British duo Alex Rockwell and Jamie McCanney join Husaberg Factory Team Continuing their commitment to youth rider development Husaberg welcomes two new riders into their Enduro World Championship team. Manx riders Alex Rockwell and Jamie McCanney will compete alongside existing Husaberg Factory team riders Pela Renet, Joakim Ljunggren, Oriol Mena and Mathias Bellino in the 2012 Enduro World Championship, just like Dutch E2 rider Hans Vogels, as Factory supported riders.

As a manufacturer that prides itself on supporting the development of talented up-and-coming young riders, Husaberg will bolster its official presence in the Enduro Junior class in 2012 where Mathias Bellino will be joined by Alex Rockwell. Forming what will be an extremely strong two-rider line up, Rockwell joins the team having previously competed in Enduro World Championship competition in 2010.

Joining the Midwest Husaberg team for 2011 while focusing on the British enduro scene, ‘Rocky’ made two international outings last year – at the International Six Days Enduro in Finland and at the final round of the EWC series in France. Helping the British Junior Trophy Team claim a solid third place result in what was his first ever ISDE, Rocky spent much of the event knocking on the door of a top 10 Enduro 2 class result. Fracturing a knuckle in a first turn pile-up during his final motocross race Alex was forced to spend time away from racing after the event before competing in the final round of the EWC series where he again showed impressive speed.

Returning to the Enduro World Championship in 2012 is something I’m really looking forward to, explains Alex. I know exactly what to expect and can’t wait to get going. Being supported by Husaberg is great, and being a team-mate to Mathias Bellino will be both enjoyable and challenging – I know he’s going to be extremely fast. I’ve been with Husaberg in the UK for one year now and have a great bike set-up. I’m just looking forward to getting my season started now.

Jamie McCanney will compete in the 125cc Youth Cup for Husaberg, stepping into the international enduro scene for the first time in 2012. At just 17 years of age Jamie’s first full-season of enduro competition follows many years of motocross. As one of the UK’s most promising youngsters, Jamie mixed participation in the British Sprint Enduro Championship with his existing motocross commitments during 2011 impressing many with his speed and obvious talents and winning the Under 19 category of the BSEC. In 2012 Jamie will turn his attentions to enduro full-time.

I’m really looking forward to this year, comments Jamie. I know that I have a lot to learn as I’ve not done too many enduros, but being at the EWC events will be great. I’m loving riding my 125 and can’t wait to find out what the world championship events are like.

As well as competing in the Enduro World Championship both Alex and Jamie will compete in the British Sprint Enduro Championship and British Enduro Championship for the Midwest Husaberg UK Team in 2012. With an increasingly strong presence within the UK enduro scene Midwest Racing will field a three-rider squad with Si Wakely competing alongside Alex and Jamie.

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.

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.

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

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

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 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.

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

Results

	Day 1	Day2	Overall
Si Wakely	2nd	5th	3rd
Alex Rockwell	6th	3rd	5th
Jon Hinam	13th	11th	11th

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Held at Black Dog Woods Sunday 19th September

Promoted by Midwest MCC

The venue for round 4 of the National Hewitt XC Championship was in Black Dog Woods part of Lord Baths Longleat Estate near Warminster Somerset the course laid out by the Midwest teem started in two large open fields laid out as motocross type going then entering the woods for a ten minute loop which was tight and technical the woods were unusually dry but still had some wet parts and not using any fire roads in the woods riders were given a good test.
The large expert field kept the crowds of spectators entertained with drama from the first corner until the finish three hours later with the very close racing and the lead changing all the time.
The flag dropped at 11.00 o’clock for the experts at the first corner Rich Warner rounded in the lead followed by Matt Ridgway, Jeremy Box, and Malcolm Lean there was drama for Ollie Moyce when he collided with the sideways Pete Kyte and fell off when he picked his bike up he was in last position with the charging pack in the distance.

At the start of the second lap Jamie Paget was in the lead with Tyson Mayton-Jones right on his back wheel closely followed by Jon Hinam then young Aaron Smith and in fifth was Ollie Moyce storming through field from last place.
In the Veteran Experts Dave Potts took the holeshot followed by Peter Fry, Gary Baker and Jack Twentyman, on the next lap Gary Baker was in the lead with Peter Fry, Dave Potts and Marcus Barnes close behind.
In the Clubman 2t Jason Hamblin took the lead followed by Mark Hamblin Aaron Wells and Pete King, the next lap Mark Hamblin moved into the lead followed by Jason Hamblin and Pete King.
The Clubman 4t Fredie Davis got the holeshot followed by Jez Dance and Philip Gilder on the next lap it was Fredie Davis, Jez Dance and Philip Gilder.
Vets class saw Peter Fry leading at the first corner from Darren Jones and Ashley Jones, next lap Peter Fry was still leading Alan James moving up to second and Chris Davis third.
Sportsman 2t Chris Stevens took the lead from Sam Hoskins and Wayne Tibbles next lap Sam Hoskins moved into the lead with Wayne Tibbles and Alex Knot close behind.
Sportsman 4t Kevin Park led from Anthony Mallett and Oliver Craig, second lap Michael Jones took the lead from Colin Baker and David Sharp.
Jamie Paget rode despite still suffering from his chest injury and set the joint fastest lap with Tyson Mayton-Jones before easing up to save any further injury before the Naterjack.
Matt Ridgway's run of bad luck continued when he lost the coolant on the second lap, Rich Warner had problems with his exhaust and DNF,
Gary Baker lost time when he stopped to replace a damaged hose when leading but still finished forth in the Vet/Experts.
The forecast rain only came after the finish with the afternoon youth race having bright sunshine for the late spectators stopping off on their way home from Farleigh which is only 15 minutes up the road.

RESULTS

• Experts - 1 Ollie Moyce, 2 Jon Hinan, 3 Tyson Mayton-Jones, 4 Darren Wheeler, 5 Dave Nuttall, 6 Aaron Smith.

Report & Pictures by Martin Harding

British Enduro Championship – 25/26th September

 

The final round of the Metzeler ACU British Enduro Championship took place at Longmoor Camp near Borden this weekend. Heavy thunderstorms on Thursday had drenched the sandy venue and a biting North wind reminded everyone that Autumn had arrived but Saturday morning saw sunshine and a ground frost to make the circuit nearly perfect for competition. The course consisted of a motocross test in the large “sand bowl” and an extreme enduro test through the forest which included climbing a brick wall and negotiating various tyre and log obstacles. Day 1 started at 10am and the day would consist 3 and half laps and 7 special tests and consistency was the order of the day for Midwest Husaberg UK rider Ollie Moyce in the ultra competitive championship class which awarded him with 3rd in E2 class and 6th overall. Fellow team rider, Tyson Maytom-Jones was competing in the E3 Expert class which again was a very close fought group with many riders making lots of mistakes in the deep sand motorcross test. Tyson also rode sensibly and used the massive power of his Husaberg 570 to have his best finish of the season by winning the E3 Expert class and finished 10th overall. Day 2 started an hour earlier at 9am and under grey, cloudy skies and a bitterly cold wind saw the course was rode in reverse direction to the previous day. There were only 6 special tests on day 2 as the soft, sandy course had become very rutted so it was to be another day of trying not to make any mistakes in the sandy going as the slightest lapse in concentration would result in loosing the bike in the soft sand. At the end of the day Ollie Moyce had again matched his previous day’s position again finishing a well deserved 3rd place in E2 class and 7th overall giving him a 3rd in class and 6th overall result after the 2 days. E3 expert rider Tyson Maytom-Jones made a few more mistakes on day 2 and despite winning the E3 class he dropped to 12th overall on the day but after the 2 days riding was awarded with 9th overall and E3 class winner. All the team and Husaberg motorcycles performed excellently all weekend without any problems.

BEC Championship Results:

Championship E2 Ollie Moyce

Day 1-3rd, Day 2-3rd, Overall 3rd

Expert E3 Tyson Maytom-Jones

Day 1-10th, Day 2-12th, Overall 9th

BEC Championship Final Standings:

Championship E2 Ollie Moyce – 4th (Highest Placed Husaberg Rider in class) Expert E3 Tyson Maytom-Jones – 2nd (Highest Placed Husaberg Rider in class)

Pictures: Martin Harding

European Enduro Championship - 10/11/12th September

 

The final round of the 2010 UEM European Enduro Championship took place at Oliveira do Hospital in Portugal. Temperatures rose to 39 degrees and the rocky hills and woods were very dry along the 50 km loop that the riders rode 3 times a day and the 3 special tests were a combination of a MX track, enduro test and an extreme rock section which featured a giant near vertical slab of rock the riders had to climb. Day 1 saw Midwest Husaberg UK Team rider Ollie Moyce was aiming for a podium finish and the dry, rocky conditions suited the smooth performance of the Husaberg FE390 and by the finish he did achieve another well earned podium finish in 3rd position. Fellow team rider Tyson Maytom-Jones rode better than ever to finish a personal best in 8th place and Jamie Paget had to retire due to injury. Day 2 was much the same as day 1 in the tests but the hot weather claimed many riders who pushed too hard in the extreme heat but the 2 remaining Midwest Husaberg UK team riders of Ollie Moyce and Tyson Maytom-Jones again had rode sensibly to secure 4th and 8th positions respectively which left them in a good position for the last days competition. Day 3 was a shorten course of 20km run in reverse direction to finish with a MX test but when the riders arrived at the MX track it was decided that it was too dusty to have a race so it was decided to be a timed special test for safety. Ollie had 5th position and Tyson was 9th which was a good end to a long 3 days of riding.

UEM Championship Results:

E2/E3 Junior Ollie Moyce

• Day 1-3rd
• Day 2-4th
• Day 3-5th

E3 Senior Tyson Maytom-Jones

• Day 1-8th
• Day 2-8th
• Day 3-10th

UEM Championship Final Standings:

• E2/E3 Junior Ollie Moyce – 4th (Highest Placed Husaberg Rider in class)
• E3 Senior Tyson Maytom-Jones – 8th (Highest Placed Husaberg Rider in class)

Pictures: Bob Mullins

Midwest Husaberg UK Team Race Report - BXCC Round 3 at Canada Heights August 1st

 

The 3rd and final round of the ACU British Cross Country Championship headed to Canada Heights MX track in the south east of England. The sandy soil would be a different surface for the riders to contend with but it proved to be a little dusty due to lack of rain in recent months. The 5 mile lap that was full of interesting features and beyond the MX track, the course threaded its way through a wood over logs before bursting out into the sunlight for a mile of stubble fields around a mowed field & there was a rock pile with an easy and a hard route. The second half of the course was through another wooded section where the track was narrow & the surrounding vegetation held the dust in the still air. The 2.5 hour main race started at 1.30pm. Jason Thomas took the holeshot from Ashley Wood with Ollie Moyce in 3rd on his Midwest Husaberg UK, but as they rounded the second corner Ollie dropped his bike & the series leader Daryl Bolter collided with him. Neither rider was injured but Daryl broke his de-compression lever. Jason Thomas took the overall win with 13 laps, Dorren Coutts was the runner up on 12 laps and Daryl Bolter was 3rd with Ashley Wood in 4th & Ollie Moyce was 5th. Ollie said “We have had very dry weather leading up to this event and that has ironically proved to be its downfall. Normally Canada Heights holds up very well and is a joy to ride but nature decided today would be different. The track was laid out very well but because of the lack of moisture the whole lap became a 1 lined dust rut and no fun at all!

