ATRC Standings: Round 5

I'm now 3rd in the Rally Lite 2 stroke over 249cc class, having completed 2 out of the 5 rounds so far this year. At the moment that position is fairly secure but I will be wanting to finish at least second in the last 3 rounds if I am going to make any improvements on that!

Older and wiser?

Here we go then, I'm starting my 27th year today! I went out for a fantastic trail ride with some mates last night and really enjoyed it, the bike was fine and I felt good, so things are looking good for the Powys Enduro in just over a weeks' time. What a little treat that was, stunning scenery all around and all kinds of tracks to ride. I spoilt it a little by catching my leg on a rock towards the end, so I'm limping a bit today but hopefully it'll pass quickly.

My goal this year is the same as my race season's goal, and that is to get a class win in an enduro. The Powys is what I consider to be my best chance of the year so far, I know it well having ridden it for the last 5 years or so, but as usual it will come down to the special test times, so I'll have to be fit and ready. The first test will be important as it's normally at the start of the event and that's a good opportunity to gain an advantage if I can push hard and stay on. If it's wet it's anyone's game, but I'll be making sure I don't lose any time on the checks by keeping a good pace. I'm really excited for it now!

Preparation for the Powys enduro

With less than 3 weeks to go now until the 40th anniversary edition of the MWTRA Powys Enduro, I've been making sure the bike is ready after the Welsh 2 day. The guys at ET James welded my radiator mounting brackets back onto the radiator and persuaded it back into shape. I think I'll look into getting some braces made up for it at some point. The benefits of these oversized rads are lost on me so far (they were on the bike when I bought it)!

Other than that the Wales Air Ambulance EXC is good to go, the tyres are looking a bit second hand after a couple of days at the Welsh but they need to last me the Powys and the Beacons 2 day rally the following weekend!

I'll be riding in the Sportsman again this year at the Powys, looking to break into the top 3 if I can after last year's 5th place.

ATRC Standings: Round Four

I'm hanging onto second place at the moment, but until the ATRC round 5 results from this weekend's Ryedale Rally are in, I won't know what's possible!

Update: Welsh 2 day enduro special test video

More on board action from the Wales Air Ambulance EXC! This is the Church Farm test from day two, it's a lot slipperier than it looks!

No go for Dawn to Dusk enduro and Hafren Rally

Unfortunately I have had to decide not to take part in the Dawn to Dusk enduro this year. I can't afford it, but I will try to fit it in next year. I'll be there to watch and probably take a few snaps though.

Also, we found out earlier today that this year's Hafren Rally has been cancelled, which is a real shame because it's a fantastic event and many people's favourite - certainly one of mine. That's bad news for me in particular because it means I'll only have 5 ATRC round results to compete against others' 6 rounds, and that's only if a new ATRC round materialises (more on this later when we know what's happening).

Hafren DBC are going to be running a BEC round next year though which is good news, it'll be brilliant I'm sure, so I'll go to watch that, or if I'm feeling mad enough (and they have a sportsman class) I may even have a go!

Results: Welsh 2 day enduro

The results are out already! I finished 31st/164 in the Sportsman which I think will be a Silver medal. I have to admit I'm disappointed with that, I was riding for a Gold medal and I did some of my best riding on the checks to stay clean on time both days. There were a huge number of Sportsman riders who stayed clean though, so it all came down to the special tests, and I had a bad one at Church Farm on day two! I'll be back next year to try to get that elusive gold!

The full results are out on the Welsh 2 day website.