September has quickly come around and following the Y Clasur Foel in June, the Summer break led into the annual 2 day event at Carrog Isa, this year dedicated to a well loved club member who was sadly taken from us just over a year ago. In remembrance of those close to us, the event on Saturday started with a round of applause in memory of Chris and also Norman Shore (one of the original members of Gresford Classic Club) who was also sadly lost last month.
The turnout over the weekend was consistent but down on the usual numbers with 46 riders contesting Saturday and 54 on Sunday. A real shame, especially considering the weather and the fantastic range of sections laid out by the club officials. With two days of competition, the opportunity to tweak a number of the sections took place and those riders who contested both days were offered a great range of challenges.
As a rider who stepped up into the 50/50 class this year, I took the opportunity to have my first attempt at the full expert route on the Saturday, my thoughts being it would be good for my development, I could ride my normal class the following day and I set myself a personal target of getting through each section at least once! With this in mind my review of the Expert class on Saturday needs to be taken in context!
So what was the event like? Well the 4 laps of 10 sections were marked out in small groupings and made good use of the mixed terrain. The grassy banks and cambers were mixed with some great stream sections and Sec 6 was a real variety section throwing in an entry over a log, through a muddy boggy section and then ended up with a range of banks, cambers and roots.
My Saturday started well delivering a clean (which was repeated on each lap), this Experts route is going to be OK I thought as I rode up to the cluster of Sec 2 and 3. These threw in a real step up from the 50/50 route with some very challenging climbs out of the stream gully, with Sec 3 asking you to launch left out of the main gully, over a bank incorporating a range of large rocks. The first 3 laps resulted in 5's on Sec 3 with lap 1 resulting in me throwing the bike away and forcing the bars to knock out of place. The final lap raised the challenge to me of trying to hit my goal of getting through each section at least once and after taking some advice from the kind observer on the route the other experts were taking, a revised entry to the bank and rock combination rewarded me with a very satisfactory dab. So much for the easy baptism on Sec 1!
Section 7 also threw in some interesting challenges on Saturday as this on the face of it appeared to be a straight forward drop into a stream, over a clump, a few cambered bank turns then a blast up a bank (after dropping into the stream bed so the nose was pointing down) followed by another set of cambered turns. The gradient of the bank and the more complex entry were once of the key changes between the 50/50 route and Experts and once again having the opportunity to have such an alien combination to stretch my skills resulted in a score of 11 but some good attempts thrown in.
The rest of the sections were are rideable, nothing dangerous as a first timer stepping up and the overall tally meant each section took an average of 12 marks. A little higher that I was hoping for but my goal of getting through each one at least once was achieved. I have got to thank the observers and the Expert riders for their support and encouragement!
Day 2 was a completely different bag as I dropped back down to the 50/50 route but totally exhausted from the previous day. I knew it was not going to go well when Sec 1 (which had only been tweaked at the exit) immediately took 2 marks off of me on the 50/50 route. Other silly dabs and a five on one lap took 10 marks on a section I had cleaned the previous day on the harder class.
Section 9 was another section that I struggled to hook into and whilst the section looked straight forward, the nadgery left hand turn between two trees taking you into an up and down bank combination took a number of dabs from a lot of riders. The second half of this section took you out of a gully, up a bank into a tight left hand turn with some significant roots and rocks to limit your lines.
All in all, the club officials once again laid out a great range of sections for the 2 days and the small number of changes made Saturday night gave the riders who took part both days enough variety to keep the on the pegs and on their toes.
Observer report - Jan Jones
Section five which was situated high up the mountain side, set in a gulley of rock roots running water and mud. The section was approached by a steep downhill drop into a muddy puddle with a sharp uphill climb for the red route riders in the bed of the stream, to exit up the bank with a tricky turn around a rock outcrop. the riders then having to cope with returning to the stream bed which was now interlaced with tree roots, again with a steep climb, to exit via a very tight turn to the section end boards.
By its very nature this section proved to be the undoing of any rider that failed to commit, with a majority of the red riders succumbing to 3s and 5s on the first lap !
