Teme Valley MCC Motoduro

Written by MIKE WOOD Monday, 28 March 2011 00:00

A bumper entry of over 150 riders contested Teme Valley MCC’s annual motoduro, held at Church Farm, Clifton on Teme, nr Worcestershire, last Sunday. For the second year running, Gethin Price took overall honours in the Adult race and the MX1 Expert class victory, whilst young Joe Gwyther stormed his way to a superb win in the Youth race.

Now in its fourth year of running, this annual event has grown in stature and has become ‘one not to miss’ in the enduro calendar. Both the club and the landowner work closely together to provide riders with a real treat, and this year was no exception.

The 3.2 mile course had been altered extensively from previous years, with many of the tricky route sections missed out. This allowed for a really fast flowing circuit suitable for both MX and Enduro bikes, with the addition of an uphill fireroad climb through the woods nearly three-quarters of a mile long. The show-stopper however, came in the form of several extreme sections, constructed using large rock piles and telegraph poles. Needless to say, they attracted lots of spectators who were not disappointed by the displays of bravery shown by many riders who attempted them. The ones who chose not to took a simpler but much longer route, which added around 30 seconds.

A cold but bright day and a relaxed atmosphere saw the riders take to the line at 11am for the first of two one-hour races. The classes were separated into MX1/MX2 across the Experts, Seniors and Juniors with a Sportsman class for less competitive riders. Two classes of Inter Juniors 11-12 and 12-13 ran in between and after the main adult race for 45 minutes. The MX1 Experts were first to blast off the line following a dead engine start, with the rest of field following in intervals of 30 seconds.

Gethin Price stole the show in the Adult races, winning both outright and the overall in the MX1 Expert Class. Price led from start to finish in both races, taking race one by just under two minutes and race two by a clear lap from the rest of the field. Second place in the MX1 class went to Mark Perrott, who never let up on Price and followed him home in both races. Lee Green took third place with a third and fourth placing.

In the MX2 Experts, 16-year old Tom Crump took both race wins for maximum points and finished fourth in the overall standings, followed home by Benjamin Bird and Adam Barber, who finished second and third in both races.

Dual Sport Husqvarna rider Darren Morgan had a great start in the first MX1 Senior race with a resounding win, a minute ahead of second place of Mark Godsall. It was all change in the race two however, as Jonathan Turley took the race win and Morgan missed out on second place by 9 seconds to Mark Godsall. With both Morgan and Turley finishing on the same points, Turley took the overall with Morgan in second and Godsall third.

The MX2 Seniors saw some close racing with the overall going to Jonathan Gaunt, with a win and a second place under his belt. Nick Clarke took the runner-up spot followed by Chris Gaunt, who rode consistently, in third.

Tom Hibberd proved that consistency is the key to winning as he took two second places in the MX1 Juniors for the overall win. Jack Hibberd and Tom Nicholls took a race win apiece to finish second and third respectively.

In the MX2 Juniors, Joe Crump led the class home in race one and finished second in race two for the overall, with Martin Johnson in second and Mitch Gray just a point behind in third, having fought back in race two for the win.

A good entry in the Sportsman class saw John Ling and Kevin Bradford go head to head over two races, with Ling the eventual victor with a race two win, despite both riders finishing on the same points. Richard Graham rounded out the podium in third place.

Joe Gwyther had a superb day in the Inter Juniors races. He won both races by a clear lap and headed the Inters 11-12 class. Harry Clarke and Morgan Gray finished second and third in both races. In the Inters 12–13 class, Jordan Owen won both races for the overall but was chased all the way by Alister Garness, who was never less than 30 seconds behind him. Sam Kirkham took the final spot, with two third places.

A really great event in excellent conditions saw Teme Valley’s efforts really pay off in full. The only down side to the whole show is that they only run one event per year here! Visit www.ukxc.co.uk for more great pics from the event.

Report and images by Vanessa Tighe

Vanessa Tighe:    www.ukxc.co.uk

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