I’m sure my bike was around here somewhere???
Sunday 11th February saw a welcome return to one of Track n Trail’s one of most popular venues. Set exclusively on private land the course was made up of mainly forestry tracks, linked with fast fire breaks.
At the ¾ stage of the lap came the bog, Mike Grounds and Daryl Bolter had built a structure which Mike classified as a bridge and a 100 meter plus paved path through the bog, anyone who was in a bit of a rush, could take their pick of hard routes anywhere off the path! The bridge though, as Clubman 4-Stroke Rider Guy Dix found out, when you’re 5 foot 3 - it was impossible to touch the ground whilst crossing.
The infamous bog lay quietly awaiting the first of the bikes, which on the parade lap and early laps, riders stayed fairly clear, though a few fell foul, as they strayed form the path, to its depths, many of the bikes are still held within its grips!!!!
Many of the riders stopped to take in the mud exfoliating natural extracts
Daryl Bolter, returning this year, (who last year lapped me whilst on a trails bike with a broken wrist) looked relaxed and heading up a three way battle with the ever impressive young Matt Ridgeway and Jonathon Hayman in championship class.
The full entry of 240 bikes were lined up in groups of 10-riders ranked from the results of the previous meeting, set off at 30-second intervals. The weather had held up and the sun began to break through the clouds just in time for the flag to drop on what proved an exhilarating 3-hour race.
Daryl, back on his favoured 125cc mount and looking to put a disappointing 2006 firmly behind him, annihilated the entire field with an overall win on 13-laps some two laps clear of everybody bar Matt Ridgeway. Jonathon Hayman finishing in third.
Bog what bog? Daryl shows us all how clean he keeps is race shirt through the bog
Mark Cornick again hit bad luck with his KTM overheating at the bog, though he did manage to get the thing back home to live another day.
Lap by lap, like a Glaswegian A&E on "Old firm day", the causality count began to rise, the 4-bangers fizzed and popped as they ran hot and over-heated and steamed over: Riders buried, bikes bridged across roots, mud, mud and more mud it was complete, fantastic, mud wrenching mayhem.
Mark Cornick on the other hand!!!
The Expert race saw John Leigh improve on his excellent second place results from Forge Hill to take top honours and all 30-points from Mark Pickard and Tom Smith all on 10-laps.
In the Expert over 40’s Tim Newman just limped through scruitineering on his new bike. As Greg Pascoe, going one better than his Forge Hill result took the number 1 spot with 10-laps, Phill Madden with 9-laps and the ever consistent Andrew Frasier on 8-laps in third place.
Track n Trail would also like to point out that recent Experts over 40’s convert Tom Moore is not a titled Gentleman and the letters DNF that appear each week against his name simply highlight another non Finish!!!! Better luck next time mate!
Russell Gibbon trialling one of his new purple helmets routine
In the Clubman 2-Stroke Darren Hounsell again claimed the podium with George Frazier and Dean Read second and third respectively all on 9-laps
The Sheer bad luck trophy this race goes to Clubman 2-stroke rider number 104 Andy Burgess having risen at 5.00am; driven for 2-Hours; scrutineered some 240-bikes; missed the sighting lap, did ¼ of the first lap got stuck in rut and somehow lost his chain around his front sprocket. Armed only with twigs and leaves it meant a push back to the trailer.
In the Clubman 4-banger race Tom Paulley did his championship place no harm being the only rider to finish on 9 laps, Ross Follett and Alistair Gilmour were second and third with both riders notching up 8-laps each.
Clinton Smith blast through one of the fire breaks
In the Sportsman 2-stroke Mark Davies romped home a complete lap ahead of 7-lap David Ford and David Brown second and third, who locked in battle had little daylight between them at the end of the race and were separated by just 50-seconds.
The Sportsman 4-Banger Jason Humphries took all 30-points improving on his 7th Place result in January. Steve Head also improved on his 13th place at Forge Hill with 25 points and 2nd place from Simon Manley in third.
Darren Gardner Dug In………(Get It, Dug In Gardner?)
In the Over 40’s Sportsman Class Anthony Allen followed up his Forge Hill top spot a full lap ahead of Paul Corthorn in 2nd and Gary Payne third both on 7-laps.
Stuart Sommerville on his way to completing an impressive 10-laps
Finally to the Trail Group, Gavin Maggs added to his impressive 12 points from Forge Hill with a maximum 30-pointer, Richard Comben also improving in 2nd with Paul Baron 3rd.
Well done to all those that finished you’ll probably not ride a tougher event all year.
A huge thank you to all the Marshalls that kept the event flowing some (well all actually) were covered from head to toe in Mud – THANK YOU! Mike for the Bridge – Well done, though don’t give up your day time job for an engineering one – please
Jeff "Gossy" Goss lining up a move on the KTM
Look out for the next event on March 11th, another Track and Trail new venue sees us near Blandford, a crackin’ venue that we are excited about with large woods some fast flowing racing and an extreme hard route choice for those that dare!!!
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