On Sunday 3rd March, the Trail Bike and Enduro Club of Great Britain (TBEC) held the first round of their 2024 Championship at Copthall, Bedfordshire. Track conditions were far from ideal, mainly due to the amount of rainfall in the days leading up to the event. Ground conditions had conspired to cause havoc with parking. However, the morning mist gave way to clear bright sunshine on Sunday, which thankfully remained throughout the event!
On a slightly undulating 6 mile course consisting mainly of stubble fields, mud holes and woodland, the TBEC team once again worked their magic to produce a course capable of testing the skills of the very best riders. Aided by the warming sun, the moist stubble fields dried out a treat, but as for the shaded woodland sections it was a completely different story. They remained decidedly tricky, with the tacky mud, standing water, lack of traction and slippery tree roots catching out many of the riders.
Against an aerial backdrop of jet aircraft departing from the adjacent Luton Airport, the 3 hour enduro got under way sharply at 10.30am with reigning champ Tobias Bailey #1 leading off the mainly Elite group from row zero. Tucked up tightly behind him was the vastly experienced Paul Field on his #25 GasGas. Last year’s runner up, Dan Smith #8 was mounted for the first time on the new GPX, with many, including myself, curious to see just how the Chinese-built bike would perform.
Former BSMA schoolboy motocross champion and newcomer to TBEC, Dan Wheeler #442, looked very fast circulating on his GasGas 300, and in fact came around at the end of lap 1 hot on the heels of leader Toby Bailey. Paul Field had sensibly lowered his pace a little, no doubt saving his energy for the closing stages. Toby Bailey blasted around the course on the opening lap at a blistering 16:09 to record fastest lap of the day, with Paul Field posting next fastest lap at 16:59. These two being the only riders to record sub -17 minute laps all day, but track conditions were to deteriorate substantially.
On the 3rd lap Dan Wheeler’s GasGas ran out of water and Bailey sportingly stopped to offer his camel-bak to Wheeler to replenish his stricken machine. Unfortunately the bike seized solid the next lap, throwing Wheeler unceremoniously over the bars and out of further contention.
By the time the 3 hours had elapsed it was champion Toby Bailey who, once again, romped home in overall first place, having completed 10 laps just inside the 3 hours at 2:57:08. Runner up was new E3 rider Kelvin Hammer on his #332 GasGas. Paul Field #25 rounded off the overall top three.
Dan Smith – mr consistency himself, failed to finish on the new Chinese-built GPX! Apparently the motor had stalled, taking a full 20 minutes before it would fire up again! The rear suspension damping had also packed up, causing the bike to behave more “like a pogo stick” as Dan put it! He completed 8 laps before fjnally calling it a day, and finished a lowly (for him) 15th place complaining of lack of front end grip from the Grippa tyre. Ryan Brown #19, came in a strong fourth overall and third in Elite class on 9 laps.
In the E1 class Shane Patenall came out tops, completing 8 laps on his #118 GasGas. Second was Paul Stone #357 and third was Jack Waplington #243.
The E2 class was claimed by last year’s Under-21 champion Finlay Woods, who completed 9 laps on his #308 Husqvarna. Second was Matt Willis and Rowan Tarplee finished 3rd on his #249 KTM.
Overall runner-up Kelvin Hammer topped the E3 class on his #322 GasGas. Second was #83 Elliot Brooker with Luke Cain taking third spot on his #555 Sherco.
In the Legends class it was Corey Edwards #48 who performed best on his KTM with Graham Coker taking second spot on his #246 GasGas. Third was regular Les Liney on his #331 Sherco.
In the Vets class it was Phil Gilder #24 taking the top honours on his GasGas with Andrew Haddon #761 snatching runner up spot and Darren Carter rounding off the top three on his #661 KTM.
In the under-21 class, there was no stopping Josh Watson. The youngster completed 9 laps on his #80 KTM. Joe Jefferies #29 also clocked 9 laps but was five minutes adrift. Third placed man was Josh Rowland #62 on 7 laps.
Former champion Jon Foxley #10 claimed the Supervets class on his KTM with #284 Paul Webb and Mark Sanders #95 behind him in second and third.
In the Trail class #32 Simon Densham took command on his KTM with David Clarkson #119 second and #128 Joseph Smith in third place.
As always, the TBEC team did a stirling job in producing a first class enduro yet again, this being confirmed in my chats with many of the riders after the event. While it may have looked the part, it was disappointing that the Chinese-made GPX machine had failed to stand up to the rigours of a TBEC enduro, so whether we see Dan Smith on it again is anyone’s guess. There’s no doubt about the victor, Toby Bailey, though. On his 7 year old KTM XC300, the ‘Cheltenham Flyer’ banished allcomers to open his 2024 account with an emphatic win! The question is – will he be able to continue his rout at the next round at Stonebury (SG9 0EH) on 7th April? Check in to Dirthub for the lowdown! See ya, R.A.
Results