I had a good start in 2nd and then turning a sharp corner I pulled the front brake too hard and went down. I jumped back on in around 5th position and entered the tighter woods section where I sat in a cloud of dust following the person in fronts back wheel. After catching lapped riders and not even being able to pass them I continued to get frustrated with not being able to show my full potential and eventually stopped pushing with around 40 minutes to go, it was very annoying not being able to race properly but not anyone’s fault. Eventually finished 5th on the day but more importantly I finished the BXCC in 3rd overall in the championship class for Midwest Husaberg UK. Thanks Guys!”

Fellow Midwest Husaberg UK team mate, Tyson Maytom-Jones was racing this weekend with the possibility of winning the Expert class but circumstances made it hard work with a clutch problem in the first part of the race which was fixed and the just after halfway some rope got caught in the rear wheel and stopped the bike but fellow Midwest Husaberg UK rider Jamie Paget stopped and helped Tyson remove it and he went on to finish 5th on the day and win the Expert class by 1 point!

Further success was achieved by long term customers Alan James and Peter Neal who finished 1st and 2nd in the Over 50’s class.

Results

Championship Class

	16-May	20-Jun	01-Aug	Total
1 Daryl Bolter	20	20	15	55
2 Ashley Wood	15	17	13	45
3 Ollie Moyce	17	08	11	36

Expert Class

	16-May	20-Jun	01-Aug	Total
1 Tyson Mason-Jones	20	17	11	48
2 James Burroughs	17	15	15	47
3 Tom Healey	00	20	13	33

Pictures by Martin Harding

BEC Rounds 6 & 7 at Knighton, July 10/11th

 

Fresh from success at the UEM in Poland the Midwest Husaberg UK enduro team arrived in Wales for rounds 6 & 7 of the BEC in high spirits knowing that bike set up and rider preparation was ready for good results. The course was to be 3 laps of 45 miles with 2 special tests per lap which would lead to over 8 hours in the saddle. Currently 6th overall in the championship Ollie Moyce struggle to get the power of the 4 stroke down on the lush grassy fields of the special tests at the start of the day but as a line appeared and the grass dried up he improved on his times to get with in a couple of seconds of his rivals by the end of the day leaving him 4th in E2 class and 8th overall on day one. E3 team mate and fellow under 23 competitor, Jamie Paget again found the lush grass a little tricky for most of the day and was disappointed to finish 3rd in E3 class and 13th overall but hoped for drier test conditions tomorrow. In the ultra competitive Expert class where times were matching the championship class riders Midwest Husaberg UK rider, Arran Poolman having his first ever ride at the Knighton got to grips with the grassy conditions to finish 3rd in E2 class and 4th overall even after changing his rear disc on the going. E3 expert rider Tyson Maytom-Jones would have liked the conditions a little wetter as unusually for Wales it was very dry on the going with dust being a problem along the forest tracks, he finished 2nd in E3 class and 11th overall.

Overnight rain meant conditions were near perfect and with a line established on the special tests Ollie Moyce started where he left off at the end of day 1 with his first 5 test times matching the multi-British Championship winner Paul Edmondson and with Greg Evans making a mistake on time check gaining a 60 second time penalty and Tom Sagar out in the morning with mechanical problems Ollie could relax a little and was in line for his first ever championship class win but just as the pressure was off him he hit a bump on the third from last special test which throw him over the handlebars and cost him the win on the day. Afterwards Ollie commented, “I am bitterly disappointed for both myself and the Midwest Husaberg UK team who have worked so hard to get me to within sight of my first championship class win, but I am young enough to go on and try again and pleased with the fact that I put myself in the position of nearly winning the class and glad I never injured myself. I am looking forward the next weekend now and the UEM in Italy where I hope to continue my good positions on lately”. Jamie Paget improved on Sunday with commitment and achieved 2nd in class and 11th overall to maintain his consistent results. Determined to improve on the previous days results expert rider Arran Poolman pushed on and went one position better and gained 2nd in class and 3rd overall to give him his best ever results from a BEC round so far setting test times which would place him well in the championship class. Tyson Maytom-Jones was still struggling with steering issues and didn’t feel that confident to push on too hard on Sunday but equalled his results from Saturday and was pleased to finish and find out what the problem was and after investigation from the Midwest Husaberg UK technicians turned out to be a loose shim stack in the front forks giving him no damping and thus causing turning problems. Again all Midwest Husaberg UK team riders and machines finished both days of the event and are now all set to travel to the UEM in Italy this weekend.

Photographs by Martin Harding

European Enduro Championship, Poland 26/27th June 2010

All 4 Midwest Husaberg UK team riders Ollie Moyce, Jamie Paget, Tyson Maytom-Jones and Arran Poolman, set off for the long drive to Poland early Tuesday morning leaving the UK in record temperatures only to arrive in Poland to be met with heavy rain. This would suit the UK riders as they are used to riding in wet conditions but for the weekend the rain stopped and the course was in good condition. The course was to be 4 laps per day and featured only 2 tests per lap, one cross and one enduro but the first test on Saturday was scrapped as the timing system failed. A late start of 10am also meant that the last lap was cancelled so only 3 laps were completed by all competitors on day 1. All Midwest Husaberg UK team riders put in good test times and all finished the first day with no problems with Ollie Moyce finishing 3rd in class followed by Jamie Paget 11th, Tyson Maytom-Jones 12th and Arran Poolman 8th.

Sunday was to be 3 laps again but an earlier start of 9am was planned which suited all the riders. Again all Midwest Husaberg UK team riders rode well on day 2 with only Arran Poolman loosing coolant from his radiator forcing him to retire. Ollie Moyce made it another 3rd in class and made it to the podium for his best result ever followed home by an improving Jamie Paget in 9th and Tyson Maytom-Jones 16th. This was a very good result by all team riders and puts them in strong positions for the next round in Italy on 16/17th July.

Latest YouTube video by Digger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOhSjZGNQXA

The team returned to the Hafren enduro which staged a round of the WEC in 2008 under sunny skies, a far cry from 2 years ago when it rained the whole weekend. Full of confidence from gaining 2 ACU British Championships the previous week team riders set off Saturday morning for the first of two 45 miles laps and 2 special tests per lap, one an mx style course and the other an enduro test both very similar to the WEC event in 2008 only much drier, that said early tests proved slippery on the fresh grass until it was cut up and a dry line began to appear. Showing great form at the moment, as result of riding extra quality events such as the BESC, Midwest Husaberg UK rider Ollie Moyce rode his Husaberg FE390 consistently achieving top 6 positions in his test times closely battling with Ed Jones and Ashley Wood. With two back to back enduro and mx tests at the end of the day there was a lot at stake and as the course became drier the 4 stroke power proved ideal for Ollie and he powered to 2nd in E2 championship class, 1st Under 23 and 6th overall. E3 championship class Midwest Husaberg UK rider Jamie Paget took it couscous on the powerful Husaberg FE570 until the slippery grass cleared and achieved his best result of the year so far with 11th overall, 2nd in class and 3rd Under 23.

Expert class team riders Arran Poolman and Tyson Maytom-Jones had a good day with Arran achieving his best result this year in 3rd overall and 2nd in E2 class, Tyson was also second in his E3 class.

Sunday dawned with grey skies after overnight rain and the threat of rain saw some riders fit new front tyres as well as rear, but this made track conditions perfect with maximum grip available test times were even quicker than the previous day. Slightly less distance on the overall lap allowed the expert class to have one more test on the day bringing the total to 6 with the championship class again having 7 tests to complete during the day. Both championship riders Ollie Moyce and Jamie Paget had trouble free days with there Husaberg machines running faultlessly all weekend they achieved good results again with Ollie 3rd in E2 class and 7th overall, Jamie 2nd E3 class and 14th overall. Expert rider Arran Poolman fresh from his best result yesterday was looking to improve his position but bad luck was to happen when on the first lap he caught something in his rear wheel and broke 12 spokes. He struggled on to the service area where he removed the wheel and tyre then rebuilt it and continued for the remainder of the day losing 31 minutes but setting some of the fastest test times in his class. Fellow expert rider Tyson Maytom-Jones improved on his overall position claiming 11th and 2nd in E3 class, again a successful weekend for the Midwest Husaberg UK enduro team.

ACU British Enduro Sprint Championship May 29/30th rounds 5 & 6.
Photographs by Nuno Laranjeira

DOUBLE JOY for team riders Ollie Moyce & Arran Poolman who at the weekend claimed 2 British Championship titles between them in the Under 23 E2 and Expert E2 classes, and to add to the achievement fellow team riders, Jamie Paget & Tyson Maytom-Jones claimed runner-up positions in there classes of Under 23 E3 & Expert E2.

When the team arrived on Friday at the spectacular Saints Well farm circuit in mid Wales the track officials were watering the circuit due to a few weeks of extremely hot, dry weather in an effort to keep the dust down but there efforts proved unnecessary because the forecast of persistent rain for Saturday was correct and at 9 am the riders set out on a very demanding course which included an mx style area followed by an extreme section which included obstacles such as tyres, rocks and logs to negotiate and ending in a grassy off cambered hill side which would prove very difficult to ride. First away was Under 23 E3 Midwest Husaberg UK rider Jamie Paget on his FE570, now fully recovered from previous injuries saw him produce his best performances so far this year riding with new determination and confidence. Ollie Moyce was next away and knowing the championship would be decided this weekend and with a healthy lead in his class opted to ride with caution until the track became drier ending the day second in class but beating his main championship rivals. Expert E2 team riders Tyson Matom-Jones and Arran Poolman were in a close battle for honours in this class with both riders winning previous rounds this weekend would prove to be very interesting. The tall stature of Tyson and his trials riding skills helped him tackle the very slippery course with no problems taking him to a comfortable victory with Arran finding the wet conditions more difficult to deal with persevered to 3rd on the day making a gap of just 1 point between the two rivals and team mates going into the final day.

Sunday saw a completely different day with the sun shining and wind blowing the track soon dried and with the course running in the opposite direction to the previous day the pace of racing was much faster. Jamie Paget was again first away and with a good first days riding under his belt he continued to ride well and even ex 10 times British Enduro Champion Geriant Jones commented on how well he was riding finishing runner up in his class overall. Ollie Moyce was more determined to do well on Sunday and with the course drying his times improved rapidly and he eventually won his class comfortably and became British Enduro Sprint Champion Under 23 E2 class. The battle to see who would become Expert E2 champion was a 2 horse race between Midwest Husaberg UK team riders Tyson Maytom-Jones and Arran Poolman. Tyson prayed for more rain on Sunday but the drier conditions suited Arrans MX riding style allowing him to take the victory on the day and win the class championship, a second British title for the team. We would just like to take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors and helpers who have made this success possible.

