13/07/2008
NMCC WOODEND HARE AND HOUNDS
Race report by
Gareth Hampson.
Photos by
Chris Valentine.
July 13th
saw the welcome return to the ever popular College Farm at Woodend.
Continuous rain the week before prompted many riders to invest in a new
rear tyre. Despite the low turn out at the working party, a challenging
course was set out that provided a fast and at times tricky lap, making
maximum use of what is a fairly noise sensitive venue.
Signing on and
scrutineering were carried out quickly and efficiently, leaving plenty
of time to enjoy the warm and sunny weather that looked to be set for
the day. 62 riders took the start. They were given 5 minutes to warm
their engines prior to the start. In the blink of an eye Giles’s kitchen
clock struck 11:00 am and the first row was away. Most riders started on
their minute, Nigel Forester’s CZ was reluctant to start – perhaps it
was the prospect of the infamous Woodend railway embankment, the CZ
being old enough to know better!
First up was a
series of fast bends and a jump, the riders then had to negotiate a
slippery gateway into the next field. The quick lads had an early chance
to practice their ditch jumping technique over a handily placed jump.
The track then continued around the edge of the field, through a ditch
into another set of fast bends. Then came the first test of skill and
commitment – a heavily rooted deep ditch that was to claim several
riders over the 3 hours. Following this there was a quick blast across a
soggy field, through a gap in the hedge onto some more sweeping bends
which all too quickly brought the riders to the trickiest part of the
lap. Although always rideable, the embankment punished riders with too
little commitment and ensured the marshals were kept busy most of the
day. Once at the top the riders threaded their way along a quick and
bumpy track. Martin Rushbrook decided to park up at a tree – literally!
Hope you are feeling a little better. The descent from the
embankment lead to another ditch that was easily jumped, whisking the
riders ever closer to the Woodend Bog which also claimed its fair share
of riders. Next up was the quarry with a stinking water crossing! The
climb out was short, off camber and slippery, perfect for catching out
the unwary. Another fast section led to some high speed bumps and the
end of the lap
Several riders
suffered punctures, proving the worth of ultra expensive mooses –
although a moose can’t stop gearbox trouble as I found out the hard way,
annoying after a good first half. Still, it made me available to drag
bikes and riders up the embankment!
In the experts
Michael Ridge completed 29 laps, 1 ahead of Ryan Griffiths who had
suffered a puncture 45 minutes in. David Frankland was 3rd. Clubman
Enduro saw James plant take 1st, John Abbott was 2nd
Steve Potter in 3rd. Robert Dowie won the Sportsman Enduro
class. The Clubman Motocross class was closely fought all day, Jon
Gutteridge tied with Geoff Mayes for the overall win, despite losing
time searching for his missing lap scoring tag. Scott Stevens finished 3rd.
Barry Swain took a well deserved win in the Sportsman Motocross class,
proving that a late night drive from Leeds did not hamper his
performance too much.
Well done to
Giles, this was his first Hare and Hounds as Clerk of the Course, an
event that was a big hit with the riders. Thanks to all who entered,
organised or helped.
| class | name | laps | penalties | score |
|
position |
| Expert Enduro +MX |
|
|||||
|
|
Michael Ridge | 29 | 4 | 286 | 1st | |
|
|
Ryan Griffths | 28 | 280 | 2nd | ||
|
|
David Frankland | 28 | 280 | 3rd | ||
|
|
John Freeman | 27 | 270 | 4th | ||
|
|
Mark Parker | 26 | 260 | 5th | ||
|
|
Keith Stockdale | 24 | 240 | 6th | ||
|
|
James Barnwell | 8 | 80 | 7th | ||
|
|
|
|||||
| Clubman Enduro |
|
|||||
|
|
James Plant | 27 | 270 | 1st | ||
|
|
John Abbott | 25 | 8 | 242 | 2nd | |
|
|
Steve Potter | 24 | 240 | 3rd | ||
|
|
John Moore | 24 | 2 | 238 | 4th | |
|
|
Micheal Howell | 23 | 230 | 5th | ||
|
|
James Griffith | 23 | 230 | 6th | ||
|
|
Peter Marciniak | 22 | 6 | 214 | 7th | |
|
|
Luke Plummer | 18 | 180 | 8th | ||
|
|
Gary Biggins | 16 | 160 | 9th | ||
|
|
Gareth Hampson | 12 | 120 | 10th | ||
|
|
Nigel Mckinley | no tag | 0 | 11th | ||
|
|
Mark Lee | dnf | ||||
|
|
Martin Rushbrook | dnf | ||||
|
|
|
|||||
| Sportsman Enduro |
|
|||||
|
|
Robert Dowie | 22 | 220 | 1st | ||
|
|
Martin Stanley | 22 | 220 | 2nd | ||
|
|
David Morel | 21 | 210 | 3rd | ||
|
|
Roger Titman | 20 | 200 | 4th | ||
|
|
Anthony Gibson | 20 | 200 | 5th | ||
|
|
Russ Watson | 19 | 190 | 6th | ||
|
|
Fred Sampson | 16 | 160 | 7th | ||
|
|
James Higgins | 16 | 160 | 8th | ||
|
|
Chris Holt | 16 | 160 | 9th | ||
|
|
Graham Brunt | 15 | 150 | 10th | ||
|
|
Rob Russell | 15 | 150 | 11th | ||
|
|
Stuart Dury | 15 | 150 | 12th | ||
|
|
Neil Beckett | 14 | 140 | 13th | ||
|
|
Russ Elms | 8 | 80 | 14th | ||
|
|
Vince Clark | 8 | 80 | 15th | ||
|
|
Jon Curtis | 4 | 40 | 16th | ||
|
|
Nigel Forester | dnf | ||||
|
|
Mark Butler | dnf | ||||
|
|
|
|||||
| Clubman MX | Jon Gutteridge | 25 | 250 | 1st = | ||
|
|
Geoff Mayes | 25 | 250 | 1st = | ||
|
|
Scott Stevens | 22 | 220 | 3rd | ||
|
|
Brad Willis | 22 | 220 | 4th | ||
|
|
Matt Willis | 21 | 210 | 5th | ||
|
|
Kevin Turnbull | 21 | 210 | 6th | ||
|
|
Rob Saunders | 15 | 150 | 7th | ||
|
|
Ian Linsell | 14 | 140 | 8th | ||
|
|
Lindsay Judge | no tag | ||||
|
|
Nick Wright | no tag | ||||
|
|
Micheal Fitzpatrick | dnf | ||||
|
|
Mark Waldock | dns | ||||
|
|
|
|||||
| Sportsman MX | Barry Swain | 23 | 230 | 1st | ||
|
|
Jason Hartwell | 22 | 220 | 2nd | ||
|
|
Dan Parker | 21 | 210 | 3rd | ||
|
|
Chris Hackett | 19 | 190 | 4th | ||
|
|
John Brotherstone | 19 | 190 | 5th | ||
|
|
Ian Turnball | 19 | 190 | 6th | ||
|
|
Dan Holmes | 17 | 170 | 7th | ||
|
|
Jordan Ryan | 17 | 170 | 8th | ||
|
|
Stefan Nicolls | 16 | 160 | 9th | ||
|
|
Kevin Holmes | 7 | 70 | 10th | ||
|
|
Reg Willis | 5 | 50 | 11th | ||
|
|
Leon Rendor | 4 | 40 | 12th | ||
|
|
Alan Brown | 4 | 40 | 13th |
In the event of a points tie, overall race times were used to determine positions where possible.