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Pearce Cycles Midlands Summer Series: Round Three
Bringewood, Shropshire.
James - 5th July 2007
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After all the rain we've had the past couple of weeks it wasnt looking good for the race at Bringewood, despite the venue being featured on a race calendar for so many years and the tracks bedded in solid. A few days before the race it looked like the only racers there would be those with boats or the lucky couple chosen for a journey on the Ark.
The track had taken a fair bit of abuse from the weather and after a few hundred riders had a couple of uplift runs down it a swamp quickly appeared. Luckily though in some sections your tyres would dig down into the hardpack below. Thats if you were lucky though and for the most part it was a case of who was best at two wheel drifting and holding your line. Foot out flat out was this race through and through.
After dumping the car in a ditch and taking a wander up the course the Pearce guys were turning left at the last fireroad (the last wooded section has 3 or 4 different tracks cut through it) which meant it was tight and kept riders on their toes. A few corners benefited from the sun and dried out only to go back to mud as soon as it went dark again.
They then used the straight line down the hill, coming down through the bombhole and heading straight instead of right, not a riders favourite section but given the conditions any other course would have been suicide and the winner would have been chosen by their skills of avoiding mangled bikes and riders on corners.
Given the downpour and the condition of the car park it was a miracle a race took place at all, and the Pearce guys once again pulled out all the stops to help the riders as much as possible, all problems aside this was another quality event.
The hardtail hardcore category was taken by William Swinden again putting a 33 second gap between his nearest rival. Is a hardtail easier to ride in the mud? Probably not!
Hardtail
1. William Swinden - 4.02
2. Richard Acott - 4.35
3. Richard Robertshaw - 4.42
Juveniles had problems with the mud, some racers sank straight into the deep stuff and were never seen again!
Juvenile
1. Mark Scott - 3.20
2. Jonathan Beattie - 4.19
3. George Belk - 4.23
Bernard Kerr once again putting in a convincing victory, one of the fastest up and coming riders for sure.
Youth
1. Bernard Kerr - 3.13
2. Scott Jones - 3.29
3. Todd Kearney - 3.35
Sam Dale was pipped at the post by Alex Bond, someone snap up that lad? Currently unsponsored in a field of racers giving Elite a run for their money.
Junior
1. Alex Bond - 3.13
2. Sam Dale - 3.15
3. Emyr Davies - 3.20
No Master Vets this time, zimmer frames dont like mud, but the Vets show the young 'uns a thing or two.
Veteran
1. Martin Crockett - 3.42
2. Richard King - 3.51
3. Jono Simpson - 3.52
Si Paton struggled with deep mud, but Howarths style worked pretty well in these conditions.
Master
1. Darren Howarth - 3.24
2. Colin Williams - 3.29
3. Simon Paton - 3.32
Youth Women
1. Monet Adams - 5.02
2. Becki Telling - 5.49
Junior Women
1. Kerry Wrigglesworth - 5.55
Master Women
1. Nicky Belton - 5.18
Senior Women
1. Rachel Lewis - 5.27
2. Harriet Latchem - 6.46
Senior Men
1. Alan Whitelaw - 3.16
2. James Swinden - 3.18.726
3. Mark West - 7.18.782
Expert Men
1. Ben Baker - 3.07.2
2. Ben Morgan - 3.07.5
3. Jason Davies - 3.08.3
Electric have snapped up at least 3 of the top 5 elites, a winners choice? Getting more and more exposure each race.
Elite Men
1. Dave Smith - 3.01
2. Robert Smith - 3.10
3. Dan Critchlow - 3.11
Big thanks go out to the Pearce Cycles gang, seems they raise the bar at every event, Daves trailers with huge mud tyres dealt with the uphills, and at last the ExtremeMedics Defender was covered in mud!
Thanks to the patience of all the marshals for sitting out in these conditions, the next race on the 22nd/23rd of September at either Hopton or Bucknell is already full, see you there?
No gallery of images as I put myself in hospital sunday morning but I do have a few, post up in the forum with your race number and i'll see what I can do!
Full results are available right here.
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