Second place honours for Ollie Moyce in the Champ class, victory for Tyson Maytom-Jones in the Expert class!

The 1st round of the 2010 ACU British XC Championship was held at Chavenage on the 16th May, the skies were grey with a threat of the rain but the bright yellow fields of oil seed rape shone like sun and the 7 mile course was in excellent condition.

The Main 2.5hr race started at 1.00pm and Lewis Belfield took the holeshot closely followed by Midwest Husaberg UK rider Ollie Moyce and by the time he had disappeared through the hedge he had a good 50 yards lead. From the start the riders looped around a cambered field and then ran along the hedgerows to the first of 4 wooded sections and included an interesting addition to the dammed stream - a fallen tree. At the halfway point Daryl Bolter took the lead on his KORR KTM. The rain came & went in short sharp showers but it did little to cool the heat of the battle for 2nd between Ollie Moyce and Ashley Wood. The lead changed and then changed back again and as the event continued the stream crossing got deeper and the marshals had to remove a couple of sandbags to lower the level of the water. At 3.15pm - with 15 minutes to go - the heavens opened. The course greased up and the riders slowed down. Daryl held the lead from Ollie Moyce with Ashley Wood in 3rd and Jon Hinam in 4th all managing to complete 11 laps. Jamie Paget finished in 8th position on his Midwest Husaberg FE 570.

Midwest Husaberg's Tyson Maytom-Jones took the holeshot in the Experts ahead of Seb Dexter. Tyson never looked back and topped the Experts by over a minute despite picking up some rope in the rear wheel with James Burroughs in second and Seb Dexter third.

Picture by David Moyce

With only 2 days rest following the UEM enduro in France last weekend the Midwest Husaberg UK team headed north for the long journey to Lossiemouth in North East Scotland to compete in the re-scheduled rounds 2 & 3 of the BEC. Conditions were better this time as the event was cancelled in February due to heavy snow and the riders tackled the long, sandy, demanding tests which became extremely bumpy after nearly 14 hours riding over the weekend.

Championship E2 rider, Ollie Moyce improved on his first BEC results to claim 3rd in class on both days and 1st under 23 class. Ollie said

“I had a mixture of fortunes over the weekend. On the Saturday I struggled in the beach test getting past slower riders but pushed hard to finish 3rd in class and seventh overall, only a few seconds from 2nd. Whilst on Sunday I was having a better day but a lack of concentration meant that I crashed 3 times in the last Enduro test undoing all that hard work. I then had to give it everything to again finish 7th overall and 3rd in class but this time I was the fastest under 23 rider. It was a great event and well worth the 12 hour drive. My FE390 Midwest Husaberg did not miss a beat all weekend and I would like to say thanks to everyone who helped.”

 

Picture by David Moyce

E3 Championship contender, Jamie Paget had a difficult first day breaking off his gear lever but improved on day 2 to claim 3rd in class on both days. Arran Poolman Expert E2 rider had a good result on day 1 claiming 3rd in class but on the second lap hit a hidden tree stump and later had an x-ray to confirm 3 broken bones in his foot so couldn’t ride the second day. Tyson Maytom-Jones had a consistent weekend in the Expert E3 class finishing second on both days.

Following several weeks of good results the Midwest Husaberg UK enduro team arrived in France for the first round of the European Enduro Championships on Thursday.

The 9am start took the riders straight to the extreme/cross test then time check 1. From there it was in to the Enduro test which was un-timed on the first lap, then into Cross test2 and back to time check 2 in the paddock. The day was to consist of 5 x 52km laps with 3 tests per lap. All Midwest Husaberg UK team riders had good results on both days all scoring points in there classes. Team rider Ollie Moyce, who was the highest placed Husaberg rider said,

"I was very excited going into the first round of the European Championship in France as I had been riding well in recent competitions and was very comfortable with the FE390. The whole weekend went very well for me and apart from losing out on 3rd place on the 2nd day I had no major dramas at all. I was consistently up the front of the class with test times and even winning one or 2 which has done wonders for my confidence. I am now running joint 3rd in the points and will be hoping to improve on that in the next round."

Other good news was the team were 4th in the team event.

Rounds three and four of the 2010 ACU British Enduro Sprint Championship moved onto the Rogers Hill Raceway facility in Dorset this past weekend where once again great weather and a diverse and challenging course ensured some great racing in all classes.

With no rain for at least three weeks prior to the event conditions were extremely dry during Saturday’s round three giving all riders their first taste of genuine hard-pack conditions this season. Featuring one motocross track at the start of each lap, a wooded extreme section, a grass track section, and finally a second motocross track, the average lap time for Elite class riders on day one was over 11 minutes.

Ollie Moyce (Midwest Husaberg UK) and Ashley Wood were the two fastest riders in the Under 23 E2 class finishing comfortably ahead of third placed Joe Jones on day one. With Ashley setting the pace early on during round three Ollie soon got into his stride to enjoy a 17 second winning margin. On day two there was no catching Ollie as he finished one-minute clear of Ashley, who in turn placed one-minute up on Joe.

There was no question as to who the fastest Under 23 E3 class riders was as Daniel McCanney romped to two convincing class wins placing ahead of Jamie Paget (Midwest Husaberg UK), who overcame his hand injury, and Kieran Jones.

The battle for the top spot in the Expert S2 class was an all Husaberg affair as Midwest Racing team mates Tyson Maytom-Jones and Arran Poolman battled it out on both days with Tyson claiming the top spot at the end of round three while Arran got the upper hand after some committed riding during round four.

Ollie Moyce dominated the Under23 E2 class.
Jamie Paget, coming back from injury, scored two second places in the Under23 E3 class.
Tyson Maytom-Jones battled it out with team mate Aaron Poolman in the Expert E2 class.
While Maytom-Jones claimed the top spot in round 3, Aaron Poolman won it in round 4.

Report J. Edmunds, Pictures by Martin Harding.

Hewitt National XC Championship (Round 2) at Chavenage Farm on Sunday, 18th April organised by Midwest MCC
Report By Mike Wood, Photographs by Martin Harding and Jack Stringer

The super Chavenage venue, scene of last months successful staging of the first ever ACU British Enduro Sprint championship witnessed yet more action at the weekend as the Midwest MCC held the second round of their Hewitt National XC series. Once again a bumper entry was in attendance to tackle the very dry,undulating Gloucestershire circuit, with for the first time racing for Youth riders. The kids in attendance proceeded to produce some great competition after first witnessing Midwest Racing supported riders Ollie Moyce and Tyson Maytom-Jones score a great 1-2 in the main Adult event aboard their Husaberg machines.

Indeed it could have been total domination for the Midwest team as in the opening few circuits of the Experts Adult event,Jamie Padget was also keeping his teammates company up at the front until a re-occurrence of a recent hand injury was to eventually force him out on lap four. Earlier in the contest it was though the very experienced Ady Smith who had led the pack away to commence their three hour blast aboard his two-stroke KTM before dropping back to 5th spot. Another rider initially in contention for honours and producing some very impressive lap times was James Jackman until retiring on lap eight after his Yamaha lost all of its gearbox oil and seized. So,after passing Smith before the completion of lap one,the immaculate Moyce led all the way to the chequered flag,finishing two minutes ahead of his very determined teammate Tyson Maytom-Jones whilst third placed Darren Wheeler was charging hard and just a very narrow five seconds behind Tyson Maytom-Jones.

Great racing and great weather ensured that the British Enduro Sprint Championship got off to a memorable start.

The 2010 British Enduro Sprint Championship got off to a flying start this past weekend when the opening two rounds of the series took place at the spectacular Chavenage Farm circuit in Gloucestershire. Despite terrible weather during the days leading up to the event, come the weekend track conditions were perfect, ensuring great racing action in all classes.

As expected it was the Under 23 class that provided much of the weekend's best racing action. Competition was close at the top of the Under 23 ES2 class on day one with Ollie Moyce placing his Husaberg at the top of the class, just 15 seconds up on Mark Roberts while third went to Ashley Wood. On day two the same three riders finished in the same order at the top of the class with Moyce's winning margin a slender three seconds.

In the Expert ES2 class Aaron Poolman placed his Husaberg at the top of the class on both days, enjoying two comfortable wins in front of teammate Tyson Maytom-Jones.

The British Enduro Sprint Championship's next two rounds will take place at Rogers Hill Raceway, close to Bere Regis, Dorset on April 24-25. As part of GMC Events Ltd plans to expand the series the event will include the BESC's first Sunday-only Clubman class.

Pictures by Martin Harding

Raced at a club motocross on Sunday and ended up 3rd overall. I had forgotten how much different it is and in the first race I struggled with my arms pumping up and I felt I was down on power against the 450 motocross bikes so I ended up 5th.

After that race we decided to take the bung out the exhaust as it sounded like a hair dryer compared to the others anyway. This not only made it sound better but gave it that extra edge up the straights. I had a better second race and came 3rd. I was a lot more confident for the last race and had a good start in about 5th and moved my way up to second and catching the leader when my hands decided they were tired and would not push any more, so unfortunately I had to settle for 3rd again but it was nice to overtake most of the field on an Enduro Bike haha.

Considering I was down on power, had softer suspension and was a bit rusty I thought it was a great day and a lot of people complimented on either my riding or the bike.

On arriving at the Thetford forest Friday afternoon the team we met by the Clerk of the Course, Andy Waters, who informed us that the event maybe cancelled if the high winds that were forecast for Sunday arrived, fortunately for all teams and riders who made the long journey to Norfolk this was not the case but heavy and persistent rain was the order of the day.

Picture by Martin Harding

5th in E2 class and 9th overall was a sound start for Ollie Moyce who was a little bit disappointed with his overall result which found him starting the day in 27th position on the start list and not in the top 10 seeded riders from last years championship but he quickly proved he deserved to be included in the seeded start list with his 9th overall.

My test times throughout the day were not too bad but due to the weather conditions and having to pass slower riders on the going I ended up crashing quite heavily and losing a minute. If this hadn't have been the case then I would have been further up the overall results. The bike was running perfectly as always and the team were a great help. I would like to thank everyone who was there to help and support me

Ollie Moyce

Picture by Martin Harding

21 year old, Jamie Paget, again was not completely happy with his final result of 3rd in E3 class and 18th overall finding the very heavy conditions difficult to adjust to at the moment after his transition from riding a two stroke for the last 2 years.

More time on the bike and adjusting to the huge amounts of power the 570 Husaberg produces should bring better results in the future. I had a slight misfire during the latter stages of the enduro so I rode conservatively to preserve the engine and ensure a finish.

