Midwest Racing 2011 Promo

Video ID: PXWIQH-HZpU

Video Description: Promotion video of the Midwest Racing 2011 Team

Well we are back from the Dirtbike Show in Stoneleigh where we announce the race team for 2012 and it is Alex Rockwell and Simon Wakely.

The team will be competing in all British Enduro Championship and British Enduro Sprint Championship and Alex will also be competing in the World Enduro Championship for factory Husaberg in the Enduro Junior Under 23 Class.

2011 Dirtbike Show

 

World Enduro Championship

Final Round 8 - Mende, France
1st & 2nd October 2011

Midwest Husaberg Team UK team rider Alex Rockwell set off to the final World Enduro Championship round in France after an invitation from the Husaberg factory team to participate in the event. It would be a chance not to be missed so he caught a plane and met the team at the paddock on the Wednesday before the event to set up the bike. After a long, hot dry spell of weather the typical French course would be hard, rocky and dusty and a real test at the highest level of competition for Alex. The Friday night "Prologue" test went well and he posted 7th fastest time in the Under 23 year old class which had 50 competitors. Saturday would be 4 laps of 25 kms and would include an "Extreme" test as well as an enduro and motocross tests. Alex seemed to like the "Extreme" test which consisted of "man made" obstacles such as tyres, logs and rocks, he eventually finished 3rd best Junior rider over this test. However the enduro and motocross tests proved more of a challenge because of the late start position and the dry, conditions meant the course was covered in a "fog like cloud" of dust which made clear vision very difficult. But determined to finish in this event Alex continued on throughout and still finished the day in 10th position overall in his class. Day 2 would be the same course and with no let up in the heat it would be another long hard day in the saddle but the FE390 Husaberg performed faultlessly over the whole weekend taking Alex to another excellent result to finish the second day in 11th position. This gave Alex a total of 21world championship points from one event and left him in 26th in the World Junior Championship. Frustrated because he couldn't ride as fast as he wanted to due to lack of vision Alex was still positive with some of his test times being in the top 6 on many occasions and look forward to next year.

Midwest Husaberg UK would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our sponsors and helpers during this year, without whom we wouldn't have been able to have such a great year. We look forward to your continued help in the forth coming season.

WEC 2011 - Final Round 8

World Enduro Championship 2011 - Final Round 8 - Mende, France

 

British Enduro Championship Rounds 10 & 11

Natterjack 24th/25th September 2011

After not competing since the ISDE over month ago because of a broken hand Alex Rockwell bounced back to form with a double podium finish at the last British Enduro Championship event held at the Natterjack course. The special tests were a sandy motocross test with jumps and the enduro featured a brick wall to climb, a wet boggy section set amongst forestry. Unsure to his fitness conditioning due to his lack of riding, Rockwell had to use all his fitness to power the awesome Husaberg FE390 around the deep strength sapping sand. On the motocross test some of Rockwell's test times were within 1 second of World and British champion, David Knight and this gave Alex a well deserved 3rd overall on day 1. Team mate Si Wakely was unable to attend the event due to a broken thumb sustained at the previous British Enduro championship round a few weeks ago where he continued the event to finish in 8th and 9th places with his injury and he did not have an x-ray until the Monday after the event!

Day 2 saw Alex continue in excellent form liking the tough sandy conditions as it is similar terrain to his homeland of the Isle of Man and again set fast times on the mx test which resulted in another excellent 3rd overall on the day. This resulted in his best ever weekend of positions and to match this achievement was the outstanding performance of his Midwest prepared Husaberg FE390 which has 100% reliability record for the 2011 season and resulted in Alex's best ever season in the British Enduro Championship finishing 7th overall.

Alex and the Midwest team now head to the World Enduro Championship in France next weekend where he has been invited by the Husaberg Factory to compete at the event in the Junior Under 23 class.

