, when I impressed upon him the need to complete the full six days. He did that without any problems and has put himself firmly on the World Junior map. As I said before an awesome ride! Simon Wakely - out other debutant at the 6 days and what a debut! Simon was our second best junior during the week with his only hiccup coming on day 4 where he binned it in a big way, and lost a large chunk of time on test. However both Simon and Simon Evans sorted it all out and got Si back home with no further dramas. Day 5 proved this when Si put together another excellent day finishing as second best Junior to Daryl. Si actually finished as second placed teamster on days 1, 3 and 5. Cracking effort and a gold medal for his efforts. Well done to both of our juniors who debuted this year. Dylan and Robert were very hard to seperate this year as they both fought to not have their score dropped. However Bobbies performance was taken out of his hands when he was not fuelled during day 5 and as a result lost 2 mins. This damaged his individual result, (he should have finished 32nd) however Bobby put up some excellent times during the week. Considering that I had asked him to move onto a 250 and he had only had a couple of weeks to get ready before Poland he did a stunning job. Bobby had his time dropped on 3 of the 5 days (one of which was not his fault!!!) and if you take into account the class he competed in ( up against Juha and Stefan) he actually did way better than I had hoped. I have to be honest and say that I thought I would drop his score every day. So again an excellent effort from another of our juniors. Dylan stuck to his 125 after moving to a 250 four stroke over the last two years and that may have hurt his performances, this year. With all of the 125 and 250f's in the one class it may have helped DJ to have had the four pop out in Poland. No matter Deej did an excellent job and contributed to the team score on all but day 2. I know he was a bit disapointed with his ride but I have to say the event is not about individual results and Dylan was in there helping the team on 4 of the 5 days that counted. Cant ask for more than that. The only dissapointment I didnt get to see his Elvis impression at the end of the week as I did in Brazil. Excellent effort from the Jones boys and thanks to their fathers for the support before, during and after the event. Thanks! Well done to Kev Murray and to Rowan Jones both got close to my boys during the week and in Kevs case he actually finished in front of Bobby. Impressive third place finish for Knighter at 79th ISDE D3-Racing KTM rider David Knight claimed a well deserved third place finish in the overall individual results at the end of the 79th International Six Days Enduro held in Kielce, Poland, an event overshadowed by several serious incidents during the week-long competition. By placing second in the competitive Enduro 3 class David, along with his team-mate Edward Jones who was competing in the Enduro 2 category, helped Great Britain place fifth in the Trophy team competition. Confident that he could top the Enduro 3 class heading into the event Knighter's week got off to the worst possible start when his bike lost power early on day one of the event. Fearing that his race might be over before he'd had a chance to prove himself, the fault was later traced to a faulty CDI unit, which once changed allowed David to compete on level terms with his class mates. Unfortunately, the time David lost on the first day because of the problem meant that he would spend the week trying to play catch up to Enduro 3 class leader, Finland's Samuli Aro. With little to separate Knight and Aro on days two and three, and with David continuing to finish only a few places away from the top of the overall individual results, on day four he claimed the Enduro 3 class win. Also finishing in second overall on day four, David, as he has in this year's WEC series, proved himself as one of the world's very best enduro riders. Knowing that the ISDE is a team event, on day five David saw no point in taking any risks and settled for another runner-up finish, knowing that he was all but assured second place in the Enduro 3 class. With the sixth day of the competition ending under the worst possible circumstances, for the Enduro 3 class the final results were effectively those from the end of the fifth day with David finishing the 79th running of the ISDE second in class, and third overall. David Knight: "I'm really happy with the way my week went but I found the event pretty boring to be honest - it wasn't that challenging and all of the days were very similar. My aim was to try and beat Samuli Aro and win the Enduro 1 class and see if I could also win the event overall. With the problems I had on day one that was always going to be difficult. Finishing second in the Enduro 3 class and third overall is great though. It would have been really close between myself and Samuli if I hadn't have had any problems early in the week but third overall isn't too far away from where I wanted to finish. "Day one was my nightmare day. The problem with my bike was a dodgy CDI unit, which caused the bike to run badly and get hot. Once I changed it at the end of the day the bike ran fine. Because of the problem I crashed hard on the going early in the day and knocked myself stupid. "Day two and three were pretty good and although I didn't really like the tests on day two things were really close between myself and Samuli. When it rained on day three the special tests were really slippery but much better than the dust of days one and two. "Samuli seemed to struggle a bit on day two and although I didn't feel as if I was riding especially well everything seemed to come good for me and I topped the day. Day five wasn't quite as good though because we rode the tests used on days one and two, the ones I didn't like. "The way in which the event ended was a shame but as far as I am concerned I'm happy enough with the way the event went for me. I'm looking forward to the last two rounds of the world championship now - hopefully there I'll be able to get my first overall WEC event win." Honda Racing Fast Eddy release Honda Racing Fast Eddy riders Paul Edmondson and Simon Wakely ended the 79th International Six days Enduro held in Kielce, Poland as gold medal winners as the British Trophy team and British Junior Trophy team riders placed in 13th and 38th place respectively in the Enduro 1 class. Their results helped Britain finish fifth in the Trophy team competition and fourth in the Junior Trophy team event. For Edmondson the event would mark the former world enduro champion's debut aboard a Honda's CRF250X. Having raced two-stroke machinery all season, Edmondson was immediately on the pace ending the first two days third in the E1 class. Improving to the second place spot on day three of the competition, Edmondson's confidence was building as he looked assured either an end-of-week runner-up spot of better. Unfortunately, on day five Paul developed an unfortunate mechanical problem that required him to 'get busy with the spanners' at the end of the days competition and saw him lose three minutes. Disappointed that his efforts during the first four days of the event had been affected by the need to carry out essential maintenance, Paul arrived at the events final motocross race looking to prove himself once again. Determined to produce a good result for the British team Paul claimed a mid-pack finish before the day was abandoned due to the dust. For CRE125 rider Simon Wakely the Polish event was his first ever ISDE. Selected for the British Junior Trophy team having performed well both at home and abroad this season, Si quickly found his feet and performed well during the event. With his best result coming on day three, the event's wet day, Si suffered a sizeable crash on day four when he was high-sided off his bike. Feeling decidedly second hand the 18-year-old picked himself up, dusted himself off and straightened his bike before ending the event with a well deserved gold medal. Unfortunately, the 79th ISDE was over shadowed by several serious incidents during the week. The death of German rider Swen Enderlein on day three was the low point of the competition but with numerous bikes being stolen during the week and a Swedish rider assaulted out on the course on day five most were simply glad to see the end of the event. Paul Edmondson: "Despite the event ending badly with the problems on the final day, I was happy with the way my week went. It was really disappointing to run into problems on day five but I guess that can happen at the ISDE. Things started well on day one and considering it was the first time that I have raced on a four-stroke for some years I was really pleased to be so close to Oblucki and Albergoni. It would have been nice to have won a day but the important thing for me was that I was riding without taking any chances and still finishing top three. "Then running second in class and