I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of football is pretty
poor, but there’s only one expression that can describe the very last
of the Crescent Suzuki Wednesday evening series. It was definitely a
game of two halves.
The weather men gave a forecast that promised overcast skies followed
by heavy rain that would reach Dorset by 5pm. At least dust wouldn’t
be a problem and the water bowser could be left in the barn, but would a
covering of rain clouds bring a prematurely dark evening?
With the Southern Counties Enduro Club making sure the flag was
dropped at the allotted time of 5.30, the Championship Class were first
to ride around the still dry, Rogershill Raceway course. The
"In-Chains" sponsored rider, Ben Milward was leading at the
end of the first lap with Rogershill Raceway owner Danny Hall in second
place, followed by KTM 525 mounted Lee Williams.
Once in the lead, Milward set the pace with consistently fast lap
times, but second and third places were being hotly contested with Hall
and Williams swapping places almost every lap.
Gary Warr on his way to top the over 40's
class.
At the halfway point of the two hour Enduro, the weather men’s
predictions came true – if a little later than expected. Dark clouds
brought an endless torrent of heavy rain and gave the largely chalky
track an incredibly slippery feel. Having been spoilt by all the dry
weather this summer, my penny-pinching luck was brought swiftly to an
end, as my rear tyre had been used for 4 previous events plus a couple
of practice sessions. Although it felt pretty good when the track was
dry, even the slightest touch of the throttle resulted in manic wheel
spin. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one having difficulties, as even
the front runners were finding it difficult to keep to their previous
lap times with losses of around a minute or so a lap over the 5 mile
course.
Fuel stops also seemed to play a significant part for a great many
riders. Normally with a 3 hour Hare & Hounds Enduro, a fuel stop is
made at the halfway point, but some riders, myself included, were
gambling with a no stop strategy. Two hours would be enough of a gamble,
but should a rider check in at the end of a lap just a few seconds under
the two hour mark, he or she would need to complete yet another lap to
be classed as a "finisher". Even running out of fuel 100 yards
past the check point, would mean a near 5 mile push around the circuit
back to the designated re-fuelling area. Not recommended.
Unfortunately for SCEC’s very own Gary Warr, a
"no-stopper" didn’t prove easy: "I decided to see if
the 300 could be coaxed into squeezing 2 hours from a tank, in spite of
brimming her and riding 'economically' she couldn't!
Unbelievably she stalled at the transponder point a couple of laps
before the end and absolutely refused to restart. Eventually it occurred
to me to look in the tank - oops... Anyway, a splash of gas and all was
well but I did loose a couple of hard earned places (including losing my
series long battle with Steve Harding - grrrrr)"
Over the slippery pipe section.
With the black clouds came darkening skies which favoured those with
a carrot rich diet. For those without lights or the dietary requirements
of Bugs Bunny, the fading light levels turned the race into a test of
skill and memory, as each root or tree stump in the short woodland
section needed to be stored in the memory banks in a vain attempt to
keep lap times to an acceptable level. Once out of the trees, riders
were then faced with a lap of the slippery, chalk Motocross track before
the end of the final lap.
At the front, Milward was enjoying an un-challenged 3 minute lead and
easily took his second win in the three round series. Danny Hall and Lee
Williams were still battling away behind him, with Danny eventually
passing Williams to take second place, relegating Williams into third.
As strange as it sounds, I enjoyed the different "edge"
these conditions brought, but decided to keep these feelings to myself
for fear of ridicule. But as I walked through the paddock area, other
riders could be heard expressing similar opinions. Ok, the rain might be
a novelty at present, but challenging conditions are precisely what
Enduro is all about. After all, the sport didn’t achieve its name by
accident.
Well, if you missed any or all the Crescent Suzuki Wednesday evening
events, it’s too late! That’s it, no more. Well, for this year at
least.
Each event has attracted a good number of competitors and introduced
some new faces to the club.
We’ve seen Tamsin Jones lead a few of her friends around the
course, showing us blokes a thing or two about riding off-road.
We’ve had Si Wakely from PAR Homes Honda show us exactly why he’s
proving himself as one of Britain’s up and coming riders.
And we’ve also seen a very brave friend of mine, who had his first
ever off-road tuition on the Monday before the event. He even managed a
highly creditable 3 laps, despite being given pointers by me. Well done
Adam.