Fellow Midwest Husaberg team riders all had a successful weekend of riding with the following results:

• Jon Hinam TE 300 Championship Class 12th
• Tyson Maytom-Jones TE 300 Expert Class 5th
• Rich Ely Expert FE 390 Class 6th
• Aaron Smith Expert TE 250 Class 9th

Natterjack - BEC Rd 10 and 11

 

Pictures by "Martino"

HUSABERG ISDE 2011 HIGHLIGHTS

Video ID: 3-QxqwAb0zw

Video Description: Enjoy some stunning scenery and great action footage of all the top Husaberg riders led by E3 and Trophy winner Marko Tarkkala and short interviews featuring Marko, Joakim Ljunggren and Alex Rockwell from the 2011 ISDE in Kotka-Hamina, Finland.

Well done Jon Hinam, Tyson Maytom-Jones and Aaron Smith for a Husaberg 1,2,3 at Black Dog Woods

Midwest 2011 Round 5

 

Final Day 6, ITS OVER! Well done lads you put in a fantastic effort this week. Alex fantastic result in you first ever ISDE helping the Junior team achieve a 3rd and finishing in 32nd overall and 13th in class, you have earned major respect for your determination to finish in such difficult conditions at the highest level of competition-go have a beer! Also congratulations to Si using your experience to get through such a tough week of riding and finishing 55th overall and 30th in class.

Video,

Videos

• Midwest Racing 2011 Promo
  
  
  
• HUSABERG ISDE 2011 HIGHLIGHTS
  
  
  
• 2011 FIM ISDE - Day 6
  
  
  

Pictures,

ISDE 2011

 

ISDE Day 5, another tough day but both Alex & Si improved with Alex moving up to 33rd overall and Si 54th. Fantastic effort guys and the hardest is now over, enjoy the MX test tomorrow and bring home a fantastic result.

ISDE Day 4, a longer day today and both Alex & Si again both improved their positions overall with Alex gaining a fantastic 6 places to be 35th overall and Si move up 5 places to be 55th overall. Fantastic effort from both riders you are doing yourselves, your country and us proud. Keep it up guys just one more hard day then the MX test on day 6, give it your all and dig deep for day 5.

ISDE Day 3, again both Alex & Si finished another tough day with Alex improving and gained a further 8 places today to finish 41st overall after 3 days and is now the highest place GB rider in the event, very well done! Si also improved by 4 places and is now 60th overall, again well done from all Midwest Husaberg UK team.

Live timing availble at http://www.fim-isde-live.info/

ISDE DAY 2, both Alex and Si finished OK again with Alex moving up 10 places overall to 49th and Si stays in the same position at 64th, well done guys keep going a new day and course tomorrow.

ISDE first day over and well done to Alex Rockwell & Si Wakely finishing in 59th & 64th overall, keep up the good work guys.

Midwest Husaberg UK Team riders Si Wakely and Alex Rocky Rockwell will be heading off to Finland to take part in this years ISDE.

We wish the whole of the UK Junior Team good luck.

To keep up to date with the latest times from the ISDE then you can visit the live timing website at www.fim-isde-live.info.

ISDE 2011

 

Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship Rounds 4 & 5 July 9th to 10th Knighton, Wales

Conditions were near perfect for rounds 4 & 5 of the Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship at Knighton in Mid-Wales after rain the previous week diminished into a dry and sunny weekend. The traditional Welsh enduro terrain of forestry combined with the undulating grassland hillsides would provide an ideal venue for the UK's best enduro riders to do battle. The course would consist of 3 laps including a MX and cross country special test each lap with the MX test ridden twice at the end of the day. On Saturday it was to be Si Wakely riding his Husaberg TE250 who adapted well to the grassy MX test setting consistently fast times during the day, and really showed his speed and fitness by being the fastest on the last 2 tests of the day ending in a very impressive 2nd overall. Fellow team mate Alex Rockwell started slowly on the first day and it wasn't until the afternoon that he was matching the speed of the leaders which left him in 6th overall on day one. Sunday would be the same course but 1 lap shorter and it was Alex Rockwell, riding his Husaberg FE390, who now found his speed by narrowly missing setting the fastest time on the first test by 15 hundredths of a second. A couple of small mistakes in the cross country test meant Alex would finish the day in an impressive 3rd overall. Team mate Si Wakely also having made a couple of errors in the treacherous cross country test again showed that he is the master of fitness by being the fastest rider on the last test of the day earning him 5th overall.