having bike problems on day five was a real blow. There wasn't a lot I could do about it apart from make the necessary adjustments, which unfortunately cost me three minutes. Because I needed to complete the work the following morning I had to push my bike to the final check on day five, which was about a mile away from the service vehicle. My bike hadn't missed a beat all week. I guess I was revving the four-stroke a bit too hard, like I do my two-stroke. "One thing I was really happy with was the way I was riding the fresh special tests. I normally ride at my best when they get a bit rougher but I was on the pace on the flat test, which surprised me a bit. Because it's looking likely that I'm going to switch to the Enduro 1 class for next year's WEC series, I'm pleased with the way I was riding in Poland - I didn't crash all week." Simon Wakely: "With the event being my first ISDE I didn't really know how hard to ride during the first few days. I didn't know whether to push 100 per cent or ride within myself. It was a bit overwhelming riding in among so many top WEC riders at first but once I found my pace I was much happier. Day three was my best day, but probably the worst day of the event because of the death of the German rider. "On day four I had a big crash on the opening special test. The bike high sided and the throttle stuck open. It took me ages to get the bike going and I lost two minutes on that test, which was disappointing. The crash de-tuned me a bit and bent my bike quite badly. Luckily the check that the test was in was quite slack so I had time to fix the bike. Day five was good and I felt that I rode well, like I did on Wednesday. "The final day was pretty intense and finishing in 20th in the motocross race was pretty good considering I got second to last pic of the gate. The dust was really bad and there were lots of riders getting run over ahead of me as they crashed in the dust. "I'm really happy to have finished with a gold medal. It was weird because each day seemed to go really quickly but the week seemed to go on and on. Now I have finished a six days I will attack the next one a little more right from the start." The Junior team of Jon Hinam, Dave Brick and Chris Matthews finished in 42nd place, Dave and Chris received silver. They all raced in the same MX race with Chris Matthews having what he described as “his best crash of the week” before battling back through the field. The Welsh Team Managers, Kenny and Mike would like to thank all the support crews without whom it would be impossible to send three teams to the ISDE and also all clubs and individuals who have supported our fundraising activities throughout the year. Wayne Braybrook – Honda Racing Team Sandiford Wayne Braybrook claimed his 5th Gold Medal in succession this last week despite what must surely have been one of the most “eventful” six days ever. With Van failure (twice), the out rider bike being stolen on the second day, Wayne then being docked a minute for an initial failure at a noise test as well as a crash in the final Motocross (which was subsequently scrapped due to the actions of the Spanish Team). Combined all of the above with the Team Manager also receiving “Death Threats” and an armed guard being placed on the British team Hotel, to come away with Gold for Wayne was a real bonus. The outrider bike was one of around 20 stolen throughout the course of the event and initially was the only machine lost by the British Team until Sunday morning when Chris Hay checked out of the Team Hotel to find his van and 3 bikes there loaded were also missing. All in all Wayne was glad to be home – in his words “That was the hardest Six Day I have ever experienced, physically they are always hard as a continual 6 days of riding and maintenance always wears you down but mentally it was by far the most draining - to drive off the ferry at Dover this year was a particularly great feeling”. Welsh Team
The Junior team of Jon Hinam, Dave Brick and Chris Matthews finished in 42nd place, Dave and Chris received silver. They all raced in the same MX race with Chris Matthews having what he described as “his best crash of the week” before battling back through the field. The Welsh Team Managers, Kenny and Mike would like to thank all the support crews without whom it would be impossible to send three teams to the ISDE and also all clubs and individuals who have supported our fundraising activities throughout the year. Wayne Braybrook – Honda Racing Team Sandiford Wayne Braybrook claimed his 5th Gold Medal in succession this last week despite what must surely have been one of the most “eventful” six days ever. With Van failure (twice), the out rider bike being stolen on the second day, Wayne then being docked a minute for an initial failure at a noise test as well as a crash in the final Motocross (which was subsequently scrapped due to the actions of the Spanish Team). Combined all of the above with the Team Manager also receiving “Death Threats” and an armed guard being placed on the British team Hotel, to come away with Gold for Wayne was a real bonus. The outrider bike was one of around 20 stolen throughout the course of the event and initially was the only machine lost by the British Team until Sunday morning when Chris Hay checked out of the Team Hotel to find his van and 3 bikes there loaded were also missing. All in all Wayne was glad to be home – in his words “That was the hardest Six Day I have ever experienced, physically they are always hard as a continual 6 days of riding and maintenance always wears you down but mentally it was by far the most draining - to drive off the ferry at Dover this year was a particularly great feeling”. Chris Hay's ISDE We knew before going to this years’ ISDE in Poland that security would be a major concern, as I found out personally. On the morning of departure after the event, I awoke to find my Mercedes Sprinter van had been stolen from the secure car park (with guards and a gate) outside the British team Hotel. It was even parked in such a way that no-one could get in the back or side doors. The van had 3 KTM's in it; 2 125's and a new 250 ISDE Special, with my helmets (including my British Team custom painted helmet), boots, spares, tools, stands, mousses, tyre changer and bumbags. My outrider, Derek Little also lost his passport, driving licence, riding gear and tools as well as many other things. As most racers and people in the sport will understand a maj or part of my life was in that van and to be left with nothing is devastating. I would not wish that on anyone. We would like to thank everyone that was very helpful and understanding at the time including the British support crew, and my parents for driving myself and Derek home. I would also like to thank Gavin at Bikesport for his help with a bike, KTM UK, Fox Europe, MXM graphics, Rock Oil, DP brakes, Pulse Racing Products, Bert Harkins Racing, Fro Systems, Rush Racing FMF, and Talon. I know that Derek is very grateful for the assistance he has received from Ride-On Glasgow, Thor Racewear, Lazar Helmets and Silkolene Oils as well as some of the firms mentioned above. The only memory I have now of my bike and helmet is the picture on page 74 of last weeks TMX news. Chris Hay. British Trophy Team Euan Syme Reports from Poland Day 3 Again this is going to be a very brief report I just struggle to find the time between racing round trying to get to tests and checks. Most days go like this up at 5 sort out what is needed that day, fuel working area stuff, etc quick breakfast at 6 and up to the event for 6.45. Go round all the lads to make sure that everything is covered for the work they are doing on the bike that morning, although the outriders are fantastic and have everything covered. My first rider off is Paul at 8.02 and Juan our last at 8.55. This makes it very hard to see any tests until the final one in the lap. Anyway the main news in the event is a big change in the weather and the death of one rider, an outrider and two polish people. At this time I will only cover the positive side of things as I am still coming to terms with the deaths. The good news is that it has started raining and the brits are like pigs in shit. Juan has started smiling and is putting up some awesome tests as is his little?? bruvver, David. I have to go just now as I have to go with police regarding the thefts of the bikes, now a total of 2/3 on monday, 5 on tuesday, 3 last night and today I dont know. Last night they cut the side out of a van and took 2 huskies and another bike! Anyway the police are hopefully on it and some people have been arrested. Talk more later. Day 2 Only got about 2 minutes before the Press room closes and they chuck me out. So the typing will be pretty poor tonight. Wont go into detail on results as the results service on the official web site is awesome as are our lads results. At the end of day 2 all of the guys have stepped up the pace and are on it. The juniors moving in front of France and the Trophy