Whilst a well supported entry of yellow route riders thought they may have had it easier, it proved not to be the case ! Again any rider who failed to commit and carry speed throughout the section, it proved to be their downfall ! Using the same down hill drop into the stream, followed by an uphill exit to the left this time, but across a muddy bank, the step out of the stream proved to be a step too far for the non committed ! With again a bag full of 3s and 5s being claimed on the first lap !
The green route followed a course which some claimed was easier than the yellow, but going again by marks lost this proved not to have been the case ! With many an over confident rider again succumbing to the sting in the tail of this section, that being the by now slippery tree roots.
Whilst the white route was obviously set a little more on the genteel side, it still entered down the drop toward the stream but turned off left across a grassy bank, which required the skilful avoidance of a moss covered tree stump which again entrapped the unwary rider, again lessons to commit early on into the section was a lesson to be learnt !
Day two was a re run of day one with less marks being lost due to the section obviously becoming easier to ride as the trail progressed and the ground conditions becoming dryer.
As always we have got to thank the organisers, club officials, observers and "Lovely Baps" catering team for such a great weekend
Classification's for the two days were as follows:
Saturday
Pre 65 Elite: Russ Jones (Francis Barnett) 16, Kev Ellis (James) 24
Pre 65 50/50: Mark Elvidge (Francis Barnett) 21, Harry Lyons (Bantam) 28, Peter Elvidge (Bantam) 33
Pre 65 Clubman: Steve Walker (Francis Barnett) 12, Terry Lloyd (Triumph Cub) 21, Mike Davies (BSA) 23
Twinshock Elite: Steve Shelley (Honda) 30, Mark Gaskell (Whitehawk) 75, Rob Sloggett (Bultaco) 120
Twinshock 50/50: Martin Nelson (Yamaha) 32, Kevin Rivington (Yamaha) 36, Mark Samuel (Fantic) 38
Twinshock Clubman: John Sowden (Honda) 11 FC , Martin Roberts (Yamaha) 11, Peter Cottrell 33
Twinshock Beginner: Rio Roberts (Yamaha) 24
Pre 90 Mono Clubman: Stephen Richards (Yamaha) 16, Paul Cartwright (Beta) 47, Chris Macgillivray (Fantic) 92
Modern Mono Elite: Brian Jackson (Montesa) 38, Gordon Wilson (Montesa) 71, Paul D'henin (Beta) 72
Modern Mono Clubman: Jim Marr (Beta) 17, Ian Emery (Montesa) 18, Tom Walker (Sherco) 34
Modern Mono Beginner: India Edwards (Gas Gas) 31, Steven Blaxall (Montesa) 37
Sunday
Pre 65 Elite: Russ Jones (Francis Barnett) 14, Chris Gascoigne (Ariel) 18
Pre 65 50/50: Harry Lyons (Bantam) 15, John Wilson (BSA) 18, Mark Newman (James) 26
Pre 65 Clubman: Terry Lloyd (Cub) 26, Peter Cottrell (Bantam) 58, Keith Baddeley (Bantam) 73
Pre 65 Beginner: Pete Thomas (Royal Enfield) 28, Paul Thomas (AJS) 30
Twinshock Elite: Kev Ellis (Fantic) 20, Steve Shelley (Honda) 22, Mark Gaskell (Whitehawk) 77
Twinshock 50/50: Stephen Knight (Yamaha) 10, Martin Nelson (Yamaha) 21, Steve Blackburn (Montesa) 38
Twinshock Clubman: Martin Roberts (Yamaha) 12, John Sowden (Honda) 20, Steve Jones (Yamaha) 28
Twinshock Beginner: Rio Roberts (Yamaha) 29
Pre 90 Mono Clubman: Stephen Richards (Yamaha) 20, Paul Cartwright (Beta) 59, Chris Macgillivray (Fantic) 111
Modern Mono Elite: Tom Williams (Beta) 17, B Jackson (Montesa) 47, Paul D'Henin (Beta) 53
Modern Mono Clubman: Ian Emery (Montesa) 11, Alec Roberts (Gas Gas) 15, Jim Marr (Beta) 28
Modern Mono Beginner: Simon Edwards (Gas Gas) 25, India Edwards (Gas Gas) 35, Steve Blaxall (Montesa) 44