British Enduro Sprint Championship Rounds 5 & 6 April 7th/8th Saints Well

Rounds 5 and 6 of the BESC were set at the popular circuit of Saints Well in mid-Wales. After the recent warm period of weather in the UK cold winds and light rain greeted the riders at the improved circuit. Arriving back home on Tuesday after over 2 weeks in South America riding in the World Enduro Championship, Midwest Husaberg UK rider Alex Rockwell was back in action and determined to beat his 2 rivals, fellow Manx man Danny McCanney and Jonny Walker who have both recorded victories at previous rounds.

Back riding the Husaberg TE 250 two stroke bike Alex immediately set the fastest time on lap 1 which was a warning to his fellow competitors that he was on the pace. Danny McCanney stayed close all day with Alex but after a couple of crashes Jonny Walker had left himself too far behind to catch up. After 7 tests the 2 Manx men were separated by less than 1 second so it was down to the last lap and it was Danny who pulled a fantastic lap out of the bag to beat Alex by just over 2 seconds. This left Danny in 1st place overall with Alex a close 2nd.

Day 2 saw the course reversed in direction and the existing bumps left from the previous days racing would mean a tough day for the riders. Getting used to the lightweight 2 stroke Alex was again immediately matching fellow Manx man Danny McCanney but it wasn’t to be for Jonny Walker as he again made a few small mistakes which left him too far behind to challenge for the win. After 4 tests Alex had a 14 second lead over Danny and after a mistake from Danny over the extreme log section which saw him fall gave Alex a comfortable margin to go ahead and record his first class win in the BESC this year.

Alex Rockwell 101, Under 23 (2-1): I finally got the better of Danny McCanney this weekend! He's edge on me for a while now so it was good to get a win here. Being back on the two-stroke this weekend has made a real improvement in my riding – I don't know why but it just seems to suit me better. I hope this is a new start to my season and I can begin to get the results I know I should be capable of.

Fellow team mate Si Wakely had a better weekend than the previous round where he recorded 4th and 5th places in the Elite class over the weekend. Expert Midwest Husaberg rider, Tyson Maytom-Jones really excelled himself to produce an excellent victory on day 1 and a 2nd place on day 2 to give him the overall win in his class for the weekend.

Tyson Maytom Jones 52, Expert (1-2): I had a blast this weekend – winning round five was a brilliant result for me. At round six Oliver Hart was pushing hard and I just couldn't close the gap to him. In the end I just tried to ride as fast and as safe as I could. That tactic worked out for me and I finished second but more importantly I'm now leading the Expert championship so I can't ask for better than that.

Under 19 rider Aaron Smith produced some good times over the 2 days but a few mistakes and crashes kept him down lower in the overall positions. Youth 125 rider Jamie McCanney did not compete at this event as he injured himself in the World Enduro Championship races the previous week and will be out of action for 6 weeks with a broken wrist and collar bone.

BESC Rounds 5 and 6

 

2012 British Sprint Enduro Championship - Round 5 & 6

San Juan, Argentina, South America
March 31st / April 1st

The journey to rounds 3 and 4 of the EWC was a relatively short distance to neighbouring Argentina set at the foot of the Andes Mountains. The bikes were repacked and sent by road to reach the paddock on Thursday ready for the Friday night Super Test in front of 5,000 locals from San Juan. Again Alex performed well in the night test and recorded 6th fastest in his group. Day 1 was to be similar riding conditions to Chile only the temperatures were higher reaching a scorching 35 degrees Celsius, but the enduro and extreme tests were both based in rocking areas requiring extreme caution and skill to negotiate at high speed. The MX test was based at the local MX track consisting of mainly a sandy type terrain which suited Alex and he again achieved regular top 6 test times. After making a small but costly mistake in the extreme test and with the combination of not drinking enough fluids during the first day saw Alex finish in 12th position.

Day 2 again would see temperatures soar into the mid 30s but Alex learnt from the previous day that he would need to drink considerably more fluids and used a back pack containing vital water to get him through the long 7 hour day. Determined to do better than before Alex set off in confident mood and rode well to achieve a 10th place by the end of the day and more championship points under his belt.