Alex said The event was great a perfect combination of enduro riding and special tests I really enjoyed the event, the bike ran spot on all weekend with the suspension being the best yet. We are still making minor changes all the time to get the bike how I like it and we are improving all the time, we were a little lucky at the end of day 2 when I had some track tape caught in the rear wheel and sprockets which then melted the gearbox sprocket seal losing a lot of oil but I only had to ride steady back to the finish

Si said I really felt comfortable on the grassy MX tests and the bike was awesome on them, I was a little disappointed about making a few mistakes in the cross country tests on day 2 but it's brilliant to be back on the podium the first time for me with Husaberg

Joint team manager Simon Molter said The conditions were perfect for the event and the club should be congratulated. Si and Alex both showed there speed this weekend which we are pleased with and our continued testing with the 2 new riders is showing in our ever improving results

BEC 2011 4-5

 

Pics by Martin Harding

British Enduro Sprint Championship Rounds 9/10, July 2/3 at Berwyn Leisure Park, North Wales.

The Midwest Husaberg UK enduro team headed to the beautiful remote valley of Berwyn Leisure Park in North Wales for the final rounds of the ACU Husqvarna British Enduro Sprint Championship. The course was set on both sides of the steep valley which consisted of a base layer of rock and shale covered in a thin layer of grass and incorporated an intense extreme section, mx track and numerous ditch crossings. With the weather forecast good for the weekend it meant the racing would be fast and furious and the closely contested Under 23 class was no exception as Britain's current crop of talented youngsters set the pace. Midwest Husaberg UK rider Alex Rockwell continued his rivalry with fellow Manxman Danny McCanney and on-form Jonny Walker for supremacy in the Under 23 class, with all 3 riders pushing themselves and their machines to the limits setting the leading times in their class and also the competition overall. None of the 3 riders faltered and it was Jonny Walker who came out on top closely followed by McCanney & Rockwell.

On day 2 the course was run in reverse direction and with the weather still good it would mean the pace would be fast from the start. With his Husaberg FE390 performing perfectly though the whole event, Alex Rockwell was in a determined mood to improve on his position and immediately resumed the fierce battle with Danny McCanney and Jonny Walker but on lap 2 Alex tried to double jump some logs in the extreme section and came up short falling and injuring his left wrist but continued on only losing 10 seconds. Then on the next lap it was Jonny Walkers turn to make a mistake again in the extreme section which left him too far behind for contention of the top position. With that in mind Alex rode the rest of the day protecting his injured wrist and secure his runner-up position in the Under 23 championship but so fast were the Under 23 riders that McCanney went on to win the event overall and Rockwell finished in 3rd overall. It was a disappointing end to Elite rider Si Wakelys championship when his employers failed to give him time off on the Saturday to compete which meant he missed this day's competition which dropped him to eventually finish his championship in 6th place. Fellow supported Midwest Husaberg riders also had a successful weekend with Jon Hinam (TE300) finishing 9th in the Elite class on both days followed by James Jackman (TE300) in 12th and 11th. Expert class rider Tyson Maytom-Jones (FX450) finished 3rd and 7th with Rich Ely (FE390) having his best results of the year in 5th and 2nd positions. Young Under 19 rider Aaron Smith completed his weekend in 13th and 11th places. Midwest Racing would like to take this opportunity to thank all its sponsors and dedicated helpers without whom the success of the team could not be achieved.

Pictures and report by Enduronews.com

BSEC Rounds 9 and 10

 

MWMCC Cross Country Championship June 19th 2011 – Adult Round 3, Youth Round 2

The latest round of Midwest MCC cross country championship at Cley Hill, Nr Warminster was held on 300 acres of woodland owned by the Longleat Estate, it proved to be a tough challenge for the riders as it was the first time in 3 years that the course started off wet due to heavy rain the previous day and overnight.

The riders were greeted Sunday morning with clear skies and with the promise of sunshine throughout the day it meant the racing would be interesting as the course started to dry out.

