The second round of the 2010 Irish Enduro Championship, the Mount Leinster Enduro took place at Bunclody in Co. Wexford on the 27th of June.
Mount Leinster is the highest peak of the Blackstairs Mountains and has been home to one of the toughest Enduros on the Irish championship calendar for many years. The reason that it’s tough is because it’s normally wet, but this year it was tough because it was hot and sunny! In fact so hot and sunny that the main problem was dust. Yes, dust. Not normally a problem that riders have to encounter at Irish championship Enduro races, but it was a problem all the same.
The course set off with a 10 minute ride out to the test, which was in the first check. This was to be a fast gravel track based special test on one where the aforementioned dust would play a big part in deciding the results.
The test weaved around a section of the forest descending down some new tracks that had been made by one of those large forest machines! (No, not a BMW 450!) It was linked between these with gravel roads, then had an up hill track which was littered with tree branches and a nasty log (which proved tricky) and then turned into a fast grassy climb. Another lightening fast track then lead into a single track that made it’s way round the edge of one of those ‘too-deep-to-ride-through’ puddle/lake type things and then finished off with some more fast tracks! The dust was to play a big part in the test as riders were slowed by lack of visibility from the rear wheels of other riders.
So it was important to get out first and that’s exactly what Andrew Reeves (VMX KTM) did on his first test in the Expert class and he set the fastest time of the day as there was no one in his way.
This left Paul Mcloughlin (KTM) and Andrea Bassi (TM) to fight it out for second and with Andrea finally back on his own bike and riding in his last Irish Enduro before moving back to Italy, he was on a flyer as the dry and dusty conditions reminded him of home! However, with just a few seconds between them going into the last test Andrea’s long suffering 125 TM picked up a stick, derailed the chain and took out all but 4 of the spokes in one side of the back wheel.
Mcloughlin had been putting in consistent test times as Reeves had slowed due to catching people at the wrong bit of the test. Seamie Hayes took advantage of Bassi’s retirement and slotted into 3rd having cleaned the tight check on the 3rd lap along with Reeves, Bassi and McLoughlin.
In the Seniors class Stewart Dicker took a deserved win having put in some decent test times and staying clean on time in the checks, something the second place man Jamie Popham didn’t manage to do thanks to a puncture on the 3rd lap in the tight check, a quick repair saw him back out for the 4th lap and it was close but Stewy got the win by 7 seconds.
Former Irish Trials champ Sean Doyle made it a close call for the top 3 places as he was only a couple of seconds off Popham. Paul McCarty was up for a scrap for the podium positions but a bust radiator on the first lap ended his race early.
Jonny '38DD' Mercier
In the Clubman class Mark Bannon has a smaller engined bike having swapped his 450f for a 250f but is riding faster than ever as he won the class from Richie ‘Stuntman’ Leonard, who’s shoulder popped out (dislocated) no fewer than 3 times during the day! Richie then does his Mel Gibson impression and rides off again! Chad Hamilton went well to get 3rd place.
JP Ryan managed to beat the temptation of drinking a load of Bulmers the night before and it paid off as he won the Sportsman class with a quick first test time that had Richard Murphy beaten. Gary Yeates was a couple of seconds off 2nd place in 3rd and the rest of the Sportsman class enjoyed their 2 laps even though there were a few hot and bothered faces at the end.
The Novice class is for Enduro beginners and as a result they do one lap, this clas was won by Tony Donnelly from Joe Carey and Peter McCullough.
Fingers crossed we get some sunshine at the next few weeks for the up coming H&H races and the next Enduro at Clonaslee on the 26th of September.
Report by Reevesy for www.enduro.ie