Jamie Paget

RESULTS

1. David Knight 530 KTM (E3)
2. Paul Edmondson 250 Suzuki (E1/4)
3. Daryl Bolter 250 KTM (E1/4)
4. Si Wakely 250 Husqvarna (E1/4)
5. Tom Sagar 450 Suzuki (E2)
6. Greg Evans 300 KTM/4 (E2)
7. Ashley Wood 250 Gas Gas (E2)
8. Rory Mead 250 Yamaha (E2)
9. strong>Ollie Moyce 390 Husaberg (E2)
10. Phillip Mclaughlin 250 TM (E1/4)

The 1st round of the 2010 Hewitt National XC Championship got off to a cracking start at Chavenage Farm near Tetbury on Sunday 21st February.

Overnight snow had dusted the fields with a light frosting. The sun shone but the air was cold. The Midwest team of Ollie Moyce, Jamie Paget & Tyson Maytom-Jones had organised a training session the day before & their first job on Sunday morning was to chip the frozen mud off their wheels.

The first through was Ollie Moyce ahead of Aaran Poolman, Jason Fraser & Jamie Paget.

By the halfway point the sun had begun to work it's magic & the course began to dry. The Chavenage course is very compact & a good crowd had turned out to support the riders. Ollie Moyce held onto the lead, closely followed by Jason Fraser but with less than 30 minutes to go Jason's new Suzuki ran out of petrol. He had only had the bike for 3 days & he wasn't too sure of the capacity. Ollie Moyce went on to take the overall win. He had enough of a lead to stop for a splash & dash on his last lap. Midwest team mate Jamie Paget did well to get so much out of his Husaberg FE 570 in such slick conditions.

After the event Ollie Moyce said that he hadn't had the best of starts & he had struggled with arm pump on the first few laps but it was probably the same for everyone. Once the course began to dry out he really enjoyed the ride & he was looking forward to the first round of the British Enduro Championship this weekend.

Results, Expert Class

• 1. Ollie Moyce (Husaberg)
• 7. Arran Poolman (Husaberg)
• 8. Tyson Maytom-Jones (Husaberg)

1st Round Eastern Centre Championship at Tunstall Forest

A cold misty and grey day in Tunstall Forest near Woodbridge did not dampen the enthusiasm. Over 160 riders entered this popular season opener in East Anglia with a strong national field doing battle with the local boys. A slight drizzle had decided to accompany the Midwest riders (Ollie, Jamie and Aaron) but this fizzled away after an hour or so.

The schedule saw us doing 6 laps of a 12 mile loop with each lap getting tighter on time. We had to ride a test on each of the first 2 laps and then another at the end of the day!

Photograph by Anthony (GRUD) Ridge

Special test action kicked off at the end of the first and second lap with a sting in the tail for the championship class with a final test after the 6 punishing laps. Local Woodbridge rider, Aston Bird out on a new 450 Kawasaki put the mark down for the Eastern Centre finishing the first test a second and a half ahead of HuskySport Husqvarna rider Si Wakely with Midwest Husaberg rider Ollie Moyce tucked in third place 0.4 seconds behind Wakely. After the second test things were even closer with Bird still in front but Moyce had the fastest second test a second up on Wakely with Bird a few hundredths behind. As the event moved on to the tighter laps Bird had a slender lead 0.9 seconds ahead of Moyce with Wakely a further 0.7 seconds adrift.

However disaster struck for Bird at the end of lap 6, after the tight final lap required to be ridden in 28 minutes he clocked in a minute early, dropping him from the final special test shoot out. Moyce made no mistakes and again topping the test times, just over a second ahead of Wakely with Bird a despondent third on the test but dropping to eighth overall. This left local championship riders Chris Hockey Julian Harvey and Jamie Roper to slot into third fourth and fifth places.

New Midwest Husaberg UK team rider, Jamie Paget still adjusting to the big four stroke after riding a two stroke last year, started the day steadily and as the day progressed grow more and more confident which saw his test times improve to finish 7th overall with no penalty points incurred. Third Midwest Husaberg UK team rider Tyson Maytom-Jones was still away on a skiing holiday so his place was taken by Aaron Poolman riding in his first year of enduros after a motocross career who again managed the conditions very well and admitted there was still a lot to learn before he returns in 3 weeks time for a round of the British Enduro Championship.

Thoroughly enjoyable day and great practice for the Muntjac! Thanks to all sponsors and helpers

Results

1. Ollie Moyce(2) - Midwest Husaberg FE390
2. Simon Wakely (3) HuskySport Husquarna 250
3. Chris Hockey (1) Yamaha 250
4. Julian Harvey (9) Aim KTM 250
5. Jamie Roper (15) Yamaha 250
6. Bradley King (11) Gas Gas UK 300
7. Jamie Paget (10) Midwest Husaberg FE570
8. Aston Bird (20) Kawasaki 450
9. Jason Morland (12) Jim Aim Racing 250
10. Steve Mason (22) Yamaha 250
11. Richard Roper (16) Kawasaki 250
12. Aaron Poolman (25) Midwest Husaberg FE450

Travelled to Midwest on Saturday to check bike over and then on to Bagshot for the first round of the REME winter series. Conditions were cold and wet but I was keen to try the FE570 in my first event since the Six Days, Portugal, in October.

I had a good start and entered the woods in 3rd position. It took me a good hour to adjust to the four stroke before I started to pull back time on James Jackman and Julian Harvey. The track deteriorated considerably and became a deep rut for most of it.

I caught Julian up on the last hour but there wasn't enough time to catch James.

I finished second and was pleased with the result. Bike was awesome! Still learning but cant wait to get out on it again.

Report by Jamie Paget

We now have a Facebook fan page.

For 2010 Midwest Husaberg has 2 new riders. The team consist of Ollie Moyce (22), Jamie Paget (20) and Tyson Maytom-Jones (23)

All riders will be competing in the BEC, BESC, UEM, selected WEC plus any other national events as well as club events such as Hewitt XC.

Midwest Racing would like to congratulate Tyson Maytom-Jones for Winning the 2009 SCEC Expert Class

Expert Class final Standings

1. Tyson Maytom-Jones
2. Jerry Box
3. Steve Harding
4. Karl Langford
5. Toni Burrows

The Midwest Husaberg Team has won its first Championship in its first year of operation. Hopfully we can improve on this years performance and win some more events. Photograph courtesy of Foto-X

Another Husaberg rider making his indoor enduro debut was British competitor Ollie Moyce. Competing in the event 'as a bit of fun' Ollie was unable to qualify into the finals but opted to try his luck in the night race. With the stadium lights turned off, and using only the headlight of his FE 390, Ollie started well, moved from second into first and claimed the win, much to his delight.

I'm not the greatest trials rider and this was my first indoor, so I wasn't expecting too much. I got a good start in the night race and rode much, much better than I did in any of my other races. Maybe it was because it was just a fun race but I felt great. I moved from second into first and everything really came together for me then. I learned a lot during the event and really enjoyed it. - Ollie Moyce

I travelled to the 2009 ISDE in Portugal with Kurt (my mechanic) in the van, meeting various other riders on the boat from Plymouth to Santander. After many games of bingo and watching magic shows we arrived in Spain at 11am the next day. Travelling through bright sunshine we made the 7-8 hour journey through Spain and into Portugal. Arriving a little later than expected we booked the caravan into the campsite and I went to meet the others at the team hotel where everyone looked fresh faced and ready for action. After a meal and a shower we had a good nights sleep ready to explore the area which would be our new home for the next 14 days.

Unfortunately the weather the following day was not on our side and we had very hard thunderstorms, delaying our test walking for a short period. After a few days of unpredictable showers it settled down and the sun shone.

After walking various sandy tests we decided we should get out on the test track which was a very deep sandy track of around 40 seconds long. It was a good indication of how the bikes would run and also how hard the week would be if the rider struggled in the sand.

Back to the pits with no problems and time to get the bike prepared for technical inspection the next day. We showed our documents and signed the papers at 5.30pm on the Thursday and our technical inspection was 9am on Friday morning. All bikes went through without problems although some needed to make small adjustments to their silencers.

The rest of Friday was spent walking tests and sorting bits out for the coming week.

Their was an opening ceremony held on Saturday night with a parade of all the countries teams, some speeches, the purple helmets did a performance and then some fireworks at the end.

Sunday is normally the day of rest but it is usual for most people to just go to the park ferme and check they have everything sorted and ready for the next 6 days. Then come back and chill out for a while.

It was nice to get off the start line and get going on the first day. The first check we rode out of town, over the bridge and to the first check in an industrial estate. This was then effectively the start of the lap. After leaving this check we rode around the corner, off the road and into the very deep, powdery sand test. It was great fun to ride but on the first day your start position is mixed up so there are many slower riders in front. I caught a German rider and whilst trying to pass him I crashed but I wasn't going to let this get me down. Out of the test and into a long dry, hardpack and dusty check to the fuel.

Then another check but this was an Enduro test which was tight and rocky. Whilst coming off a drop off the bike stalled and in my rush to get going again I was twisting the throttle therefore it did not start for about 15 to 20 seconds. After the test we rode round the corner to the check. Then another check with a nice flowing sandy test at the end. My first test of the day was pretty good and a lot of fun to ride. Then it was back to the check in the industrial area for another lap. My tests on this lap varied with some being better and others not so good.

After the lap we rode back to the town but had to ride what was known as the KTM super test which consisted of a test laid out on the beach front with long straights and dunes of about 3 minutes long. Again this was great fun to ride but was so deep and powdery it was very easy to crash.

In my 15 minute work period I decided to change both the front and rear tyre because I was not happy with my choice of front tyre so opted to put an extreme hard tyre on. All went well but my front spindle would not go in as hard as I tried. This was due to the quick release bolt inside the shaft heating up and expanding. I had to bodge the wheel in and fix it in the morning which I did with no problems.

Day 2 was the same course and tests as the first day and I knew that I had to step it up if I were to do well and get a gold medal so I did and had a much better day pulling myself up a lot of places. Finishing after 2 days, 7 seconds behind Si Wakely.

Unfortunately on this day Lee Edmondson's clutch went and he had to retire, David Knight crashed and hurt himself and Jamie Paget had to change a barrel and piston to make sure he kept going.

Day 3 & 4

A new course and 3 new tests but this time it would be the going that was the hardest part of the day. For the last 10 minutes of the first check and the whole 30 minutes of the second check we had to ride over powdery sand about 10 metres wide which was great fun for the first lap but as you could imagine was horrendous by the end of day 4.
The first test was through some fields which had a rock hard floor like concrete making it tricky in the corners.
The second a test next to the beach but a harder type of sand and physically challenging, and the third a very rocky test with steep hills but ironically the most enjoyable of the lot.
I had some good steady days with no major incidents on any of the tests but crashed both days on the KTM super test back in the town.

