In just under one weeks’ time the ACU Edmondson Racing British Enduro Championship will return to competition at Knighton, Mid Wales.
Back in the Welsh forests the championship is sure to see some incredibly tight competition between the big boys in the Championship class as World, European and British Enduro Champions chase down the 2015 title.
We’ve had deep and gruelling sand in Lossiemouth for rounds one and two, wet and gritty terrain in Helmsley for rounds three and four and this weekend will see rounds five and six set in some rather traditional endure going at Knighton.
Promised for the 2015 event is the re-introduction of the fabulous Gwernafyl grass hillside test, which was last used back in 2011. This means there will be approx 4 miles of roadwork involved. The second test is the familiar cross country test, above the farm, which hosts the infamous rock gulley section. Enough to challenge and test riders of all capabilities that is for sure!
Three laps are proposed for Saturday and two for Sunday with back to back cross country tests on the final lap. Course milage is approx 35 miles, with three or four checks per lap.
After an unlucky and almost unbearable start to the season due to suffering a virus, enduro legend, David Knight is looking forward to starting the event fighting fit.
“It’s been a tough start to 2015. I was coming in to the special tests knowing what I wanted to do but physically unable to put pen to paper. I found myself going light headed and dizzy when my heart rate picked up pace. I raced the EWC in Belgium a few weeks ago and although I didn’t come away with a win, I was very happy with my performance to say I’m not an EWC regular anymore. I’m looking forward to racing at Knighton again.”
Everyone’s favourite hard working Welshman Jamie Lewis will also return to national level competition on home soil after a horrendous crash left him sidelined for the majority of this year. He will be starting day one in Knighton on the back of a 4th place European E2 finish and an 11th place E2 finish at the recent Enduro World Championship in Belgium.
Down the ranks, Expert class points leader, Jake Gowan appears to be out for the rest of this season after damaging his knee whilst practising. Joe Chambers was the last man to take victory with a double win at rounds three and four in Helmsley. Luke Flack, Jake Subachus and Bradley King each have second place finishes under their belts already this year and are more than capable of winning. Whilst the boy’s aren’t racing each other head to head, they are time trialling against the clock and the fastest man on the tests that drops the least amount of time on the going will be victorious.
Spectators at the event will be restricted to the Gwernafyl grass hillside test due to a very last minute DEFRA announcement. The Gwernafyl test will still provide more than enough viewing on varied terrain to keep the fans entertained! The boys at CWAC are working incredibly hard behind the scenes to keep the event going and it is in everyones best interest to respect any instructions given regarding access. Please check the ACU British Enduro Championship Facebook page for full details.