Adrian Ellis Memorial Enduro 2004
Gwent Police held their annual Little Oaks Adrian Ellis Memorial Enduro
in the Wentwood Forest near Newport on Sunday 23rd May. The weather
was sunny & the conditions were dry. Huw Watkins & his team had
obtained permission to use additional woodland to the east of the usual
venue & made the most of the opportunity by laying out a superb 20
mile lap with an out check. From the start the riders headed west &
south past the Drug Dealer's Barbie before returning to the Start &
the Special Test. The 2+ mile test ran along the side of the road as
usual. The bright sunlight filtering through the trees made the ground
difficult to read but the track was wide enough for safety. The riders
then headed north passed the out check to the first of 4 "dead
engine" road crossings that led to the eastern forest. This was
tremendous going with barrelling tracks & sweeping forestry road but
just as the riders were wishing for more laps reality appeared in the form
of small innocent stream. The steep banks of the stream were lined with
gleaming roots that clamped the front wheel & stopped the bike dead.
Beyond the stream was a severe slope which was difficult to climb from a
standing start whilst being choked by your own testicles. The first stage
was 17 miles & the time allowance was ample even though on the first
lap in a couple of places the marking meant that some riders saw more or
less of the course than they should have done. The second stage was a short 3
mile section that started tight on time & got tighter. Much of this
going was through a cambered pine forest & once the needles were off the
slippery roots it was Torville & Dean without the points for artistic
impression. Chris Bird's
return to competition in the final round of the Winter Series ended with a
heavy crash & 3 broken ribs whilst leading the event but he had no
such problems at the Adrian Ellis & won the Premier convincingly.
Keith Horsnell was the runner up. The Adrian Ellis is a round of the Welsh
4T Championship. In the Open 4T class, Ben Baddeley was the winner ahead
of Andy Winterbourne. David Brick won the 4T class & John Gupwell was
the runner up. Carl Ward was the Best Clubman ahead of Ryan Golding.
Wayne Golding won the Veterans & Andrew Knapman was the runner. Dai Beer carried on a family tradition & won a
Clubman Gold. Results
Video:
Frank Morgan, Malvern Lodge, Howey, LLANDRINDOD WELLS, Powys, LD1 5RE.
Tel: 01597 822642
Adrian
Ellis Memorial Enduro 2003
The 2003
Adrian Ellis Memorial Enduro - organised by Gwent Police - took place on Sunday 25th May in the Wentwood
near Newport. Adrian's mother & father attended the event
& they were pleased to see it continues to reflect their son's own
character as a rider which was tough & relentless but also good
humoured. Keith Caldicott's 11 mile course once again squeezed every inch
out of this 1 mile square forest whilst avoiding the rights of way, rabbit
warrens & some of the nastier bits that had decimated a wet field in 2002. From the start at the fork the course looped back
towards the entrance along the south side of the road to form the Special test. Following the test some recent thinning had covered the
forest with a mat of thrashings through which grumpy old stumps peeped
out. The rider's relief at crossing this minefield was short lived as it
was followed by a 200 yard stretched of washboard which pumped up their
forearms like Popeye. The course then got kinder & there were a couple
of brief moments of forestry road. After a slippery climb
which was re-routed on later laps, the riders played in the bluebells on the
western side on the wood. Last year's winner Shane Lewis couldn't resist the
temptation to stop & smell the flowers. There was also a second fleeting glimpse of
forestry road. The incoming section of the lap was through mature pine
trees. A definite route would emerge here on later laps. In fact thousands
of roots would emerge to whip tired front tyres away without warning. The weather had been
wet during the week but the day itself started sunny & dry.
Parking is always a problem in the Wentwood & late arrivals paid for
their extra 5 minutes of cwtching* with a long walk to the start. The
Sportsmen were set 4 reasonable 60 minute laps. The Clubman were set 5
laps with a 60 minutes opening lap, 50 minutes for the timed laps & a
tight 40 minutes 4th lap. The Experts had 7 laps with a 38 minute lap in
the middle. From the start Craig Bounds #14 on Someone's Moped was the fastest on the going
but he made a couple of mistakes on the test. By lunchtime the course was drying out
nicely & a few smiles were breaking out when it began to rain. The
heavy shower only lasted for half an hour but the riders still circulating had to find another gear. Ben Bishop certainly
found one & took the Premier ahead of runner up Chris Hooper. Ben's
brother Dan was 3rd & Shane Lewis was 4th. Katrina Price
revelled in the mud & finished 8th. 11 of the 14 Experts completed the
course & 9 were clear on time. The Adrian Ellis is a round of the
Welsh 4T Championship. Dylan Hughes won the Open 4T ahead of Stephen
Williams. Andrew Sanson took the Clubman 4T ahead of Wayne Mounter. In the
Clubman class Carwyn John took the Premier ahead of Ben Morgan. Pete
Houghton took a tumble on his 2nd test which probably cost him the class
win but he still finished 3rd. Rhys George #55 also tried some freestyle
on the test. He finished with a bronze but it could have been a plaster
(see Frank Morgan). In the Over 40s there were only 3 finishers from the 7
starters. Cliff Hayward was 1st, Keith Roden was 2nd & Paul Reich was
3rd. The Sportsman class took a beating with only 6 finishers out of 23
starters which once again proves it isn't as easy at it looks & takes practise so
try again lads. Thanks to the Army Ambulance crew from
Maindy Barracks for stepping in at the last minute. Results.