The Experts were first away to tackle the 5miles of technical terrain which would require 100per cent concentration to negotiate the various forest tracks and meandering woodland, this proved to suit Welshman Jon Hinam riding his Husaberg 300 as he appeared at the lap scoring on the first lap nearly 1minute ahead of Si Wakely, the next rider through was the ever youthful Jack Twentyman followed by Jeremy Box, Tyson Maytom-Jones and Arran Smith who were in a close battle for fourth place. Si Wakely chased down Jon Hinam and on lap 3 managed to pass him for the lead, it remained a close battle throughout and as the track dried the lap times became quicker allowing the 2 team mates to complete 13 laps with Si winning by the smallest of margins being only 3 seconds. After completing the first lap in ninth place Derek Bawn relentlessly pursued the early leaders to finish a commendable 3rd place after completing 12 laps followed 3mins later by the ever consistent Jeremy Box in fourth place. Also completing 12 laps were Jack Twentyman, Arran Smith and Tyson Maytom-Jones in 5th 6th and 7th positions respectively.

Gary Baker was in a class of his own in the Veteran Experts beating his closest rivals by a clear lap, Stephen Grimshaw finished a comfortable 2nd 9minutes ahead of Jason Rees who both completed 11 laps. Regular rider Marcus Barnes finished 4th followed by Shaun Price then Adrian Francis completing 10 laps.

With 11 laps to his name Richard Perkins was outstanding in the Clubman 2stroke winning his group by a lap from Jesse Say who rode the whole race with a front wheel puncture 2minutes ahead of Robert Ellick. After his bike failed to start on the line Sam Hoskins battled his way through to finish in 4th place followed by Shaun Couzens and Simon Prideaux all on 10 laps.

The Clubman 4stroke group was a closely fought affair with only nine minutes separating the top five finishers which was headed by Reg Sheppard who was 4minuets ahead of Pete Ballinger in second place with George Fraser, James Heath and Matthew Lefevre . A closely fought battle between Kevin Butcher and Roger Billam meant that they finished a lap ahead of their rivals with Kevin topping Veteran group by a minute, and then came a solitary Gary Clarke on 9 laps with Andrew Taylor, Andrew Trott and Alan James a further lap behind.

Matthew Jones dominated the Sportsman 2stroke class with a lap advantage over the young Mitch Frost who finished 2mins ahead of Iain Randall, with David Threadingham, Alex Knott and Callum Collins also achieving 9 laps.

The young Jack Liddiard proved to be learning fast since leaving the youth class to win the Sportsman 4stroke group a clear lap ahead of his nearest rivals by completing 9 laps. Tom Austin was in 2nd place 5mins ahead of Steve Curtis with 4mins separating the remaining riders who were Anthony Mallet, Steve Rolstone and Andrew Rippa.

Cross Country Championship Round 3

 

The ACU Trials and Enduro Committee are pleased to announce the ACU British Trophy and Junior Teams for the 86th ISDE to be held near Helsinki Finland during the second week of August this year.

The Trophy team consists of the best 6 riders over the age of 23 in the UK and the Junior team is the best 4 riders in the UK age 23 years and under. The ISDE or International Six Days Enduro was first held in 1913 and is the oldest off road motor cycle event. Each country world wide will send its best riders to compete against other nations and is known as the Olympics of motor cycling in the off road motor cycle world.

Si Wakely has been chosen to represent his country in the Trophy team and Alex Rockwell has been selected for the Junior team. Former British and European Enduro Champion, Si Wakely sees his selection as a return to his best performances after choosing to ride with the Midwest Husaberg UK enduro team aboard his Husaberg TE250 machine. 21 year old Alex Rockwell also sees his selection as his highest achievement so far in his young career to date and is really looking forward to the challenge of 6 days riding on the Husaberg FE390.

Former Midwest Husaberg supported rider Arran Poolman has also been picked for the Trophy team and has chosen to return to the Midwest Husaberg team riding a Husaberg TE300.

Other support Midwest Husaberg team riders have also been selected for affiliated clubs as follows:
Tyson Maytom-Jones & James Jackman, St. Georges Team
Jon Hinam, The Welsh Team
Congratulations to all riders concerned.

