archive

enduronews.com

The 3rd round of the 2002 ACU British Enduro Championship took place at Catterick Army camp on the 27th & 28th July. The original 50 mile lap was shortened to 38 miles at the last moment due to operations. The course mainly consisted of open moorland going similar to the Eppynt. The weather was dry beneath a cloudless sky. There was one test on which the Championship were timed 3 times on Saturday & 4 times on Sunday. At the beginning of his 3rd lap on Day 1, David Knight caught his gear lever on wire. The subsequent damage forced him to retire & Euan McConnell went on to win his first British Championshiip day ahead of Juan Knight. On Sunday both riders matched each other with almost identical times with Juan taking the overall win by less than a one second margin. Wayne Braybrook was 3rd & Army rider Steve Hunt was 4th. Kevin Murray won the Expert class. William Jones - above - was provisionally 2nd overall in the 125cc Expert class. Darryl Bolter won the Clubman class. Andrew Jones - left - was 10th in the 125cc Clubman class on Day 1. Thomas Davies from Caersws on a KTM in the 125cc Clubman  broke both wrists on Day 1.

Report by Euan McConnell

Results

Photos: Gary Jones

Wayne Braybrook - Sandiford Honda press release

After a break of only 2 weeks the British Championship Contingent landed at the Army’s Catterick Garrison, for their round of the 2002 British Championship. Entirely run on Army land with a circuit of 38 miles and glorious sunshine the Saturday morning start time of 10am was almost civilised.
With Wayne determined to take 3rd place in the Championship it was clear that a good result was necessary to pinch a point or two from consistently placed (and fellow ISDE Team Member) Edward Jones.  Riding again on the same minute as pals and rivals David and Juan Knight and having enjoyed their company at the Hafren, the clocked ticked to 10.00 hrs and away they went. Unfortunately David caught some wire in his chain on the course on the 2nd lap which in turn then pulled the Gear selector out of the casing. His retirement was therefore forced and Juan and Wayne were left to ride on their own. With no time lost on the going the special test was once again the decider & Braybrook looked smooth. Consistently posting 3rd best time behind Juan & Euan McConnell on each lap.
3rd on the day on Saturday was excellent and placed him in 3rd place in the overall Championship. Another “on foot” viewing of the test on Saturday and some “better lines” found and all was in place for the earlier start of 9am.
Met by wife Caroline at the Road crossing just before the first check, (as she had done on each lap the previous day) Wayne stopped to give her the great news that he had no Rear Brake. Caroline would like to thank all those who came to her help in the short time available before the first check, to dis-assmeble a spare cylinder in preparation for Wayne’s arrival. However the plan didn’t work as the seals on the new 450 Master Cylinder were different to those on the caliper loaned to the Team by John Shirt. Neither would the assembly fit and with Wayne just managing to rebuild the brake before his exit minute clocked over, he left the check on time and continued to try and bleed the system at the other side.
Resigned to the fact that he would have no Rear Brake for the rest of the day, he set off to the test, unbelievably posting his best time on the same yet. He then consolidated his 3rd place again by continually providing sub 3 minute 20 second test times for the 4 tests.  However, just to test him even further and perhaps due to the increased vibration of engine braking as the only alternative to no rear pedal, the sub-frame bolt worked loose on the middle lap of the day forcing Braybrook to ride straight to the clock at a check when most had 12 minutes. Time had been used on the going as he had stopped to try and replace/temporarily repair the same. The same group of friends once again rallied round to provide Wayne with the necessary to repair the same and still stay clean on time, Braybrook finished the day again 3rd and completely satisfied (if not mentally tested) as he placed the bike in the holding compound.

“Thanks to all of those who directed and provided support during my two instances of repair, these exact moments are the kind of circumstances which can be thrown at you just as unexpectedly at the Six Day and in a way I’m glad they happened. They make you think, test your ability of man and machine and are part and parcel of the “Endurance aspect” of the event. To keep your cool and still concentrate on your riding during such is exactly what competing at this level is all about. I’m now a clear 3rd in the Championship, so all in all a good weekend all round”

Don Beane

Don Beane died on Saturday 21st April 2002 from a heart attack at the age of 62 in Spain at a rally raid with friends. He was riding in the prologue on the beach outside Valencia when he felt unwell, got off his bike and collapsed. Paramedics were on the scene immediately but he had already passed away. Bikes were his life long passion and he would not retire. He had been around the enduro scene for many years and was known by many. In his time he had ridden in most offroad sports, competed in the ISDE on a works KTM, been a successful championship class rider when it was first introduced, won centre motox and trials events, but latter concentrating on desert racing events like the Optic.

