Holcombe heads the field at Hethelton! Dorset Enduro Hare and Hounds – Race Report & Results

The Dorset Enduro team with the assistance of great weather raised the bar again when it comes to Forest events. Hethfelton forest was in prime condition with a new six-and-a-half-mile track which had taken the team many weeks to create.

Report by T Rowe – Images courtesy of Nicholas Guppy

There was an electric start from Championship riders Holcombe, Bolter, Snow, Wiggins, and King which saw them complete their first lap with a thirty second lead over the rest of the Championship field. These guys made light work of what was a new green forest course with countless hidden hazards waiting to trap the unwary. Their pace was relentless, but one rider shone, Steve Holcombe, he built an early lead then managed his pace perfectly. Every time Alex Snow closed the gap, Steve picked up the pace and pulled away. Also having a great ride was Daryl Bolter who has not lost any of his pace and rode a brilliant race to take third. Upfront despite Alex Snow never-fading he just could not match the speed, skill and determination of Steve Holcombe who gave a masterclass in woods riding to take a convincing victory.

The large Expert field was just as competitive with four riders vying for the lead. Harry Neal set the pace throughout but he was pushed early on by Richard Good until he was forced to retire, then Jordan Brigden got into a battle with Harry, they were literally within seconds of each other for a large part of the race but lurking just behind was John Stanley who maintained a solid tempo and managed to come through to take second place behind Harry when Jordan faded a little with just two laps to go.

Most riders will remember Hethfelton as the ‘Log or the bog’ choice, a short distance from the start the organiser had put in a log to cross with an alternative route through a bog, it was a forest event, so logs are expected. However, this log was a fallen Oak tree which was as high as a bike and looked a real challenge. Special mention must go to Micheal El-Ayouby and Karl Ingarfield for determination, they always got over the Oaktree, sometimes actually with their bikes!

The Expert Veterans class took a little while to sort themselves out with several riders featuring early in the race only to drop back. However, once the race settled, one rider stamped his authority and rode a magnificent race to win by nine minutes! That rider was Stan Watts the local enduro coach proving he can both talk and ride. Tony Cottee held second for most of the race until he hit the two-hour mark when he lost a minute and Dan Groom passed him, Tony fought hard to the end but could not get the minute back.

Rhys Trotter set the pace for the Clubman A class and after a lightning first lap, he was riding well until the two-hour mark when Marcus Feltham took the class lead which he held to the end. Harry Billet was never far behind to take a solid third place showing lots of potential for the future.

The Clubman Veterans provided plenty of entertainment, action, and drama. John Rowley set a blistering pace on the first lap and pulled a sizeable lead on the rest of the class. Behind John, a cluster of Southwest riders was chasing hard with local rider Justin Cadman in the mix. Matt Ward and Si Thomas tried to use the same scanner together at the same time which shows how close they really are. As the race progressed John Rowley stayed strong at the front on course for a good result in this race and the Winter Warmer championship. However, Si Thomas was flying on his old twin-shock and was being chased by John Cadman and Shaun Philp they all managed to slip past John Rowley with just a lap to go. However, there was drama on the last lap for John when he crashed out allowing Matt Ward to move up to take a strong fourth-place finish.

Harvey Wilkinson was also involved in the crash that put John out, but he managed to pick himself up to finish and take the Club B class win. Behind him, Matt Holland and Huw Williams battled all race for second place with Matt managing to finish the stronger to claim second but still a good result for Huw in third.

The sportsman class was dominated by an incursion of Somerset riders, Glenn Woodland dominated the Sportsman vet class with Robert Taylor surviving to take second. However special mention for young Finlay Taylor who having his first taste of a forest event took the Sportsman class win.

Another well run event from Dorset Enduro where their hard work in preparing the forest was fully appreciated by every rider.