British Enduro Sprint Championship
Rd 7 & 8 Adstone, Northampton

Situated near Silverstone motor racing circuit in Northampton the Adstone course for rounds 7 & 8 of the BESC would consist of a man made extreme section which included rocks, logs, tyres and water sections then fast flowing grassy fields dropping into a dis-used railway cutting followed by a small wooded area back out onto a planted field and over some more extreme obstacles onto the finish. Saturday morning and the weather was dry but very windy and Elite class, rider Si Wakely on his Midwest Husaberg UK TE 250 was a little cautious after a heavy crash last weekend but started well setting 4th fastest time in his class and continued to set consistent lap times without making mistakes and with the help of some pain killers finished on the podium in 3rd after a close battle with Daryl Bolter. Fellow team member Alex Rockwell struggled to turn on the slick grassy fields on his first test but after some suspension adjustments and replacing a soft front mousse improved on his test times and began to challenge Danny McCanney and Jonny Walker, but the gap made on the first lap was too much to reduce so Alex finished a well deserved 2nd in the Under 23 class.

Day 2 was again cold,dry but very windy and the course run in reverse direction with the water sections removed. Si Wakely’s battle resumed with Daryl Bolter and they fought closely all day and the final test was going to decide the final podium place. Wakely was away before Bolter and set a good lap time of 8:05:94 but Daryl had made a couple of mistakes on his final lap and completed his final lap in 8:18:97 which was enough to give Si another podium in 3rd place and pleased with his double podium finish. Riding the Husaberg FE 390, Alex Rockwell now confident with the bike was fast from the start and matched fellow Manx rider Danny McCanney’s times. The two rivals fought for supremacy through out the day pushing themselves to the limit and even matched some of the top Elite riders in there speed but a mistake from McCanney on his final lap allowed Alex the win on the day.

2011 British Sprint Enduro Championship - Round 7 & 8

BSEC Rounds 7 & 8

 

Pics: Enduronews & Jonty Edmunds

European Enduro Championship
Rd 1 & 2 Kielcie, Poland
7/8th May 2011

Midwest Husaberg UK team rider Alex Rockwell set off for the European Enduro Championship round in Poland immediately after competing at the BESC leaving the circuit Sunday night and heading for the ferry at Dover and then drove 2 days across Europe and into Poland arriving Wednesday. Conditions were in complete contrast from the hot & dry weather in the UK to cold, wet & even snow travelling through Germany and the course at Kielcie was very boggy in places. Based in the modern football stadium, the 180 riders would tackle 3 laps of 65km for each of the two days in the surrounding countryside, with a MX and Enduro Special test on each of the laps. This would be Alex’s first ever race in the European Enduro championship & he was aiming for top 3 in his class but didn’t know what to expect, but he rode very maturely setting good test times without making big mistakes and steadily improving each time on the special test which each rider completed 6 times each day.

Day 1 went as well as could be expected and the Isle of Man battle between Alex & fellow Manx rider Danny McCanney continued into Europe with these 2 rivals setting the best times in the Under 23 E2/E3 class. In fact Danny went on to be the fastest rider in the whole event with Alex finishing in 8th overall & 2nd in class.

Day 2 was similar to the previous day with each rider completing the same course & same amount of tests but only the conditions were rougher. Again Alex set good test times improving each time he went out but had a problem with the rear tyre, after hitting a large obstacle put a huge dent in the wheel rim and damaged the mousse causing the tyre to nearly come off the rim & had to be held on with large cable ties. Undeterred Alex continued to a well earned 3rd in class & 10th overall and pleased with his first ever result in the European Enduro championship as the Midwest Racing prepared Husaberg FE390 ran faultlessly all weekend.

European Enduro Championship 2011, Poland.

 

Pics by Anastasia Merkulova

British Enduro Sprint Championship

Rd 5 & 6 Rogershill Raceway, Bere Regis

Conditions were hot & dry for rounds 5 & 6 of the BESC at Rogershill Raceway, Bere Regis in southern England but an overnight thunderstorm kept the dust at bay during Day 1. There would be 8 tests on Saturday over the course which incorporated an MX track, extreme obstacles such as logs & tyres and some wooded areas with huge drop offs. Elite rider, Si Wakely on good form at his local track was in a close contest with Tom Sagar for second place during most of the day but tired towards the end of the day after an illness during the previous week but finish a well deserved 3rd. Under 23 rider, Alex Rockwell was ready to commence battle with fellow Manxman Danny McCanney but hitting his gear lever at the start of the first test meant he had to complete most of lap 1 in first gear, but he then bounced back with some good test times to gain 2nd overall. In the Expert class Midwest Husaberg rider Tyson Maytom-Jones used the awesome power of the Husaberg FX450 around the fast, following circuit to his advantage and won day 1.