FIM Awards

The 2001 FIM Awards Ceremony took place at the Palais St.Vincent in Val d'Aosta, Italy on 15th December. The Enduro champions receiving their trophies were Petteri Silvan (125), Juha Salminen (250 & overall), Stéphane Peterhansel (250 4st), Stefan Merriman (400) & Anders Eriksson (500). British winners were Dougie Lampkin (Trials) & Jamie Dobbs (125 MX)

Phil Wilkinson steps down

Phil Wilkinson has decided to relinquish his position as British ISDE Team Manager. Phil has been involved with the Six Days team since 1992 in Australia & has used his annual holiday up each year for 10 years to attend the event. He is stepping down now because, in his present job, it is becoming more difficult to balance holiday time with the ISDE & other things he wants to do. The performance of the Junior Team in this year's event is a testament to his efforts & a legacy to the future. Phil would like to thank the riders & crews who have supported him over the years.

Dougie Lampkin MBE

10 times World Trials Champion Dougie Lampkin was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours List. The 25 year old has dominated World Trials for 5 years. He got his first World Championship point in Andorra at the age of 17 & won the European round in France later that year. His father Martin won the World championship in 1975 & his uncle Arthur became a household name in the 60s when he won many televised scrambles. Dougie admitted that he was "shocked" when he received a letter 2 months ago & could not believe it until the honour was confirmed on Sunday.

Dirt Bike Expo 2002

The Foot & Mouth outbreak has left many clubs with Post Viral Depression. Symptoms include the appearance of dusty road bikes & riders mumbling deliriously about "DIY" & "wanting to spend more time with the family". After this period of darkness, the lights shining out of the doors of the 2001 Dirt Dirt Expo Show at the National Agricultural Centre, Stoneliegh this weekend could have been taken for the first rays of a new season dawning. In the main hall the major manufacturer's stands were bright with the latest machines & improbably pretty girls. Taff & I studied them expertly & pondered how they would perform in the woods. We also checked out the bikes. In the second hall - another Aladdin's cave - we set up the WTRA stand. It was the only club stand at the show. In the heart of Shakespeare country, I recalled Henry V's speech before Agincourt:
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
And gentlemen in England, now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not
here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any
speaks
That ride with us upon any Sunday".
Dirt Bike Expo & Trentham are important shop windows. After a disasterous year but with an exciting forthcoming calendar, the ACU could have used them to promote British offroad motorcycling. At the centre of the exhibition there could have been an ACU information stand bristling with audio/visuals, handbooks, regs, calendars, membership & licence forms, TRF & training school info, linked to the internet & manned by experienced riders & club members. As an attraction to visitors, it should be subsidised by the organisers & sponsored by a retailer. Hopefully - next year - with 3 new members on the ACU Trials & Enduro committee (including WTRA's Bob Jeffries) there will be such a stand. See you there.

ISDE 2001

France has won the 2001 International Six Days at Brive with Italy 2nd & Spain 3rd. The British Trophy team were unlucky & finished 17th due to an above average number of retirements caused by unavoidable machine damage. For the Junior Trophy, Italy was 1st with Sweden 2nd & Spain 3rd. The British Juniors came a very creditable 5th & all British Trophy & Junior Team members who finished won gold. At the end of Day 1, Ramsey MCC - consisting of David Knight, Juan Knight & Paul Edmondson - led the Best Club table. Unfortunately David Knight injured his ankle & retired on Day 2 from 9th overall. Tim Lewis had a forceful discussion with a French rider & was later excluded for something trivial. Rob Wrayford experimented with lightening his bike by removing the front half using a brick wall on a special test but the resulting Kawasaki 250 unicycle proved difficult to handle & Rob retired. Paul Edmondson who was 3rd in the 250 2T class coming into the last day was excluded for fitting an unspecified front tyre prior to the final MX. The best British clubs were Wales A - Chris Hooper, Jonathon Williams & Simon Evans - who came 13th & Wales B - Robert Jones, Jonathan Evans & William Jones - who came 17th out of 104 entries.

