I have never ridden at Forest of Dean before and neither have I raced a 661 Mini DH, so I was really excited to see what both of these offered.
Luckily myself and Carl managed to get last minute slots on the Flyup Downhill uplift on the Saturday and with the fantastic service provided we managed to get 14 runs in. We spent 12 of these runs on Corkscrew, the race track for the Sunday and the other 2 on some of the other great trails the Forest of Dean has to offer.
The cold but dry weather meant that Corkscrew was running well as the top section had not been bogged down yet. It is one of the best sections of trail I have ridden in a while, just wide open and fun. The bottom half of the course was a lot more technical including off camber sections, rooty drops and a bus stop before the finish. Overall this made for a great track, having a good variety of terrain, all crammed into a minute long track.
Most of the riders entered for Sunday turned up on Saturday to session the track as best they can before race day. By the afternoon when the race organizers taped out the track, it was apparent that this was going to be a good event, due to the amount of riders that litter the track as you head down. Come Sunday morning, practice is in full swing with 300+ riders descending the track and the buzz of racing is certainly in the air. The track took a beating from the sheer volume of riders heading down the course but it managed to stay intact throughout race runs , with the exception of a few braking bumps.
There was a 20 second gap between each rider which seemed to work fine on such a short course and to my knowledge there were no problems with timing as it all ran smoothly. The 661 Mini DH events are labeled as an entry into downhill racing, although it felt quite the opposite with the amount of riders entered and the big sponsor names on the bottom of your race plate. But these events are a good entry level race because you get a great short track which makes for intense racing, everyone is friendly and the organization is superb. It is also a great feeling with the crowds of people cheering you on, making it feel like a huge race but on mini scale.
ResultsPro-Am
1. Emyr Davies - 55.14
2. Matt Bayliss - 56.09
3. Duncan Ferris - 56.49
Ladies
1. Jess Stone - 1:02.64
2. Katie Curd - 1:05.43
3. Emma Wareham - 1:06.54
Rippers
1. Jack Tennyson - 1:11.57
2. Kade Edwards - 1:13.64
3. Seth Barrett - 1:17.87
Juvenile
1. Charlie Hatton - 1:07.35
2. Archie Walton - 1:08.39
3. Leigh Johnson - 1:08.55
Youth
1. James Tucker - 1:00.70
2. Taylor Vernon - 1:02.18
3. James Whitby - 1:02.36
Junior
1. Isaac Anderson - 58.07
2. Ben Gillett - 59.01
3. Sam Copp - 1:01.02
Senior
1. Micky Boswell - 59.53
2. George Amos - 59.80
3. Stuart Wiltshire - 1:00.35
Master
1. Dan Haines - 58.84
2. Mark Simpson - 59.78
3. Giles Austing - 59.82
Veteran
1. Pete Little - 59.54
2. Ian Bray - 1:02.09
3. Richard Abbott - 1:02.74
Words:Greg Berry
To view the more photos from the race, click here.
Did you race? Let us know your thoughts on how it went for you below.
Comment on this article
Want to add your comments about this review? Login or Sign-up by clicking
the button below..
Most of the riders entered for Sunday turned up on Saturday to session the track as best they can before race day. By the afternoon when the race organizers taped out the track, it was apparent that this was going to be a good event, due to the amount of riders that litter the track as you head down. Come Sunday morning, practice is in full swing with 300+ riders descending the track and the buzz of racing is certainly in the air. The track took a beating from the sheer volume of riders heading down the course but it managed to stay intact throughout race runs , with the exception of a few braking bumps.
There was a 20 second gap between each rider which seemed to work fine on such a short course and to my knowledge there were no problems with timing as it all ran smoothly. The 661 Mini DH events are labeled as an entry into downhill racing, although it felt quite the opposite with the amount of riders entered and the big sponsor names on the bottom of your race plate. But these events are a good entry level race because you get a great short track which makes for intense racing, everyone is friendly and the organization is superb. It is also a great feeling with the crowds of people cheering you on, making it feel like a huge race but on mini scale.
Results
Pro-Am
1. Emyr Davies - 55.14
2. Matt Bayliss - 56.09
3. Duncan Ferris - 56.49
Ladies
1. Jess Stone - 1:02.64
2. Katie Curd - 1:05.43
3. Emma Wareham - 1:06.54
Rippers
1. Jack Tennyson - 1:11.57
2. Kade Edwards - 1:13.64
3. Seth Barrett - 1:17.87
Juvenile
1. Charlie Hatton - 1:07.35
2. Archie Walton - 1:08.39
3. Leigh Johnson - 1:08.55
Youth
1. James Tucker - 1:00.70
2. Taylor Vernon - 1:02.18
3. James Whitby - 1:02.36
Junior
1. Isaac Anderson - 58.07
2. Ben Gillett - 59.01
3. Sam Copp - 1:01.02
Senior
1. Micky Boswell - 59.53
2. George Amos - 59.80
3. Stuart Wiltshire - 1:00.35
Master
1. Dan Haines - 58.84
2. Mark Simpson - 59.78
3. Giles Austing - 59.82
Veteran
1. Pete Little - 59.54
2. Ian Bray - 1:02.09
3. Richard Abbott - 1:02.74
Words: Greg Berry
To view the more photos from the race, click here.
Did you race? Let us know your thoughts on how it went for you below.