Day 2 would be run in reverse direction and would consist of 7 laps but no over night rain meant the track would be a little dusty even after some watering. Si Wakley was again off to a good start and set 2nd fastest time on his Husaberg TE250 and another podium finish was looking good until a crash on lap 4 saw him get stuck underneath his bike and loose valuable time and this mistake put him down to 5th at the end of the day. Alex Rockwell riding his Husaberg FE390 wanted to make amends for his mistake yesterday but a couple of small falls on the first 2 tests would prove too much to win the Under 23 group, so after a few adjustments which helped get some grip with the front wheel on the slick hard ground and set test times which would have put him in 3rd fastest overall only to be beaten by Knight & McCanney and again finish 2nd overall in the Under 23 class. Tyson Maytom-Jones was looking forward to another win on Day 2 but a clutch problem on laps 5 & 6 cost him time and eventually finished a good 2nd in the Expert class overall.

Results

• Si Wakely-Elite Day 1 - 3rd, Day 2 - 5th
• Alex Rockwell-Under 23 Day 1 – 2nd, Day 2 – 2nd
• Tyson Maytom-Jones-Expert Day 1 - 1st, Day 2 – 2nd

2011 British Sprint Enduro Championship - Round 5 & 6

BSEC Rounds 5 & 6

 

Pictures by Jonty Edmunds

Take a sprinkling of stars which included Daryl Bolter, Jon Hinam, Arran Poolman, Matt Ridgway, Alex Rockwell and Simon Wakely, throw in a top quality venue and great organisation, the end result being a very exciting three hour, competitive blast of memorable XC action!!. Winner of Sunday’s super second round of the Midwest XC National Championship was to eventually be Husaberg mounted Wakely, and what a clever, calculated performance he produced, keeping Bolter in his sights before taking control with just two laps remaining.

Early leader after lap one of the Experts contest at Chavenage though was to be fast starting Ridgway just ahead of Hinam, Wakely, Bolter and Rockwell with Poolman surprisingly down in 12th.Whilst Ridgway aboard his rapid two-stroke Yamaha was to eventually disappear from proceedings after six tough laps ,the leader board was already changing. By lap three, Bolter was now the man in charge with Midwest supported Rockwell now 2nd,Hinam 3rd and Wakely 4th.Getting in the groove, Wakely though was now on the move and after five circuits, Si was up to 2nd all be it still nearly a full minute behind the flying Bolter. Gradually reducing the deficit as already mentioned, Wakely eventually moved to the front of this enthralling contest with time running out, repelling an outstanding last gasp effort by Bolter to thus earn a great win by just an incredibly tight three seconds. Taking 3rd was Hinam whilst Poolman charged hard in the closing stages, passing Rockwell for 4th on the final lap!

Results:

1. 1st Si Wakely Husaberg TE 250
2. 2nd Daryl Bolter KTM 250 EXCF,
3. 3rd Jon Hinam Husaberg TE 300
4. 4th Arran Poolman KTM 450EXCF,
5. 5th Alex Rockwell Husaberg FE 390.

Report by Mike Wood
Pictures by Jack Stringer

Midwest 2011 Round 2

 

2011 Race bikes have arrived for Si & Alex, up to now they have been using there practice bikes!

2011 Team Bikes

 

