Braybrook Wins 'Hells Gate'
By TMX Archives on 12th Feb 07
Wayne Braybrook (GAS GAS UK) has just won the infamous 'HELLS GATE' Enduro in Italy! This race is absolutely awsome and the Italians certainly are the most enthusiastic people i know when it comes to bikes!
The day is split into two, with the morning race being a 'traditional' Time Card Enduro which started at 7am and finished at 1pm for Wayne. Now thats 6 hours on rough Italian terrain, just to get you warmed up!
Whoever wins this gets 'pole position' on the tarmac grid for the main afternoon race and only the top 30 from the morning race qualify.
Then if any of the 30 riders fall behind the leader by more than 40 minutes they are pulled out of the race.
Wayne qualified 4th which was cool because it meant he would be on the front row with Fabrizio Dini, Paul Eddy and Alessandro Botturi.
Also worth mentioning that KB Racing GG rider, Paul Bolton qualified 14th which is his first time card Enduro was impressive.
Then the afternoon race starts at 3.30pm and its the first rider to complete 4 laps wins....about 4 hours!
Without David Knight present, and Wayne finishing second to Knighter for the past two years and second to him at the Last Man Standing and second to him at The Tough One, you can safely say he was favorite....however the pressure was intense for Wayne because of this and also because we knew Paul eddy was well up for it!
They set off and Eddy lead with Wayne second. Botturi managed to pass them both and lead most of the first lap. I was in hot pursuit on a Trials bike so i could get to as many places as possible to help, drag and push Wayne through some of the real bad bits of the course, but as i said the Italians are so 'mad for it' they jump in and help aswell.
Wayne was eager to get away from the start but a few small crashes allowed Botturi and Eddy to get away a little. The second time i saw Wayne on the first lap he looked white as a ghost and he shouted 'ive bust ma finger' ! not stopping he raced on. This worried me bigtime so i racing down the road to meet him further round and he stopped to show me that he had dislocated his little finger....NOT GOOD! He carried on whilst i tried to find a doctor which i found but it was no good because all i can say in italian is 'Ciao' ! Whilst i was flapping with the Italian Doc...I heard a Gasser revving up the road.....BRAYBROOK leads....go on pal! To say Wayne is tough is an understatement and as i know him so well i knew he would just 'knuckle down' and race on!
He then basically slowly but surely pulled a lead from Eddy who had passed Botturi and was comfortably second.
At the end of the race, the riders have to get up the final hill which is simply waaaaaay too steep even for Trials bikes, so its left to simple brute strength and manpower to drag, push the bike and rider to the podium at the top. We saw the headlamp and heard the deep throaty bark of the 300 gasser clear its throat at the bottom and then Wayne let rip, getting a fair way up before myself and the Lancashire posse jumped on him and dragged him to the top to WIN Hells Gate !
Bigtime and yes i was emotional...my best bud and my bike had won !
1st ---- WAYNE BRAYBROOK
2nd --- PAUL EDMONDSON
3rd --- SIMONE ALBERGONI
Also congrats to Paul Bolton who finished 11th after being pulled out of the race on his last lap due to a over heating Gasser....Paul will definately return next year a little more preparred and has gained valuable experience at his first Hells Gate.Well sone pal.
For more results etc. checkout www.hellsgate.it or www.enduronews.com
Next event, no idea...rest needed!
Special thanks to Factory Kev for preparing the bike and Roy Kerr from Traitech for providing the best lights !
Also thanks to the Italian GG Importer for send their mechanic 'Tommaso' for helping too.
Thanks
Shirty