Check out the 800 + Photos of this event
First off let me just say straight away what a great day it was. We could not have asked for better weather, nice and sunny but not too hot. Ideal racing and photograph taking weather.
I was really looking forward to this event as I’d splashed a bit of cash and bought a second hand camcorder on ebay to use with my helmet cam. I’d also needed to buy a Lanc control cable and while I was at it I thought that I’d stop messing about with AA rechargeable batteries and bought two battery packs form the same supplier. Then I found the cable for the AV input stuck out too much, so I searched for a 90’ bend one. I did find it but the price was shocking. Anyway come all was eventually packed and tested for the day – we were really to roll! Unfortunately my mate Pete wasn’t quiet ready to roll as the bike he’d just bought got stolen! Details below……
KTM 250 2T 2005. Black powder coated frame and black wheels. Reg DX54 XVM Chassis No VBKGSA2035M394930 Engine 0554856855
Tony (who’s been shopping for a bike)
had offered me a lift to Billington and even agreed when I suggested a
really early start as I thought signing on for this event was going to
take a while due to the AMCA registration issue. Now normally he’s
very vocal when I suggest an early start so I started to suspect he’d
secretly bought a bike. True enough he arrived on time with a brand new
2009 KTM250EXC-F on the back of the trailer – he’s joined
the darkside!
After hurriedly squeezing all my gear in next to his, we set off. I gave
Phil a quick ring to say we were on our way to the garage meeting point
but he said he’d meet us there. What I didn’t know is that
I’d woken him up – somehow he’d managed to sleep through
his alarm.
We arrived at the venue and the early morning
chill was still in the air but the warmth from the sun soon started to
make itself felt. Being early, signing on and scrutinering was a doddle,
much easier than I thought it would be.
Rob came over to have a quick chat and ‘Hog’ one of the marshals
also popped over to say hello. Phil eventually arrived and had his 16
year old son George with him, it was going to be his first ever enduro!
and the're off! 100 yards after the
start and you hit this small jump. that's me that is.
me overtaking Phil
Tony having a bit of a tussle with number 52
Hog the marshal
Before to long it was time to start so I asked
Nicky to plug in the helmet camera and I was ready to go. I switched on
the camera in the excitement of the moment I couldn’t remember how
the lanc remote switch worked. Red for recording or green? Shit too late
now I was starting on the front row (no.10) so it was too late to think
about it. Mmm red means stop so green it must be.
Now this year the first top 50 or so riders from 2008 have numbers according
to their standing in the 08 championship. I still don’t feel as
if I should be on the front row, so was a little intimidated by starting
out with nine other faster riders.
I slotted into the top three or four but as I like to try and take it easy at first, I wasn’t too worried when some of the other guys made their way past. As is normal at Billington we climbed the banking and made our way along the ridge before turning right then back down to the left. What followed was a zig zag across the mx bowl several times. This entailed some very short but very sharp climbs and drops. Go over the climbs too fast and you’d slam down on a flat, so most of them had to be ridden down – very hard on the arms. We then left the mx section to loop through the fields a few time before making our way back to the mx area. Here we turned right, then left (through a puddle) and criss crossed the centre area looping back to take a jump just before the water splash/stream crossing.
Going..........Going
GONE!
Phil having a few problems with one of the first slippery slopes
and two more guys struggling on the same...
George - Phil's son in his first enduro
Phil in the background
Through the stream and we
turned left on the slippery mud where we quickly came across a chicane
followed by a right hand bend that had a branch sticking out of a tree
that jabbed me every bloody lap!
The rest of the woods flowed really nicely and it was possible to get
a good rhythm going, flicking from one side to the next. There were
no other surprises in the woods, other than one tree root that caught
me out every single lap the whole of the morning session! Even when
I worked out where it was it caught me out. It’d be like “oh
there’s the small thin tree, that means the root is close, mmm
huh where is it” “Oh maybe it’s not here” then
suddenly – “AAGGG” - nearly off every time!
the last jump just before the stream
Straight out of the woods and it was into the ‘plantation’,
where we followed the normal, in and out/criss-crossing the small sapling
area. Using the bridge made of sleepers we returned to the start by
blasting up the far side of the field. We got back to the start before
all the riders had even had a chance to start their first lap, so from
then on there were a lot of other riders about and I tried to get past
as neatly as possible.
Tony in the stream
Me making a splash
Phil
At one of the first drop-offs a rider that had obviously only just started
his first lap gunned the gas to ‘hop’ off the ledge. He
must have given it way to much as the bike shot vertical into the air
with him falling off the back. He landed heavily on his back/butt as
the bike slammed back down on its back wheel/mud guard/exhaust. Of course
the first thing I thought was - ‘cool, that’ll look good
on the helmet cam”!
Having lost the tow from the front runners I tried to set a fast enough
pace without getting too tired. I got past most of the slower riders
ok but there was one chap who got barged out the way (unintentionally).
He was going a fair bit slower and I lined him up for a pass while we
were going through some of the dips and climbs in the mx part. He was
on the right hand side of a climb so I nailed it to get past on the
left. Unfortunately he moved over at this point and I caught him a glancing
blow. “Oi Steady on” he shouted “my goodness, no need
for that – deary me” he continued - as I called out an apology.