Results

Championship
1 STEVE HOLCOMBE 12 LAPS
2 ALEX SNOW 12
3 DARYL BOLTER 12
4 RICKY WIGGINS 12
5 BRAD KING 11
6 DANIEL RICHARDS 11
7 BRADLEY ROWLANDS 11
8 MORGAN DEAKIN 11
9 JOSH PLAYER 10

Expert
1 HARRY NEAL 10
2 JOHN STANLEY 10
3 JORDAN BRIGDEN 10
4 SAM RICHARDS 10
5 JAMES LARCOMBE 10
6 OLIVER RICHARDS 10
7 JOSHUA TERRY 10
8 STANLEY EARLE 9
9 JAMES BOYCE 9
10 FINLAY DAVEY 9
11 FREDDIE DEW 8

Expert Veterans
1 STAN WATT 10
2 DAN GROOM 10
3 TONY COTTEE 10
4 DAVE COLES 10
5 DANNY HALL 10
6 MICHAEL EL-AYOUBY 10
7 MARK CORNICK 10
8 SHANE TROTTER 10
9 LAWRENCE CATT 10
10 MICHAEL BROOKS 10
11 JACK TWENTYMAN 10
12 STEPHEN MULLINER 9
13 ALAN RANGER 9
14 MANNY BERNARDEZ 9
15 JULIAN EARLE 9
16 STEVE DAGGER 8

Clubman A
1 MARCUS FELTHAM 10
2 RHYS TROTTER 10
3 HARRY BILLET 9
4 STUART WILLIAMS 9
5 EDWARD EAMES 9
6 ROSS MORRISON 9
7 WILLIAM WILSON 9
8 SAM BEAVEN 9
9 KARL INGARFIELD 9
10 CHRIS ROWAN 9
11 JOEL INGARFIELD 9
12 MARK ANTHONY LEE 8
13 STEVE BIRD 8
14 ALEX MCGRATH 8
15 STEVE DAVEY 8
16 ADRIAN FRANCIS 7
17 MICHAEL OWEN 6

Clubman Veterans
1 SIMON THOMAS 9
2 JUSTIN CADMAN 9
3 SHAUN PHILP 9
4 MATT WARD 9
5 DARREN CARTER 9
6 STEPHEN FRANKS 9
7 MARK ROBSON 9
8 PETE NIXEY 9
9 STUART BOWERS 9
10 GRAHAM EKE 9
11 WAYNE TIPTON 8
12 STEPHEN TAYLOR 8
13 THOMAS CONNOR 8
14 MARTIN WOOD 8
15 PAUL OCONNEL 8
16 MARK PAUL 8
17 ROB SMITH 8
18 TERRY SEYMOUR 7
19 LEE BURROUGH 7
20 SEAN RENVOIZE 7
21 STEVEN VENABLES 6
22 OLEG SAVOCHKIN 6

Clubman B
1 HARVEY WILKINSON 9
2 MATT HOLLAND 9
3 HUW WILLIAMS 9
4 SHAUN ASH 8
5 DAN CLAPP 8
6 MARCUS FELTHAM 8
7 JACK LARCOMBE 8
8 CHRISTOPHER WHELAN 8
9 STEPHEN SCOTT 8
10 COLIN WILKINS 7
11 MARCUS HAMLYN 7
12 JACK RAWLES 7
13 MATTHEW SOUTHWICK 7
14 OLIVER SMITH 6

Sportsman
1 FINLAY TAYLOR 8
2 RYAN DUNNING 8
3 ROBIN LYNCH 7
4 DANIEL HOUGHTON 7
5 ADAM TIZARD 6
6 JOSEPH RYDER 6
7 ANDREW JEFFERIES 6
8 CHARLIE CONNOR 6

Sportsman Veteran
1 GLENN WOODLAND 8
2 ROBERT TAYLOR 8
3 STEVEN CURTIS 7
4 RICHARD HOBBS 7
5 TIMOTHY TUBB 7
6 CHRIS DELLO 7
7 PETER NASH 7
8 MICHAEL LEWIS 6
9 ANDREW DUCK 6
10 DAVE SMART 6