Biffster Driffster
By TMX Archives on 20th Feb 08
The MOD Airfield, at Driffield, was the setting for the first round of the National Putoline Hare Scramble Championship. Just as last year the championship remains just as popular as ever, with 500 riders racing over the weekend and over 100 riders turned away. The event organised by True Grit Off-Road was a truly tremendous affair. The True Grit team had plotted a new route around the old airfield, incorporating more of the open going than usual. Racing started on the Saturday, with the Junior Youth and Ladies races. This well-attended race started at 1pm over a shortened track. The Senior B riders were away first in glorious sunshine followed by the Juniors and then the newly introduced Ladies class. As the riders came back to lap scoring it was Luke Flack leading in his first outing as a Senior B rider, closely followed by Robert Johnson. As the race progressed Robert passed Luke to take up the lead, which he would hang on to until the end taking the win by 25 seconds from Luke Flack with Edward Field in third.
The Junior race was won by Michael ‘Hedgehog' Tatham from Michael Gilby and Alex Harris in third. Molly Howe won the inaugural ladies race that concluded a great day of Youth action.
On Sunday as the masses of riders started to arrive the temperature was a lowly minus-five degrees – it had been as low as minus-nine during the night.
The Sportsman/ Novice Senior A race was going to be a slippery affair as the ground was frozen. At 9am the first wave of E1 Sportsmen from the massed ranks of riders set off around the awesome Driffield track.
First rider into the woods was Tee Bee rider, Ashley Crossley, who on the first lap started to pull a lead from second placed rider John Kerwin. As the leading riders completed their first lap a shock was waiting as they entered the woods for the second time. The ground had become polished like glass leaving them sprawling around on the floor. Slowly the riders started to adapt to the slippery conditions, and midway through the second lap John Kerwin passed Ashley Crossley to take up the lead.
NATIONAL PUTOLINE HARE SCRAMBLE CHAMPS
Rd 1 – Driffield, Yorks (True Grit Off-Road)
2.5-hr RACE
Expert: 1 Biff Smith 8 laps - 7:24 time penalties, 2 Lincoln Brewster 8 - 11:56, 3 Martin Sandiford 8 - 12:40, 4 Andy Cripps 8 - 14:10, 5 Adam Smith 8 - 14:27, 6 Andrew Hackett 8 - 15:02.
Clubman Open: 1 Steve Watson 7 - 6:09, 2 Dave Wilson 7 - 6:49, 3 Jamie Robinson 7 - 8:24, 4 Mike Smith 7 - 8:27, 5 Rob Loney 7 - 8:28, 6 Simon Cartwright 7 - 8:31, 7 Marcus Firth 7 - 10:23, 8 Rick Huntington 7 - 12:39.
Over 40: 1 Ian Shannon 7 - 7:06, 2 John Burrow 7 - 15:22, 3 Bryan Mundy 7 - 15:25, 4 Bill Howe 7 - 16:42, 5 Ian Cartwright 7 - 17:25, 6 Tim Greig 7 - 18:35.
Clubman E1: 1 Joe Deakin 7 - 8:43, 2 Chris Berrill 7 - 17:30, 3 Brad Keyworth 7 - 18:28, 4 Sam Entwistle 7 - 19:07, 5 Dominic Gonham 7 - 19:08, 6 Paul Waterhouse 7 - 19:11.
2-Hr RACE
Sportsman E1: 1 Karl Waltho 5 - 3:43, 2 Davy Morewood 5 - 6:04, 3 Ashley Crossley 5 - 8:45, 4 Ian Rhodes 5 - 10:40, 5 Tom Healey 5 - 10:45, 6 Martin Rhodes 5 - 13:48, 7 David Shaw 5 - 13:55, 8 Will Howe 5 - 15:27.
Sportsman Open: 1 Richard Pickering 5 - 7:41, 2 Gareth Lodge 5 - 11:41, 3 David Pye 5 - 12:08, 4 Adam Rhodes 5 - 14:26, 5 Chris Coates 5 - 14:33, 6 Richard Birkitt 5 - 16:51, 7 Lewis Eastwood 5 - 17:16, 8 Mark Waterfield 5 - 17:42, 9 Neil Sharp 5 - 17:53, 10 Mick Thompson 5 - 18:22.
Youth Senior A: 1 Josh Bendell 5 - 4:29, 2 George Knowles 5 - 15:23, 3 Josh Luckup 5 - 27:22, 4 Reece Morewood 4 - 2:54, 5 Jordan Johns 4 - 3:54, 6 Adam Taylor 4 - 6:38.
Novice: 1 Carl Rawnsley 5 - 20:04, 2 Jake Miller 5 - 23:01, 3 Ed Knowles 5 - 26:29, 4 Paul Askew 5 - 27:08, 5 Gary Day 5 - 30:14, 6 Jonathan Green 4 - 0:41, 7 Richard Hamilton 4 - 2:23, 8 Ashley Garbutt 4 - 3:39.
1.5-Hr RACE
Youth Senior B: 1 Robert Johnson 7 - 3:07, 2 Luke Flack 7 - 3:32, 3 Edward Field 7 - 6:23, 4 Jack Colley 7 - 8:47, 5 josh nellis 7 - 8:51, 6 Daniel Clark 7 - 9:13.
Youth Junior: 1 Michael Tatham 6 - 5:00, 2 Michael Gilby 6 - 10:18, 3 Alex Harris 6 - 14:04, 4 Jack Stafford 6 - 17:41, 5 Ben Turner 5 - 2:36, 6 Justin Stalpers 5 - 8:00.
Ladies: 1 Molly Howe 5 - 3:49, 2 Becky Hobbs 5 - 4:25, 3 Jade Gordon 5 - 5:39, 4 Ashleigh Beer 5 - 9:30, 5 Debbie Kerr 5 - 9:31, 6 Anita Gordon 5 - 10:00.
For full report see T+MX NEWS, Friday, February 22, 2008