3rd-4th April

Round 2 British Enduro Championshp

Round ? Scottish Enduro Championshp

  Round 1 & 2 of 2009 Scottish Enduro Championship

DATE: 11-12/04/2009

VENUE: Lossiemouth forest, Nr Elgin.

Provisional results.

Round 1 + Round 2

Brian Donalds (No 85 Sportsman) Riders report.

After the long winter break the 2009 Scottish Enduro Championship finally kicked off with GMCC rounds 1 & 2 taking place over the Easter weekend at Lossie Forest. The Lossie Enduro has been the season opener in recent years though last year it was part of the British championship. Traditionally a tough physical event, this year was to be no exception with Kevin Gauld and Barry Hamilton (club chairman/C of C and club secretary) putting in a lot of time and effort in the weeks leading up to the event. Lossie is a working forest and many of the traditional routes have been felled leaving a lot of hard work for the dedicated volunteers. I'm sure all efforts are greatly appreciated by the riders.

This years route ran in reverse direction on both days but still incorporated many of the classic Lossie features: The Dragons Spine was still there and was not in any way diminished by the felling that had taken place all around. The Sea of Stones was bypassed for environmental reasons but the infamous Lossie Dunes of Death were still there and were no less intimidating run in reverse direction. The test loosely followed previous years routes with a few notable exceptions. The test is predominantly sandy, technical and very long and tiring by any standards. As well as the traditional routes and features a few new trails have been cleared which would test the stamina of all classes. Many fallen trees were left across the trails to keep riders alert. As far as I'm concerned there is no such thing as an easy Scottish Enduro. All the courses make their own particular demands on riders skill and stamina but Lossie is unique in its unrelenting nature. The course is generally tight and twisting, littered with stumps to catch out the unwary and above all the whoops whether they be dirt, sand or the rocky variety eat away at the riders stamina forcing errors. The physical exertion steps up another couple of levels on the test and on the dunes and there are few riders who don't look forward to, hopefully brief respite by arriving early at a check. Clever (or cruel) tightening of the check times as the day unfolds for the higher classes is another weapon in the Lossie enduro arsenal with experts in particular having to up the pace substantially to avoid time penalties.

Day 1: The weather forecasts earlier in the week predicted everything from heavy rain to snow showers but on the day we had ideal riding conditions with blue skys, cool temperatures and a light breeze. The many volunteers manning the checks might disagree with the ideal conditions description as it was cold in the shade.

10.30 saw the first experts off on the shortest section of the route which also incorporated the test. Nothing like getting thrown in at the deep end. After the demands of the test there is a brief wait at the check, for those lucky enough to have time, then a short ride before the demands of the first trip across the dunes. A well worn, narrow track leads off the dunes and back in to the forest where a new loop that incorporates a steep, sandy climb has been added. An alternative "chicken run" diversion is included but this quickly cuts up and proves to be more difficult than the hill itself. After a bit of effort the hill is climbed and riders have a brief gentle roll through the trees before we are faced with another few miles of unrelenting whoops, stumps and fallen trees. Most riders have time to spare at the second check and this rest is very welcome. I caught my foot on a stump and Craig Mackay starting a minute or two behind me also complained of a sore foot. Craig completed lap 1 and went on to finish the event and after further investigation was found to have broken his foot and ended up in plaster. Wishing him a quick recovery.
The section to the final check covers a lot of recently felled areas and while some of it is tricky there are a few bits where reasonably quick progress can be made in the tyre tracks left by the forestry machines. The route takes us to the right of the Sea of Stones and thanks to all riders for following instructions and not attempting to ride the stones. Continued access to the forests for our events depends on us all showing a little restraint at sensitive areas. Apparently Lichen growing on the stones doesn't appreciate being ridden on. On towards the now bare Dragons Spine and some nice tight bits in & out the trees before making the final check. A little confusion existed at this check as riders were held here within sight of re-fueling but couldn't fuel up. The reasoning being that there would only ever a few riders fuelling at any one time. Given that fueling areas are usually very busy it did actually make sense to have as few riders as possible fuelling together. I did my second & final lap then went out with a marshal to sweep the course up to the second check. By this time the course had really taken it's toll on me and I was glad to be off the bike. A real hard days riding but very enjoyable.

Day 2: Blue skys and warmer temperatures greeted us on Sunday morning. After the toil of Saturdays event many riders weren't quite as full of life though there were a few fresh faces that hadn't ridden on Saturday. Any first event enthusiasm had been replaced with the reality of the prospect of another real tough day on an ever more difficult course. A few riders decided that they'd had enough and didn't make the start. The higher temperatures, fatigue from day 1 and the deteriorating course made day 2 a real slog and from early on I decided to use the generous sportsman times and enjoy the ride. Over the 2 days I rode fairly well (for me) on the test but had at least one minor fall each time which screwed up any possibility of a result. I had one big tumble on a log that I'd been clearing effortlessly all weekend and a few silly stalls but finished the day relatively unscathed.

(Derek Little pictured above at the start of the test)

The Metzeler British Enduro Championship is returning to Elgin in Scotland, during the Easter weekend on the 22nd & 23rd of March.

 ^{The inclusion of this Scottish round transforms this championship into a truly British championship. The dates enable competitors to travel to and from Elgin over the holiday weekend. The route to Elgin includes a beautiful drive through the Scottish highlands including the whisky trail passing many of Scotland’s finest distilleries.}

^{Mr John Little}

Following on from the tremendously successful event in 2006 the Grampian Motor Cycle Club, including ex Scotland ISDE team manager Johnny Little, have extended the course to include three venues and a new parking facility. The parking generated the most complaints in 2006 and this has been resolved with a hard standing car park on loan from the ministry of defence.

Lossiemouth Forest.

The course will include timed stages through two forests and a motocross special test at Woodside Motocross track on the outskirts of Elgin. The special test in Lossie forest that included a blast along the edge of the dunes, beside the beach, will return by popular demand. The routes through the woods were established for the two very enjoyable Scottish Enduro Championships, held in the same forests, endorsed by British Enduro regulars Derek Little and Richard Hay. Johnny Little has always run the event on the basis that if a rider has taken the trouble to travel all the way to the north east of Scotland he would like them to enjoy themselves. The Lossie forest is similar to the Diss John Banks Enduro and Monaughty forest is similar again with hard rock underneath that provides good grip regardless of the weather. On one occasion the bikes did not require cleaning as the sand did not stick to the bikes. There are several reports and photographs from previous events available to view on Scottish Enduros Website.

David Knight.

In 2006 overall winner David Knight described this event as one of the best Enduros he had ever ridden. The atmosphere at the final motocross was electric and video footage of David and Euan McConnell clashing, knocking each other off in the motocross test can still be viewed at the GMCC website. Ricky Mair was on outstanding form in 2006 and he is hoping his motocross calendar will have a gap that will allow him to participate.

Euan McConnell,Jake Stapleton,Ricky Mair and Richard Hay at Woodside.

Regulations are available from www.scottishenduros.co.uk and www.enduronews.com entries have been filling up fast with 140 received in the first five days. The entry limit has been raised to 350 allowing for a large sportsman class, do not delay, send away your entry now, you will not be disappointed. Your bike will have to be road legal as the forests are only connected by public roads. There are several excellent Hotels and bed and breakfast facilities in the area, a list is provided with the regulations.