Day 5

A totally separate day from all only using one of the previous 6 tests and this was the one with the concrete slippery corners. The other was next to a river which we rode to just after leaving the first check. It was nearly 9 minutes long and very tiring to ride especially so late in the week. The last check had 2 tests in, one being the previous days and the other a very deep sandy test.

I think I was more focused on making it through the day so stayed steady. I didn't crash on the KTM super test so was pleased to end with a good one.

Day 6

The last day is renowned for being fairly easy and slack but due to the final motocross being more than an hours drive away we had 2 one hour checks to do in the morning which were not the simplest of rides.

Once we arrived at the amazing GP motocross track of Agueda we put our bikes in the parc ferme and waited for our race. I was in the second E2 race. We had a warm up lap and then got into the race which was a lot of fun for the first 3 laps until my arms pumped up and so I decided to back off but still enjoyed it. I was glad to finish the day and the week.

I finished in 77th place overall and got a gold medal.

Thanks to all the support crews and helpers at the ISDE!

Fresh from a European Championship round in Italy Ollie was keen to get back on the bike he was getting more and more to grips with. The Natterjack, run by the Reme team is always a fantastic event with a long Enduro test in the woods, an MX test in a deep sand bowl and long whooped out checks which take their toll on the entry. This year they had included some new sections including a vertical wall with an option of going up it or around.

Day 1,

At 10am the riders started, making their way to a check just before the MX test. This was a timed test but it had been un-ridden so there were no berms or lines. Ollie crashed twice in the test but stayed positive because he knew the course would only get better. Then it was out on a check which looped back around to the start of the Enduro test. This first test was untimed so it was a good chance to check out all the lines available. Ollie decided he would not even try the wall as his trials skills as yet are not sufficient enough. After the test it was time for the dreaded check over the other side of the road and then back to start another lap.

Upon arrival to the second MX test Ollie was ready to prove something and was having a great test until he caught his arm on the final tree before the finish causing him to crash and lose valuable seconds. Back round to the first timed Enduro test and Ollie made a mistake in the bog and fell off. His day was going from bad to worse with everything seeming to go wrong. He took 5 minutes in the check to assess what was happening and try to start again. This seemed to help as the rest of the tests in the day were much better and more consistent.

He finished the first day in 13th overall.

Day 2,

A 9am start for Sunday and a reversed course saw the riders making their way to the other side of the road first. The Enduro test was the same direction with a small alteration and the wall coming out. Ollie was keen to prove that he was better than the previous day and pushed hard in his tests. He enjoyed the day and had no major issues in any of the tests. He put in his fastest time of the weekend in the sand bowl on the last test of the day.

He finished the day in 8th position overall.

Kurt and I set off in the van and made the 15 hour journey to Castiglion Fiorentino in Italy for the final round of the European Enduro Championship. The start was situated in the middle of the town on top of a hill with amazing views all around. Upon arrival the weather was unsettled but by the look of the ground it had not rained seriously for quite a while.

The British contingency was all parked together and there was a great atmosphere with so many riders making the journey. By Thursday morning we had all been to the test track and the bikes were prepared.

There were 2 tests a lap, an Enduro test which consisted of a very rocky, technical riverbed and long fast straights and an MX test which weaved in and out of the final motocross track with soft powdery berms.

DAY 1,

We woke up to sunshine to everyone's delight and it just got hotter all day. The Enduro test was untimed on the first lap but seemed to ride easier than first anticipated. Then there was a long check out to the first fuel stop. The next check made its way back through the mountains to the MX test at the end of the lap. This was meant to be timed but unfortunately for me the timing did not stop causing me to have the slowest time in class. Then it was back to see my old friend Kurt at the check who could also not understand having watched the test how I seemed to be 30 seconds slower than anyone!

After starting the next lap we came to the Enduro test again which was timed. I made a small mistake in the test and still felt like I was learning about my new FE390. The rest of the day was steady but I was slowly getting my confidence back. By that night my first MX test had been rectified but it seemed as if they had almost guessed a time for me.

I finished the day in 9th position, 16 seconds down on 8th.

Day 2,

I knew I was capable of going faster so I decided to leave my brain at the van in the morning. After the start of day 2 we went straight to the Enduro test again. My fastest day 1 Enduro time was 7 min 41 seconds so my aim was to get to the mid thirties. After coming through the end of the test, I looked at my time which said 7 min 24 seconds. From then on my times were considerably faster and my confidence grew all day.
I finished the day 6th in class (5 seconds from being 4th in class) and 7th overall after 2 days of racing.

Day 3, (motocross)

The motocross track was on the same dry, dusty field as the MX test had been. The women and vets were the first to race and it worked backwards to the juniors who were last. By the time I had my sighting lap there were areas of the course that were difficult to see past the front wheel. Woodsy (Ash Wood) and I lined up on the start gate together and waited for it to drop. I had a good jump out of the gate but didn't quite get to the corner where I needed to be. After a lot of argy bargy the 8 lap race pretty much finished in the order you made it around the first corner due to the severity of the dust.
I finished in 8th position.

Thanks to all the support crews who helped out especially Deb Harvey who kept me, James Jackman and Julian Crimp in order.

Prior to leaving for the last round of the European Championship in Italy Ollie competed in a South Eastern Centre Enduro at Canada Heights.

With nearly the whole of the motocross track being used and a mixture of grassy fields and tight woodland it was a good way of getting used to the new FE 390. Confident with the new bike Ollie proved it was the right move and set both the fastest special test times of the day.

Throughout the day there were checks tight enough to make the riders lose a small amount of time but due to traffic it was difficult to judge who would get a clear run.

Most of the championship riders came in, dropping the same amount of time on the first tight check. This left one more tight check to go and Ollie was positive that if he only had a clearer run that he could put a minute or 2 on the rest.

During the last tight check came and Ollie came in dropping 2 minutes whereas everyone else dropped 3. He finished in 1st Position

I really love riding here and the new FE 390 was incredible on every type of terrain. There was nothing I could fault about it. I'm looking forward to trying the new bike on the rocks in Italy. Big thanks to the Sidcup club for a great event and the clerk of the course for not being my mechanic for the day -Ollie Moyce

Ollie Moyce at GBXC Round 7

I picked up my new Husaberg FE 390 the day before the event and went testing on a local motocross track and an Enduro loop. After the first lap of riding it I knew that this is what I had been looking for. The power was so nice and smooth, much more like a 250F. It was like it was on rails around the corners and however much I tried I could not fault it.

After this we headed off to the final round of the GBXC championship. Barry was kind enough to let me and Kurt sleep in his motor home and we were joined by Stuart and his wife Kelly.

The weather in the morning was overcast but dry and the morning race came and went with no real problems. I was all set for the start of the race and looking forward to seeing what the new bike could do. Unfortunately after half a lap I realised that my security bolt was spinning in the tyre so had to stop and put another one in. This was due to the fact that these were my old wheels which had been polished due to an earlier incident in the year.

I returned to the course some 15 minutes later and thought I would get some practice on the new bike. It performed superbly and I was really enjoying riding it. I stopped a few times to change the ignition curves to see how they were.

Apart from the small problem at the start of the race I had no further issues and am very happy with the bike.

Thanks to everyone at Midwest Racing for all of their help.

Report by Ollie Moyce

The seventh and final round saw the GBXC series head to north Wales near Llangollen. After bad weather during the week it looked like the race would be a wet one. After walking the course on Saturday, conditions would be perfect. The track was very flowing and had alot of mixed going from muddy woods to dry flowing fields.

The pro class line up was still full of the regulars and with championship still undecided the race was going to be exciting. With Tom knowing that his starts haven't been great, he knew that he would have to work hard to keep with leaders and to secure the championship.

The flag dropped and Tom found himself in the middle of the pack behind Aston Bird (MPS Husqavana) . After the second lap Tom was in fifth behind Daryl Bolter (KTM), Greg Evans (KTM), Aston Bird and Si Wakely (MPS Husqavana). Tom knew this wasn't good enough to win the championship. Then on the fourth lap Bird stopped on a corner on the mountain which put Tom 4th but 3rd in Pro's as Bolter is in the Pro Lites class.

A lap later saw Birds team mate Wakely have a massive crash which would see him pull out. Tom knew that if he stayed where he was, he would win the series, but Ash Wood was closing in. After an hour and fifteen Tom came into fuel, it was a good fuel stop and had pit board signs that he was catching Evans. Tom got within 20 seconds of Evans, but with two laps to go Evans had slowed with a blown shock so had to pit. Tom was now leading the pro class but still second to Bolter. On the last lap Tom took his time and made sure of getting to the finish safely.

Tom reached the finish and took the pro class win. Tom was greeted by Steve Ireland and Paul Edmondson who sprayed the victory champagne. Tom had taken the 2009 GBXC Championship.

I am so pleased to have taken the championship. The race has been the most physical this year. After 2 laps had gone I didn't think I would catch the leaders but I had to dig deep and after I fuelled everything clicked. I would like thank all my supporters at the race cheering me on, all of my friends and family for their help and to all my sponsors for their continued support.

Photo courtesy of Lee Leightwood.

Results

1. Daryl Bolter
2. Tom Sagar
3. Ashley Wood

It took 21 hours driving in convoy with the car and van to get to Slovakia. On the way we stopped over night in Germany. The last leg of the route took us through the Slovakian A roads which have ruts in like a welsh forest. With an hour to go the phone rang and the car had a puncture. Somehow it wasn't the person who was sitting over it who felt it because he had slept the entire journey (Mr Paget). After fitting the space saver we decided to look out for a tyre fitter on the way to the event. Luckily we asked a car parts shop and ended up in the back of someone's garden with the wheel out and haggling the price. We ended up paying 30 euros for a used tyre, fitted and balanced but he wouldn't let us leave without taking another tyre for free so we let him win and chucked it in the van for good measure.

Once at the event we spent the whole of Thursday walking the tests and scoping the area. Then Friday was the day of testing and getting signed in. Unfortunately this was also the time when Brad crashed whilst testing and injured himself. Everyone eventually got through the technical and we walked the extreme test once more.

Day 1.

1st extreme test was un-timed. It was just over 2 minutes long through a gulley with a few logs and steep climbs. Then onto a fast and dry motocross test with some nice jumps. After a fuel check there was a long Enduro test through the woods. Dust was a big issue so check times were reasonably slack although some people thought they would follow the squirrel trail on the first check. On the first timed extreme test I managed to fall and get the bike to fall on top of me costing me to lose around 40 seconds. I pushed hard on the motocross tests and had pretty good times. My Enduro tests were not as fast as I had hoped but this will be addressed.
I finished in 11th position

Day 2,

By now all the tests were extremely dusty, technical and deep. My extreme tests were steady without drama and I again enjoyed the motocross tests with my times showing it. The Enduro test still had the better of me but a better day all round.
I finished in 7th position

Thanks to all the sponsors and wish Brad a speedy recovery.