Overall Results
Alex Rockwell – Junior Under 23 Class Day 1 - 12th, Day 2 – 10th

Talca, Chile, South America
March 24th /25th

A Tough Start for Midwest Husaberg UK Riders in EWC

The long awaited start to the 2012 world enduro season got underway on 24th / 25th March. A long flight of over 14 hours saw the riders arrive to a hot and dry area of Talca, Chile, South America. This would be both Alex Rockwell’s and Jamie McCanney’s first full season of competing in the world enduro championship with backing from the Husaberg Factory race team. The bikes and spares arrived in wooden crates and were delivered to the paddock by lorry ready for the mechanics to assemble. The Friday night Super Test went well for both Alex and Jamie who recorded 2nd and 1st in their respective classes. Saturday saw the riders leave the centre of Talca and head for the steep surrounding hills where the real event would start in the difficult, hard, dusty terrain. The extreme test proved to be Midwest Husaberg riders’ best test where Alex set times regularly in the top 6 of his class and Jamie was consistently either first or second. The enduro test was really hard with huge descents to tackle and this hampered Alex when he lost sight in the dust and went off course ending up down a gully where he was stuck for nearly 6 minutes. Jamie coped well and continued to be at the front of his class. Alex fought on through the heat and dust to salvage a 13th position in class and gain some world championship points. Jamie however was leading his class until the liaison section into the final extreme test of the day when a stray dog came out of nowhere. Unable to take avoiding action he crashed heavily breaking his wrist and collarbone. This was unbelievable bad luck as he all but looked assured of victory on his debut ride in the EWC.

Day 2 saw Alex, now more familiar with the terrain, determinedly ride to a solid 10th position in his class and gain more experience and points in the enduro world championship. On reflection a tough start to the world enduro campaign and riding with a broken rib from a crash at the BESC the week previous. Jamie had an operation on his broken wrist and will be unable to compete for 6 weeks.

Overall Results
Alex Rockwell – Junior Under 23 Class Day 1 - 13th, Day 2 – 10th
Jamie McCanney – Youth Under 19 125cc Class Day 1 – DNF, Day 2 - DNS

Simon has posted to facebook that he and the team have arrived in Chili for the WEC with Alex and Jamie. After a 14 hour flight where Simon caught up on his sleep.

Hi all just a quick update we got here OK, as expected it's hot between 12noon and 3pm but the rest of the day is OK. The 3 special tests and prologue are amazing the enduro test is about 5 miles long took 3 hours to walk. We unloaded 8 wooden crates and unpacked all the bikes and spares today while the riders walked the tests. More updates tomorrow - By the way we had an earthquake last night! Yes the room and doors were shaking they had one in 2010 which demolished half the town but its quite normal apparently!
-Simon

British Enduro Sprint Championship Rounds 3 and 4 March 10th 11th 2012
Llangrove, Monmouth, UK

Finally a weekend of sunshine greeted the riders at Llangrove near Monmouth on the Welsh/English border for rounds 3 and 4 of the BESC. A fast flowing course of mainly open fields with a few woodlands and stream crossings would see a physical weekend for the riders. Midwest Husaberg rider, Jamie McCanney was the star of the team this weekend, and both he and his Husaberg TE125 performed faultlessly to earn a double victory of wins in his class. Fellow team mate, Alex Rockwell switched to the Husaberg FE390 for this race, using it as preparation for the forth coming World Enduro championship races in South America. He started off well only a couple of seconds behind Johnny Walker and Danny McCanney but after a serious crash in the river section to avoid a fallen rider on the last test of day 1, he sustained serious bruising to his ribs meaning he finished well down the order on day 1 and rode reservedly on day 2 to finish a creditable 5th place. Elite rider Si Wakely also struggled all weekend and produced a below standard result of 7th and 11th places.

Tyson Maytom-Jones and Aaron Smith produced excellent rides, with Tyson 4th and 3rd in the Experts and Aaron with two 5th places.

Results

• Alex Rockwell - Under 23 Class Day 1 - 13th, Day 2 - 5th
• Si Wakely - Elite Day 1 - 7th, day 2 - 11th
• Jamie McCanney - Youth 125 Cup Day 1 - 1st , Day 2 - 1st
• Tyson Maytom-Jones - Expert Day 1 - 4th , Day 2 - 3rd
• Aaron Smith - Under 19 Class Day 1 - 5th, day 2 - 5th

Video

2012 British Sprint Enduro Championship - Round 3 & 4

Onboard: 2012 BSEC - Round 3 - Jamie McCanney

BSEC Rnds 3 and 4

Diggers Off Road Films

Husaberg Catching up with Jamie McCanney and Alex Rockwell

We took the chance at rounds 3 & 4 of the British Sprint Enduro Championship to catch up with the two Manx Junior riders Jamie McCanney and Alex Rockwell of team Midwest Husaberg UK.

BESC Rounds 3 and 4

 

Pictures - Jonty Edmunds