Jacks back! Lincolnshire Enduro Championship Round 6 – Race Report and Results

There are around a dozen places called Ashby in the UK. No doubt, most of them are very quaint and very quiet. One of them that wasn’t so quiet on Sunday however was Ashby Peurorum in the Lincolnshire Wolds.

Report by Martin Southwick – Images courtesy of Graeme Taylor

At 10.30, (and in perfect conditions) the village reverberated to the sound of over 100 enduro bikes in the penultimate round of the LEC/Gear4’s 2021 Hare and Hounds series. In an event that was different to previous visits (in that most of the field sections were cut out), Expert Jack Rowland sped out of the blocks and sealed his second win of the year.

Running over a mixed 4.5 mile course with local plantations, scrubland and a Moto X track to boot, Jack and second placed man Elliot Milburn were the only lads in class to attain 16 laps on the day. Whilst Jack doesn’t appear at the top of the leader board for the year, Elliot’s runner up spot sees him move into second place overall. Danny Caitlin who has won the last two races managed a third this time out but still retains his position on the leader board for 2021. It is close for the title though; just eleven points split the top three. With just three hours of the season left, it’s all building up to the title decider in a few weeks.

Probably one of the rides of the day came in the Clubman class. The winner of the group (And a rider who would have finished second in the Experts class) was a lad who had never been in an enduro event until Sunday. In these races where a lot of close finishes are seen, Aaron Cummins seemed to make light work of the three hours racing and managed two more laps that his nearest rivals. (Sixteen). Toby Hales, who was laying in second place for the year by some twelve points, has now narrowed that gap to within two points with his runner up spot on Sunday. Gregory Sims still leads the class table but with a fifth on Sunday, other riders are neatly placed and waiting in the wings should he slip up in a months time. Stephen Baldock was third on the day.

The Sportsman 2T class was the biggest class on the day. It was though, pretty much the usual protagonists at the sharp end. With his third victory of the year, Ryan Overton has now stretched his tender lead for the years title. With only Ryan and second placed man Jake Norton on fourteen laps, the gap between them was a shade over one minute at the end. Jakes ride has kept the pressure on Ryan for 2021 as he stays in second place. Choose one of these two for the spoils this year, it doesn’t look like they can be caught at all. Mathew Valentine sees himself move up a place for the year, with a solid “Bronze” on Sunday.

There was a very mixed bag in the Over 40’s class. The top four riders all had fourteen laps at the end of one hundred and eighty minutes. And, whilst Lee Hattersley’s winning margin victory was quite significant (by some ten minutes in fact), the second and third placed riders were only separated by a mere ten seconds. Duncan Oliver was second and Dean Kent in third. This has done Lee’s title hopes a whole lot of good. He has now leap-frogged into the lead for the Over 40’s title. Darren Thorpe who had been leading, couldn’t keep up his good form and slips into second spot for the year. With his third place, Dean further cements his position with a similar position for the year-end.

The closest title race must surely be in the Sportsman 4T class. With his second victory on the trot, Alex Shaw has shot up the leader board and now leads the way. (66 points) But, it’s only by a short head (Okay, a mudguard !). Joe Tapper with a third on Sunday has moved up one spot to second place. However, he is not alone with that points tally (64). David Richman who has been leading the way has the same amount of points as Joe now, due to being a lap down on the first three riders on the day. Adam Reavill was second home, on the same amount of laps as Alex, but some three minutes adrift. This is surely one class to watch out for in November.

What looked like a certain title for the year may now look in doubt. In the Over 50’s class, Alan Vissian has done what no other class leader has done this year; won every race! However, with Alan not racing on Sunday, it gave others a chance to gain maximum points. With a victory on the day, Alan Shepherd did just that. That has now put him just two points adrift of Alan Vissian and a title bid next month. Mark Peckitt was second on the day which pretty much seals him a top three place for the year. Jules Croft was third.

In the Trail/Classic class, Carl Smalley won, with Steve Kemp in second and Shaun Avison third.

Once again, to prove that age isn’t a barrier when it comes to competing, there was a healthy lineup in the Over 60’s class. Keith Townsend took the spoils with twelve laps and a further lap down, Anthony Williamson. John Cotterill was third. Any of these riders can still be the title winner for the year.

Perhaps at the other end of the scale, there was also a thriving list of Beginners on the start line. Hats off to you guys. The club hopes to see you at the next race. That race is on the 7th of November at Dembleby Heath. Details of the club are here . . . https://www.facebook.com/groups/LincolnshireEnduroClub/

Entries are already available here, on the ACU website. . .https://www.acu.org.uk/events/November-2021/Lincolnshire-Enduro-Club/Enduro/Dembleby-Heath-Farm-ACU61757.aspx

Results