Pictures Martin Harding
Report by Ollie Moyce

August 9th saw a last minute change of venue from Ashby De La Zouch to return to Baden Hall in Shropshire for the penultimate round of the GBXC championship. A win for Tom Sagar would give him the title for 2009 with one race remaining so spirits were high in anticipation of a possible championship winning ride. Fellow team rider Ollie Moyce decided not to participate this weekend in favour of preparing himself and the bikes for the long journey the next day to Slovakia for the European Enduro championship.

The race started under sunny warm skies which made a pleasant change as the summer so far has been very wet, Tom completed lap one in 6th place and steadily made forward progress until after an hour made it to the front closely pursued by Greg Evans, Daryl Bolter and Aston Bird with Si Wakely retiring with clutch problems on his Husqvarna. The racing was very close up front between KTM riders Greg and Daryl when Tom entered a wooded section closely followed by Greg only Daryl and Aston appeared with Greg and Tom behind after colliding on a rutted corner, Greg remounted quickly but Tom was stuck underneath his bike and took a while to remove himself and remount. Shortly after the incident Tom re-fuelled in the pits and tried to straighten the handlebars so he could try and catch the leaders, but by this time the hard packed surface was producing clouds of dust making visibility poor on this high speed circuit. Tom couldn't regain any time lost during his crash so at the finish was 4th behind winner Daryl Bolter with Greg Evans 2nd and Aston Bird 3rd. So the final round in September will decide the championship between Tom, Greg and Aston.

Pictures by Martin Harding.

Get a FREE poster of Tom Sagar and of Ollie Moyce. Just e-mail us your Name and Postal Address and we will send one out ASAP.

After Tom's disappointing weekend at round 2 of the BEC, Tom's mind was set on a good result in round three, hoping to continue his fight for the E2 title.

After a week of rain the Dyfi enduro was set to be a wet one, that it was, due to heavy rain on the Friday, day one was cut short and reduced to three laps.

Tom set out on his mission, beating Suzuki's Paul Edmondson on the first lap by 1 second. Tom knew he needed to extend his lead over Paul, to gain valuable points for the class title. Tom pulled a further 3 seconds over Paul on the second lap and another two on the third lap. This was enough for Tom to finish 2nd overall to David Knight (Kawasaki) on the first day.

I am happy with my first day's results, I just need to do the same again tomorrow and hopefully have the same result if not better

On the second day the course had dried out and the sun was shining.

Tom managed to place himself 6 seconds ahead of Paul on his first test but had dropped down into 4th overall with Daryl Bolter (KTM) and Greg Evans (KTM) just in front by 3 seconds.

On the second test Tom managed to move himself back into 3rd overall behind Daryl. Tom knew that he needed to pull and good time out of the bag on the last test and that's what he did, he pulled himself ahead and finished second overall and first in class.

Im really pleased with my results this weekend, I had worked really hard to recover after my injury in Knighton, and luckily my hard work had paid off, the course has been really tough this weekend, the weather really didn't help. A brilliant test which had everything in it, trails which suits me, a little bit of motocross and plenty of woods. Thanks again to all of my sponsors and Midwest for all of their hard work.

Results overall

1. David Knight (Kawasaki) - 3275.01
2. Tom Sagar (Midwest Husaberg) - 3399.42
3. Paul Edmondson (Suzuki) - 3420.85
4. Daryl Bolter (KTM) - 3452.35
5. Ashley Wood (Gas Gas) - 3502.08

The weekend started at 6am Friday morning when the Team left for the 4 hour drive to the Dyfi forest in Wales for rounds 4 & 5 of the BEC. On arrival at the paddock the team vehicle managed to make it into the gateway before getting stuck, the farmer was quickly on hand and towed us into the parking area. The weather forecast was to rain heavily during the night and not to disappoint the tradition of always raining in Wales the heavens opened and we awoke Saturday morning to wet mud everywhere. A-team riders Tom Sagar & Ollie Moyce were not at all phased by the conditions knowing this extra rain would sort out the men from the boys & B-team rider, Tyson Maytom-Jones, was also looking forward to more difficult conditions as his very long legs would be ideal for the hard work ahead.

First team rider away was Ollie who was on the same minute as Husqvarna mounted Si Wakely but when Ollie arrived at the end of the first of three 50 km laps he was on his own as Wakely had retired complaining of blurred vision & feeling un-well following a reaction to anti-flu & anti-histamine medication. The special test was awesome combining grassy fields, off cambered corners, stream crossings and wooded sections resulting in a 10 minute circuit. Knowing the long lap was going to be tough Ollie concentrated on cleaning the checks and setting steady test times, this plan resulted in finishing 8th overall and 5th in class on day one and was only one of 6 riders to not loose any penalty points on the time checks. A minute behind Ollie was team mate Tom who set off with multi-World & British enduro champion David Knight. Tom was looking to put behind him a run of injuries and bad luck, to get back to his winning ways, he completed the going all day without loosing any time, Tom's plan was to go all out in the special tests and try his best to regain his British Enduro Championship title. His valiant efforts proved to pay off as he set the second fastest times overall with only Knight beating him at the end of a gruelling day 1. With moral high, joint team owner Simon Molter & Kurt Pringle (Ollie's mechanic) went back to nearby Newtown with Tom and washed the bikes off. Following a stop at the local chippy for nourishment other joint team owner Graham Ward set about preparing the bikes for Sunday's event.

A dry day dawned Sunday morning and with a forecast of no rain everybody looked forward to another good event. Championship contender Tom was in a determined mood looking to continue his previous days good result and with the course drying out pushed hard eventually finishing 3rd overall and again 2nd in class. A little disappointed he fell in the second test which allowed E1 rider Daryl Bolter to claim 2nd overall, Tom was still pleased that his championship hopes were still alive, he remains positive with his results and is looking forward to the final round in September. Ollie found that his efforts from Saturday took there toll on him and felt a little off the pace but he persevered and finished 12th overall and 6th in class, but the team put this down to the fact that he lost his favourite pink fluorescent goggles the previous day and spent too much time looking for them whilst riding during day 2!

The teams next event is the GBXC on August 9th where Tom hopes to wrap up the championship with one round to go. Thank you to all team members and sponsors for there help. Photographs by Martin Harding

The ACU Trials and Enduro Committee are pleased to announce the ACU British Trophy and Junior Teams for the 84th ISDE to be held in Figueira da Foz Portugal during the second week of October this year.

The Junior Team remains the same as last year and made up from a group of rising enduro stars, Lee Edmondson, Ollie Moyce, Ashley Wood and Jamie Paget.Ollie Moyce continues to perform well, and should be the junior team member to beat after finishing top junior last year.

The event was held in Norridge Wood in the shadow of Clay Hill part of the Longleat estate near Warminster. The Midwest team had laid out a superb course mostly in the woods where the many drainage ditches kept riders concentrated along with the tree stumps and roots and not using the fire roads there was no rest for riders.

Late entry Tom Sager along with his father Paul both winning there class which added a lot of interest for the many spectators Tom spending time signing posters and having his photo taken with his supporters. With the temperature souring the race started at 11.00 o'clock with the 200 riders facing a tough 3 hour race with the course changing as the race progressed it became very unpredictable with most experts having one or more falls. First class away the Experts saw Steve Grimshaw and Rich Warner arrived at the first corner together, 1st Tom Sager 16laps, 2nd Darren Wheeler,3rd Rich Warner, 4th Derick Bawn 15 laps, 5th Anthony Dean.

Next away the Vets EXP. Alistair Bramwell got the hole shot followed by James Browning and Dave Potts, 1st Gary Baker 15laps, 2nd Alistair Bramwell, 3rd David Grimshaw, 4th Dave Potts 14 laps, 5th Lewie Davie.

Clubman 2t Fredie Davies got to the corner first with Bebjamin Wyles right on his back wheel followed by Trevor Jones, 1st Nathen Etheridge15 laps, 2nd Trev Jones 14 laps. 3rd Peter Kyte, 4th Benjamin Wyles, 5th Neil Pettit.

Clubman 4t Simon Evens and Stuart Davy Fought side by side from the line right into the corner with Andy Chub close behind. 1st Grant Churchwood 14 laps, 2nd Jason Webb, 3rd Mathew Lefever, 4th Asa Hurly, 5th Simon Evens.

The Veteran class saw the most closely fought start with three riders together in line at the first corner Ian Griffiths Tony Hobbs and Paul Sager, 1st Paul Sagar 14 laps, 2nd Tony Hobbs 13 laps, 3rd Trev Child, 4th Glen Woodland, 5th Garry Clark.

The sportsman 2 Stroke, Dan Price was the clear leader off the line, 1st Dan Price 14laps, 2nd Robert Dixon 13 laps, 3rd Robert Lees, 4th Scott Thompson 12laps, 5th Thomas Janikowsi.

The sportsman 4 stroke, A spectacular arrival at the corner by Nicholas Keen with back wheel off the ground with feet up at seat height standing on his arms nearly gaining control before colliding with James Tucker then falling off, 1st Scot King 13 laps, 2nd James Tucker, 3rd Kevin Parker 12 laps, 4th Steve Chesterton, 5th Tom Aston.

Expert class winner Tom Sager said he enjoyed the event and the woods were good but the ground became very unpredictable as the roots became exposed.

Full results
Photographs

Report by Martin Harding

The 4th round of the GBXC was held in Devon and was a brilliant venue for racing with the weather holding off all day.

Ollie had a poor start and was nearly last around the first corner. After the first few laps he was running in 12th position and seemed like he couldn't go any faster or catch the guys in front but this was due to excessive arm pump and slowly faded leaving Ollie with full strength to start his attack on the field. He pushed hard in the latter stages and ended up finishing the race in 6th overall and 5th in class.

The race started badly for me as I was nearly last off the line due to such a quiet engine it is hard to know when it has started with all the other bikes around. I then had to get through severe arm pump and pushed hard towards the end of the race. I really enjoyed it though and am working hard in preparation for the next one.

Thanks to Midwest and all the sponsors who support the team.

Photo courtesy of Lee Leightwood

Round 4 of the GBXC series was set in Kingsbridge, Devon. This was to be the best race to date giving all the riders different types of terrain to tackle during the 7 mile course.

After 2 weeks off the bike after having a massive crash training, Tom was not quite sure how the race was going to pan out.

After the heavy rain on the Saturday the track was slippery but the weather held off for both races, with an hour gap between races gave the track time to dry up even more which made track conditions perfect.

