Battle to become the 2011 Elite class BSEC champion is on… but who will take charge now Knighter’s out?
This weekend sees the UK’s top enduro racers compete in the penultimate event of the Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship as series organisers GMC Events team up with Enduroland for a not to be missed event at the exciting Manor Farm venue, near Towcester in Northants.
Tom Sagar has one eye on the prize
In the Elite class things seemed to be settling down as the series moved beyond the halfway point. David Knight headed the class, as expected, but recently going under the surgeon’s knife to get his hips fixed means the rider that few expected to do anything other than win can now only watch as the title slips from his grasp. With a rider other than Knighter now set to be crowned as ’11 Elite class BSEC champion the race to take over at the top most definitely starts at Manor Farm.
Fittingly the only man to break Knight’s stranglehold of the series is the same rider that sits second to him in the title chase – Tom Sagar. After stunning performances at the opening two rounds, by his own high standards Sagar delivered below par performances at rounds three and four in Monmouth. Normal service resumed in Dorset as he finished runner up to Knight both days. With one hand now all but on the Elite class title Sagar has momentum on his side and will be a tough act to beat this weekend.
But Sagar won’t have things easy. With a title to fight for KORR’s Darryl Bolter has quickly put his disappointing opening round performances behind him and has since consistently stayed inside the top five. Rounding out Rogers Hill Raceway with third things are now beginning to go Bolter’s way. Midwest Husaberg’s Si Wakely, the first of the Elite class two-stroke riders, sits just one-point behind Bolter in fourth and will certainly have the pace to fight for victory.
KORR's Daryl Bolter
Last but by no means least of the top four contenders is Greg Evans. Pulling out of rounds five and six with a knee injury, Evans has already dropped his two worst scores of the championship. Capable of contending for race wins, he now has no room for error and must remain mistake free from here on out. MPS Husqvarna Racing’s new recruit Jordan Rose showed impressive form at rounds five and six, his debut BSEC outing. Claiming fourth shows that with more time between the trees Rose will quickly be mixing it with the best. Adding in Paul Edmondson, Ollie Moyce, Gavin Houson, Aaron Poolman and newcomer rider Dave Willett, Elite class competition at Adstone will be fierce.
Adstone may well also see the crowning of the first ’11 BSEC champion. No matter the conditions Gas Gas rider Danny McCanney has been untouchable in the Under 23 class this season. In Knight’s absence could we see the Manx youngster top the overall results and bag a first outright win? The battle for the remaining silverware also heats up as Alex Rockwell, Ashley Wood, Jonny Walker and Lewis Belfield continue to fight it out amongst themselves with Neil Chatham, Brad King and Ben Wooton never too far away.
Electraction TM's Jordan Scott
The battle for supremacy among the young guns in the Under 19 class continues at pace. With KTM mounted Australian Ben Burrell making a run for the title in the early stages of the series, sensationally quick Manx youngster Jamie McCanney, KTM, is rapidly hunting him down having recorded three wins on the trot. With just eight points separating the duo, Burrell hangs onto the championship lead but needs to start turning things around and returning to his winning ways. After recent strong performances Irishman Jordan Scott has pushed his TM into third spot overall and will again be chased hard by Steve Holcombe, Jack Rowlands and Joe Jones.
The Experts now sees a three-horse race for top honours. Currently topping the tables veteran Wyn Hughes continues to fend off the advances of a rejuvenated Oliver Harte. Harte, a pre-season favourite finally got the monkey of his back with two wins in Rogers Hill and will be eager for more success at Adstone, but Tyson Maytom-Jones, the maximum man at rounds three and four, is expected find the course very much to his liking.
Venue: Manor Farm is an exciting new stop on the Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship tour, run in association with Enduroland. Sure to provide close and enjoyable racing for competitors while providing some of the series’ best viewing for spectators, the championship’s penultimate weekend of racing will be the series’ most central, and certainly one not to be missed. With kilometre after kilometre of fantastic enduro terrain, including a multitude of man-made obstacles, a plentiful supply of grass tracks, natural woodland and numerous exciting climbs and descents, the entire track will be situated within a compact and easily accessible area close to the paddock and start/finish area. Directions: From the A43/A5 roundabout at Towcester take Towcester Rd past the VW garage. Follow the road to and through Greens Norton towards Blakesley. Please drive slowly through these villages, as in places the road is single carriageway. Approx half a mile after Blakesley turn left onto Banbury Rd towards Adstone. This is a single carriageway lane – please drive slowly. Follow the road and signs for approx one-mile to arrive at the event. Postcode: NN12 8DT. Entry Fee: Adults £7.50, includes complimentary event programme. Under 14-year-olds free. General Info: Racing starts at 9.00am both days. Catering and toilet facilities will be available on site. Mid-day autograph sessions About the BSEC The Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship is the UK’s newest off-road motorcycle race series, promoted and organised exclusively by GMC Events Ltd. Enduro is one of the world’s longest standing off-road motorcycle disciplines, the motorcycle equivalent of car rallying. Sprint enduro is an exciting new rider, spectator, and media friendly discipline that delivers simple to understand, day-long, enduro racing action. The series caters for the best enduro talent in the UK. The BSEC is governed by the ACU – the internationally recognized National Governing Body for motorcycle sport in the British Isles (less Northern Ireland). About Husqvarna Husqvarna is an iconic off-road motorcycle brand. In ’07 Husqvarna became a part of the BMW Group with the German company completely revitalising the Husqvarna brand, which is now the off-road competition arm of BMW Motorrad. A new factory that houses production, design, administration and R&D has since been built in Varese, Northern Italy. Enjoying competitive success at the highest level, in 2010 Husqvarna clinched the Enduro 1 World Championship title with its TE250 ridden by Frenchman Antoine Meo. Building its first motorcycle in 1903 Husqvarna motorcycles were produced in Sweden until ’86 when the company was sold to the Cagiva Group, which later became MV Agusta S.p.A. Enduro greats such as Anders Eriksson, Paul Edmondson, Samuli Aro, Stefan Merriman, Petri Silvan and Antoine Meo have all enjoyed world championship winning success with Husqvarna. http://www.husqvarna-motorcycles.co.uk