Gilles Lalay Classic 2001

The Gilles Lalay Classic is probably the toughest event of the year. It commemorates the brilliant French rider who was killed whilst competing in the Paris-Dakar Rally. At 6:30am on 24th February 230 riders started the 120 miles race between Limoges and Peyrat le Chateau. The best hundred riders restarted in the afternoon from Peyrat at 3:00pm & raced over a 2nd 120 mile lap around the Vassiviere lake. The course was relentless with slippy hillclimbs, deep ruts, rivers crossings & fields of stones with no time for rest. The event - which attracts 70,000 spectators - ends at the top of "Dead Crow Hill" at midnight. Frenchman David Castera was the winner. David Knight was 5th. Rob Sartin was 10th. He lost his lighting coil & finished the event with a helmet light donated by Anders Ericksson's support crew. Mark Vaughan was 13th. There were only 15 finishers. Edward Jones houred out on the final stage & was one of the highest placed non-finishers. Results: 1 David CASTERA, 2 Cyril DESPRES, 3 Michel GAU, 4 Gilles ALGAY, 5 David KNIGHT, 6 Laurent CHARBONNEL, 7 Stephan PETERHANSEL, 8 Frederic WEILL, 9 Arnaldo NICOLI, 10 Rob SARTIN, 11 Bruno CAMOZZI, 12 Marc GERMAIN, 13 Mark VAUGHAN, 14 Thierry MOISSON, 15 Frans VERHOEVEN.

ISDE 2000

The 75th International Six Day Enduro took place in Granada between 31st Oct & 5th Nov against the dramatic backdrop of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains. 530 riders (motoladero) competed over a course that covered 214kms on days 1,2,5 & 243 kms on days 3,4. Day one began with Stefan Merriman recording the first test of that day 7 seconds faster than the next rider. Meanwhile on the highest point of the whole course - 2000m. above sea level between control 1 & 2 - problems started to build up as motolanero 220 onwards queued on a blocked climb which began to resemble a smouldering hill fire with steam rising into the thin Sierra Nevada air. The same loop Day 2 was less of a problem. The rules on "outside assistance" were very strictly applied with 5 riders excluded on the 1st day for allowing an assistant to lube their chains. On Day 3&4 the course went northeast of Granada over some sceinic landscape. Between control points 3 & 4, 2 switchback climbs which had become greasy after overnight rain proved to be a challenge for the field. After No1 Juha Salminen cleared the top of the 2nd climb 10 minutes passed before a trickle of muddy motoladeros appeared including some tough British trial masters. The rest of the controls although ridden were wiped from the results.
As with the 1999 ISDE in Portugal, the final day was cancelled as dust on the MX tests was considered to be dangerous.
On the whole a fairly tough event with nearly all of the British riders finishing including Patsy Quick the only lady to do so.
The overall winner was Stefan Merriman & the runner up was Mika Ahola. 33 nations competed for the Trophy: Italy (1st), Sweden (2nd), Spain (3rd). The British team was 9th. In the Junior Cup the winner was Spain (GB 8th). 86 teams competed in the club class, Wales A was 19th & Wales B 28th. The Best Manufacturer was KTM. Chile won the Watling Cup. Juha Salminen won the 125 Class. Best Britsih 125 was Edward Jones (36th gold). Other 125 GB finishers: Steve Roper (gold), Dylan Jones (silver), Andrew Edwards (silver), Simon Evans (silver), William Jones (silver), Wyn Hope (silver). Mika Ahole won the +175 class. Best British +175 was Paul Edmondson (6th gold) ahead of David Knight (7th gold). Other +175 GB finishers: Wayne Braybrook (gold), Euan McConnell (gold), Mark Vaughan (silver), Craig Bounds (silver), Neil Williams (silver), Jonathan Williams (silver), Derek Little (silver), Ian Harkes (silver), Andrew Elliot (bronze), Patsy Quick (bronze). Matteo Rubin won the 250(4s). David Johns was 16th (silver). Other finishers: William Buchanan (bronze), Gary Wigston (bronze). In the 400 class Jason Fraser was 23rd (silver). Other finishers: Stephen Hunt (silver), Nicky Beavitt (silver), Darren Wilcox (silver), Peter Burke (bronze). Ander Eriksson won the 500 class from runner up Kari Tiainen. ACU awards - Meeten Award: Paul Edmondson, Prince Award: David Knight, Tim Ward Award: Steve Hunt, WMF Award: MCC Wales "A".

