In football terms, a “home game” is where the locals are considered favourites. The reigning Experts Class Champion is very much a local to the latest track developed by Lincolnshire Enduro Club, but he couldn’t quite grab a win on home turf. Dan Johnson, who hails from just a couple of miles away, was pipped at the post by Hayden Stansfield, with the RAW Enduro rider claiming his third win of the 2026 season.
Race Report by Martin Southwick – Images courtesy of Graeme Taylor
Hayden’s victory came by three minutes over Dan when the chequered flag descended at the three-hour mark, with both riders completing eleven laps. The Halifax youngster got a decent start and slotted into third pace from the get-go. That was quickly followed by another move, putting him into the top spot before the first lap came to a close. From that point on, he was never headed. The only hiccup during proceedings came during a pit stop, when a leaky fuel cap left Hayden slightly damp with “Unleaded”! Having already built up a bit of a lead, however, it did little to curtail his charge to victory. Henry Harman took third place on Sunday, with George Pearce finishing fourth. Pearce had led the class going into Race Six, but his advantage was just a single point. While the gap at the top may still be the same, it has certainly changed hands. Dan is now leading once more, with just two races left. The Melton Mowbray man sits on 70 points and, having already used his “dropped round”, can be considered very much in contention to retain his 2025 title. Hayden’s win sees him tie for third place in the championship with Nicholas King, both riders sitting on 45 points.
RAGDALE — A NEW VENUE…Race Six took place at a brand-new venue for the club, with Dust Devils-sponsored LEC venturing out of the county and slightly into Leicestershire, to the village of Ragdale. Given that there were nigh on 140 entrants, that will have actually more than doubled Ragdale’s sleepy population! Working hand in hand with the landowner over many days, the track builders managed to hone out a lap of 7.8 miles, which seems to have been an instant hit with riders and has already been described by some as the best track ever! The course had everything, featuring numerous bends and twists, forays into local fields and embankments, as well as excursions into two separate wooded areas. As per the norm, two or three Hard/Easy sections were also added en route. Overnight rain didn’t really hinder the course at all. In fact, conditions were about as good as they get weather-wise.
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The Clubman section saw another RAW rider at the head of the group, although this time the winning margin was a little narrower. Evan Sharpe was the victor, but only by half a minute. Jake Wilson was the runner-up, with Ethan Marquis a similar 30 seconds further adrift. These results have altered the championship picture for 2026. Matthew Knowles had been at the head of the class but succumbed to a DNF this time out. Evan’s win now sees him top the group with a nine-point lead overall. Jake Wilson is in second, but only one point adrift of Matthew. All three riders have now used their “dropped round”, so these three look set to feature on the podium come the end of the year. As for which order they will finish in, however, it’s anyone’s guess!
The tiniest of margins once again separated the front two in the Over 60s class. While Mark Peckitt hasn’t used his dropped round yet, Kevin Bartle Sr. has. That makes things particularly interesting at the front as, once again, Mark came out on top — but only two seconds in front of Kevin! Over the next two races, Mark will have to sit one out, and the current 16-point gap will surely close up. John McKinney took the bronze placing on the day.
Probably the closest race for any of the titles is in the Sportsman 2-Stroke class. James Cole, with his second win of 2026, further increases the slender lead he has over the chasers. What was a two-point lead becomes five, but it’s still very close, with just nine points covering the first four riders. Ted Johnson, with a runner-up spot at the weekend, slots into second place for the year, while Kurt Rafferty is just one point adrift of him. Floyd Cherry took third place on Sunday’s podium.
In the other Sportsman class, the 4-Strokes, it’s not quite as close, but there isn’t a runaway favourite either. Damian Mumford took his first win of the year, which sees him close the gap points-wise on his rivals. Those rivals include championship leader Ross Pearson, who came home third at Ragdale and heads the table by ten points. John Knights doesn’t appear on the leaderboard but came across the finish line in the runner-up spot. Spencer Smith lies in second place overall.
To the big bikes…Harry Hinkley took another 15 points in the Adventure/CF Moto class and remains the only rider across all classes to achieve a win in every race this year. Runner-up was Mike Livsey, followed by Chris Belford. Having used his dropped round, Harry is in second place overall, but Chris now leads the title battle. Mike has slotted into third spot. It’s the usual pair scrapping it out at the sharp end in the Trail/Classic sector. Shaun Avison took his fourth win of the year, with Ian Jackson in second.
What was a 19-point lead in the Over 50s class is now reduced to ten for leader Alex Owen. Whilst Alex finished further down the field than is the norm, Alan Vissian took a maiden win for the year and has closed the gap at the top. Danny Clarke couldn’t quite match his best result of the year back in April, but still took the silver medal place. This sees him maintain third overall. Andy Jackson took third spot and sits in fourth for the year.
In the Over 40s group, Paul Hanks took his second win of the year. However, that’s not quite enough to see him challenging for the 2026 title. It is getting a bit spicy up front, though. Lee Hattersley still has his nose in front by six points, aided by a runner-up spot on Sunday. Waiting in the wings, though, is Dan Brown. His third-place finish in this outing now sees himself and Lee perhaps the main title contenders. With just two races remaining, this one could be interesting!
“Properly Protected” sponsored two Secret Lap prizes. Rider John McKinney (#191) got one of those, with Dan Johnson (#151) taking the other. The “Mid Pack Maverick” class was the Sportsman 4T this time out. Sponsored by YST Carpets, Daryl Kearn-Price (#601) was the winner. Chris Belford was the recipient of one of the BP Air Con Solutions Holeshot prizes, with Kurt Rafferty taking the other. Pepperells Solicitors sponsor the Live Draw, with Nicholas King taking this one.
Special thanks go out to the following at this round. Landowner Andrew Bowley and James Palmer for going above and beyond with their assistance and machine skills over the previous weeks. The club would also like to thank Ragdale Glamping for their support and Dust Devils for their continued support throughout 2026. (https://ragdaleglamping.co.uk/) (https://www.dustdevils.net/)
The next two races are coming up within a couple of weeks of each other, on 11 October and 25 October. Regs will be available on the club’s Facebook page and usual channels as soon as possible. Two races to go, plenty still to play for… and if Race Six is anything to go by, the 2026 championship is going to have an interesting finish!
All details here >> https://www.facebook.com/groups/LincolnshireEnduroClub or here https://lincolnshireenduro.wixsite.com/lec2016
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