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Andy Frost conquers Cornick Hill.
Report: Lee Davey
Images: Imageconsortium.co.uk
Stephen Mulliner tackles the river crossing.
Wednesday 5th September saw the final round of the 2007 Crescent Suzuki/SCEC Wednesday Evening Series, and what a tough one it proved to be.
As with the previous two rounds there were easy or hard route choices, some offering substantial time savings - should you be lucky or skilful enough to make it to the end of the section unscathed. SCEC member Mark Cornick had helped build the course and decided to include a "double" which led to a near vertical climb that also boasted a "kicker" near to the top. This route undoubtedly gave the biggest opportunity on the course to save time, but as is so often the case, was the most difficult to negotiate. Unsurprisingly this section was mentioned at the riders briefing, which prompted a few nervous glances in the direction of Cornick Hill before the start of the two hour multi-lap event.
The Championship class were the first group away and Andy Frost revelled in the dry conditions, eventually finishing with a 1 ½ minute lead over second placed Mark Cornick. Frost didn't have it all his own way though as Cornick led Frost for the first two laps but grudgingly relinquished his lead. With Cornick now occupying second it was up to third placed Leigh Williams to try and close the gap. Sadly for Williams he was unable to catch Cornick and the top three finishers in the Champ class were Andy Frost, Mark Cornick and Leigh Williams, each completing nine laps.
Andy Frost takes the win.
For the Expert riders it was certainly a case of mix and match. For the first few laps Ross Hill and Brett Wheeler were battling for first and second places with Hill eventually gapping Wheeler. Wheeler then came under pressure from Gavin Flagg who claimed second spot. Wheeler then passed Flagg and taking a leaf from Ross Hill's book, continued to expand his lead over Flagg. The Expert finishers were Ross Hill, Brett Wheeler and Gavin Flagg respectively.
The E1 Clubman class was won convincingly by Tommy Layzell who took the lead and held it comfortably with an eventual lead of some eleven minutes after the 2 hour race. Second and third placed William Richards and Brad Perrett had a very different race to Layzell with places continually being exchanged. Perrett led Richards for all but the first lap, but was passed at the closing stages to give Richards second over third placed Perrett.
The E2 Clubman race looked to be anyone's for the majority of the event. James Courtenay took the early lead with Neil Deakin hot on his heels. Deakin and Matt Guppy then passed Courtenay only to have Courtenay pass them both and reclaim his lead. Sadly for Courtenay his lead was short-lived and was passed by Guppy and Deakin. Guppy held first place for the majority of the race but Dean Pennington came from nowhere to take the class win, relegating Guppy to second and Deakin to third.
Claire Ryall shows the blokes how it's done.
The Over 40's class was initially led by Russell Priddle but Karl Phillips was having none of it and led the class on the second lap. From here Phillips was untouchable and second and third places were left to Priddle and Steve Cook to fight over. After an hour and a half, Cook had a comfortable lead over Priddle, but had no way of catching Phillips who eventually finished with a two minute lead over Cook, who in turn had a one minute lead over Priddle.
The Sportsman class was a similar story to some of the other classes, with Jon Stamper taking the initial lead and then clearing off into the distance whilst second and third places were being exchanged at will. Stamper finished with a 1 ½ minute lead over second placed Paul Cummings who had relegated Brendan Reese to third. At the end, only a set of feeler gauges could measure the distance between Cummings and Reese.
For me; riding in the E2 Clubman class, things were not going well. After tackling Cornick Hill on the first lap, I was pleased that my bike effortlessly crested the top of the hill. Sadly, I wasn't on it at the time and unceremoniously slid all the way to the bottom, only just managing to clamber my way to the top and rejoin my bike. From here it was definitely a case of more haste = less speed as I proceeded to bounce off all that I could find. Eventually I settled into some sort of rhythm but it wasn't enough to challenge the top three, let alone the leader. At the flag I finished fifth, which all things considered, I wasn't too upset with as its a few points to add to my Championship total. I know I've said it many times before, but I MUST get fitter for next year.
After speaking to event organiser Gary Warr, it transpires I wasn't the only one in difficulty. Course owner, Danny Hall was aboard a borrowed 125 Husqvarna. The chain snapped on the first lap, and following a push to the pits, he set off a lap behind the leaders.
Champ rider Stan Watt had a great start, but his front brake adjuster somehow jammed causing his front brake to lock each time it left the ground, eventually causing Stan to crash out of the race.
Much to the delight of my little girl (who's 5); Charlotte Ryall was flying the flag for the girls. Riding a Yamaha YZ with pink hubs and rims, levers, grips and graphics, Poppy was absolutely mesmerised each lap. At the end of the race, the first thing she said was "Did you see how high the girl on the pink bike was jumping?"
The final words I'll leave to Gary Warr and his thoughts on Cornick Hill. "Mark Cornick built the new jumps and expert routes - then made them look sickeningly easy. Sadly for Dorset Police Club's Craig Redmond, he made them look impossible!"
Mark Cornick goes up & over.
Crescent Suzuki Wednesday evening Enduro results 5-9-2007:
Championship: 1st Andy Frost, 2nd Mark Cornick, 3rd Leigh Williams
Expert: 1st Ross Hill, 2nd Brett Wheeler, 3rd Gavin Flagg.
E1 Clubman (up to 125cc 2-stroke, 250cc 4-stroke): 1st Tommy Layzell, 2nd William Richards 3rd Brad Perrett.
E2 Clubman (over 125cc 2-stroke, 250cc 4-stroke): 1st Dean Pennington, 2nd Matt Guppy, 3rd Neil Deakin.
Over 40: 1st Karl Phillips, 2nd Steve Cook, 3rd Russell Priddle.
Sportsman: 1st Jon Stamper, 2nd Paul Cummings, 3rd Brendan Reece.
2007 Crescent Suzuki Wednesday Evening Championship final standings:
Championship: 1st Mark Cornick, 2nd Daryl Bolter, 3rd Andy Frost
Expert: 1st Gavin Flagg, 2nd Darren Hounsell, 3rd Mark Lewis.
E1 Clubman (up to 125cc 2-stroke, 250cc 4-stroke): 1st Tommy Layzell, 2nd Brad Perrett 3rd Paul Charman.
E2 Clubman (over 125cc 2-stroke, 250cc 4-stroke): 1st Matt Guppy, 2nd Lee Davey, 3rd Neil Deakin.
Over 40: 1st Karl Phillips, 2nd Dave Coles, 3rd Steve Cook.
Sportsman: 1st Brendan Reese, 2nd Paul Cummings, 3rd Steve Green.
For further details and full results of this
race visit www.enduro.org.uk
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