These things do happen in racing I’m afraid but sorry none the
less mate.
nearly all went wrong for Tony when he took the 'deep' route on the left!
me again
George in the water - this is Nicky's favorite pic
Everything went smoothly from then on and I concentrated on picking off the guys in front one at a time. Shortly after crossing the stream (which was starting to get well deep by now) two fast guys on strokers came past and I pulled over to allow them on their way. The time ticked down and I had time for one last flying lap, but the bike spluttered to a stop on the ridge! It could only be petrol, so I flicked it onto reserve and carried on, hoping it would keep going. I got back to the pits either just in time or a few seconds over.
During lunch Tony said that he was none too impressed with his new bike, as it kept on stalling/coughing and it had dumped him on the ground a few times when it had died on a climb. Having come from a chug a chug CRFX he’s new highly strung weapon needed to have its neck wrung, however he was still running it in!
about the be overtaken by no 4
dam - lap two and another one got past!
Dumping the helmet cam I started the afternoon in bit of a panic as I was having a pee when the numbers were called! I got a good start though and was leading for the first part of the lap but got taken by no 4 (I think) early on in the mx part. I managed to sit behind him for the whole lap (and the next I think, not too sure now). Anyway on one of the subsequent laps I was starting to wonder how long I could keep this pace up when it all got a bit much and I royally cocked up a hump in the mx part. It started to go all wrong as I hit the up section and the front got all crossed up coming down. Boy did it go wrong! The bars turned out of my hands and I dropped down onto them, as I put out my hands to fend off the ground that came up to greet me. Nicky saw it happen and immediately thought I must have broken a wrist or something and was so shocked she didn’t get it on film! But then she thought “shit john’s going to give me a bollicking if I don’t get some pictures” so she started snapping away, getting a few shots of me as the bars tried to poke through my left arm. Mmm I wondered where that bruise came from and I only managed to piece it together when looking at the photos later on.
mmm is that a chocy
bar on the ground? best have a closer look!
(bars/arm contact left a mark!)
no 1 takes avoiding action!
Rob has a wiggle
I little puzzled/pissed off/dazed I pulled the bike back up as a marshal came running over. I yanked the brush guard back into place then noticed a queue of impatient riders waiting! Oops! I thumbed the button and it fired so I jumped back on trying to pull myself back together and get back into the groove. I managed to compose myself enough to re-pass a few guys then settled down into a medium fast pace once we’d crossed the stream and got back into the woods. The laps ticked by and although I was keeping a good pace and passing people when I could. All of a sudden a guy I recognised from an earlier race came past me. Then I realised I’d been falling asleep slightly and had slacked off.
I heard him coming so pulled over to allow him past, then immediately
realised I’d dropped a bollock as I knew I’d beaten him in
the past. Right that’s it – time to get my shit together.
I sat on his tail for the rest of the lap and saw I was faster in some
parts of the wood. I still couldn’t gain an advantage on the back
straight but as we pulled into the clocking stage I got the jump on him
and tried to make a brake through the mx track. We got a little held up
at the stream crossing and I thought he’d get by once we got to
the ice like path on the other side. Luckily I stayed ahead and I got
the advantage of some slower riders at crucial parts of the track through
the woods. I must have slowly pulled away as pretty soon he was nowhere
to be seen.
Phil and rob in the background
almost looks like i know what i'm doing
That little tussle woke me up and I got into a nice fast groove. I started
riding better and better (as I normally do near the end of an event).
The grip levels on the flat grassy fields had become much better by now,
and I could use the 450’s power for once. This gave me confidence
to actually improve my riding style and I tried to position my body weight
as best I could for more grip.
In the mx track I had a few more ‘moments’ to come still.
When going down a steep slow you tend to bend down close to the bike’s
bars. Then I tried to stand for the next slope I couldn’t stand
– the bloody camelpack’s drink tube had got caught up in the
controls somehow! After that happened a few more times I tucked it away
as just couldn’t afford to have a spill caused by not being able
to stand up. I had one or two more issues in the plantation. I clonked
my thumb on the same stump two laps on the trot - stupid eh? Then I made
a small miscalculation and hit a sapling with my shoulder hard enough
to brake my body armour and just break the skin slightly, no bruise though
so it did its job.
Tony on the open field
Rob keepin his eye
on the track
this is after he'd had a tumble and hit his head so hard it cracked his
helmet!
It wasn’t long before time was almost
up and with twenty minutes left I started another lap. The lap went well
but I was caught up behind another rider who really didn’t feel
like giving me some room to overtake, but eventually I got by. Getting
back to the pits with 8 or so minutes left and knew it would be foolish
to try another lap so that was that. Maybe if I’d gone a little
quicker mid session, not lost a minute and a half or so when I fell off
I could have made the last lap – oh well that’s racing!
Many thanks to the CHEC organisers and marshals for doing another good
job. Hopefully by the next event they’ll have the online booking
full sorted.
And the helmet cam? Well lets just say I have I couple of minutes footage of me walking about the pits and having a P – nothing else. I guess red on the remote actually means ‘record’ then. Doh! All that expense and prepping for nothing, oh well, there’s always another time.
Results are out: another good one for me.
Third in the Over 40 and eight overall!
Rob 11th overall. Tony 22nd overall and Phil 48th overall. Special congratulations
to Phil’s son George who finished 79th in his first ever Enduro
Race, beating 15 other riders in the process!
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