Sunday 20th October was the penultimate round in Aqueduct Classics 2013 series, returning to Pen Y Graig Quarry. This versatile venue which has now been secured for the 2014 series offered a range of banked turning sections with a mixture of a grass, earth and gravel for the 4 classes on offer. Sunshine was booked but fortunately the wise Clerk of the Course supported by the back room team marked the sections out for rain and they got it spot on!
Yellow route report courtesy of Ian Emery:
The day began with 62 riders assembling in driving rain, with 29 of these riding the Clubman's route.
Section 1 began with a fairly steep climb up to where Albert was sitting under his umbrella with pen poised for any sneaky dab spotted. For me it was 2nd gear up the climb then down to first for the rocky right turn and then left to exit. Rocks, which despite the moss, were more grippy than they looked.
Section 2 was a down-up start with a fairly tight right turn to then duck under a low branch whilst crossing the camber avoiding slippery roots to then turn right to exit. Concentration and throttle control required!
Section 4 started with a tricky cross-camber descent where care was needed to stop the front washing away before a nice climb up loose but grippy terrain finishing with a tight left/right to exit. Again care was needed not to carry too much speed at the top and overshoot the turn.
Section 6 was a climb to a right turn to then traverse across undulating rocks with a small climb to the exit. and Section 7 started with a similar climb and right turn but then followed a rock step immediately followed by a cross camber traverse where losing the front on the loose rocks was always a threat.
Finally Section 10 finished the lap with a decent and left swoop around a tree to then follow the ditch down along to a very tight right inside another tree before a climb to the exit. This turn was made even harder by a small tree stump at the base of the tree which made the turn tighter for those who rode inside it whereas some chose to lift the front and ride over it.
All in, some really nice sections, nothing dangerous, all cleanable, and full marks to the Club officials who gave up their time on the Saturday to mark them out.
Honours were taken as follows:
Pre 65: Terry Lloyd Cub 250 (5), Keith Baddley James 250 (6), Mark Newman James 250 (14)
Twin Shock: Neil Francis Montesa 350 (1), John Doolan Majesty (3), Alan Thomas Fantic 240 (6)
Pre 90 Mono: Gareth Thomas Yam 250 (4), Stephen Richards Yam 250 (6)
Modern: Ian Emery Montesa 250 (1), Martin Johnson Montesa 250 (8), Declan Marsden Gas Gas 125 (10)
Green (50/50) route courtesy of Rob Sloggett:
After a few years of mid table results in the clubmans route and finding my perfect bike which is really developing my riding, I took the opportunity this weekend to step up to the 50/50 class. This has been put on by the club to provide a route from clubmans to experts without the big jump which can sometimes be encountered. This route takes the normal clubman route and adds some extra challenges (normally in the form of tighter turns or an extra off line obstacle). For a red / green colour blind person, the green flags against green trees can be an extra challenge!
Well I really enjoyed my first outing on this route and found the step up enough of a challenge to make me stretch my riding skills but not come away feeling that I was out of my comfort zone or in a position where I could hurt myself.
Section 6 was a brilliant adaptation of the clubman route using the same entry and climb up but then an immediate right hand turn across some rocks, up a bank to drop left and then back across another more challenging cluster of rocks with a right turn to approach the exit run. This took 13 marks from me as I tried a range of deliberate dabs on the tight turns and the odd deliberate 3 to ensure I hit my goal of not fiving any section. On one occasion I must have overstepped the good will of the observers adaptation of no-stop as my final tally for the day on this section was an unlucky 13 !
Section 4 was another great step up with all of the section being the same as the clubman route except for the entry which instead of being a left hand drop into a nadgery tree cluster, involved a right hand drop down a bank then a tight left hander in just over a bike length to get back on line for the yellow route. A silly 5 stalling the bike at the bottom of the drop left me with a daily total of 10 marks on this section.
All in all, I really enjoyed the trip up a class and have got to thank the team for the effort they put in to ensure riders of all abilities have a great days competition.
Honours were taken as follows:
Pre 65: Phil Alderman BSA 270 (5 FC), Keith Gardner Triumph 320 (5) Paul Owen Bantam 175 rigid (17)
Twin Shock: Adrian Kent Sprite 250 (1), Stephen Knight Yam 250 (3), Chris Kent Bultaco 325 (12)
Pre 90 Mono: Colin Ashton Yam 250 (59)
Additional results were as follows:
Beginner (White Route)
Pre 65: Paul Thomas AJS 350 (10), Pete Thomas Enfield 250 (25)
Pre 90 Mono: Paul Cartwright Beta 200 (28)
Modern: Ben Joes Gas Gas 125 (7), Matthew Sinnott Gas Gas 270 (12), Jim Marsden Montesa 315 (51)
Elite (Red/Blue Route)
Pre 65: Chris Gascoigne Ariel 370 (12), Russ Jones FB 250 (22), N Buckley Cub 200 (40)
Twin Shock: Kev Ellis Fantic 240 (41)
Modern: Gary Jones Gas Gas 300 (5), Dan Williams Beta 250 (34)
As always, these competition's can not take place without the support and time of the club officials, observers and catering team so a big thankyou to everyone.
The next competition will be on Sunday 24th November at Plas Onn Farm, Selattyn