REPORT: Woodland Riders Winter Series RD 4 2012
24 April 2012 | By gregberryThe end of a great race series was met with record entries and wet weather at Tavistock woodlands. Round 4 was set to be a popular one, racing through the open quarry section and down to the gorse jumps, a track that was suitable for more abilities, which saw an increase of trail bikes and even a 3 wheeler.
A grim morning in the Tamar Valley. Lots of keen riders none the less.
A wet tyre up front wasn't a bad idea for some parts of the track. Especially the corner before the gorse bush jumps.
With the rain on and off all day practice turned the track quite sticky, making it tough to pedal through but by the time race runs had come round and with a bit more rain the track was running quicker. I had a watch of the first riders down at the rockgarden section and berms, which was proving to take a few prisoners. One lad ripped off his whole drivetrain, a couple come off the track and some nasty washouts.
What an absolute hero this man is. Chris Jones can just about walk but not well enough for a normal bike. Here he is showing that does not stop him doing what he loves. Big respect.
A very fun bit of track, the corkscrew.
With close times being put down, racing was well underway and the contests in separate categories were getting exciting. In hardtails our own Matt Booker took a narrow lead from Jon Credicott. Andy Boyle had once again smashed the masters by over 6 seconds and Zak Hurrell took a good lead in seniors. Henry Hodgkins took the lead juniors and Owen Willicombe lead the youth. Jay Williamson continues his winning streak again followed closely by Ash Mullane.
Tony Williams, charging.
After the corkscrew you fly past the comet looking rock. A little loose in places to say the least.
The rain defiantly started to come down harder before second race runs. Ideal for some, not so for others. Some riders needed that extra run to correct some mistakes, yet others just wanted to hold onto that current time. Ash Mullane had to leave early so Jay Williamson was one holding onto that lead, which he did and took his 3rd win in a row. Owen Willicombe set an incredible time of 1:11.765 placing him 4th overall on the day, as a youth! Ryan Tunnell came back in juniors and knocked Henry Hodgkins back down to second. Zak Hurrell maintained his lead in seniors, followed by Adam Semmens and Olly Hooper. Andy Barron took the veterans from Tony Williams who had well lets say an interesting crash off the start ramp! Jon Creditcott came back to beat Matt Booker in hardtails by just 2 seconds.
Simon Alpin sending some roost in this sloppy corner.
One of my favourite riders to watch. Luke Constanza gets wild.
Results:
Expert/Elite Men:
1st: Jay Williamson (1:08.677)
2nd: Ash Mullane (1:11.475)
3rd: Don Howe (1:13.325)
Ripper Men:
1st: Ella Nicolle (2:25.714)
Juvenile Men:
1st: Luke Nicolle (1:28.634)
2nd: Matthew Bryant (1:30.814)
3rd: Aidan Saxon (1:32.446)
Youth Men:
1st: Owen Willicombe (1:11.764)
2nd: JJ Scott (1:15.788)
3rd: Dominic Jeffery (1:16.937)
Junior Men:
1st: Ryan Tunnell (1:15.720)
2nd: Henry Hodgkins (1:16.042)
3rd: Alex Howe (1:16.311)
Senior Men:
1st: Zak Hurrell (1:10.421)
2nd: Adam Semmens (1:11.858)
3rd: Olly Hooper (1:12.429)
Master Men:
1st: Andy Boyle (1:14.450)
2nd: Andrew McRobbie (1:19.119)
3rd: Lee Pattemore (1:24.512)
Veteran Men:
1st: Andy Barron (1:17.113)
2nd: Tony Williams (1:20.105)
3rd: Chris Cooke (1:21.364)
Hardtail Men:
1st: Jon Credicott (1:17.469)
2nd: Matt Booker (1:19.575)
3rd: Henry Siebert (1:36.136)
Adaptive Men:
1st: Chris Jones (3:25.031)
Women:
1st: Sally Eland (2:14.585)
2nd: Kara Leworthy (2:30.302)
Fastest time on the day and series overall winner, Jay Williamson presses on for Team Wideopenmag.
For the 3rd time in a row, Jay Williamson top of the box.
A HUGE thanks to Chaz and Mandy Lamely for all their efforts into this fantastic race series, which I can only see getting more and more popular. Can't wait for the next one…
Photography Credit: Felix Smith