Photos
available from Gary Jones 01267 231258 after
6pm & Keith
Bowen. Video:
Frank Morgan, Malvern Lodge, Howey, LLANDRINDOD WELLS, Powys, LD1 5RE. Tel: 01597 822642
*Welsh
word for snuggling.
Adrian Ellis Memorial Enduro
2002
Report by Bob Mullins
The Adrian Ellis Memorial Enduro - organised by
Gwent Police - took place on Sunday 26th May in Wentwood. A week of
heavy rain clouds had barrelled up the Bristol channel to dump their
contents onto this small forest east of Newport. The mixture of clay,
soft loam & water rested benignly until the vigorous application
of nobbly rubber whisked it into a soft batter that clung to the tyres
& greased every tree root. The 12 mile course circumnavigated the
forest in an anticlockwise direction & made the most of the land
available. The Coc Keith Caldicott had laid out the lap on a C90 to
ensure that it was all rideable. The weather on the day was dry, sunny
& cool but the ground was as slippery as a very slippery thing.
There was 8 laps for Experts, 6 laps for Clubmen & 4 laps for
Sportsmen. The special test - which followed the start - climbed &
descended several 10th rows before following some deep water filled
Foden tracks & ending close to the start. This layout was
appreciated by the spectators. The tests were timed electronically
& Huw Watkins printed regular progress reports with the final
results being posted within 20 minutes of the last rider finishing.
Experts/Clubmen had 3 timed tests & Sportsmen 2 before the test -
which had become worn - was cut. The final Expert lap was also cut.
The Premier was won by Shane Lewis from Knighton
on a CR 250 & Ben Bishop from Coleford on a Yamaha WR 250 was the
runner up. Katrina Price finished 6th. Gary Parr won the Open 4T with
Rob Smith as runner up. Gerald Poole improved on last year's runner up
award to win the 4T class ahead of John Rowse. Alun Davies won the
Clubman 2T with Steve Watson runner up. Wayne Mounter won the Over 40
ahead of Austin Chivers. Only 27 riders out of the 120 entry were
classified as finishers. This was a good course & a well organised
event. The Gwent Police would have needed the dogs to get the boys to
go home if it hadn't rained but it did.
Photos: Gary Jones 01267 231258
after 6pm.
Video: Frank Morgan, Malvern Lodge, Howey,
LLANDRINDOD WELLS, Powys, LD1 5RE. Tel: 01597 822642
Results
Feedback
I'm getting a bit of feedback from the riders who finished it, and
a lot more who wished they had! It's rapidly becoming apparent that a
lot of riders appreciated the 'severity' which as we know wasn't that
bad, just that some give up too easily.
The result is that the finishers can be easily recognised by inane
grins, and an overinflated ego as a result of doing what 93 others
couldn't or wouldn't do (keep on going.)
For those who think that was hard - we ought to bring Perring out of
retirement to set a snorter......!
Just Kidding - we ARE looking for a bigger venue, to give a bit more
of a break between the snotty bits. If anyone can suggest somewhere
near to Gwent, we'll have a look!
Thanks to all our friends and supporters
Huw Watkins
Gwent Police MC
Adrian Ellis Memorial
Enduro 2001
Report by Bob Mullins
As the sky lightens above the
primordial rain forest - permanently shrouded in mist - primitive
forms emerge from the darkness beneath the canopy. They wear brightly
coloured custumes & carry the totems of their morning rituals such
as Aspirins & soggy toilet rolls. It was Sunday 14th October &
the offroad tribe had returned to the Wentwood near Newport, South
Wales for the 2001 Adrian Ellis Memorial Enduro. The event was very
well organised by Gwent Police MC with steward/ scrutineer/ timekeeper
Harold Lewis & - despite coinciding with the Powys - attracted a
good entry of 90 riders. The 12 mile course - marked in sections for
safety - made the most of the ground without using the minefields of
roots & stumps which have made this forest so painfully memorable
for many riders in the past. Along the western slopes, a harvester has
created 2 barrelling tracks through the deciduous woods which -
combined with the only real stretch of forestry road - gave the
competitors a rest before the steep descent down Deadman's Hill. Here
the riders needed to employ caution or a parachute. The test was well
positioned close to the start & consisted of an uphill blast, a
fast straight with a ditch & ended with a series of taped
switchbacks. The initial tariff of 8 laps for Experts, 6 laps for
Clubmen & 4 laps for Sportsmen proved to be a bridge to far for
many riders as the weather & the light failed to improve & the
organisers cancelled the last lap. Robert Jones won the Premier with
runner up Tom Knill. Thomas Davies was the Best Clubman ahead of
runner up Wayne Mounter. Steve Driscoll won the Over 40s & was the
only finisher. Ben Morgan was the Best 4 stroke with runner up Gerald
Poole. There were 43 finishers.