British Enduro Sprint Championship
Rd 3 & 4 Monmouth 19/20th March

Conditions were perfect for rounds 3 & 4 of the BESC at Monmouth on the Welsh/English border and would prove to produce some very close racing. Saturday saw bright sunshine greet the competitors who would complete 7 tests and Elite rider Si Wakely aboard his Midwest Husaberg TE 250 go one position better than the previous round and finish 3rd gaining his first podium of the season. Day 2 saw the course run in reverse direction and Si started well holding 3rd position but 2 mistakes on test 3 dropped him a couple of positions behind Sagar & Bolter, with the course being fast it was difficult to make back lost time so finished the day in 5th. Si said Third, yes, good result, I'm happy with that. I was quite surprised when I saw the time of my first test because I didn't think I was going that quickly and I kept it going all day. Towards the end of the day I got a bit nervous, trying not to crash. It was getting very bumpy but I seemed to find the right lines. Fellow Midwest Husaberg Team rider Alex Rockwell was looking forward to better riding conditions but an unfortunate incident in the stream which saw a log get jammed between his front wheel & mudguard saw him loose a minute and leave him in a lowly 39th position after the first test. In the following tests Alex pushed hard to improve his times, setting times which equalled some of the top Elite class riders, and move his way up the leader board to eventually finish 1st in his class. Day 2 was a better start for Alex which saw him matching times set by fellow Under 23 & WEC Junior rider Josh Green but catching a rider who got stuck in the stream crossing slowed Alex in test 3 and a crash on test 6 meant 3rd overall & 1st in class was the best he could achieve. Alex said It's been a bit of a mixed weekend for me. I hit a tree on the first lap on day one and got it wedged between my front wheel and the engine. I was there for over a minute. I had to spend the rest of the day playing catch-up after that. The second day started really well and I managed to get some good times in but a few mistakes towards the end of the day cost me. Fair play to Danny and Josh as they were both really on it, but it was a good day and I really enjoyed it. The track was fast but I enjoyed it, it was certainly different.

In the Expert class Midwest Husaberg rider Tyson Maytom-Jones used the awesome power of the Husaberg FX450 around the fast, following circuit to his advantage and easily won day 1 but the second day saw a much closer battle between him & former British Enduro Championship competitor, Wyn Hughes and going into the final test Tyson had a 1 second advantage. Tyson started first closely followed by Hughes who kept him in his sights and chased him all the way to beat Tyson by 3 tenths of a second on that test but gave Tyson the overall win by only half a second!

Pictures by Jonty Edmunds

2011 British Sprint Enduro Championship - Round 3 & 4

2011 National XC Championship(Round 1) At Chavenage Farm on Sunday, 6th March, Promoted by the Midwest MCC

The rolling Cotswolds venue of Chavenage is arguably the Mid West MCC’s jewel in the crown as it provides XC riders with an absolute dream of a circuit. Situated in s steep sided valley, it possesses fast open grassy banks, tight, testing woodland, stream crossings and naturally undulating terrain which can even provide some airtime for the more ambitious, all combined in an eight mile lap, so no wonder the entry was bursting at the seams for the opening round of the 2011 National XC Championship on Sunday. Despite having to use a new paddock and start area for the event, Midwest MCC again excelled with a simply super lay-out that was to produce three hours of great action. Taking the win was Midwest supported star Simon Wakely, just over one minute ahead of the spectacular Matt Ridgway whilst Welsh lad Jon Hinam took third.

Indeed aboard his Husaberg machine, Hinam had led the opening two laps of the Chavenage contest chased hard by Wakely, Ridgway, Tyson Maytom-Jones, Derek Bawn, Jack Twentyman, Aaron Smith and Australian youngster Ben Burrell. Third time around and Wakely was in charge with Ridgway eventually getting past Hinam on lap seven. From here onwards the battle for glory intensified with Ridgway closing Wakely’s advantage right down to just four seconds at one point. However displaying his class, Wakely remained totally composed and in control before going onto take the win from Ridgway, Hinam, Burrell, Maytom-Jones and Bawn who all like the victor also managed the same 13 lap total.

RESULTS

1. 1 Simon Wakely – Husaberg
2. 2 Matt Ridgway-Yamaha
3. 3 Jon Hinam-Husaberg
4. 4 Ben Burrell-KTM
5. 5 Tyson Maytom-Jones-Husaberg
6. 6 Derek Bawn-KTM

Report by Mike Wood
Pictures by Jack Stringer

British Enduro Championship Round 1, Muntjac, Thetford Forest, Norfolk
February 27th 2011

In his first British Championship Enduro race riding his Midwest Husaberg UK machinery, Alex Rockwell finishes 2nd overall.

