Sagar takes a Leisurely 'wyn
By TMX Archives on 11th Aug 10
Putoline Suzuki rider Tom Sagar strengthened his stranglehold on the GBXC series Pro class title with a fine win in the fourth round at Berwyn Leisure Park, Oswestry, on Sunday, against a very competitive field of Pro riders. Sagar took the lead shortly after the start and never looked back for two and a half hours around a 10km course at Berwyn Leisure Park.
The week preceding the event saw the Fast Eddy Racing crew hard at work providing riders with a monster course filled with challenges of all types, taking in all the sections of land available.
Although the course was fast it had plenty of tricky spots to catch the unwary as some riders found out on the numerous off-camber sections and loose shale climbs. Winding from the start on the valley floor, the course climbed high into the hills, through woodlands, across open hillsides and back down to a moto-x section with brdges crossing the fast running stream at the base of the valley.
Racing got underway at 10am as the Veterans led-off the race followed by Sportsmen, Novice and Hobby, Youth and Ladies classes.
A monster Veterans class took to the hills and Carl Claybrook took the lead on his new KTM 250XC, building up a 40 second lead by the end of the first lap and piling on the pressure for the following riders trying hard to close the gap.
Two sensationally fast laps saw Claybrook comfortably out in front but by lap four he was paying for his charge as Dave Selkeld closed the gap considerably. Claybrook heard him coming and tried hard to stay ahead but arm pump had the better of him and he high-sided on the MX track, yanking the throttle cable from the top of the carb.
Selkeld passed him, expecting a challenge to ensue, but it was game over for Claybrook who retired after four laps. Keith Jenkins automatically moved to second place then caught and passed Selkeld on the final lap. Selkie was unsure if Jenks was in the Vets class so charged and grabbed the lead once more holding it to the finish. Jenks took second place as Gary McCoy made his long trip from Devon worthwhile by taking third place. A fully fit Ade Bradley rode hard to get fourth, just ahead of Craig Parkes in fifth.
In terms of time the overall winner was young Joe Wootton on his CF Racing Kawasaki KX250F. The Youth class started five minutes behind the Vets and Joe battled hard following a dreadful start which saw him move from last off the line to climb to fifth overall in the race, finishing four minutes behind overall winner Jenkins. Technically, if they had all started together, Wootton would have won the event by a minute clear.
Following Wootton home was Ash Bowden who had battled hard to keep ahead of third placed Aaron Edwards as Liam Phillips followed in fourth with young Oli Benton in fifth.
It was nearly a Tatchell 1-2-3 in the Hobby/Novice class as brothers Gav and Michael took first and second places but Dave Simpking spoiled the treble as he took third place, pushing Scott Tatchell to fourth place with Anthony Hall in fifth.
Jeremy Callow took the Sportsman class a lap clear of Danny Morris and Graham Owens who had just seconds between them in second and third places. Sam Adderman rode hard to keep fourth place as Doug Shepley took fifth.
Jane Daniels reigned supreme in the Ladies class taking the winner's spot a lap clear of Katie Walker in second place as Gemma Holtman took third place and Nichola Reeve fourth.
For the two and a half hour afternoon race a slight change to the course saw the inclusion of a log section high in the hills, just to sap strength following a hard climb to get there.
KB Racing's Lewis Belfield headed the Pro rider class off the line with fancied favourite, Putoline Suzuki rider Tom Sagar, stuck back in the pack and Linc Brewster ten seconds behind following a problem with his goggles as he left the line.
Lee Edmondson
Half way round the opening lap order was restored as Sagar took the lead and began to stretch a significant gap with team-mate Lee Edmondson in tow. Belfield and Brewster switched places throughout the race in third and fourth with Poole Yamaha's James Jackman in fifth place as the leading five gradually pulled away from the rest of the field. Jackman surged towards the mid-point of the race, passing Belfield and Brewster, but somehow the pair fought back to regain their positions. Sagar really had his race-head on and showed how to win a race in style as Edmondson took second, Brewster third, Belfield fourth and Jackman fifth, all on 12 laps.
Steve Holcombe had his hands full with the other Expert riders challenging hard for top spot. Holcombe managed to break from the bulk of the pack but Gary Daniels and Derek Bawn kept in touch with him. Holcombe took the class win by just over a minute from Daniels who finished two minutes clear of third placed Bawn. A gap of eight minutes then saw Oli Hart take fourth place with Sean O'Neil a lap adrift in fifth.
Rhys Davies and George Bayliss had a real ding-dong battle in the XC Clubman 2T class, with Bayliss definitely at a disadvantage on his 125cc Yamaha. A 250 would have put him on level pegging with Davies who eventually won the class with Bayliss second and Ross Benton third. Fourth placed Dan Edwards and David Dudley in fifth was on the same lap as third place and only three minutes adrift.
Lee Thomas powered his Honda to a clear win in the Clubman 4T class, putting over four minutes between himself and second placed Lee Hattersley who had a comfortable gap before James Allinson crossed the line in third place. Gareth Delahay was the final ‘10 lapper' in the class and took fourth with Royce Machin taking fifth place.
The course proved to be fast and tough with Sagar posting the fastest lap around 12 minutes. Over a 10Km course this was a pretty good time and although the rest of the field was not quite as quick the event proved to be enjoyable for all riders.
Blood, Sweat and Gears TV covered every second of the event and there were more than a few spectacular moments captured on film, Andy Cripps had the crash of his life, falling 15 feet and landing on the front wheel before banging his face off the bar pad, bouncing hard before throwing his bike away to avoid a steep drop and ending up in the stream.
This event was one of the best GBXC's this season, the course was very good and the entry reflected this as more riders flooded back to the GBXC series.
gbxc Rd 4 - Berwyn Leisure Park, Oswestry
Pro: 1 Tom Sagar, 2 Lee Edmondson, 3 Linc Brewster, 4 Lewis Belfield, 5 James Jackman.
Expert: 1 Steve Holcombe, 2 Gary Daniels, 3 Derek Bawn, 4 Oli Hart, 5 Sean O'Neil.
Clubman 2T: 1Rhys Davies, 2 George Bayliss, 3 Ross Benton, 4 Dan Edwards, 5 David Dudley.
Clubman 4T: 1 Lee Thomas, 2 Lee Hattersley, 3 James Allinson. 4 Gareth Delahay, 5 Royce Machin.
Veteran: 1 Dave Selkeld, 2 Keith Jenkins, 3 Gary McCoy, 4 Ade Bradley, 5 Craig Parkes.
Sportsman: 1 Jeremy Callow, 2 Danny Morris, 3 Graham Owens, 4 Sam Adderman, 5 Doug Shepley.
Hobby/ Novice: 1 Gav Tatchell, 2 Mike Tatchell, 3 Dave Simpking, 4 Scott Tatchell, 5 Anthony Hall.
Youth: 1 Joe Wootton, 2 Ash Bowden, 3 Aaron Edwards, 4 Liam Phillips, 5 Oli Benton.
Ladies: 1 Jane Daniels, 2 Katie Walker, 3 Gemma Holtman, 4 Nichola Reeve.