Beaumont
Cleans Up in the Mud!
Pearce Cycles Summer Series Round 2
Hopton Castle
Round 2 of the Pearce cycles summer series at Hopton castle was
well attended affair with the race being booked up far in advance.
The vibe around the pitz had a cool and calm feel with nobody
seeming to be in a hurry to get started, which was kind of nice
for a change. The days practice was held in dry conditions although
rain was forecast for late on in the day.
Transport was running smoothly and people were squeezing in 8
to 10 runs easy with no great stress but there were some complaints
of faster riders catching up with slower riders but the track
was easy to session so this was the choice for most.
The track consisted of 3 sections. The top section was dense trees
tight turns and greasy roots. The middle section was a wide open
track dotted with tree stump fly offs braking bumps the section
was left un taped creating multiple lines, some better than others
but allowing riders to explore the width of the track definitely
apart of the track where the right line would pick you up a few
seconds. The bottom section again consisted of some dense woods
but was far more open than the top section until you hit the switchbacks
that rounded upturned tree roots at the bottom of the track.
Not a bad regional course with plenty of lines to choose from
and a well organised race venue it even included a heated marquee
with flat screen telly with all the motocross videos you could
ever want to watch. Know wonder its become a popular series with
Downhillers.
A healthy number of elites turned up for the race with highest
ranking being Mark Beaumont. In all honesty you couldn’t
really see anyone beating Beaumont on this track as he only lives
round the corner and the way he was hitting lines he was visibly
faster than any other rider in practice. Other elites included
Tom Braithwait, and Burgtec/ FiveTen team member Ralf Jones.
Other riders who were looking quick were Cannondale Rookie Sam
Dale and the Morgan Brothers fresh from their trip to London where
they’d been sight seeing and taking in a bit of culture.
Predictions for Sunday well you would never bet against Beaumont
winning the Elites.
True to form the wheather closed in and began to rain at the end
of practice those brave souls who headed up the hill to check
outs were probably sorely disappointed as the lines they had been
practicing turned to mush.
Predictions for Sunday well you would never bet against Beaumont
winning the Elites. With masters going to Col Williams or our
very own charging Rick Burgoin. In the expert category the way
Ben and Ad Morgan they were on for a one, two finish respectively.
Sam Dale looked strong on his new ride and a cert for the Junior
cat.
Race day
So for all the people who practised in the dry on Saturday the
track was completely different on Sunday with the wet conditions
turning the fast dry track into a greasy muddy nightmare.
Sunday morning turned the car park into a mud fest as well with
cars sliding all over the place. The heavy rain from the night
had subsided only to leave a blanket of drizzle
Reports from riders who came down the hill first seemed to be
they were enjoying the wet conditions. The track had definitely
become more challenging with the top wooded section taking most
casualties. The now polished roots of yesterday had become uber
greasy from the rain.
Riders entered the finish arena like speedway racers but without
the control and style. Tyres of choice were swamp things and wet
screams for obvious reasons and Tear offs littered the track like
ladies knickers at littered the stage at a Tom Jones concert.
The rain eased with the track beginning to dry leaving it tacky
and a lot slower than slower than practice. Other condition that
was hampering riders on the Sunday was the mist cutting down the
visibility on the top and middle sections.
After the 1st run the predictions of Saturday was true to form
with Junior leader Sam Dale putting a huge 16-second margin into
2nd place. Which can only serve to boost his confidence for the
season ahead.
Ben Morgan managed to produce a time that would threaten fastest
time of the day with a 2.32.78
and would have seen him place 2nd in the Elites. But Marc Beaumont
was to show why he’s up there with the best in the world
at the moment and was able to overtake Ben by putting in a 2.27.29
over 5 seconds faster.
The second run saw a red flag slow down proceedings but this did
not give way to any major upsets from the 1st run.
Expert
1. Ben Morgan 2.32.78
2. Richard Thomas 2.36.61
3. Adam Morgan 2.37.94
Elite
1. Marc Beaumont 2.27.29
2. Tom Braithwaite 2.33.90
3. Ralf Jones 2.35.66
Burgtec Riders
Elite
Ralf Jones 2.35.11/ 3rd place
Expert
Ben Morgan 2.32.78/ 1st place
Adam Morgan 2.37.94/ 3rd place
Junior
Sam Dale 2.32.56/ 1st place
Masters
Richard Burgoin 2.57.31/ 8th place
All in all a good weekends racing big thanks to the guys at Pearce
Cycles for putting on a cracking race.
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