The pro riders lined up with Paul Eddy joining the party. As the flagged dropped, Mark Roberts (Kawasaki) got the hole shot with Eddy (Suzuki) close behind. Tom got his best start of the year getting off the line in 5th. At the end of the first lap, Eddy led with Si Wakely (MPS Husqvarna) 2nd, Tom was 4th and was pushing hard to try and get to the front. After an hour had pasted Wakely and Tom had passed Eddy and were having their own little battle but Daryl Bolter was pushing hard and passed Tom. Wakely and Tom came into fuel at the same time which left Bolter out front on his own but yet to fuel. Tom's pit stop put him ahead of Wakley and set about chasing Bolter. 2 laps later Bolter fuelled and Tom took over the lead but not by much and the final hour was going to be any ones race. 2 laps from the end and Bolter was putting the pressure on. Tom made a mistake which allowed Bolter to close in. Tom then made a big mistake, hitting a rock forcing his hand to come off the handlebar allowing Bolter to take the lead. Tom regained his composure and chased after Daryl. The two riders came over the start line together to start their final lap. As the two riders entered the first wood Bolter took a wide line and Tom went up the inside into the lead. Tom pushed really hard to try and pull a gap on Bolter knowing that he was ready to pounce.

As they rode down one of the tricky rutted climbs, Tom passed a backmarker and Bolter got stuck behind him. This gave Tom some breathing space and allowed him to take his third win in the series. Bolter finished close behind and Wakely third.

I've had an awesome race with Daryl today and didn't think i was going to beat him because he was riding so well. I was very impressed with my fitness after my big crash which hasn't allowed me to train. The course was excellent and one of the best tracks I have ridden. Tom also would like to thank all the team and sponsors for their continued support and to Chris Hockey at Dr Shox for all his help.

Results

1. Tom Sagar (Midwest Husaberg)
2. Daryl Bolter (KTM)
3. Si Wakely (MPS Husqvarna)
4. Paul Edmoundson (Suzuki)
5. Greg Evans (KTM)

Having not ridden an event for 6 weeks or more due to an A/C separation (shoulder separation) Ollie Moyce was itching to compete again and decided to do so in the 4th round of the South Eastern Centre Enduro Championship at West Harting Down.

Upon arrival there was a downpour lasting for a good hour which would make the already slick course more like a Welsh Enduro.

It was a roughly 10 mile lap and every lap was a check, completing 1 test on each of the first 2 laps. Ollie decided it was a good idea to turn his mapping switch down to smooth and he set the fastest time on the first test by 4 seconds. On lap 2 he continued to be fast and took another 3 seconds off his previous test leaving him in the lead with the rest of the checks to go.

It is normal for the SEEC to try and take at least 1 minute from the entry at each event so with the conditions it was going to be tight. Ollie was slightly sceptical in the first tight check worrying about his newly healed shoulder and probably didn't push as hard as he could have. He dropped 5 minutes and was still in the lead. After another slack check there was one other tight check and Ollie was feeling better about the course and himself. He narrowly missed out on cleaning the check but was happy with the day.

I had a fun day racing and I am really glad to be back on my bike again. I knew it was going to be slippery so I just adjusted the power to suit. It was a great event and am looking forward to my next commented Ollie.

Report by Bob Mullins
enduronews.com

Photography by Lee Leightwood

After a disastrous second round of the 2009 GBXC series Tom was hoping for a much better race and was determined to win. After weeks of testing and getting a setup he was comfortable with, Tom's confidence was back. Conditions were perfect for the third round situated on the mountains above Mold, north Wales.

The start was delayed and this made Tom nervous and more anxious to get of the line quick and as close to the front as possible. When the flag dropped it was Matt Ridgeway on his Suzuki that would lead the pack onto the first lap.

Tom Sagar was left on the line with Daryl Bolter (KTM), Si Wakely (MPS Husqarvana), Aston Bird (MPS Husqarvana) and Lee Edmondson (PAR Honda). Tom rode like a man possessed on the opening lap, determined to catch the head of the pack, Ridgeway and Greg Evans (KTM). It wasn't long before he hit the front and opened up a lead of over 1 minute. Another rider also charging was Bolter and he got into second place and chased Tom. Both riders raced lap after lap keeping the distance of 30 to 40 seconds between them. 2 laps from the end Bolter couldn't catch Tom and backed off slightly, which was a relief to Tom as Bolter had pushed Tom for over an hour. Tom commented This is a massive confidence boost for me and I'm much happier with the set up of the bike. I really enjoyed the race with Daryl and kept looking for him and thinking he's going to catch me.

Photograph by Foto-X

This was Tom's second win in the series and he currently leads the pro class with Aston bird 3 points behind.

After the race Tom made the 380 mile trip to Fort William in Scotland to contest the Scottish Six Day Trial which started on the Monday. Tom rode well on the first day finishing 11th before falling down the leader board to 17th where he would stay until the final day. The final day was a tough day and with the trial being one of the wettest riders just wanted to finish. Tom had a good ride on the final day which saw him climb to 15th overall. I've had a wet week and a trouble free one. I rode really well and I'm happy with my result. It was nice to see the guys from Putoline there who sponsored the event

I'd like to say a big thank you to the sponsors and everyone at Midwest who have stuck behind and also friends and family. Last thank you to John Lampkin and the team at the Scottish for their support

Results

1. Tom Sagar (Midwest Husaberg)
2. Si Wakely (MPS Husqarvana)
3. Aston Bird (MPS Husqarvana)
4. Philip McLaughlin (TM)
5. Matt Ridgeway (Suzuki)

Photo courtesy of Jonty Edmunds

Round three of the World Enduro Championship was set on the Italian island of Sardinia. Tom left the UK with mixed feelings about the race but was quietly confident he could do well. After his bad luck in rounds one and two and again at round two of the GBXC, Tom had been practising hard and playing with the suspension settings on the bike.

After walking the tests on the Thursday and Friday, Tom felt happy that the weekend could be a good one, the Enduro test was challenging but would suit the Husaberg 570. Tom had set himself up with a good start on the Friday night by finishing the KTM Super Special 7th in his class. Saturday the real adventure started, the cross test was fast, and suited the French riders, but Tom held his own and moved between positions 8th and 9th. Going into the last test Tom was sitting in 8th position with Marko Tarkkala (BMW) in 7th just ahead by 13 seconds, Tom unfortunately wasn't able to catch Tarkkala, so finished the day one a comfortable 8th just ahead of factory team mate Bjorne Carlsson in 9th.

Tom was determined to improve on his result of the previous day, but didn't turn out that way. Tom entered into the first test of the day, the Cross test, soon Tom discovered that all wasn't well, the rear tyre had separated from the rim, lucky he was able to get the tyre back on, but had cost him 5 minutes. Tom continued, hoping to gain a good result even with the set back. Unfortunately it wasn't to be, with the tyre parting from the rim, it had caused the rim lock to break therefore the tyre just spun on the rim, Tom finished the lap but then retired.

Tom commented the weekend was positive for me, I now feel I have the right settings on my suspension and think that this is a good move forward, I'm pleased with my day one results but a little disheartened with day two's results. Hopefully this is the end of the bad luck, thanks again to all my sponsors for the continued support.

• Results day one
  1. Sebastien Gillaume (Husqvarna) 57.07.01
  2. Christophe Nambotin (Gas-Gas) 57.13.00
  3. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 57.17.77
  4. Samuli Aro (KTM) 57.54.20
  5. Fabio Mossini (HM-Honda) 58.05.95
  6. Tom Sagar (Husaberg) 59.41.58
• Results day two
  1. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 1.05.11.29
  2. Sebastien Guillaume (Husqvarna) 1.05.27.70
  3. Samuli Aro (KTM) 1.06.12.40
  4. Christophe Nambotin (Gas-Gas) 1.06.37.86
  5. Fabio Mossini (HM Honda) 1.06.53.25

On the original staging date for the opening round of the 2009 National Hewitt XC series back in February, eight inches of snow covered Chavenage, a venue that has endless potential and which sits in a gorgeous Cotswold valley with Gatcombe Park, the royal residence of HRH Princess Anne in the distance. For the re-staging of this Midwest MCC promoted event on Sunday though,there could have been no greater contrast in conditions as warm, Spring like sunshine greeted the truly fantastic 307 strong entry, again proving the immense popularity of not only the Hewitt series but also XC racing in general. At most venues, an entry of this size would create congestion, but such is the fast, flowing nature of the vast Chavenage expanses with its combination of motocross style blasts and open wooded sections that a majority of riders managed to comfortably complete the three hour blast with little difficulty. Once again Midwest MCC produced a quality event for their entry and so it was therefore rather fitting that the eventual top Expert honours in this Hewitt opener should be claimed by one of their main team riders, Ollie Moyce. However the Husaberg rider certainly had to work overtime for his win, snatching victory on the final lap of the event following a thrilling tussle with Matt Ridgway.

Right from the start, Matt Ridgway had been the early pace-setter, forging an advantage ahead of Ollie Moyce before the latter eventually hit the front. Then, came the first moment of drama as Ollie Moyce stopped to refuel in the parc-ferme. Whilst filling up, Ollie Moyce lost his balance and was trapped under his machine with the fuel spilling onto his race clothing.

Once upright again, Ollie regained his composure before racing off in hot pursuit of Ridgway, lap by lap reeling him into his sights. With just one lap remaining, Moyce had finally caught the Suzuki rider, locking him into his sights, and the battle of the young guns was well and truly on. On that final lap though came the race deciding moment in the only wet, muddy area of the entire circuit. On the exit from a rutted stream crossing, Matt Ridgway spun off and so close was the charging Moyce that he was unable to avoid collision, falling on top of his stranded rival. In the battle to remount, Moyce was quickest to climb aboard his machine and regain traction before blasting off to take the win.

Results for Hewitt National XC Championship Round 1 at Chavenage Farm

1. Ollie Moyce
2. Matt Ridgway
3. Darren Wheeler
4. Rich Warner
5. Bradley King
6. Keith Jenkins

This weekend saw the start of the Maxxis World Enduro Championship, first round GP Polisport of Portugal. With the sun beaming down Tom was in high spirits, ready to start the new season on the Husaberg FE 570.

The WEC took a new format this weekend, with a KTM super special test on the Friday evening around a stadium, Tom managed to finish a very well placed 4th overall in E3, giving him a handful of confidence ready to compete on Saturday.

Saturday brought mixed fortunes for Tom, with the Enduro test and the Cross test being so dusty and taking a motor cross style test, Tom managed to keep consistent times. Tom excelled in the Extreme test finishing 2nd and 3rd in his class throughout the day, with a 4th overall in test 11. With all three test times, Tom finished 9th overall in a highly contented E3 class.

Day two, Tom suffered technical problems and was unable to finish, up until this Tom was lying in 8th position.

Tom commented It was a hard event physically, the race didn't suit me 100% as it was a little too much motor cross, motor cross isn't my strong point, it suited a lot of other riders over me. The Extreme test really suited me and I was gaining time on that test. The bike works well, obviously I am disappointed that I was unable to finish on Sunday, but that has been resolved now and I am looking forward to Spain next weekend

The GBXC (cross country series), started with a well turned out event on Sunday at Stourport on Severn. The GBXC, is a series of 7 rounds hosted by WOR's Steve Ireland and Paul Edmondson.

