When the going gets tough...Jonnny gets going
By TMX Archives on 30th Nov 12
With the 2013 Tough One Extreme Enduro just two months away, the Tough Ones Little Brother acted as a perfect prelude to the big event.
The head-to-head battle between Red Bull KTM's rising star, Jonny Walker, and Flite Husaberg's Graham Jarvis raged only briefly at Nantmawr Quarry on Sunday.
Jarvis led from the start, but by the third lap young Cumbrian Walker had capitalised on Graham's loss of front brake to begin a long and steady process of consolidating his lead and adding yet another win to his ever-growing list of achievements.
The winter Extreme season got underway and the bright, calm, sunny conditions at Nantmawr Quarry on Sunday belied the challenges riders faced in the ‘TOLB', organised by WOR Events.
Battered by high winds and lashed by rain throughout Saturday night, the quarry section remained solid as ever – but the open going on the additional new sections to the course above the quarry was challenging to say the least.
The sunshine made the day a pleasant outing for spectators, but the damage had been done overnight, adding several degrees of difficulty to an already tough challenge.
Billed as a low-caffeine version of January's main event, the ‘TOLB' proved equally as tough in places as its big brother.
But it was certainly fast and flowing in the early stages, with lap times around 10-minutes.
For the front-runners it was an ideal opportunity to get plenty of practice and re-acclimatise to conditions in the iconic quarry just outside Oswestry.
Walker and Jarvis were joined on the Pro start line by the hugely experienced Paul Bolton, on his FatCat Eurotek KTM, Gas Gas riders Jack Lee and Alexz Wigg, AD Motors' Gary Daniels and Edmondson Racing's Richard Ely.
Walker had a poor start by his standards – he was second to Jarvis, as they left the line to enter the hilly wooded part of the course which leads out onto the open sections above the quarry amphitheatre.
The Expert riders were next away, followed by the Clubman, Veteran and lastly the Sportsman groups, leaving spectators to endure an agonising 10-minute wait before the leaders entered the quarry for the first time.
FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE TMX NOVEMBER 30
TOUGH ONE'S LITTLE BROTHER
Nantmawr Quarry, near Oswestry (WOR Events)
Pro Class: 1 Jonny Walker (Red Bull KTM) 10 laps - 1:58:02, 2 Garaham Jarvis (Flite Husaberg) 10 - 2:00:19, 3 Alexz Wigg (Gas Gas UK) 10 - 2:08:30, 4 Gary Daniels (AD Motors KTM) 9 - 1:58:29, 5 Richard Ely (KTM) 9 - 2:00:04, 6 Paul Bolton (FatCat Eurotek KTM) 7 - 1:23:30, 7 Jack Lee (Gas Gas UK) 3 - 0:36:50.
Expert Class: 1 Owain Humphries (KTM) 9 - 2:00:01, 2 Aled Price (KTM) 9 - 2:04:44, 3 Rob Reese (KTM) 9 - 2:08:19, 4 Josh Law (KTM) 9 - 2:08:29, 5 Lee Sealey (Husaberg) 9 - 2:16:34, 6 Zac Sherwin (Husaberg) 8 - 2:03:48, 7 Luke Flack (KTM) 8 - 2:03:55, 8 Alex Owen (???) 8 - 2:06:03, 9 Neil Thomas (KTM) 8 - 2:06:20, 10 Lyndun Jones (KTM) 7 - 2:02:04.
Clubman Class: 1 Charlie Frost (KTM) 8 - 1:58:46, 2 Mitch Frost (KTM) 8 - 2:16:03, 3 Tom Potter (Gas Gas) 7 - 1:59:44, 4 Harry Eccles (Gas Gas) 7 - 2:05:13, 5 Nathan Bolton (KTM) 7 - 2:07:23, 6 Russel Taylor (KTM) 7 - 2:07:54, 7 Robin Hughes (KTM) 7 - 2:09:31, 8 Roger Holland (KTM) 7 - 2:10:25, 9 Mike Slater (KTM) 7 - 2:11:48, 10 Aled Jones (KTM) 7 - 2:15:19.
Veteran Class: 1 Andrew Reeves (KTM) 9 - 2:13:17, 2 Craig Parkes (KTM) 8 - 2:08:42, 3 Garry Parr (Sherco) 7 - 1:59:47, 4 Howard Blundell (KTM) 7 - 2:09:14, 5 Andrew Keyte (???) 6 - 2:00:18, 6 Gary Morley (???) 6 - 2:00:38, 7 Richard Cutts (KTM) 5 - 2:03:50, 8 Chris Ball (KTM) 5 - 2:10:49, 9 Ian Barnett (KTM) 4 - 1:07:39, 10 Ian Nichols (KTM) 2 - 1:19:54.
Sportsman Class: 1 Richard Bentham (KTM) 6 - 2:09:19, 2 Mike Pye (KTM) 6 - 2:10:22, 3 Tom Collett (Husqvarna) 6 - 2:18:32, 4 Jack Cadwallder (KTM) 5 - 2:00:52, 5 Tom Cadwallader (KTM) 5 - 2:03:41, 6 Steven Appleton (???) 5 - 2:13:50, 7 Paul Ellis (Smith KTM) 5 - 2:22:47, 8 Glesni Jones (KTM) 4 - 1:59:24, 9 Blake Summers (KTM) 4 - 2:04:41, 10 Stephen Parry (KTM) 4 - 2:05:58.
