SOURCE: ENDURONEWS.COMJonny Walker wins the 2015 Tough One
Saturday 7th March - Nantmawr Quarry near Oswestry
The Nantmawr Gulag was almost unrecognisable in bright Spring sunshine for the 11th Michelin Tough One.
The 2 hour Sportsman and Over 40s race began at 9.00am. The course was a simplified version of the Pro lap but it still contained many of the Tough One's classic challenges. The Root of All Evil had been graded but the Boulder Garden remained graded as extreme. Mick Boam was the Best Vet and the fastest overall. Grant Churchward was 2nd and Gavin Johnson was 3rd. The 7th quickest was Brian Till and he was the Best Sportsman. Fred Adams was the runner up and Ryan Cox was 3rd.
The 50 strong Clubman race started at12 noon. Jordan Ridgway led for the first 2 laps until he had to pull into the pits with a split brake hose. He restarted but then had to re-pit with a broken gear lever. Brad Williams was running in 2nd when he also split a hose. Despite losing 30 minutes he managed to pull back to 5th. Danny Thomas was the winner. Matthew Solan had led and finished 2nd and Will Emery was 3rd.
In the main race Jonny Walker led from Le Mans start to finish to take his first T1 win. 3 times winner Graham Jarvis overcame arm pump in the early stage of the race as he kept a firm grip on second place. Alfredo Gomez had a disastrous start when his rear wheel got trapped in a tyre and he dropped to 19th on his first lap but he regrouped with the vocal encouragement of his spannerman and by the midway he had overtaking Andreas Lettenbichler and Mario Roman in a three way battle for the 3rd step on the podium.
Following the race Mario Roman was disqualified for course cutting and reckless riding. Video
You never forget how to ride a bike and after 4 years out of competition Juan Knight proved the old adage by winning the Pro Vets class. Wayne Braybrook was runner up and Carl Tiley was 3rd.
Gary Jenkins was the Best Expert ahead of Charlie Frost and Luke Lusher. Jane Daniels clocked up 8 laps to finish 14th.
Graham Jarvis: “My fitness was good, so the biggest challenge was getting to 100% during the first few laps. I didn’t really make any mistakes. My biggest problem was those first three or four laps where I struggled for a bit of pace with arm pump. Once I got my lines right and managed to start pushing I had a good pace and kept a similar speed to Jonny. The only disappointing thing was this first few laps really.”
Alfredo Gomez: “It’s been a very busy but very good weekend for me. I had some bad luck at The Tough One, but still finished on the podium. As we were running from the start Enockl and Hemingway fell in front of me and I fell too. Once I got to the bike, I immediately started pushing really hard to get a good positioning. Then bad luck struck again. Close to finishing the first lap, I got stuck in one of the huge truck tires. The rear wheel of the bike stuck into the tyre and I lost a lot of time there. It was a crazy situation. Finally we made it, but it was so unlucky. I think I was 16th closing the first lap. For one hour or more I gave it all I had. When I saw Letti in third position I immediately felt more comfortable. For the last 30 minutes there was no more water left in my drink system and it was hard. I’m really happy with my third position. Barcelona was great. It was all on the line for the overall coming into the final race. I had two strong rides in the first two races and held a slight lead when the gate dropped for race three. Unfortunately I got a little boxed out off the start and had to fight my way forward. I gave it everything I had but I suppose after racing at The Tough One yesterday I just didn’t have enough in reserve to hold on to the win.”
SOURCE: ENDURONEWS.COMTough One Victory For Jonny Walker
Jonny Walker has continued his winning ways in 2015, claiming victory at The Tough One extreme enduro. Topping the event for the first time ever having lead from start-to-finish, Walker is now two-for-two having also topped Hell’s Gate three weeks earlier…
Jonny, a first win at The Tough One. How’s it feel to have finally won a major extreme enduro event on home soil?
Jonny: “I’m really pleased with this result. Graham [Jarvis] is a hard guy to beat, but I really wanted to keep things rolling on from my Hell’s Gate win. Conditions were night and day different to that race, but this win wasn’t easy. My plan was to try and get a good start, which I was able to do. After that I just managed my lead. It’s great to finally be able to get a Tough One win.”
A lot of riders suffered with arm pump in the early laps, but you seemed to be able to push hard from the start…
Jonny: “It’s always hard going from cold to full-speed straight away. But I guess the run to my bike warmed me up. Maybe also racing the SuperEnduro events helped, as there’s not much warm-up with indoor races. Like I said I just tried to not make mistakes, which having got a good start was a little easier to do. I felt pretty good from the start.”
You lost a little time mid-race, why was that?
Jonny: “I didn’t read my pit board properly. I thought it said last lap, which thinking about it there’s no way it could have been, and I slowed down a little. The board said something like ‘1 lap till final hour’. It wasn’t too much of a problem as I still had a good lead. I managed that gap and stayed out of trouble during the final hour so everything was fine.”
What was the track like this year, did you prefer the drier conditions?
Jonny: “I was ready for whatever the conditions were going to be really. It was much nicer than the cold and snow we had at Hell’s Gate, but not what everyone’s used to at Nantmawr Quarry. When things are drier it makes some of the climbs and the rocks a little easier, but it was still tough. It was still easy to make a small mistake and for that become a bad lap. I was pleased that I only made one mistakes.”
You were also in action in the Barcelona Indoor Enduro, how was that?
Jonny: “It was great. Not the result I'd hoped for finishing fifth but a really enjoyable event. It was good to get back on my 250cc four-stroke ahead of this weekend’s SuperEnduro final round. That’s going to be an important race for me after my issues in Brazil. I’ve got some work to do…”
Results – Tough One 2015
1. Jonny Walker (KTM) 13 laps 2:31.12; 2. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 13 laps 2:33.28; 3. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) 2:43.00…
Results – Barcelona Indoor Enduro
1. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 49 points; 2. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) 45; 3. Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna) 44; 5. Jonny Walker (KTM) 35…
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