boys in a close 5th. The biggest drama today was Justin having his bike nicked! He left his bike to go tend to Wayne at ET1 and on return it was gone. The bike had been fitted with a hidden switch so they had have pushed the bike away. Any way its gone and there nowt we can do about it, other than claim on the insurance. I spent my afternoon trying to find out more info and to cut a very long story short we have rumbled them the World Trophy outriders are a close knit bunch . At then end of play today I had managed to identify who they are: about 20 very organised individuals, their vehicles details etc. Anyway were on the case, watch this space!!!!!!!! Thats me getting kicked out now so I will try to update you tomorrow if I find time between messing up some Polish lowlifes day and making sure the lads are still on it. Later Day1 Very quick update this one, the boys all got off this morning with no problems at all, however that didnt last long. The first drama of the day was a problem with Davids bike on the Enduro Test. The wouldnt rev and eventually about 1/3 of the way into the test the exhaust was on fire. Jonty stopped david to make sure the problem wasnt going to be terminal, he set of and completed the test losing 20 seconds to Aro. When he came out of the test his silencer was on fire and the inside close to white hot. He continued with Julian in tow, looking to find a solution at the next check. Julian determines the problem is the CDI unit or something to do with the ignition. On the run to the next test CT2 he decked the bike on the going in the dust and now has a fat lip and sore neck. He still manages to finish 3rd overall on CT2. At the midday check back in the paddock David changed the CDI unit, the plug cap and does a filter, while the KTM 4 stroke expert and Julian discuss any other options. I have just returned from ET2, where he stopped this morning and he has just taken 8 seconds out of Aro and 6 out of Cervantes. On exiting the test he believes that the bike is better. The other lads are having a less troublesome day with Daryl Bolter putting up a stunning time on CT1 to take first place in the E1 class on that test. Paul Ed is steadily getting into the day and has just placed highest E1 on ET2. All the other guys are having a good day in very dusty, rough conditions. The only drama is Chris Hays forks have gone and these will be changed tonight after he has changed his tyre in the final 15 minute work period. Will continue this later! Sunday Today I have had the priviledge of witnessing history in the making. The ISDE or International Six Days Enduro has become the "International Seven Days Enduro". The event started this evening (sunday) with what the organisers called a celebration ride from the centre of Kielce to the event Start in Miedziana Gora. However in what we believe is a first the organisers issued all the riders with time cards and a time schedule, 30 mins to ride the 15km from the centre to the parc ferme. The jury meeting today decided that riders who lose time on the ride out or worse still sieze their bike, could be out of the event before it is officially due to start. This has caused some hiccups already with the Czech Trophy Team setting off early, and the fear that they will all be penalised for this???. The setup for the celebration ride was, Trophy teams set off 6 riders abreast in alphabetical order, then Junior Trophy 4 abreast, club teams, then individuals. The Trophy boys set off at 4.08 and the Juniors at 4.27. All survived the road ride to the paddock and into the Parc Ferme with no hassles, even Bobby Jones managed to get there without getting lost!!! The Yanks as usual were the first to make a tit of themselves when one of their Juniors binned it big style on the road, which were damp and slick from a slight rain shower. He ended up with gravel rash, on his elbow and a nice fat knee, silly boy. Finally Justin Wilson, Wayne Braybrooks outrider continued where he left off in Czech in 2002, by entertaining all of the boys with his banter and legendry put downs. Today he has driven to Warsaw, picked up vital parts to fix not only Wayne van but Waynes outrider bike which had a chain break and take out the Lefthand Crankcase. On his return from Warsaw he has fitted a new Power Steering Pump to Wayne van, while Juan stripped and rebuilt (with support from Julian Stevens) his CRF250X. In amongst all of this Justin managed to bust out the clippers and carve a mean no.2 on Julians head. Our resident hairdresser/outrider/factory renault mechanic even managed to keep the comedy flowing that would put Peter Kay to shame. In his own words "hes the daddy"!!!! Well its game on tomorrow and if the spirit in the camp is anything to go by, the guys are going to have an awesome week. Will try to keep you up to date as time and typing skills allow. The Road to Poland Having left the UK on Monday, it seems like I havent stopped running around like a idiot sorting things out. All off the British Teams had interesting journeys to get out here. After getting of the boat at Dunkirk all of the Trophy and Junior Trophy were lulled into a false sense of security with the excellent motorways through Belgium and Germany. Reality struck when they crossed the border into Poland. The border crossing this year was no problem at all, with Poland move into the EU it was a quick of the passport and on our way. The most ardous part of the journey was just coping with the roads. Hailing back to the Communist era they have still not been updated and after 7 hours of hitting potholes and ridges in the road every 2 seconds the guys were very glad to arrive at the event. However the legacy of the road trip out here is still having an effect with both Paul Eddys van and Wayne Braybrook vans having major problems. Wayne nearly new Renault started smoking the other night and is needing to TLC or a new power steering pump to be exact. Paul had even bigger headaches, having organised, competed in (and won) his own Fast Eddy final at Hawkstone on sunday Paul intended setting of on the Monday night boat, it didnt happen. Paul had to run around picking up the final parts all day Monday, that bacame Tuesday when parts didnt arrive. Setting of for Dover on Tuesday and now a date behind, he certainly didnt need the breakdown of his van on the M25. I got a call from Paul in Poland about 4 in the afternoon saying his van had "just stopped". After getting Mercedes to come out to "sort" the van he continued to Dover, where the van wouldnt start again, he eventually got it going by spraying Chain Lube??? into the inlet. That happened again at Dunkirk and forced Paul and Rob Meek who was travelling out with him to drive the whole way without stopping. So a well trashed Paul arrived back on schedule late on Wednesday afternoon, having done a marathon drive through the night. I cant believe how much effort Paul puts into his racing career, his business and into life in general. If only some of our youngers rider would put in a tenth of the effort Paul puts in we would have some more World Champions. With all of the Team on site and set up in the paddock the hard work continued. The organisers have allocated the British teams a massive space in the paddock. So big in fact that the boys could set up their own practice track if they wanted, although I dont think the organisers would be to happy! The Trophy and Junior Trophy teams are set up in the WEC area with the Fast Eddy Honda Racing truck, the D3 Racing truck and we sneaked in Mike Carters Huskysport Funmover. All the boys have been hard at it sorting the final settings on the bikes. The training area is full on fron 8 in the morning till dark and is just a dust bowl. The ground is very soft and sandy, so all the boys have been setting the bikes up to cope with the conditions. They also dive out to walk the tests as they are put up. I walked test 2 for days 1/2 and the conditions are very unusual. It starts off on very rough scrub land that will eventually cut through to sand. As the test moves down the hillside the sand becomes deeper to a point where it reminds me of Brazil last year, it then returns back up the hillside onto harder ground with flinty stones and finishes on hardpack. Try chooseing tyres to work with that lot! Most tests are the same. We have been allocated a slot for signing on on Friday morning and Scrutineering in the afternoon. So Thursday sees all the final prep and setting going on. Fridays signing on went well with all riders having no headaches at all. Final work on the bike continued up to the time to move downtown for Scrutineering. However the first major panic of the week was when Ed Jones returned from the test track with a rumble from the big end of his brand new KTM. Ed consulted the Farioli mechanics and they believe the conrod had gone, however the KTM mechanic thinks it has either spun a bearing or the powervalve is loose. With the GB slot for scrutineering fast approaching and KTM a descision had to be made. KTM