After a week of heavy rain, memories of last years event began to return but overnight the skies had cleared and the competitors awoke to a cold, dry morning. The course would be 6 laps, 22 miles in length of sandy, forestry going with 5 special tests spread throughout the day. The 2 new Midwest Husaberg UK team riders of Simon Wakely and Alex Rockwell started the day very cautiously as the special test was very slippery and a fall at this stage would be hard to recover from and set 5th & 10th fastest times respectively. On the second test both riders had become more confident with there Husaberg machinery and improved immensely resulting in setting 2nd & 3rd fastest test times which moved them up the leader board. Next were 2 tests back to back which would test the riders’ fitness. Factory KTM rider David Knight was first away and set a time under 5 minutes, then aboard the Husaberg TE 250, Simon Wakely set a time of 4mins 59secs with Alex Rockwell narrowly missing the 5 minute barrier by only 9 hundredths of a second. Determined to go under the 5 minutes time, Alex Rockwell gave his Husaberg FE390 everything on test number 4 and managed to set an outstanding time of 4mins 58secs which was only half a second slower than David Knights time! These 3 riders were the only people to set times under 5 mins all day. Simon Wakely again kept up his good speed setting 3rd fastest. The leader board now read Knight 1st, Wakely 2nd, Rockwell 3rd, now came the crucial final lap, 22 miles in 43 minutes, this pushed man & machine to the maximum and only one rider checked in on time and who else but one of the best riders in the world, David Knight. Alex Rockwell along with KTM riders Greg Evans & Paul Edmondson were the next in but they all incurred a 1minute time penalty all eyes were now on Simon Wakely if he made it in on time he would be 2nd overall. Unfortunately due to his lowly start position of 20th meant he would catch slower riders and waste time passing them and after 22 miles of this incurred 2mins time penalties and dropped him down the leader board to 5th overall. This moved Alex up to 2nd overall and 1st in E2 & under 23 classes. Alex said Finishing 2nd overall to David Knight is like winning the event. The bike ran perfect all day but I’m still learning how to get the best from it so we are still working on the set up

Si Wakely said I’m very pleased with my pace & fitness today but a little disappointed to miss out on 2nd overall but I will now be graded in the top 10 start position so that should help when the check times become tight. The bike and team were awesome and look forward to the next race.

Pictures by Bob Mullins enduronews.com

British Enduro Championship - Round 1

British Enduro Sprint Championship Rounds 1 & 2 February 12th/13th
Saints Well, Powys, Wales.

A cold & wet weekend in Mid-Wales saw the launch of the All New Look Midwest Husaberg UK 2011 enduro team and weather conditions couldn’t have been a tougher test for man and machine.

New Team Riders, Si Wakely & Alex Rockwell, both nervous about being on new machinery wanted to start there season with good results and did not disappoint themselves. Si Wakely competing with Britain’s best enduro riders took 4th & 6th positions over the weekend, meant he was right back in there with the competition after having an 8 month break from competitive riding and E2 Under 23 rider, Alex Rockwell secured a confident double win in his class after having said I have never ridden anything quite like these conditions before.

 

Pictures of the Midwest Husaberg UK Team by Jonty Edmunds

British Sprint Enduro Championship - Round 1 and 2

Simon Wakely is no stranger to the enduro scene, having competed in the sport since the age of 16. Now 24 years old, Simon has an impressive list of achievements to his name, including British and European Championship honours. 2011 will see Wakely tackle both the British Enduro Championship and the British Sprint Enduro Championship along with a number of other events all over the UK. We’re delighted to have him on board.

Simon Wakely is back

2010 was a difficult year for Simon Wakely, resulting in him almost retiring from the sport of enduro.

Having joined a new team in Midwest Racing on board a Husaberg, the former British and European champion has rediscovered his love for the sport and is raring to go in 2011.

We recently made a trip up to Dorset to visit Simon and see how he was getting on with the new bike.

Find out more about Amped at http://www.thisisamped.com

Team riders Alex Rockwell and Si Wakely have been out enjoying the snow. Thanks to Matt Rockwell we have some pictures to show you.

 

Well if you visited the Midwest Racing guys at the Dirtbike show at Stoneleigh yesterday then you you would of met the new team line up for 2011.

Midwest Husaberg UK has signed Simon Wakely and Alex Rockwell. Simon has come back from semi retirement to ride this year on a TE250and Alex will be riding a FE390.