One of the tiny “hamlets” near Lincoln has a very small population. That figure temporarily doubled, if not trebled, at the weekend with Lincolnshire Enduro Club’s sixth race of the year taking place at Ingleby. On the club’s 60th outing, once again sponsored by Back Office Pro Ltd, LEC offered a new venue for the 100 riders who sat on the start line.
A small excursion into one of the local wooden areas was the only place to break up the very fast (and slippery !) 6.5 mile course. Oh, and some very deep ditches to catch out the unwary! Taking place at Ingleby, the track may have been new, but the same faces were leading the way in most classes. Not a stranger to winning ways, Jack Rowland sealed his 5th win of 2024 to keep up the pressure in the Experts class. (With a recorded 90mph at one point !) Ever present, Dan Johnson still leads the way for 2024 with his runner-up spot, but it’s getting close to the top. Both guys had accumulated 15 laps at the race end, with 3rd place going to Lucas Travers, one lap adrift. Jack’s winning margin was a little over 2 minutes. With just two races left, the table looks like this, Dan Johnson (82 Points)/Lucas Travers (77 Points)/Jack Rowland (75 Points).
After three runner-up spots on the bounce, Darren Wells got his maiden victory of the year at last in the Clubman group. Nicholas King furthered his chances of the years spoils with his 2nd place on the day, and then Leon Dolby with his best finish of 2024 in 3rd. Darren’s winning margin was similar to the gap in the Experts class and saw him jump into the runner-up spot for the year. Alex Cumberland sits in 3rd spot overall with a top 5 finish on the day. A big winning margin was seen in the ever-fast Over 40’s class, with Andy Myers winning the 4th win of the year. While Richard Price doesn’t feature too heavily in the yearly places, he had his best race of the year, with a runner-up spot. Another jockey who bettered his previous outings was Dan Brown in the “Bronze” medal place. Andy Myers has a healthy lead over his rivals for 2024, by some 17 points. Lee Hattersley succumbed to a 4th this time out but still lays in 2nd overall. The scrap for 3rd in class is anyone’s guess at present, with several riders grouped together.
Gareth Lodge grabbed his 5th win of the campaign in the Over 50’s section. This sees him stretch out his title bid by a few more points and may be deemed the title favourite. The race itself produced the closet finish of the day, and one of the the biggest classes….as usual. Coming back from a run of “unluck”, Andy Jackson gave Gareth a scare and missed out on a win by just 2 seconds. Alan Vissian came home in 3rd, but once again, a fuel mat could have been thrown over himself and Andy (!) In fact, just 20 seconds covered all 3 riders. Ian Shepherd currently lays in the runner up spot in 2024 but had to drop to 5th at the weekend. Alan is waiting in the wings for any slips up from the top two. Anybody who doubts the rivalry or competitive spirit that can be had in these “senior” classes needs to analyse the goings on in the over 60’s class. Mark Peckitt and Kevin Bartle Sr have constantly battled it out for the win at each and every race. Marginally, Mark got the better of Kevin this time out but only leads the title chase by two points. With a persistent run of 3rd places throughout, Paul Oates is in 3rd spot.
To the Sportsman classes… With a few of the leading riders sitting this race out, it’s all changed at the top of the 2T division. With this, his hat-trick of wins for the year, Jodie Lambley now leads the way for 2024. With a full lap victory, his nearest rival on the day was Desmond O Sullivan, who hasn’t been seen on the podium this year. Jake Wilson, in 3rd spot on Sunday, moves up into 3rd place overall. Even with a “no show”, Christian Humphrey still has the second step of the yearly podium. The guys on the 4T leader board are having the closest battle of any of the classes. Just 10 points are covering the top 5 or 6 riders, and going into the final rounds, it’s anybody’s guess who takes the spoils. Charlie Edwards added another win this time out, that is 3 on the bounce.Harry hall was 2nd, albeit a full lap down and then Ross Pearson in 3rd. This placing for Ross sees him at the front for the year, with Paige Felipes just 2 points in arrears. Harry’s runner-up spot sees him in a similar position overall.
In the Slam class, the same guys are on the leaderboard. Neil Tapper took his fifth win of the year and looks odds-on for the class win. Kyle Ardito was runner-up and retains that place overall for 2024. In the Trail/Classic group, Sean Avison once again came out on top, with Andrew Malkinson in the runner-up place.
Two beginners were there on the day, with both Rob Carter and Daniel John Couzens doing themselves proud.
The next (and penultimate round) is back to Ingleby on the 6th October.
Details are here for members https://www.facebook.com/groups/LincolnshireEnduroClub…..or for non members here https://lincolnshireenduro.wixsite.com/lec2016
Race Report by Martin Southwick – Feature Image by David
Chapman