want to repair the engine but I know as a rider I would not have confidence in the motor from then on. Ed wants a new engine and I agree and we eventually persuade KTM to fit a new motor. So I have 9 riders ready and off down to town to put their bikes into the temporary parc ferme and Ed waiting to get his bike back together. I manage to persude the organisers to give Ed a days grace to get his bike in and this allows Ed and Gareth to concentrate on setting the motor up. I can then shoot down the town to find that all the boys are sailing through with no problems at all. Even Ed manages to turn up, happy with his new motor and flies through scrutineering. So after a hectic week the boys can relax a bit and they chill out on Friday night in Kielce, where they help young Lee Edmondson to celebrate his 18th birthday, and I know they had a good time cos I woz there !!!!!!!!! Will try and keep you up to date as often as possible over the next week. Finally I know that Derek Little who is outriding for Chris Hay is also putting reports up on the web. Outriders must have more time than I thought as he has already put up 3 excellent reports on www.scottishenduros.co.uk British Team Manager Euan Syme will be leaving for the 2004 ISDE in Poland on the 6th of Sept & as usual he will be sending back regular reports on the teams progress. As a prelude to the event, Euan thought it might be good idea if any of readers had any questions that they wanted to ask about the event, the teams, our competitors, the rules etc that he could answering them. See below: Question: Do the club teams ride on the same time schedule as the trophy teams? Answer: The time schedule at the six days is the same for all riders, wether you are on a trophy team or a club team. The pace that the organisers will ask riders to ride at is lower than world championship level and lower than the times set for Championship riders in the BEC. So probably about BEC Experts pace, however some organisers put in some suicidal checks as happened in 02 in the Czech Republic. The Polish organisers have given out schedules already and thankfully they look sensible. Question: Who is sponsoring the UK teams? Do you get a good deal on tyres? 6 riders, 6 days, two tyres per day is 72 tyres just for the top boys. Answer: Sponsorship of the Trophy and Junior Trophy teams is quite difficult to organise as most of the riders have individual deals which clash with other riders deals. So to be offered say a clothing deal, whilst nice would not be practicable as most of the riders would have to decline the offer and wear there own contracted clothing. We do however get a great deal of support from a variety of different sources. Yes we do get a good deal on tyres. Question: How do you get all your kit to Poland? Answer: One of the largest costs from my budget goes on Ferries, and Travel costs to and from the event. Each rider takes his own van with all of the equipment required for the 6 days. So we have a convoy of vehicles leaving GB over the next 4 days. Question: What manufacturer support is available at the event? I've heard that KTM send a big truck and will swap any broken bits FOC, is that true? Answer: KTM do send a big truck and probably provide the best support at the event. However nothing is free in this day and age! They will open an account for you at the event and require payment for all parts used. No other manufacturer provides the same level of support, so all the parts that may be needed have to be brought to the event by each rider. Question: When does Geraint ride the course? Is it every day? How does this get reported back to the riders? Answer: The Pre-ride takes place over two days, the 10th and 11th of September. When Geraint comes back from each pre-ride, we discuss all of the issues. These may be time related, tight checks or course related, difficult bits, dangerous bits. We then brief all of the British riders at a meeting, usually held at the official British Hotel. The pre-ride usually covers each route ie Day1/2, Day 3/4, Day 5 etc. Question: If your bike blows up, can you swap engines and restart the next day? Answer: You cant swap engines! At scrutineering they mark the bikes in 5 different places, Frame, Hubs x2, Silencer and Crankcase. These marked parts must be in place at all times during the event, ie they can be checked at any time. So say you bust a gear box, if you have the ability and time, doubtful??, it is feaseable that you could rebuild the bike using the original marked crankcase and continue in the event. However this is going to cost a serious amount of time and destroy any hope of a good result. Question: .If you hour out, can you restart the next day?Answer: The only riders that can restart the next day are the club riders. If they have bike problems and retire they can, by following certain procedures restart the next day. Trophy or Junior Trophy riders who retire are out, no restart. ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Mullins To: euan.syme@virgin.net Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 3:10 PM Subject: Fw: isde questions Question: What spares etc. do the outriders carry with them and how do you work out the route for them to follow? Are they allowed on the course? Answer: The outriders are not allowed on the course, if they are found on the course with their rider then the rider will be excluded. To provide the best support the outriders will use the week running up to the event to suss out the best route to support their rider. This will normally be by finding points where the route crosses main roads, uses road junctions etc. Also they need to identify the quickest routes to each special test and to the next check. In terms of spares carried that tends to be a personal thing. I have seen outriders with every spare part imaginable, the rucksac so heavy they can hardly ride the bike. Really it is down to experience, on say a 125 a flattened pipe can make a big difference so they will probably carry a spare, plus bars, levers, brake pedal, gear lever, throttle cable etc. Question: What regular maintenance do the trophy team two stroke riders have to follow? tyres / filters / oil / plugs / chain etc. Answer: The week would probably go like this, end of day 1, front & rear tyre, filter, check everything over and deal with anything else needing done. morning day 2, check everything over again, air out of forks, tighten all bolts. end of day 2 front & rear tyre, front and rear brake pads, oil change. morning day 3 air filter, check bike over as before. end of day 3 front & rear tyre, filter etc.morning day 4 check everything end of day 4 front & rear tyre, brake pads, oil change. morning day 5 filter, check everything. end of day 5 front & rear tyre, filter, change anything else that needs changing. morning day 6 check over. before final mx new rear tyre, filter, oil change & possibly brake pads. Also during the week they will change filters at checks, tighten & lube chain as needed. Question: Do you add extra protection to the bikes, compare to a BEC round (bigger bash plates / exhaust protection) Answer: The bikes will normally be prepared the same as for a BEC round with no additional protection. Only difference will be the use of a steel rear sprocket to last the 6 days. Question: Why doesn't anyone use one of those powered tyre-changing machines that you see in kwik-fit? Are they banned? It would save you loads of time and effort. Answer: Powered tools are banned, the only tools that can be used are those tools that have their own power source, i.e. battery powered electric drill or impact driver. On the tyre changing the guys use mousse changing machines that allow them to change a tyre & mousse in about 4 minutes. These machines when used properly also remove a lot of the effort required in changing a mousse. The guys would probably beat the guys at kwik-fit? As an example Simon Wakely who makes his debut on the Junior Trophy team was practising tyre changing and has it down to a comfortable 12 minutes. That 12 mins is bike stopped, onto stand, rear wheel out, tyre changed, wheel back in, front wheel out, tyre changed, wheel back in, change filter, everything tight, ride off again! I'd like to see Kwik-fit do that! Question: How are the teams funded? anon. Answer: This years budget is £24,000, this is provided in the form of £20,000 from the ACU (the £20k is funded from licence fees from all the enduro riders competing throughout the country, I believe!) and £4000 that has been raised through donations from Clubs, Raffles, Sponsored runs and a variety of other sources. Question: Who will be pre-riding the course? anon. Answer: Pre-riding the course this year will be Geraint. I have to allocate a pre-rider 15 days before the start of the event and am officially allowed one rider. However as I am greedy I have nominated Geraint and have also nominated Wyn Hughes as further support. Question: Is there a way the supporters travelling to the event can get more