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Lifer Nick’d Xmoor in
Three
Rifton Barton Hare & Hounds
Report and Photos by Adrian Harris
Championship class winner
Nick Life made light work
of the Expert Route obstacles to net first place.
After a worrying torrential downpour on the
Saturday as the organisers finalised the course they feared the worst.
But glorious summer weather on the Sunday provided Xmoor Enduro Club
racers with what must have been close to the ultimate three hour Hare &
Hounds / Sprint Enduro track at Rifton Barton in Mid Devon on August
21st.
A long stream section
created quite a challenge
for many, but was spectacular to watch.
A tough battle in the twelve strong
championship class saw Nick Life take a hard earned and well deserved
win with from second place Chris Dustow - also on 13 laps and Jack
Twentyman in third. Although Nick took the hole-shot and lead by a big
margin for over one and a half hours, standing up through a tricky
gulley in an ‘expert route’ netted him a whack on the head from a low
branch, which swiped him clean off the bike and left him with a mighty
headache to contend with...
Gary Wright, on the gas
through the stream section.
...His lap times only suffered a little, but
Chris Dustow who had been charging strong was now picking up pace and
starting to shred his lap times. Things were not looking so clear cut.
Simon Thomas rode hard to
4th spot in the Expert Over35 class.
Fate however played a hand when with one
hour to go Chris’s rear master cylinder lost a retaining bolt, thus
leaving him to circulate a track that included very technical and steep
sections with only a front stopper, but with great credit managed to
hold out for second spot and one lap ahead of Jack Twentyman who had
suffered from a disastrous first lap.
Chris Dustow had to settle
for 2nd place in the championship class
after suffering a rear brake failure with one hour to go.
The fickle finger of fate also played a part
in taking out two other championship class brothers, Steve and Matt
Holcombe. Like many other riders on the day, Steve crushed two fingers
when his bike clipped a tree and Matt’s rear shock blew making his bike
unrideable with only ten minutes to go.
Callum Reynalds got rather
grassed-up at the start.
Karl Langford rode consistently to an Expert
class win, beating Ashley Scott who had put in some blisteringly fast
laps for second place only two minutes behind and also on 12 laps. Matt
Taylor rode well and came home in third place but one lap down.
Karl Langford took the
Expert win.
Ashley Scott fought to
second place in the Experts.
Paul Tossel took the Expert Over35 win by
just over one minute from second place Andy Scudamore and Chris Doidge
all on 11 laps. Robert Ellick took the Clubman 2 stroke win with 11 laps
and Steve Comer the Clubman 4 stroke win with 10 laps. The Clubman Over
40 class was won by Rob Withey on 10 laps and the Sportsman class win
was taken by Callum Collins also on 10 laps.
Chris Doidge managed to net
3rd spot with 11 laps in the Over35 Experts.
The 14-16 year old youth class was a
nail-biter from start to finish. Dominic Thomas’s bike misfired off the
line and gave him a hard time completing the first lap, allowing
Lawrence Strong and Scott Jenkins to storm away. However Dominic’s bike
finally cleared and he started reeling in the front runners rapidly lap
by lap until leading. But unwisely choosing the shorter but harder
‘Expert Route’ proved an unwise decision, allowing Lawrence to re-take
the lead and gain a well ridden victory from Scott in second spot and
Dominic in third, all with an incredible 11 laps under their belt.
Scott Jenkins rode a wise
race and took 2nd in the
very hotly contested 14-16 Youth class.
Sophie Thomas finished 3rd
in the Clubman 4stroke class despite a headache after hitting her head a
few times on a certain low tree.
All riders interviewed thought it was the
best laid out track they had ridden, with a great balance of mixed
going, plus natural and man made ‘interesting’ crowd pleasing obstacles.
However caution needed to be taken through the trees and many a rider
rued not having their hand guards fitted properly, or having not ducked
far enough, as visits to the first aid medics with bashed fingers and
headaches were not uncommon during the course of the day.
Clubman 4stroke winner Steve
Comer shows how riding this
dreaded tyre section should be ridden.
Finally, I was specifically asked by all the
riders who spoke to me to ensure I thanked the organisers on their
behalf, for putting on such a slick and well organised event.
John Baker can supply a full
set of over 500 photos
from this event. Check them out at his website
HERE
RACE RESULTS:
Championship:
1. Nick Life, No7, Suzuki 250, 13 laps.
2. Chris Dustow, No2, GasGas 300, 13 laps.
3. Jack Twentyman, No14, Yamaha 250, 13 laps.
Expert:
1. Karl Langerford, No40, KTM 250, 12 laps.
2. Ashley Scott, No52, KTM 144, 12 laps.
3. Matt Taylor, No57, Suzuki 250, 11 laps.
Expert Over35:
1. Paul Tossel, No205, KTM 250, 11 laps.
2. Andy Scudamore, No206, KTM 250, 11 laps.
3. Chris Doidge, No221, KTM 300, 11 laps.
Clubman 2stroke:
1. Robert Ellick, No106, 11 laps.
2. Dave Parker, No146, 10 laps.
3. Justin Wood, No101, 10 laps. |
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Clubman 4stroke:
1. Steve Comer, No157, Yamaha 250, 10 laps.
2. Ollie Ford, No162, KTM250, 10 laps.
3. Sophie Thomas, No284, Kawasaki 250, 9 laps.
Clubman Over40:
1. Rob Withey, No264, KTM 250, 10 laps.
2. Graham Widdecombe, No252, KTM 250, 9 laps.
3. Mickey Kersey, No286, 9 laps.
Sportsman:
1. Callum Collins, No351, KTM 150, 10 laps.
2. Jay Cross, No313, 9 laps.
3. Ian Clarke, No307, Yamaha 125, 9 laps.
14-16 Year Olds:
1. Lawrence Strong, No410, Suzuki 125, 11 laps.
2. Scott Jenkins, No353, Kawasaki 250, 11 laps.
3. Dominic Thomas, No815, Kawasaki 85, 11 laps. |
Full Results
HERE
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