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PHOTO ALBUM FROM FACEBOOKThe ACU British Extreme Enduro Championship The FIM (Europe) European Extreme Cup
Knighter hits Eddy's Xtreme for sixthReport Tim Tighe
David Knight completed his double hat-trick of wins at Tong with win number six coming from what he described as the toughest course ever at the venue. Saturated ground and high water levels in the wet sections saw the course change with each lap but it was clear from the first that the big man had it under control.
It's early January, the weather has been awful so it must be extreme enduro time at Tong. Slightly earlier than other years the opening round of the ACU British Extreme Enduro Championship kicked off on January 10th and incorporated the FIM European Extreme Cup into the bargain.
The build up had been encouraging despite the dreadful weather. The entry topped out at 205 riders, pretty much the maximum for the venue, although both Graham Jarvis and Paul Bolton pulled out last minute, Jarvis with a back injury and Bolts was still recovering from a huge crash in Germany at the Super Enduro the week before.
What was truly amazing was the record number of spectators that attended the event, the car park filled fast as did the Holiday Inn car park opposite the venue and many onlookers resorted to parking over a mile away and walking into the event. Each and every extreme section was packed, as was the access road around the course with a constant flow of foot traffic between sections as each race progressed.
The overnight weather was horrendous, high winds and torrential rain had little effect on the course but could have made the turnout low but as Sunday progressed the weather cleared and it was the perfect day for extreme enduro racing.
At 10.00am the first race got underway. On the front row the vets warmed their engines frantically, all bar one. Neil Crayston of D3 Racing was riding a KTM electric Freeride, he was simply warming his hands. This was the first real extreme trial for the bike and it would be interesting to see how he fared. The start he got was pretty impressive, the KTM simply needed a twist of the throttle to get underway and he was a bikes length clear as the flag finished dropping, holding the hole-shot around the first corner with Tony Crowe and Darryl Mead hot on his rear wheel. Mick Boam chose the hard route off the start but still came out ahead of the pack by the second corner
The Youth riders were next away and Max Ditchfield lead the pack followed by harrfy Edmondson in his first extreme race. The Sportsman group was huge. Seventy-five riders were lead by Andy Harvey who had a terrific start with James Cooke-Thomas in his wheel tracks.
Disappearing into the distance the 120 riders took over 15 minutes to reappear at lap-scoring and it was Veteran Mick Boam on his Rock Oil Beta 300, standing tall as ever, who still lead the field. Boam narrowly missed out on the win last year when he thought he had it in the bag and was determined not to make the same mistake twice. The morning racers had the option of riding down the waterfall section, in previous years it was ridden up, and Boam was one of the few riders to use this route but it paid off with the fastest lap of the race and a clear lead at the head of the field. He posted the fastest lap time of the race by far, 16m07s, and rode hard for the entire two hours to take a thoroughly well deserved win, the only rider to complete eight laps.
Anthony Ayrton managed to keep Anthony Tempest at bay taking second overall and in the Vets with Tempest third and third. A special mention must go to Alex Owen who had a stormer of a race. It didn't start well, his starter motor stuck on the line and he was miles behind the pack when he eventually got going but he battled his way up to the top three within a couple of laps and it was only as the race neared completion that he slipped back to fourth overall, a true extreme ride.
The vets dominated the top ten places with the exception of Thomas Johnson who clawed his way to eighth overall and top Sportsman position. Johnson had an impressive ride against equally impressive opposition and dominated the class throughout the race. Darren Cox took second in class, some 23 places adrift of Johnson, with Les Mundy taking third.
Brad Lilburn finished 11th overall and topped the Youth class by nearly 10 minutes over Henry Yardley and Max Ditchfield in second and third. All rode through six laps and it was tough going to say the least but they all finished in style.
The start of the afternoon race for Pro, Expert and Clubman riders was preceded by many course changes, which made the whole show much tougher. Not only was the course longer but there was no option to miss the waterfall section which was followed by a series of very steep up and down sections that took their toll on many riders. There were some spectacular crashes down the waterfall steps but no serious injuries. The infamous DK Ditch made its entrance and Knighter showed how it should be done lap after lap. The Rock Wall was very different to previous years. Instead of riding top to bottom, riders had to negotiate a narrow ledge across the wall or take the chicken run, which was seriously longer in time.
The front row of the grid had many well know names, Knighter, Wayne Braybrook, Ben Hemmingway, Jonno Richardson, Gary Daniels and Gethin Humphries making his first Tong outing. Among the less well know names was Billy Bolt, fresh from a year at World trials, Julian Stevens latest protégé. This was his first proper extreme outing and only time would tell to see if he had what it takes.
He made a good impression off the start. There were two lines to take, the most obvious but slightly longer was along the fire road and around a left hander or over a small log and through a very muddy section which was more direct but far riskier.
The flag dropped and riders rocketed off the line. As the main pack rounded the bend with Knighter in the lead Bolt emerged some 8-10 yards clear of them from the mud section followed closely by Ben Hemmingway who had also taken the risk. Knight's speed put him virtually alongside Bolt but he had to take a muddy line a few yards later and took a short while to pass the newcomer.
Charlie Frost lead the Expert charge, hitting the first corner speedway style but ahead of the pack but to his surprise Brad Williams had taken the direct route and emerged ahead of him. In the Clubman class Elliot Bradshaw went long as Sam Maguire went short and they were neck and neck into the second corner.
The crowds at the start dispersed to the far corners of the course and all eyes were on laps scoring to see who would appear first. It was, of course David Knight.
Knighter took control and proceeded to put on a display of how to attack the hardest of the hard routes lap after lap. He posted the fastest lap time, which was over two minutes faster than anyone else. Never flinching and never relenting in his quest to win and lap everyone DK took his sixth win at Tong in as many years.
David Knight: 'Some people think Tong is not too hard. Let me tell you now, that was possibly the hardest course I have ridden in recent years. The conditions and the course changed every lap and there was absolutely nowhere to rest, I had to charge from the moment the flag dropped. Worth it though!'
Eurotek's Jonno Richardson got his head down and ploughed onwards to second overall and in the pro's while Beta's Ben Hemmingway worked his way to the podium in third as Billy Bolt tired in the closing stages and slipped to fourth following a spectacular dismount at the ditch. He pitted and had his bike straightened but kept plugging away to get fourth which is not too shabby for a first outing at all. Wayne Braybrook should really be in the vets but this talented rider showed he can still compete with the best at hard enduro to take fifth, an outstanding result but not surprising. CF Racing Husqvarna rider Gethin Humphries took sixth and was followed by Norwegian rider Mathias Martinsen with Gary Daniels taking eighth.
Charlie Frost and Brad Williams had a real battle in the Expert class with Williams DNF'ing after six laps with a burnt out clutch while Frost went on to take the class win ahead of Zac Sherwin and Henry Moorhouse. Homeboy William Hoare took fourth just ahead of Luke Lusher.
Sam Maguire won the Clubman class, 29th overall on seven laps, which shows the high level of competition in the race, and was followed by Lennie Tidd and Ben Kirkham both on six laps.
Out of nearly 70 starters only 15 failed to finish. It was a tough course full of tough competitors. For the opening round of the series it bodes well for round two at Cowm Leisure in a months time on February 7th.
Tong once aging rose to the occasion and Fast Eddy and his crew made the most of the venue with some old favourites and plenty of new twists. The weather was kind, the spectators were huge and the racing was world class.
Well done everyone.