involved? anon. Answer: One of the features of this years competition will be the Polish support or shall I call it "misdirection"! The area where the event is being held is very close to a large city Kielce, the locals love to disrupt and cause as much hassle as possible. By that I mean they will point our lads into the deepest holes, point out the worst lines and given the opportunity steal anything that isnt tied down. Jack Johns lost two bum bags there two years ago at the European round. He thought they were trying to help pull him out of a hole, but discovered, that pat on the back was when they nicked his bum bag. So what can supporters do to help, come and see me anytime after the official pre-ride and if I know where there are going to be trouble spots, some support for all of our boys at these would be awesome. At the event if anyone wants to get involved come and see me we'll suss out how they can help whilst also achieving all their own goals for their holiday. Question: Is it possible that Euan McConnell will be in the trophy team for next year's isde? Phil Bowen Answer: Euan McConnell will definitely figure very highly in the plans for the 6 days in Slovakia. The event in Slovakia will be one of the toughest events in recent years. I have been fortunate enough to ride a 6 days here and more recently pre-ride World rounds in Povaska, and it is an awesome place to ride. Very slippy in the wet as the terrain is mainly clay, so the going gets real slick. The tests are typical Czech off camber, slippy grass tests with some traditional cross country tests in the trees as well. The team make up will be based on the type of riders who excel in those conditions, i.e. typical Welsh enduro, tough, slippy, grassy etc. Question: Does each team provide its own support structure or is it a shared effort for all the GB (trophy and club) teams, what about the individual riders too? Gary Clarke Answer: The support setup for all of the teams at the six days is a shared effort. We have a number of dedicated, highly experienced support crews who come out to the six days purely to support the British Riders. The support they provide at each check is the same whether you are a trophy rider, club rider or individual. Each rider pays £150 to cover the cost of fuel, oils, food, water etc for the duration of the event. So for the trophy team I have to pay not only £150 for each of my riders but also £150 for each of their outriders. It is worth mentioning that these support crews, provide their services free of charge and at great personal cost to themselves. They take holidays/time of work, pay the costs of travel to the event, pay the cost of accommodation, in fact all costs incurred out of their own pocket to provide this service to the British riders. All for the love of the sport!! In addition to this each team provides additional bodies, vehicles etc into the central pot to ensure the support provided covers the needs of all riders.e To: isde@enduro.freeserve.co.uk Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2004 9:52 AM Subject: support structure ISDE Support Team The ISDE Support Team of Vernon Leigh, Bob & Wendy Room set up their stand to raise money at every major event this season with DVDs, raffles, tee shirts, stickers, etc. Their fund was given a massive boost by a cheque for £1000 donated by George Eland. George - father of Brian Eland - had read Vernon's appeal on this website while cruising with his wife Christine & recalled how Vernon had supported her bid for the Ladies championship when he was Clerk of the Course of the Tour of Wales in the 80s. Other major contributors were Mid Wales Trail Riders Association, Welsh Trail Riders Association, Diss MCC, Manchester 17 & Diamonds MCC but the team would like thank everyone who contributed. They have donated £1400 to the ACU to make up the required £4000 independent contribution which secures the ACU funding & they have purchased awnings, tables, fire extinguishers, etc for the checks in Poland & beyond. Look out for the ISDE Support Team at the Natterjack. EUAN SYME PRESS RELEASE. ISDE Fundraising Fundraising for the British Teams competing in the ISDE in Poland has seen excellent efforts from a variety of different areas. Well publicised already are the sterling efforts of Bob and Wendy Room with their raffles at the Breckland, the Welsh and more recently at the Hafren. This will continue at the Dyfi and the Crychan. Also Vernon Leigh is running another raffle with a Caribbean holiday as the main prize. Less well publicised has been the effort of Euan McConnell, who during his year out from the sport decided to help out with fundraising. He ran in the London marathon, finishing in a stunning time of 3 hours and 9minutes, and has raised his target of £1000. An excellent effort I'm sure you will all agree. Clubs around the country have been very generous with donations still coming in. Donations of: £1000 from Seaton Delaval, £500 for the Welsh Committee, £500 from the Hafren Dirt Bike Club, £250 from the South Eastern Centre, £100 from the Western Centre and £140 from the Cheshire and NW Centre. Other donations have been received from the motorcycle industry with some very well known names within the industry stepping up and helping out. However every little bit helps and if there is anyway that we can raise some more funds then it would benefit the British effort in Poland. If you can help then send a donation to: The ISDE Fund, Mary Kerr, Trials & Enduro Secretary, ACU, Wood Street, Rugby. CV21 2YX.
Useful links: Auto Cycle Union, AMCA, Barcelona Indoor Enduro BEC, Bon Accord Brechfa, British Enduro Championship, Cambrian Rally. CCM, Colstey, Crychan, Dakar D2D Dawn to Dusk, Diss MCC, David Knight Dyfed Dirtbike Club, Dirtbike-Trax, Erzberg, Fast Eddy FIM Firbank GasGas GNCC, Hafren, Honda, Husaberg ISDE Jubilee Enduro Juha Salminen KTM Kari Tiainen, LARA Last Man Standing Manchester 17, Melville MCC Mounter Motorcycles MX Natterjack, Putoline DBT Hare Scrambles Rallies Red Kite Rally Regs Results Rhayader 2 Day Short track Snowrun Southern Counties Enduro Club Trial The Tough One TM TRF True Grit Tunstall Tywi 2 Day Enduro UEM WEC World Enduro Championship Welsh 2 Day Weston Beach Race WOR Events, WOR Winter series WTRA, Wulfsport, Yamaha |
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Derek Little Reports from Poland on Charlie Mackenzie's Scottish Enduro website Kari Tiainen's Unofficial Results Service Anita Merriman & Lexy Thorogood report for Silver Bullet (nz) |
Welsh Team he Welsh ISDE Teams have returned home from Poland with the Wales A Team once again achieving the honour of being the highest placed British Club Team. Rowan Jones, Andrew Edwards and Jonathan Williams finished in 8th place with a gold and 2 silver medals respectively. Rowan rode a spectacular race in the final MX test finishing in second place after leading for a considerable part of the race, Andrew also rode well in the same race despite being hampered by a hand injury which occurred on day 4 of the event and resulted in him slipping from gold to silver position. Jon Williams was unable to race in the final MX due to a rider dispute halting proceedings, he was looking forward to competing against Tim Foreman, Will Jones and Shane Lewis from the Wales B team who had finished in 17th place overall with 3 silver medals. The Junior team of Jon Hinam, Dave Brick and Chris Matthews finished in 42nd place, Dave and Chris received silver. They all raced in the same MX race with Chris Matthews having what he described as “his best crash of the week” before battling back through the field. The Welsh Team Managers, Kenny and Mike would like to thank all the support crews without whom it would be impossible to send three teams to the ISDE and also all clubs and individuals who have supported our fundraising activities throughout the year. Wayne Braybrook – Honda Racing Team Sandiford Wayne Braybrook claimed his 5th Gold Medal in succession this last week despite what must surely have been one of the most “eventful” six days ever. With Van failure (twice), the out rider bike being stolen on the second day, Wayne then being docked a minute for an initial failure at a noise test as well as a crash in the final Motocross (which was subsequently scrapped due to the actions of the Spanish Team). Combined all of the above with the Team Manager also receiving “Death Threats” and an armed guard being placed on the British team Hotel, to come away with Gold for Wayne was a real bonus. The outrider bike was one of around 20 stolen throughout the course of the event and initially was the only machine lost by the British Team until Sunday morning when Chris Hay checked out of the Team Hotel to find his van and 3 bikes there loaded were also missing. All in all Wayne was glad to be home – in his words “That was the hardest Six Day I have ever experienced, physically they are always hard as a continual 6 days of riding and maintenance always wears you down but mentally it