|
SCEC: Crepe Farm Hare and Hounds:
Nr Bridport: Sunday 2nd June
Report by Tamsin
Jones. Photos by www.Imageconsortium.co.uk
These events just get better and better. Sunday 2nd June in sweltering hot weather 123 bikes lined up for yet another 3 hr hare and hound, organised by SCEC, over a third of the entry having chosen to head to the beach or stay at home with hangovers after the football. The 6 mile lap started with a tight switchback around a rooty tree, then along the edge of a maize field to a singe track wooded section. After this was a fast fire road which kicked up lots of dust and lead to a bog which we were all told to keep right at at the riders briefing. A few people got caught out riding in other people's dust and suddenly found themselves in the wrong place - Stuck in the bog, me included. Half way round was a forest loop with logs, roots, tight corners and greasy hills, then tight grassy corners across a few fields, back into the wood and a rooty, rutty hill.
Once out of the forest loop then fast tracks around the edge of the maize fields to open fields which were a welcome relief but didn't last for long, into more tight corners then a deep bog. Every lap there were more and more riders stuck up their seats in bog. Fair play to the marshals they had their work cut out. Most people did get through but it was getting harder and deeper every lap. Last section was hilly, grassy off camber turns.
The heat did get to a few riders and a few bikes gave up the will to live, half a dozen or so bikes had to be towed out of the bogs so in the end 94 out of 123 finished. Most people looked tired but happy at the end of the day. However few looked happier than overall winner Daryl Bolter:
"The event was really good, the rain we had in the morning made it very interesting on the grassy bits and helped to lay the dust a bit, just before the start the sun came out and then i knew it was going to be a hot one, so i got dad to fill my camel back up, i started the race ok, i didn't want to push to hard because i didnt know the area, once i completed the first lap i decided to push but then i got held up behind some people trying to get through a ditch, the day was getting hotter so i just paced myself to last the 3 hours, it was really good training for me because the course had a bit of everything, some grassy test type going, some really good wooded sections, fallen trees, and a good bog to sort everybody out! Overall it was a really good event and i think it would make a Brilliant round of the BEC I'll look forward to riding it again."
A really well designed course which kept you challenged for the whole way round but also accessible to all abilities, Renee Diwell, competing in her 3rd event, finished it on a small wheel TTR125. It made you feel as though you really had ridden a proper course for 3 hrs.
RESULTS:
Champs: 1st Daryl Bolter 13 laps, 2nd Andy Elliot 13 laps, 3rd Gary Holland 13 laps.
Expert: 1st Chris Brown 13 laps, 2nd Mark Cornick 13 laps, 3rd Andy Scudamore 13 laps
Clubman E1: 1st Mark Foster 12 laps, 2nd Alistair Gilmour 10 laps, 3rd Alex Colman 10 laps
Clubman E2: 1st Steve Harding 12 laps, 2nd David Crofts 11 laps, 3rd Chris Collins 11 laps
Sportsman: 1st Chris Brown 10 laps, 2nd Robert Ellick 10 laps, 3rd Kevin Pippard 10 laps
© Article
& Photos - are Copyright.
|
