Round 4 GBXC Race Report
SUNDAY 14 TH SEPTEMBER 2008
Report: Tim Tighe, Pics Foto-x.co.uk
The fourth and final round of the GBXC, at Ashby de la Zouch over the weekend, bought this excellent series to a conclusion in its initial year. From the opening round at Matchams Park to the virgin territory in Ashby de la Zouch the series has gone from strength to strength and has attracted riders of all abilities from every corner of the country. 
Paul Edmondson and Steve Ireland have delivered on their promise to provide a series second to none. All four events have provided excellent venues, which have been well organised and extremely well attended and the pairing have really upped the ante with the whole series being televised by Sky Sports.
By round three David Knight had the Pro title in the bag but virtually all other classes rested on the outcome of the final round, which proved to be as challenging as any of its three predecessors.
This brand new venue had many hidden traps. Overall the course offered three types of challenge all rolled into one. Wide open corn fields lead to tight Christmas tree plantations with narrow lanes and sharp turn which then saw riders plunged into a dark woodland section with two climbs which bordered on special tests for many of the riders.
As with any new venue it was hard to judge how the ground would react to nearly 400 bikes hammering it. Heavy rain throughout the preceding week saw waterlogged ground in places throughout the plantation sections but the open fields were perfect and gave some relief following the woodland ordeal.
The course was full-on, giving riders nowhere to rest and the morning race proved to be much more challenging than the afternoon. The nature of the seven-mile course changed with each lap and some of the more rutted sections were re-routed by quick-thinking marshals who kept the race flowing well. As the sky cleared and the sun shone the afternoon race benefited from a fast drying course but the woods had become very challenging with exposed roots everywhere and deep ruts scoured into the faces of the two tough climbs.
Relentless Suzuki's Paul Edmondson lead the Pro line-up but was upstaged briefly by MXer Matt Ridway who overtook Fast Eddy on the opening lap. Ridway seemed to have thought it was a motocross event, not two hours of hard slog. His moment of glory was fleeting, he went on to crash his brains out and DNF'd after three laps.
Edmondson also found the course challenging and had a few offs as did Darryl Bolter and Si Wakeley, both MPS Husqvarna having just returned from the ISDE. It was back to Earth with a bang as the mud and woodland sections became hard going following the dust of Greece .
Bolter pushed hard towards the end of the two-hour race and closed the gap on Edmondson to less than a minute to take second place in the Pro class as team mate Si Wakeley took full advantage of the improving conditions to catch and pass Suzuki mounted Ash Greedy, who had held third place for much of the race.
With Greedy confined to fourth, Lincoln Brewster held position in fifth ahead of PAR Honda's Lee Edmondson, Mark Roberts and Ady Smith, all on 8 laps, with Tim Foreman and Rich Warner completing the top 10, on 7 laps each.
Expert Luke Meredith powered his Gas Gas to top spot class despite a spectacular crash in the woodland section on the first lap. He recovered well putting nearly a minute between himself and Ben Wooton in second place. A host of riders posted seven laps but third place went to Keith Horsnell who was followed home by Gary Daniels and Derrick Bourne. 
Clubman 2T winner Ben Roberts was the only rider to post seven laps in his class, finishing a lap up on second placed Adam Smith and Josh Taylor in third. Tony Leishman and Dennis Harrison completed the top five line-up.
Lee Hattersley continued his winning ways by taking the Clubman 4Tclass by storm and finishing some five minutes ahead of closest rival Tyson Mayton-Jones in second. Dave Grimshaw was as consistent as ever and battled his way to third overall in class, which hasn't hurt his Championship standings at all. Chris Ball rolled in to fourth in class followed closely by Scotland 's James Harvey and Richard Cookland.
Interestingly the three MX Expert riders all DNF'd although Matty Lee did have the better ride of the three, posting two laps.
Earlier in the day Veteran Derrick Edmondson lead the field off the start line for the morning race but the experience of Ade Bradley came to the fore as he took the Over 40 class by some five minutes from Mark Houson who had managed to put himself five minutes ahead of third placed Chris Roberts who was followed home by Keith Jenkins and Adrian Clarke, all managing a creditable six laps over the two hour race.
The Sportsman and Novice classes made up the bulk of the field and Craig Attwell battled hard to maintain a seven-minute lead over second placed Kev Sandland in the competitive Sportsman class. A last-minute charge by Ryan Armitage saw him close the gap on Sandland to 30 seconds to take third in class as Thomas Healy and Jeremy Harrold completed the top five.
Novice Championship leader Alec Trawford decided to do things the hard way. He struggled to start his KTM as the flag dropped and the field had long gone but a grim determination saw him claw his way back to the top of the class and gain 14 minutes, nearly a full lap, on second placed Michael Windsor. Darren Thorpe, Mark Fletcher and Chris Coulson took third, fourth and fifth within minutes of each other to complete the top five.
Youth rider Joe Jones proved what an up-and-coming prospect he is. He was the only rider to complete six laps outside of the Veteran class. Second placed Joe Wootton couldn't match him for pace but dug deep to complete five laps as Scotty Clifford was a lap down in third. Fourth placed Josh Parry was some 20 minutes down on Clifford but a lap up on Alex West in fifth.
Jane Daniels and Sophie Thomas were fierce competitors in the Ladies class and matched each other lap for lap but it was Daniels who gradually pulled out a 17-minute lead to take the win as Thomas took second place. Emma Ball completed two tough laps but it is credit to all three riders that they did actually make the chequered flag when many others fell by the wayside.
Newly introduced for the final round of the series was the MX class, which gave motocrossers an opportunity to try XC racing and compete in their own class. Of the six riders who entered, four finished and the top three all posted five laps. Colin Yeend took the class win followed very closely by Simon Morgan from Rob Mumford with Peter Ballinger, on four laps in fourth.
The course had been tough, too tough for a few, but for those who took the bull by the horns and dived in headlong, it was the ultimate challenge. The opening laps were the hardest in many ways as riders became accustomed to the course and its pitfalls.
Many bikes were on the boil but a few minutes rest and a top up saw them merrily on their way again. It really was three courses in one and the flat fields were welcome relief to many after the boggy plantations and woodland test.
Once the initial log jams had cleared every rider had to decide his or her own way of making it to the finish, as the majority of riders did.
Pit stops became more frequent as the race progressed as both bikes and riders took on vital fluids, straightened bars and gritted teeth for the next lap.
Course changes to cut out the boggier bits of the plantation certainly helped and less and less riders became stuck in the seemingly bottomless mud but the woodland section was an eye-opener for many and the marshals all pitched in to help those in need.
The course was compared to the taste of Marmite by one of the competitors – you either loved it or hated it. Either way it was challenging and different from the three preceding rounds. If it is used in next year's series, in drier conditions, it will be one of the best. 
If you completed this challenge, well done. It is not supposed to be easy, it is a challenge and for many it was simply to make just one more lap that kept them going.
Support from marshals and spectators was obviously welcomed in places and all onlookers had a sincere admiration for those who plugged away and made it to the finish line.
This was one event where if you made it to the chequered flag, you could consider yourself a winner.
All credit to Paul Edmondson and Steve Ireland and their team of trusty workers who have worked tirelessly, planned and executed four top-notch events, got them all televised and have raised the bar on XC racing in this country. Quite an achievement by any standard.