Even with the wet summer that we’ve enjoyed this year, each event I’ve been to has been pretty dry. Don’t get me wrong, there’s always a section or two that includes a stream or river to dampen things down a little, but the Southern Counties Enduro Club event on the 28^th October proved that Dorset’s monsoon season is definitely at the latter part of the year.

Sadly for me, I was sidelined for this particular event and call me masochistic, but arriving shortly before the start only to be greeted by horizontal rain and the kind of winds that demand a firm grip on the car door as you step foot into the muddy field, I was more than a little miffed that I wasn’t taking part; especially as this particular venue at Milton Abbas was all-new.

Stuart Sommervile over-heats !!

Course wise, there was a bit of everything to keep those who were lucky enough to ride amused. The start led into a typically technical wooded Enduro section which snaked its way into a muddy field crossing which the faster riders made look incredibly easy, whilst those with slightly less momentum had to content with clogged tyres and a very wayward bike. The reward for climbing out of this field was one of plentiful grip in the stubble-field Motocross track. From here there was a mixture of smaller woodland sections that were interspersed with tricky off-cambers that demanded absolute concentration at all times. Once these were safely navigated, a short wooded trail was all that stood between those riders who were still upright and the start of another lap.

The Championship class looked to be going Mark Cornick’s way as he took to the lead and continued to stay there for the first 2 hours of the race. Mark was one of a number of four-stroke riders suffering from overheating, and having only just rebuilt his engine after cooking it at a previous event; he decided to retire which handed the lead to Gary Wright. Wright finished the race with a 6 minute buffer over second placed Bradley King, who in turn had a 7 minute gap between himself and third placed Jeff Goss.

Mark Cornick shortly before disaster struck

Sam Chapman led the Expert class from the start and looked to be safely in the lead until James Ovens began to reel him in after a few laps. Sadly for Ovens, Chapman cleared off into the distance, deciding that Ovens was too close for his liking. In third place was Gary McCoy but with Ovens gathering pace whilst trying to catch Chapman, McCoy had to settle for third spot with a minute between himself and second place.

The E1 Clubman class was won convincingly by Ian Shuttleworth who must have been very lonely at the front as the remainder of the E1 field were far behind. David Parker was in second place and following Ian’s example, had built a considerable lead over third placed Sam Richards. Obviously the E1 bunch had decided that it was far too slippery for bar-to-bar action.

Christopher Stuckey and Tyson Mayton-Jones in the E2 Clubman class had other ideas. No one will ever know whether it was a conscious decision to accompany each other around the sodden course or not, but the leading two were never more than a minute apart and finished a cosy 4 seconds adrift of each other at the end. Being gooseberry was never an issue for third placed Matt Guppy, as although Matt was riding well, maintaining a fairly equal gap between himself and the leading pair, Stuckey and Mayton-Jones had an unassailable lead.

Stan Watt through the mud

Some of the Sportsman riders were finding the wet, slippery conditions particularly tiring, but the leading trio of Andrew Rossiter, Brendan Reese and Pete Fry didn’t seem to suffer. Not only did they claim the top three places respectively in the Sportsman class, they also enjoyed a respectable mid-pack finish in the overall results.

Peter Archer definitely didn’t want the rest of the Over 40 class catching him and finished with a massive 2 lap barrier between himself and second placed Steven Taylor, which equates to some 25 minutes! Chris Beswick gave chase, eventually finishing 3^rd.

As impressive as some of the leads were, weather of less biblical proportions could have seen them stretched further still, as the race was shortened to 2 hours 20 minutes. With the course becoming ever more challenging, the harder it got, the wider the course became – but it has to be said not one rider complained!

Gary McCoy dodges the rain-drops

Also worth a mention is a comment received from SCEC’s Gary Warr regarding the compulsory use of Enduro tyres.

• Championship: 1^st Gary Wright, 2^nd Bradley King, 3^rd Jeff Goss.
• Expert: 1^st Sam Chapman, 2^nd James Ovens, 3^rd Gary McCoy
• E1 Clubman (up to 125cc 2-stroke, 250cc 4-stroke): 1^st Ian Shuttleworth, 2^nd David Parker, 3^rd Sam Richards.
• E2 Clubman (over 125cc 2-stroke, 250cc 4-stroke): 1^st Christopher Stuckey, 2^nd Tyson Mayton-Jones, 3^rd Matt Guppy.
• Over 40: 1^st Peter Archer, 2^nd Stephen Taylor, 3^rd Chris Beswick.
• Sportsman: 1^st Andrew Rossiter, 2^nd Brendan Reece, 3^rd Pete Fry.