was by far the most draining - to drive off the ferry at Dover this year was a particularly great feeling”. Chris Hay's ISDE We knew before going to this years’ ISDE in Poland that security would be a major concern, as I found out personally. On the morning of departure after the event, I awoke to find my Mercedes Sprinter van had been stolen from the secure car park (with guards and a gate) outside the British team Hotel. It was even parked in such a way that no-one could get in the back or side doors. The van had 3 KTM's in it; 2 125's and a new 250 ISDE Special, with my helmets (including my British Team custom painted helmet), boots, spares, tools, stands, mousses, tyre changer and bumbags. My outrider, Derek Little also lost his passport, driving licence, riding gear and tools as well as many other things. As most racers and people in the sport will understand a maj or part of my life was in that van and to be left with nothing is devastating. I would not wish that on anyone. We would like to thank everyone that was very helpful and understanding at the time including the British support crew, and my parents for driving myself and Derek home. I would also like to thank Gavin at Bikesport for his help with a bike, KTM UK, Fox Europe, MXM graphics, Rock Oil, DP brakes, Pulse Racing Products, Bert Harkins Racing, Fro Systems, Rush Racing FMF, and Talon. I know that Derek is very grateful for the assistance he has received from Ride-On Glasgow, Thor Racewear, Lazar Helmets and Silkolene Oils as well as some of the firms mentioned above. The only memory I have now of my bike and helmet is the picture on page 74 of last weeks TMX news. Chris Hay. British Trophy Team Euan Syme Reports from Poland Day 3 Again this is going to be a very brief report I just struggle to find the time between racing round trying to get to tests and checks. Most days go like this up at 5 sort out what is needed that day, fuel working area stuff, etc quick breakfast at 6 and up to the event for 6.45. Go round all the lads to make sure that everything is covered for the work they are doing on the bike that morning, although the outriders are fantastic and have everything covered. My first rider off is Paul at 8.02 and Juan our last at 8.55. This makes it very hard to see any tests until the final one in the lap. Anyway the main news in the event is a big change in the weather and the death of one rider, an outrider and two polish people. At this time I will only cover the positive side of things as I am still coming to terms with the deaths. The good news is that it has started raining and the brits are like pigs in shit. Juan has started smiling and is putting up some awesome tests as is his little?? bruvver, David. I have to go just now as I have to go with police regarding the thefts of the bikes, now a total of 2/3 on monday, 5 on tuesday, 3 last night and today I dont know. Last night they cut the side out of a van and took 2 huskies and another bike! Anyway the police are hopefully on it and some people have been arrested. Talk more later. Day 2 Only got about 2 minutes before the Press room closes and they chuck me out. So the typing will be pretty poor tonight. Wont go into detail on results as the results service on the official web site is awesome as are our lads results. At the end of day 2 all of the guys have stepped up the pace and are on it. The juniors moving in front of France and the Trophy boys in a close 5th. The biggest drama today was Justin having his bike nicked! He left his bike to go tend to Wayne at ET1 and on return it was gone. The bike had been fitted with a hidden switch so they had have pushed the bike away. Any way its gone and there nowt we can do about it, other than claim on the insurance. I spent my afternoon trying to find out more info and to cut a very long story short we have rumbled them the World Trophy outriders are a close knit bunch . At then end of play today I had managed to identify who they are: about 20 very organised individuals, their vehicles details etc. Anyway were on the case, watch this space!!!!!!!! Thats me getting kicked out now so I will try to update you tomorrow if I find time between messing up some Polish lowlifes day and making sure the lads are still on it. Later Day1 Very quick update this one, the boys all got off this morning with no problems at all, however that didnt last long. The first drama of the day was a problem with Davids bike on the Enduro Test. The wouldnt rev and eventually about 1/3 of the way into the test the exhaust was on fire. Jonty stopped david to make sure the problem wasnt going to be terminal, he set of and completed the test losing 20 seconds to Aro. When he came out of the test his silencer was on fire and the inside close to white hot. He continued with Julian in tow, looking to find a solution at the next check. Julian determines the problem is the CDI unit or something to do with the ignition. On the run to the next test CT2 he decked the bike on the going in the dust and now has a fat lip and sore neck. He still manages to finish 3rd overall on CT2. At the midday check back in the paddock David changed the CDI unit, the plug cap and does a filter, while the KTM 4 stroke expert and Julian discuss any other options. I have just returned from ET2, where he stopped this morning and he has just taken 8 seconds out of Aro and 6 out of Cervantes. On exiting the test he believes that the bike is better. The other lads are having a less troublesome day with Daryl Bolter putting up a stunning time on CT1 to take first place in the E1 class on that test. Paul Ed is steadily getting into the day and has just placed highest E1 on ET2. All the other guys are having a good day in very dusty, rough conditions. The only drama is Chris Hays forks have gone and these will be changed tonight after he has changed his tyre in the final 15 minute work period. Will continue this later! Sunday Today I have had the priviledge of witnessing history in the making. The ISDE or International Six Days Enduro has become the "International Seven Days Enduro". The event started this evening (sunday) with what the organisers called a celebration ride from the centre of Kielce to the event Start in Miedziana Gora. However in what we believe is a first the organisers issued all the riders with time cards and a time schedule, 30 mins to ride the 15km from the centre to the parc ferme. The jury meeting today decided that riders who lose time on the ride out or worse still sieze their bike, could be out of the event before it is officially due to start. This has caused some hiccups already with the Czech Trophy Team setting off early, and the fear that they will all be penalised for this???. The setup for the celebration ride was, Trophy teams set off 6 riders abreast in alphabetical order, then Junior Trophy 4 abreast, club teams, then individuals. The Trophy boys set off at 4.08 and the Juniors at 4.27. All survived the road ride to the paddock and into the Parc Ferme with no hassles, even Bobby Jones managed to get there without getting lost!!! The Yanks as usual were the first to make a tit of themselves when one of their Juniors binned it big style on the road, which were damp and slick from a slight rain shower. He ended up with gravel rash, on his elbow and a nice fat knee, silly boy. Finally Justin Wilson, Wayne Braybrooks outrider continued where he left off in Czech in 2002, by entertaining all of the boys with his banter and legendry put downs. Today he has driven to Warsaw, picked up vital parts to fix not only Wayne van but Waynes outrider bike which had a chain break and take out the Lefthand Crankcase. On his return from Warsaw he has fitted a new Power Steering Pump to Wayne van, while Juan stripped and rebuilt (with support from Julian Stevens) his CRF250X. In amongst all of this Justin managed to bust out the clippers and carve a mean no.2 on Julians head. Our resident hairdresser/outrider/factory renault mechanic even managed to keep the comedy flowing that would put Peter Kay to shame. In his own words "hes the daddy"!!!! Well its game on tomorrow and if the spirit in the camp is anything to go by, the guys are going to have an awesome week. Will try to keep you up to date as time and typing skills allow. The Road to Poland Having left the UK on Monday, it seems like I havent stopped running around like a idiot sorting things out. All off the British Teams had interesting journeys to get out here. After getting of the boat at Dunkirk all of the Trophy and Junior Trophy were lulled into a false sense of security with the excellent motorways through Belgium and Germany. Reality struck when they crossed the border into Poland. The border crossing this year was no problem at all, with Poland move into the EU it was a quick of the passport and on our way. The most ardous part of the journey was just coping with the roads. Hailing back to the Communist era they have still not been updated and after 7 hours of hitting potholes and ridges in