A hard, Hardy’s Enduro
Report: Lee Davey

An Enduro is generally tough – not just for the bike, which gets a hard time soaking up the various obstacles - but as you’d expect with a name like Enduro, stamina plays a huge part. Plus, the Southern Counties Enduro Club billed this event as a hard Enduro which gave the impression that the Hardy’s Monument circuit near Dorchester, Dorset could be a bit of a toughie. Not only that, there would be a morning and afternoon race with the first away being Championship, Expert and Clubman riders with the Sportsman entrants riding in the afternoon under the scrutiny of the few top level riders who still had enough energy left to give a spot of tuition.

From the start-line the course wound around a disused pit before entering the forest, which is where all the fun began . . .

Apart from a couple of short forest tracks, there was little in the way of rest to be had. Each part of the 5 mile lap was technical and each and every line had to be chosen with care to ensure that the maximum distance was covered for the minimum amount of energy exerted. Some parts involved steep descents, some traversed along loamy, rutted paths but most tested the riders skill and stamina over roots, tree stumps and discarded brash and it’s here that I began to find things a little on the difficult side.

Whilst my energy and concentration levels were high(ish), it was incredibly rewarding to be up on the pegs, picking my way through the many obstacles that the course had to offer, but having neglected my fitness levels for way, way too long, it wasn’t too long before my composure unravelled and I began to bounce from obstacle to obstacle in the most undignified fashion imaginable. Each lurch added to my frustration which instantly dissolved my concentration. With my concentration at an all-time low, I made more and more mistakes which only added to my tiredness; and so the cycle continued until I had to take a break, regroup and begin again.

With a (relatively) short rest under my belt, normal service was resumed and I was picking my around the course and past other riders until my energy levels took yet another dip and I could only watch as all the riders that I’d passed, regained their positions in front of me.

As the saying goes, perfect planning prevents poor performance, something which I’d neglected to adhere to in the previous months, but intend to remedy as I eventually failed to finish. Thankfully, there were a few riders who, unlike me, had avoided the buffet table.

Bradley King took the initial lead in the Championship class but Husqvarna mounted Simon Wakely passed King on the second lap which left Bradley to fend off Jamie Paget in third. Paget’s unwanted attention then spurred King to re-pass Wakely for the lead but sadly for King, Wakely regained his position shortly after and then proceeded to gap King and Paget by around a minute a lap which secured his position until the end of the race. Paget however didn’t have the same breaks as Wakely and his race was effectively over at half distance which not only gave King some breathing space, but also handed Rich Warner third spot at the finish.

Gareth Hopkins enjoyed a convincing win in the Expert class. At the end of the first lap he had a 2 minute lead and used the remainder of the 3 hours to build on this. Unsurprisingly, his lead remained unchallenged throughout. Second placed Tony King never let third placed Jerry Box get within a minute of his position and kept a safe distance until the chequered flag dropped.

The E1 Clubman class was won by Daniel Beaven who’s lap-times resembled some of the Championship and Expert riders (an upgrade to the Expert class next time maybe?) and he streaked ahead, never to be seen again by second placed Martin Brown who finished a lap behind Beaven. Even with a seemingly safe second place, Brown still pushed hard to finish over 10 minutes ahead of Dean Reed who took third spot.

Toni Burrows looked to be in a steady 5th or 6th during the early stages but steadily closed the gap on the riders in front to eventually take the E2 Clubman win in the closing stages. Chris Wills was relegated to second and Barry Mitchell to third. Neil Deakin looked to be a serious contender but was sidelined at the one hour mark.

With the race being divided into two, the Veteran, or over 40’s class was split between Veteran Expert and Veteran Sportsman. The over 40’s class leaders always place well and with their times mimicking all but the fastest riders, this was no exception. Michael Brooks was ahead at the end of the first lap and never relinquished his lead. Peter Archer was in second spot for the first 2 hours but was passed by Paul Tossell with an hour to go, pushing him to third.

The afternoon’s race was shortened from 3 hours to 2 and was split between Sportsman and Veteran Sportsman. Not only did Veteran Phil Jones take the class win after early challenges from second placed Steve Edgington, but he also claimed the overall win in the second race of the day. KTM mounted Graham Reid claimed the final podium position and was a lap behind Edgington who in turn was a lap behind Jones.

The Sportsman class had a convincing winner in the shape of Peter Cullingford who managed to put an entire lap between himself and second placed Simon Budge. Budge however had luck on his side as a disastrous fifth lap from Darren Studley handed Budge second whilst Studley had to settle for third.

For me however, it just goes to show that the proof of the pudding really is in the eating.
 Mmm, pudding; just one of the many things that I need to sort in preparation for the next event. Thankfully, help is at hand as Colin Fricker at Fitness by Design in Gillingham will be helping me prepare for the forthcoming events by tailoring a fitness programme to suit. Let’s hope he can work miracles.

For further details and full results of this race visit www.enduro.org.uk.

SCEC Enduro results 27-4-08:

Championship: 1st Simon Wakely, 2nd Bradley King, 3rd Rich Warner.
Expert: 1st Gareth Hopkins, 2nd Tony King, 3rd Jerry Box.
E1 Clubman (up to 125cc 2-stroke, 250cc 4-stroke): 1st Daniel Beaven, 2nd Martin Brown, 3rd Dean Reed.
E2 Clubman (over 125cc 2-stroke, 250cc 4-stroke): 1st Toni Burrows, 2nd Chris Wills, 3rd Barry Mitchell.
Over 40 Expert: 1st Michael Brooks, 2nd Paul Tossell, 3rd Peter Archer.
Over 40 Sportsman: 1st Phil Jones, 2nd Steve Edgington, 3rd Graham Reid.
Sportsman: 1st Peter Cullingford, 2nd Simon Budge, 3rd Darren Studley.