Millennium ll

There is a desert in South America where scientists believe it never rains. This strange phenomenon can be attributed to West Devon Motorcycle Club not having run an event there. The Millennium Enduro - 2nd round of the ACU British Solo Enduro Championship - was held in the Gwynno Forest nr Pontypridd on 27th & 28th May & - like its namesake in 1999 - was preceded by a deluge of Biblical preportions. Clerk of the course - Brian Higgins - had made the most of the land to lay out a 50 mile circuit in 2 loops with both tests on the open moorland close to the start. All the arrows were marked with the number of the stages. Although there were several technically demanding sections there were also long breaks where riders could recover & enjoy the spectacular landscape with views of the Beacons in the north to the Bristol Channel in the south. Unfortunately a week of rain had drenched the forest & the most benign rides turned into slick ruts that sapped everyone's energy. Martin Pennycook was unable to see the course. He travelled all the way from Kirkaldy to discover that some individuals not only keep a welcome in the hillside but also anything else they can get their greasy hands on. Martin's kit was stolen in Llantrisant on Friday night. Let us hope the proceeds were invested in a particularly lethal batch of drugs. On the subject of drugtaking, the organisers would be interested to know what exotic cocktail of hallucinagenics the ACU were taking when they devised the new numbering system. The riders were started in groups of 3 & the first batch left at 10.01. The rain persisted & it was unusually cold. The Championship class were given 3 laps, Experts & Clubmen 2 & Sportsmen 1. An excellent programme contained lots of details of the schedules & distances on colour coded pages. David Knight #1 was unaffected by the rib injury he sustained in last week's Polish World Round as he set the fastest special test. Phil Wilkinson's second test ended in Casualty with a knee injury. Following Check 3 the course went over a steep drop into a stream & alongside a wall before climbing through some mature pines. Shiny roots immediately emerged on every line & with the exception of the Championship class, most riders required some assistance. Thanks to everyone who took the time to express their appreciation of this site before covering me in mud. The slippery conditions caused several riders - like Dennis Harrison from Daventry - to run out of petrol while many others just ran out of steam. Championship rider Euan McConnell from Newtown Stewart stopped on a forestry road & sat staring at his bike. The problem was a lack of Welsh cakes. Fortunately I was carrying some spares & he was able to continue. At the end of the first day the 212 starters were reduced to 78 finishers in the Parc Ferme. The provisional Day 1 leader was David Knight with runner up Mark Vaughan. In fifth place was Geriant Jones which was an impressive effort from the Welsh farmer. Late into the night & from 4.30am on Sunday morning Brian & Si Higgins were hard at work in the forest modifying the course with Over 40s class leader Dave Chalwill. The second day start time was put back 1 hour to 10.01am & the required laps were reduced. Despite heavy overnight rain the second day dawned with bright sunshine. Craig Bounds dislocated his shoulder while wrestling with his Honda 650 on a steep downhill & after a seperate incident Manuel Bernardez joined him in the ambulance. Piero Fulgoni of Cyclelogical helped Russel & Ian Preece dig riders out of the ruts at the bottom of the hill climb to Check 2. While Bob Perring - the well known student of Newtonian physics - stood at the top to best study the opposing forces of momentum & gravity. In the afternoon some morons altered the marking around the Aberdare hillclimb & as a result several riders missed Check 3. Thanks to Steve Plain & Paul Strinati for their help closing stages 1 & 2 on Sunday while I towed Loretta Gray back to the finish after her KTM electrics failed. David Knight won every test by an average of 10 seconds to take the Premier. Wayne Braybrook was Runner Up & Ady Smith was third. Geriant Jones made an impressive return to the Championship with a 6th place overall & WTRA Champion Steve Griffiths was 11th. There were 75 finishers.

The Millenium Enduro 1999

The 1999 Millennium Enduro is a new event & was held on 30th & 31st October in the Gwynno Forest nr Pontypridd. The Gwynno forest was last used by the Welsh Trail Riders Association in 1984 to stage the Jubilee. The Millennium is the final round of the British Enduro Championship & was organised by the West Devon club. Clerk of the course - Brian Higgins - created a 40 miles lap by criss-crossing forest twice. The start was at Penrhiw Cradoc. At 1000ft it was very exposed  to the weather & there was plenty of weather. The course descended into the forest & crossed the Llanwonno road to the first of two mx tests before travelling north along the western side of the forest to Check 1 over looking the Rhondda valley. From Check 1 the riders returned to Check 2 - situated alongside the start/finish area - & the second test. The tests were manned by Cambrian Timing. The course then descended again into the forest to Check 3 before returning - via a daunting hillclimb - to the finish of the lap. 9.01 am Saturday morning & the first 2 Championship riders started the first 2½ laps in a light drizzle but as the day progressed the weather deteriorated. Torrential rain driven by gale force winds ground away at the course & the riders. On Sunday some occasional sunlight illuminated a diminished field. The provisional winner was David Knight with Tim Lewis 2nd & Wyn Hughes 3rd. There were 68 finishers. Results