The END

Resident

Club Member Brian Donalds Views on the event.
After more than a year of planning and a lot of seriously hard work Grampian Motor Cycle Clubs round of the Metzler British Enduro Championship finally took place over the Easter weekend. The course was nothing if not ambitious and attracted a field of around 250 riders. The weather forecast in the run up to the event was not good and during Friday scrutineering officials, entrants and support crews were subjected to sleet and painful hailstones.

Phillip Mcloughlan above from Northern Ireland takes time to pose. Pic: Gregor Hamilton

Starting at Milton airfield the riders took a right on a short road section and entered Lossie forest. Lossie is a small relatively flat forest that on first impressions would appear to be relative easy. There are few riders that having ridden a full enduro in Lossie would use the term easy and Lossie forest in the same sentence. The course is a non stop series of roots, stumps & whoops that take every bit of a riders concentration and stamina. At no time in the 21 mile loop is there any respite, no fire roads, no flat fields, nowhere at all to sit back and recover slightly. Then there is the power and energy sapping dunes to really test a riders skill and resolve. By the time the riders leave Lossie and the first test of the day and head back to Milton for fuel there are few that have any doubt that this will be anything other than a tough day.

After the effort of riding the forest the cold conditions on the roads between the venues are another factor to test the riders. With temperatures only a few degrees above freezing and a wind chill that makes it feel much colder as well as frequent snow and hail showers, going from seriously hot in the forests and tests to very cold on the road sections is not easy. It is a British Championship Enduro and no-one expects it to be easy and no-one complains.

Ollie Moyce above from Sidcup endures the weather. Pic: Angus Donald

We are manning the exit check at Woodside that is only a few yards from the entrance check. The first championship class rider is expected at a little after 10.30. A few minutes after 10am, the in check gets its first business of the day in the form of a clubman rider on a Husky 125. We are all more than a little confused, are we looking at the next Knighter? Here is a guy that has apparently started over an hour later than the first championship riders, completed Lossie, refueled and got to us in around 10 minutes in total! It soon became apparent that on leaving the start he had turned left instead of right and missed out Lossie altogether. He about turned and made his way to Lossie but he must have lost at least 20 minutes.

Soon enough the championship guys arrive and make their way to the moto cross track and the start of the Woodside Special Test. The test is long by any standards and has a bit of everything. A muddy start on the track then into some tight turns in the trees with loads of exposed roots then back onto the track briefly before another deviation up into the woods across some really slippy rocks. A couple of heavily rutted turns then down towards the bottom of the track again and a short steep uphill then around the back to the steep up and down sections before heading along the side of the sand quarry and on to some small whoops. The sand quarry isn't normally available to ride but has been kindly opened up specifically for the event and beautifully carved out with cracking ramps, jumps and a spectacular table top. All of it demands a flat out riding style and many riders struggle as they would have on the dunes at Lossie. Out of the quarry and onto the furthest out point of the test overlooking the A96 and Elgin most of which is oblivious to the fact that a British Championship motorsport event with some world class riders competing is taking place right on their doorstep.

Tom Sagar above current British Enduro Champion. Pic: Angus Donald

Into the trees again and the tight twisty track that leads to the slippy and heavily rutted brick corner, the rutted straight heading towards the "one ten" track and a left turn towards the river and the short run towards the tyre obstacle (Below) which gives many riders from all classes a fair bit of grief. The tyre trap was added by the sadistic element from the club and it went well with spectators though some of the riders might think otherwise.

John Rainey #215 from Foyle N.Ireland and #214 Garry Scotland from Melville Pics: Gregor Hamilton

A short uphill then a really steep descent through the trees and some tight turns on the sandy section of the motocross track before finally finishing the test after the tabletop. Out of the test, across the paddock and another rooted climb that gave a few clubmen some grief and for most a rest at our exit check. Most championship riders were on time or a minute or 2 behind as were the experts. A sign of a well timed enduro ensuring that the riders have to work for their positions. No-one looked cold by the time they reached us and many were obviously at the limit after such a long and varied test. The sand quarry appeared to be the real killer especially for riders not used to riding sand.

A fairly long cold road section then the challenge of Monaughty Forest. Normally the venue for GMCC's 2nd Scottish round in August it would appear that while very rideable it was a real slog for some riders. A complete contrast to Lossie with some very fast sections but still with stumps, roots and a few bogs. Refueling stops at both the start and finish of Monaughty ensured support crews also had their work cut out.

The top classes did 2 complete laps on day 1 and 1 complete lap plus Lossie forest again.

A very complicated and ambitious venture that as far as I could see went down very well with all the riders and is a great credit to the people from GMCC and the other Scottish clubs that provided invaluable help on the day. All the helpers were invaluable and the people guarding the entrance to Woodside (you know who you are) deserve special mention as without your diligence in spite of all manner of excuses from the support crews you managed to keep Woodside free of vehicles and ensured the section ran smoothly.

Many thanks also to the riders who made the effort to come to our event and provided us at times with spectacular riding and at all times with great courtesy at our check. Hopefully you'll all be back to do it again!!

And thankyou to young photographers my son Angus Donald from Kemney and Gregor Hamilton from Elgin.

Reporter Brian Donald, Kemney, Aberdeenshire

John Allan · Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:56 pm

Dear Resident,
It seems your club held a very high profile event and that all went very well which is great. I know a lot of people enjoyed the spectacle of so many off-road type bikes being driven on the roads. I hope your club is encouraged and helped by other bodies to ensure you bring this event to the North East of Scotland again.

How many riders were there in total if you're aware?

Resident · Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:26 pm

John Allan wrote: How many riders were there in total if you're aware?

Hi John as far as I can remember 207 riders started on the saturday and it was a very well enjoyed event by all involved.

Thankfully we had the Moray Council, Grampian Police, Grampian fire and rescue and the British Red Cross' full support and help for the event. That's not to mention all the help and sponsorship we also had from local business' aswell as local hotels offering reduced rates and the Laichmoray even putting visiting helpers up for free :thumb:

And the Forestry Commission have to get a very big thankyou as without their co-operation it would be impossible to host any enduros in Morayshire never mind at British level.