Course and weather conditions were perfect for the third round of the GH Motorcycles / Husqvarna / Eastern Centre Enduro Championship held at Foxborough Quarry Sible Hedingham last Sunday by the Sudbury Motor Cycle Club.
The main event was the afternoon session of 2.5 hours for the Championship and Expert Classes. Chris Hockey (Sudbury) shot into the lead from the mass start with Craig Roper (Sudbury) in close pursuit while Aston Bird (Woodbridge) had a bad start and at the end of lap one it was C Roper in the lead with J Roper and Hockey close behind.
Over the next lap J Roper took the lead but Bird was binding his time and during the following lap shot past J Roper to take the lead. Hockey was trying to fight back but was hampered by his recent back problem and showed signs of a comeback. However it was Sam Toy (Sudbury) who likes the Foxborough track storming through the field and kept his pace going right to the end.
Bird past Eastern Centre Enduro Champion was in unstoppable form and J Roper decided not to chase him down to avoid any nasty crashes and Bird went onto win 2 minutes ahead of J Roper and Toy through his efforts finished 3
rd. Meanwhile Hockey’s problems got worse with a puncture and rode the last ten minutes on a flat rear tyre but secured 4
th. Taking the other positions were Steve Mason (Sudbury) 5
th, Lewis Bond (Lowestoft) 6
th, Stevie Roper (Sudbury) 7
th, Matt Pope (Norwich) 8
th and Tom Braddock (Lowestoft) 9
th. Bird now leads the Contest on 52 points, J Roper 40 points and Hockey 36 points.
Jake Gregory (Stowmarket) was in top form in the Expert Class taking the lead and as much as Contest leader Will Hughes (Braintree) tried to catch the leader Gregory kept increasing his lead. It was a win for Gregory with Hughes second. Ben Alexander (Woodbridge) was 3
rd, Ben Grice and Jack Grice (both Lowestoft) 4
th and 5
th, Nick Barrett (Sudbury) 6
th and Damian Long (Woodbridge) 7
th. Unofficially Hughes still leads the Contest on 44 points with Gregory 37 points and Alexander 35 points.
Michael Ridge (Stowmarket) was untouchable in the Expert Veteran Class winning comfortably from Gavin Hockey (Sudbury) with Nic Ames (Sudbury) 3
rd and Phil Roper (Sudbury) 4
th. G Hockey still leads the Contest on 54 points, Roper next on 43 points and Ridge 35 points.
The three Clubman Classes and Sportsman Class rode in the morning session. Alex Rampton (Sudbury) was first off the line in the Clubman Class but Alex Walton (Sudbury) was not going to let Rampton get away and caught him up in the open fields but Rampton kept his lead as he rode the bog while Walton mindful of last March when he was stuck in the bog for over 30 minutes took the longer bypass route. However during the 2 hour session Walton plucked up courage and rode the bog catching Rampton and overtaking him and these two swapped places right through to the last lap when Walton slipped up in the bog and Rampton took advantage to take the win with Walton 2
nd, Ryan McDonnell (Sudbury) 3
rd and Kevin Silvain (TBEC) 4
th.
Kevin Palmer (Norwich) was the star of the day after going over the handlebars with the bike following in the bog picked himself up and finished 5
th. Rampton now leads the Contest on 57 points from Martin Stevens (Diss) 47 points and McDonnell 38 points.
Phil Waldron (Sudbury) won the Clubman Veteran Class with Jason Carboult (Sudbury) 2
nd, Terry Allen (TBEC) 3
rd. Sudbury’s Jeff Turner was left on the line at the start but fought his way through to 5
th place.
Andy Mason (Sudbury) won the Clubman Super Veteran Class with Steve Finch (Braintree) 2
nd and Perry Miller (Sudbury) 3
rd.
Paul Webb (Sudbury) won the Sportsman Class with Shane Sparrow 2
nd and Pete McDonnell (Sudbury) 3
rd.