the road every 2 seconds the guys were very glad to arrive at the event. However the legacy of the road trip out here is still having an effect with both Paul Eddys van and Wayne Braybrook vans having major problems. Wayne nearly new Renault started smoking the other night and is needing to TLC or a new power steering pump to be exact. Paul had even bigger headaches, having organised, competed in (and won) his own Fast Eddy final at Hawkstone on sunday Paul intended setting of on the Monday night boat, it didnt happen. Paul had to run around picking up the final parts all day Monday, that bacame Tuesday when parts didnt arrive. Setting of for Dover on Tuesday and now a date behind, he certainly didnt need the breakdown of his van on the M25. I got a call from Paul in Poland about 4 in the afternoon saying his van had "just stopped". After getting Mercedes to come out to "sort" the van he continued to Dover, where the van wouldnt start again, he eventually got it going by spraying Chain Lube??? into the inlet. That happened again at Dunkirk and forced Paul and Rob Meek who was travelling out with him to drive the whole way without stopping. So a well trashed Paul arrived back on schedule late on Wednesday afternoon, having done a marathon drive through the night. I cant believe how much effort Paul puts into his racing career, his business and into life in general. If only some of our youngers rider would put in a tenth of the effort Paul puts in we would have some more World Champions. With all of the Team on site and set up in the paddock the hard work continued. The organisers have allocated the British teams a massive space in the paddock. So big in fact that the boys could set up their own practice track if they wanted, although I dont think the organisers would be to happy! The Trophy and Junior Trophy teams are set up in the WEC area with the Fast Eddy Honda Racing truck, the D3 Racing truck and we sneaked in Mike Carters Huskysport Funmover. All the boys have been hard at it sorting the final settings on the bikes. The training area is full on fron 8 in the morning till dark and is just a dust bowl. The ground is very soft and sandy, so all the boys have been setting the bikes up to cope with the conditions. They also dive out to walk the tests as they are put up. I walked test 2 for days 1/2 and the conditions are very unusual. It starts off on very rough scrub land that will eventually cut through to sand. As the test moves down the hillside the sand becomes deeper to a point where it reminds me of Brazil last year, it then returns back up the hillside onto harder ground with flinty stones and finishes on hardpack. Try chooseing tyres to work with that lot! Most tests are the same. We have been allocated a slot for signing on on Friday morning and Scrutineering in the afternoon. So Thursday sees all the final prep and setting going on. Fridays signing on went well with all riders having no headaches at all. Final work on the bike continued up to the time to move downtown for Scrutineering. However the first major panic of the week was when Ed Jones returned from the test track with a rumble from the big end of his brand new KTM. Ed consulted the Farioli mechanics and they believe the conrod had gone, however the KTM mechanic thinks it has either spun a bearing or the powervalve is loose. With the GB slot for scrutineering fast approaching and KTM a descision had to be made. KTM want to repair the engine but I know as a rider I would not have confidence in the motor from then on. Ed wants a new engine and I agree and we eventually persuade KTM to fit a new motor. So I have 9 riders ready and off down to town to put their bikes into the temporary parc ferme and Ed waiting to get his bike back together. I manage to persude the organisers to give Ed a days grace to get his bike in and this allows Ed and Gareth to concentrate on setting the motor up. I can then shoot down the town to find that all the boys are sailing through with no problems at all. Even Ed manages to turn up, happy with his new motor and flies through scrutineering. So after a hectic week the boys can relax a bit and they chill out on Friday night in Kielce, where they help young Lee Edmondson to celebrate his 18th birthday, and I know they had a good time cos I woz there !!!!!!!!! Will try and keep you up to date as often as possible over the next week. Finally I know that Derek Little who is outriding for Chris Hay is also putting reports up on the web. Outriders must have more time than I thought as he has already put up 3 excellent reports on www.scottishenduros.co.uk British Team Manager Euan Syme will be leaving for the 2004 ISDE in Poland on the 6th of Sept & as usual he will be sending back regular reports on the teams progress. As a prelude to the event, Euan thought it might be good idea if any of readers had any questions that they wanted to ask about the event, the teams, our competitors, the rules etc that he could answering them. See below: Question: Do the club teams ride on the same time schedule as the trophy teams? Answer: The time schedule at the six days is the same for all riders, wether you are on a trophy team or a club team. The pace that the organisers will ask riders to ride at is lower than world championship level and lower than the times set for Championship riders in the BEC. So probably about BEC Experts pace, however some organisers put in some suicidal checks as happened in 02 in the Czech Republic. The Polish organisers have given out schedules already and thankfully they look sensible. Question: Who is sponsoring the UK teams? Do you get a good deal on tyres? 6 riders, 6 days, two tyres per day is 72 tyres just for the top boys. Answer: Sponsorship of the Trophy and Junior Trophy teams is quite difficult to organise as most of the riders have individual deals which clash with other riders deals. So to be offered say a clothing deal, whilst nice would not be practicable as most of the riders would have to decline the offer and wear there own contracted clothing. We do however get a great deal of support from a variety of different sources. Yes we do get a good deal on tyres. Question: How do you get all your kit to Poland? Answer: One of the largest costs from my budget goes on Ferries, and Travel costs to and from the event. Each rider takes his own van with all of the equipment required for the 6 days. So we have a convoy of vehicles leaving GB over the next 4 days. Question: What manufacturer support is available at the event? I've heard that KTM send a big truck and will swap any broken bits FOC, is that true? Answer: KTM do send a big truck and probably provide the best support at the event. However nothing is free in this day and age! They will open an account for you at the event and require payment for all parts used. No other manufacturer provides the same level of support, so all the parts that may be needed have to be brought to the event by each rider. Question: When does Geraint ride the course? Is it every day? How does this get reported back to the riders? Answer: The Pre-ride takes place over two days, the 10th and 11th of September. When Geraint comes back from each pre-ride, we discuss all of the issues. These may be time related, tight checks or course related, difficult bits, dangerous bits. We then brief all of the British riders at a meeting, usually held at the official British Hotel. The pre-ride usually covers each route ie Day1/2, Day 3/4, Day 5 etc. Question: If your bike blows up, can you swap engines and restart the next day? Answer: You cant swap engines! At scrutineering they mark the bikes in 5 different places, Frame, Hubs x2, Silencer and Crankcase. These marked parts must be in place at all times during the event, ie they can be checked at any time. So say you bust a gear box, if you have the ability and time, doubtful??, it is feaseable that you could rebuild the bike using the original marked crankcase and continue in the event. However this is going to cost a serious amount of time and destroy any hope of a good result. Question: .If you hour out, can you restart the next day?Answer: The only riders that can restart the next day are the club riders. If they have bike problems and retire they can, by following certain procedures restart the next day. Trophy or Junior Trophy riders who retire are out, no restart. ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Mullins To: euan.syme@virgin.net Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 3:10 PM Subject: Fw: isde questions Question: What spares etc. do the outriders carry with them and how do you work out the route for them to follow? Are they allowed on the course? Answer: The outriders are not allowed on the course, if they are found on the course with their rider then the rider will be excluded. To provide the best support the outriders will use the week running up to the event to suss out the best route to support their rider. This will normally be by finding points where the route crosses main roads, uses road junctions etc. Also they need to identify the quickest routes to each special test and to the next check. In terms of spares carried that tends to be a personal thing. I have seen outriders with every spare part imaginable, the rucksac so heavy they can hardly ride the bike. Really it is down to experience, on say a 125 a flattened pipe can make a big difference so they will probably carry a spare, plus bars, levers, brake pedal, gear lever, throttle cable etc. Question: What regular maintenance do the trophy team two stroke riders have to follow? tyres / filters / oil / plugs / chain etc. Answer: The week would probably go like this, end of day 1, front & rear tyre, filter, check everything over and deal with anything else needing done. morning day 2, check everything over again, air out of forks, tighten all bolts. end of day 2 front & rear tyre, front and rear brake pads, oil change. morning day 3 air filter, check bike over as before. end of day 3 front & rear tyre, filter etc.morning day 4 check everything end of day 4 front & rear tyre, brake pads, oil change. morning day 5 filter, check everything. end of day 5 front & rear tyre, filter, change anything else that needs changing. morning day 6 check over. before final mx new rear tyre, filter, oil change & possibly brake pads. Also during the week they will change filters at checks, tighten & lube chain as needed. Question: Do you add extra protection to the bikes, compare to a BEC round (bigger bash plates / exhaust protection) Answer: The bikes will normally be prepared the same as for a BEC round with no additional protection. Only difference will be the use of a steel rear sprocket to last the 6 days. Question: Why doesn't anyone use one of those powered tyre-changing machines that you see in kwik-fit? Are they banned? It would save you loads of time and effort. Answer: Powered tools are banned, the only tools that can be used are those tools that have their own power source, i.e. battery powered electric drill or impact driver. On the tyre changing the guys use mousse changing machines that allow them to change a tyre & mousse in about 4 minutes. These machines when used properly also remove a lot of the effort required in changing a mousse. The guys would probably beat the guys at kwik-fit? As an example Simon Wakely who makes his debut on the Junior Trophy team was practising tyre changing and has it down to a comfortable 12 minutes. That 12 mins is bike stopped, onto stand, rear wheel out, tyre changed, wheel back in, front wheel out, tyre changed, wheel back in, change filter, everything tight, ride off again! I'd like to see Kwik-fit do that! Question: How are the teams funded? anon. Answer: This years budget is £24,000, this is provided in the form of £20,000 from the ACU (the £20k is funded from licence fees from all the enduro riders competing throughout the country, I believe!) and £4000 that has been raised through donations from Clubs, Raffles, Sponsored runs and a variety of other sources. Question: Who will be pre-riding the course? anon. Answer: Pre-riding the course this year will be Geraint. I have to allocate a pre-rider 15 days before the start of the event and am officially allowed one rider. However as I am greedy I have nominated Geraint and have also nominated Wyn Hughes as further support. Question: Is there a way the supporters travelling to the event can get more involved? anon. Answer: One of the features of this years competition will be the Polish support or shall I call it "misdirection"! The area where the event is being held is very close to a large city Kielce, the locals love to disrupt and cause as much hassle as possible. By that I mean they will point our lads into the deepest holes, point out the worst lines and given the opportunity steal anything that isnt tied down. Jack Johns lost two bum bags there two years ago at the European round. He thought they were trying to help pull him out of a hole, but discovered, that pat on the back was when they nicked his bum bag. So what can supporters do to help, come and see me anytime after the official pre-ride and if I know where there are going to be trouble spots, some support for all of our boys at these would be awesome. At the event if anyone wants to get involved come and see me we'll suss out how they can help whilst also achieving all their own goals for their holiday. Question: Is it possible that Euan McConnell will be in the trophy team for next year's isde? Phil Bowen Answer: Euan McConnell will definitely figure very highly in the plans for the 6 days in Slovakia. The event in Slovakia will be one of the toughest events in recent years. I have been fortunate enough to ride a 6 days here and more recently pre-ride World rounds in Povaska, and it is an awesome place to ride. Very slippy in the wet as the terrain is mainly clay, so the going gets real slick. The tests are typical Czech off camber, slippy grass tests with some traditional cross country tests in the trees as well. The team make up will be based on the type of riders who excel in those conditions, i.e. typical Welsh enduro, tough, slippy, grassy etc. Question: Does each team provide its own support structure or is it a shared effort for all the GB (trophy and club) teams, what about the individual riders too? Gary Clarke Answer: The support setup for all of the teams at the six days is a shared effort. We have a number of dedicated, highly experienced support crews who come out to the six days purely to support the British Riders. The support they provide at each check is the same whether you are a trophy rider, club rider or individual. Each rider pays £150 to cover the cost of fuel, oils, food, water etc for the duration of the event. So for the trophy team I have to pay not only £150 for each of my riders but also £150 for each of their outriders. It is worth mentioning that these support crews, provide their services free of charge and at great personal cost to themselves. They take holidays/time of work, pay the costs of travel to the event, pay the cost of accommodation, in fact all costs incurred out of their own pocket to provide this service to the British riders. All for the love of the sport!! In addition to this each team provides additional bodies, vehicles etc into the central pot to ensure the support provided covers the needs of all riders.e To: isde@enduro.freeserve.co.uk Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2004 9:52 AM Subject: support structure ISDE Support Team The ISDE Support Team of Vernon Leigh, Bob & Wendy Room set up their stand to raise money at every major event this season with DVDs, raffles, tee shirts, stickers, etc. Their fund was given a massive boost by a cheque for £1000 donated by George Eland. George - father of Brian Eland - had read Vernon's appeal on this website while cruising with his wife Christine & recalled how Vernon had supported her bid for the Ladies championship when he was Clerk of the Course of the Tour of Wales in the 80s. Other major contributors were Mid Wales Trail Riders Association, Welsh Trail Riders Association, Diss MCC, Manchester 17 & Diamonds MCC but the team would like thank everyone who contributed. They have donated £1400 to the ACU to make up the required £4000 independent contribution which secures the ACU funding & they have purchased awnings, tables, fire extinguishers, etc for the checks in Poland & beyond. Look out for the ISDE Support Team at the Natterjack. EUAN SYME PRESS RELEASE. ISDE Fundraising Fundraising for the British Teams competing in the ISDE in Poland has seen excellent efforts from a variety of different areas. Well publicised already are the sterling efforts of Bob and Wendy Room with their raffles at the Breckland, the Welsh and more recently at the Hafren. This will continue at the Dyfi and the Crychan. Also Vernon Leigh is running another raffle with a Caribbean holiday as the main prize. Less well publicised has been the effort of Euan McConnell, who during his year out from the sport decided to help out with fundraising. He ran in the London marathon, finishing in a stunning time of 3 hours and 9minutes, and has raised his target of £1000. An excellent effort I'm sure you will all agree. Clubs around the country have been very generous with donations still coming in. Donations of: £1000 from Seaton Delaval, £500 for the Welsh Committee, £500 from the Hafren Dirt Bike Club, £250 from the South Eastern Centre, £100 from the Western Centre and £140 from the Cheshire and NW Centre. Other donations have been received from the motorcycle industry with some very well known names within the industry stepping up and helping out. However every little bit helps and if there is anyway that we can raise some more funds then it would benefit the British effort in Poland. If you can help then send a donation to: The ISDE Fund, Mary Kerr, Trials & Enduro Secretary, ACU, Wood Street, Rugby. CV21 2YX. |
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