2023 Muntjac Enduro - report and results

By Team TMX on 21st Nov 23

News Enduro

Luke Parker dominated the GH Motorcycles Muntjac Enduro and in doing so secured the 2023 Eastern Centre Enduro Championship title. The GASGAS rider had already clinched the Eastern Centre Motocross Championship, making him a double centre champion – a feat that he had already accomplished in 2022. This made him the first-ever back-to-back winner of both centre championships which is no mean feat.

A full entry of 200 riders took part in the Diss Club's famous event in Thetford Forest on the Norfolk and Suffolk border with riders setting off in groups of four at 9.00 am on a bright and sunny morning for what was going to be a long and hard day in the woods.

After a short section through the woods from the start, the riders started arriving at the first Special Test around 10 minutes after leaving the start. The Championship class were asked to complete five tests, with the last two being back-to-back. Experts and Expert Vets did three, with the Clubman and Clubman Vets completing just two of the fast and flowing Special Tests. It had some boggy sections that would see many of the riders caught out and lose lots of time.

Before the start, all Parker had to do was score four more points than his nearest rival Ben Clark (300 Beta), so you would think the Parker would have played it safe and gone for a comfortable finish to get the job done. But that’s not Luke Parker. He went into the first Special Test flat out and kept his GASGAS on full attack mode till the end.

He set the fastest time and was over four seconds clear of the second-fastest time of Ben Cole (450 Husqvarna). Clark kept the pressure up by setting the third fastest time with World Enduro champion and 2021 Muntjac winner Steve Holcombe (125 Beta) fourth fastest. It was great to see Holcombe screaming his 125 Beta flat out and on full throttle through the Special where riding a 125 fast is all about keeping good corner speed.

After about 50 minutes of dodging trees and keeping to the set time schedule, it was back for Special Test #2. Once again, Parker set the fastest time but by only two seconds from Cole again, with Holcombe moving up a place to third ahead of Jake Nicholls (350 GASGAS) with Clark dropping to sixth fastest.

Another lap, and it was back for Special Test #3. Again, it was Parker and Cole with Holcombe in third from Nicholls, with this time Sam Nunn (450 GASGAS) fifth with Clark again in sixth.

As the riders started the fourth lap, the clouds had come over, and it started to drizzle with rain, although it was hardly noticeable deep in the woods. Special Test Four and Five were back-to-back, so riders did one, stopped for a short breather and a drink and then did it again.

Parker was fastest in both of these Special Tests as well as all the others. Holcombe pushed him hard in Test Four as the pair were separated by less than half a second. Cole dropped down to fifth in both, while Nicholls seemed to up his pace and notched up third and second fastest times, with Nunn registering two-fourth places. After the tests were totalled up, Parker was obviously the fastest from Holcombe, Cole, Nicholls and Nunn. Clark was sixth from Jacob Roper (250 GASGAS) and Lewis Tombs (250 Yamaha)

All Parker now had to do was complete the last two laps in the woods without time penalties to take the event win and be crowned champion. Eight of the Championship class ended the event on time, which made Parker the Muntjac winner from Holcombe and Cole. Nicholls was fourth from Nunn, Clark and Roper.

“Today all I had to do was get a fourth place, I think,” said a happy double double champion, Parker. “If my nearest rival, Ben Clark, had won, all I needed was four points, and I think I have won. That’s five Centre Enduro Championships in a row.”

“I was a little off at the start as it took me a while to get to grips with riding a 125 again," said second placed Steve Holcombe. "I loved the event and it had some new bits which I hadn't ridden before so I really enjoyed it. It was nice to keep the 125 singing around the last two tight checks.”

Lucky Luke Meredith (300 GASGAS) was the Expert-class winner, setting three very fast Special Test times that would have seen him finish in seventh or eighth in the Championship class. Steven Cooper (250 KTM) pushed him all the way as he finished second, with Sam Boyd (200 Beta) third. After notching up two respectful times, early class pace-setter David Rushton (450 KTM) crashed on his last test, which dropped him down the finishing order to 10th place.

The evergreen Julian Harvey (125 KTM) won the very competitive Expert Vet class with a score that would have seen him finish fifth in the Experts. Enduro21 online editor Jonathan Pearson (250 KTM) was runner-up from Karl Greenall (250 KTM) and Shane Tasker (250 KTM), as only five riders in class finished without time penalties.

James Wren (250 GASGAS) won the hotly contested Clubman class from Lee Corbett (250 KTM) and Edward Elkin (300 Beta), while Daniel Rose (350 KTM) won the Clubman Vets from Matt Willis (450 KTM) and Christian Drane (450 GASGAS).

The Clubman Super Vets was won convincingly by John Hilton (300 KTM) from Mark Chapman (250 KTM) and Darren Osbome (250 Yamaha).

Results – 2023 Muntjac Enduro

Championship

Expert

Expert Vet

Clubman

Clubman Vet

Clubman Super Vets

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