The format of the day consisted of two races, race one hosted the classes Over 40's, Sportsman, Novice, Youth and Ladies. Tom's dad Paul (299) rode in the over 40's to a well placed 21st overall.

The main race, race 2 hosted classes Pro, Pro Lite, Expert, Clubman 2 stroke and Clubman 4 stroke.

The Pro class was a highly contended class with riders such as Tom, Greg Evans, Daryl Bolter, Si Wakely and Aston Bird all competing in the British Enduro Championship.

Tom finished 3rd overall in the GBXC series last year and was looking to improve on his performance this year.

Tom didn't get the best of starts off the line, he was placed about 17th overall, Tom was pushing hard to climb up the order, by lap 4 Tom had placed himself in 2nd place behind Greg Evans on a KTM. Tom was closing the gap on Greg, with Philip McLaughlin on TM close behind Tom. Tom knew that no mistakes could be made.

Unfortunately the event was cut short due to the amount rain fall, and was cut to 2 hours. Tom had been pushing hard, he had increased the gap between him and Philip to 4 minutes, but was unable to pass Greg.

With the chequer flag dropped, Tom was given the news that Greg had been excluded, due to refuelling with his bike running, so Tom moved up a position to claim victory.

Tom commented Obviously I am pleased to win the event but its in unfortunate circumstances, the track was brilliant, a fast flowing event. Again the bike ran like a dream, unfortunately I got a stick stuck in my back brake, which I had to stop and get out, but overall I'm happy with my bike and my performance. Obviously this event is really good training for me as I have the World Enduro Championship starting now in two weeks.

Overall Race Results

1. Tom Sagar - 02:00.28
2. Philip McLaughlin - 02:04.05
3. Aston Bird - 02:04.58
4. Matt Ridgway - 02:05.22
5. Ashley Woods - 02:05.33

FastEddyRacing.com

The warm spring weather & a new 3.5 mile lap in perfect condition attracted a field of 160 riders to the Garden of England this weekend for a Putoline Fast Eddy non championship event at Lodge Hill camp, Chattenden. In the Youth race "little Ed" Jack Edmondson took the overall win on a 65cc & Jake Deacon was the runner up.

In the Adult race Ollie Moyce on a Midwest Husaberg bike, took the lead from the second corner & held it to win by a clear margin of 5 minutes. The battle for 2nd place between Richard Ely & Nick Ames came down to a dash for the final corner with Richard snatching the runner up award, Veteran Peter Clark kept pace with the Experts to complete 18 laps & finish was 4th. Fellow vet Graham Farquer was 5th. After the race Ollie said The event was very good due to the course layout and how good the weather has been. It was really enjoyable.

Overall Race Results

1. Ollie Moyce - Expert
2. Richard Ely - Expert
3. Nick Ames - Expert
4. Peter Clark - Vetran
5. Graham Farquer - Vetran
6. Chris Thorpe - Expert

Ollie Moyce got a 5th in the E2 class and 8th overall.

Round one of the ACU British Enduro Championship, kicked off with the Muntjac Enduro held by Diss MCC, in Thetford Forest. With the return of BMW's David Knight, 2009 looked set to be a interesting year. The Muntjac is a unpredictable event and you never know who the winner is until the last test is finished, this year was to be no different. Tom set out on the Midwest Racing Husaberg FE450 to defend his Enduro Champion

Edward Jones on a ET James KTM was first into the test and set the fastest test time which took him straight to a comfortable lead. Close behind were Si Wakely on MPS Husqvarna, David Knight, Daryl Bolter on KTM, Lee Edmondson on Honda and Tom. Tom knew what he had to do on the next test as the first test had been slippy. Test two saw Tom beating David Knight, and closing the gap on Si Wakely who was now leading the event.

Three tight checks, would sort some of the results out, as only 10 Championship class riders cleaned the checks.

It was all down to the last test, Tom was currently lying in 4th position overall, but was desperate to gave a place to be on the podium. Daryl was first out of the test, he had set a very good time, next came Si with again a good time, then Tom came through with a quick time despite visiting the trees. All eyes were on David Knight depending on the time he set would decide the podium positions. David set his fastest time on the day on the last test, which resulted in David taking the lead, Si a close second and Tom a hard fought Third.

Tom commented Muntjac is a strange event, all riders are so close throughout the day, the last two years of this event its been down to the last test. At one point in the top five there were five different manufactures. The three tight checks really took there toll, the course by the last laps was really biting back. Overall I'm pleased with the day, the bike ran fault free, it's a good starting block for the rest of the season.

Final results

1. David Knight (BMW) 874.86
2. Si Wakley (Husqvarna) 878.06
3. Tom Sagar (Husaberg) 885.79
4. Daryl Bolter (KTM) 885.97
5. Paul Edmondson (Suzuki) 887.39

Photos courtesy of Lee Leightwood

Tom had a tough ride at this years Hell's Gate Enduro in Italy, after battling it out with some of the world's best riders. Tom Sagar managed a 5th place finish.

Overall Results:

1. Blazusiak Taddy (POL) KTM
2. Botturi Alessandro (ITA) KTM + 8min
3. Lampkin Dougie (GBR) Beta + 12min
4. Jarvis Graham (GBR) Sherco + 18min
5. Sagar Tom (GBR) Husaberg + 20min
6. Lettenbichler (GER) BMW Motorrad +a 23min
7. Sembenini Piero (ITA) Gas Gas + 29min

The scenic Italian mountings, -3.5 degrees and 7am sets the scene for the most physically challenging enduro, Hells Gate. Based at the four star hotel Il Ciocco, the mountain in the garden became a 10 hour playing ground. The event took the format of a five hour enduro in the morning as a qualifying race then the main race in the afternoon as a four hour hare and hounds extreme style, in order for riders to finish Hells Gate they must be within 30 minutes of the leader or you are pulled out of the event at check points.

2008 was Toms first time at Hells Gate and he fought hard for 4th position, 2009 Tom was aiming for a podium position. Tom was third rider off the start behind KTM's Taddy Blazusiak and Sherco's Graham Jarvis. After the first test Tom was lying 4th, test 2 Tom set a quick test time which set him in strong position of 2nd, test 3 Tom stalled the bike which dropped him down to 4th overall equal with Jarvis, as Jarvis had set the first fastest time Tom finished in 5th.

15.30pm saw the start of the main event, the journey to Hells Peak, starting 5th on the Supermoto starting grid gave Tom a strong position for a podium finish. Taddy gained the holeshot, and held a strong lead by the end of the first lap. Lap two didn't bring much luck for Tom as a crash down a difficult stream bed brought the Husaberg FE450 landing on top of him. Tom started lap three on a mission for the podium, but time was slipping away and Taddy was pushing hard. Tom fought hard clawing his way back up the positions to see fifth position just ahead of him, Tom managed to pass BMW's Andres Lettenbecer on a steep climb at the beginning of the fourth lap. Tom managed to pass the last check point with ten minutes to spare. The final challenge was coming near Hells Peak, the sides were lined with keen spectators ready to pull up the final 7 riders. Tom finally finished 5th overall just behind Jarvis who reached the top of Hells Peak just as Tom started his ascent.

It was a seriously hard event, much harder than last year. The bike performed brilliantly, and I feel comfortable riding it. I was disappointed with the start I had, i really feel I could have made the podium this year, but I guess I need to return next year for podium position, hopefully my legs will have grown a little by then. I would like to thank all for sponsors for their continued support - Tom Sagar.

On a cold, damp and dull winter's morning at their Melksham based headquarters, Midwest Racing launched their bright, young and very exciting enduro team for the upcoming season. Ready to explode into the 2009 campaign aboard their tasty new Husaberg projectiles are 23 year-old Tom Sagar and 21 year-old Ollie Moyce. During 2009, team leader Tom will be contesting the E3 World Enduro championship, E2 British Enduro championship, the GBXC series and other selected events. Meanwhile, Ollie will be chasing glory in the European Enduro championship, selected World Enduro championship rounds, British Enduro championship, GBXC and also other home events.

Support for the team during 2009 will also be provided by Redlynch Agricultural Engineering, IS02 Nutrition, Rygor Commercials, Regina, TwinAir, Airoh, Evoke Concepts, Carbone Lorraine, TCX Boots, Renthal, Metzeler, Putoline, Scott and Acerbis.

Watch out for this dynamic new Enduro team coming to a podium near you !!!

Keep up to date with the Midwest Husaberg UK team via their website at http://www.midwesthusaberg.co.uk

Copyright 2008 Mike Wood. All Rights Reserved.

Today Ollie Moyce took part in Round 1 Woodbridge MCC - Tunstall Enduro and got a second place finish only losing first place to Si Wakely by one second.

After wintry conditions over the last week, the WOR Tough One 2009 was looking to be just that a tough event, fortunately the weather held off and it turned out to be an event not to be forgotten. Tom Sagar made his debut ride out on his Midwest Racing Huseberg FE450, a local event for Sagar. I'm hoping to do well not only for my new team but for Husaberg, I want to prove that the Husaberg is a very competitive bike. I also want a good result as this is one of the biggest extreme events of the year.

The event started with a short sprint up a hill to the line up of bikes, Sagar didn't have the best of starts, on the return into the quarry Sagar had pushed himself up into 5th position ahead of Taddy Balzusiak. David Knight pulled out of the event with clutch problems and Paul Edmondson with a injury, which left a gap for Sagar to leap into the lead, with Taddy close behind. Sagar held Taddy of for as long as possible but with riders scattering the course, Sagar got stuck behind which opened a gap for Taddy to pass. Sagar was not for giving up and fought with Taddy till the chequered flag. Sagar finished 2nd overall on his first outing on the Husaberg 450. I'm over the moon for its my first podium finish at the Tough One, I was a little concerned with riding a bigger bike around here but it proved not to be a problem, the power delivery of the bike was brilliant and suited my style of riding. I'm so pleased with the start to 2009, and hope this will continue. Thanks to Steve Ireland and staff of WOR Events who put on another great Tough One. A great big thank you to all of the supporters that cheered and helped me throughout the event, finally a massive thanks to my sponsors, and family who made this year possible.

Just uploaded some photographs of Ollie Moyce from Sunday's REME 5hr Enduro at Weavers Down (Longmoor Army Camp).

Today I created the new Midwest Husaberg UK Team website and tomorrow I will start to add some more data. Such as rider profiles and information regarding the Husaberg 2009 line up of bikes.

At the Dirtbike show in Stoneleigh Husaberg UK presented Tom Sagar as Husaberg's top british rider.

Tom Sagar, reigning British Enduro Champion and 9th overall in the E1 class in the World Enduro Championship, will take on the coming 2009 season on a new Husaberg FE. At the moment he is testing both bikes, the FE 450 and FE 570, to find out which one suits him better. Anyway Tom is glad to be able to get on a big bore 4-stroke bike after riding a 250 4-stroke in 2008.

Tom will compete in the British Enduro Championship and the WEC in 2009, and in addition do some extreme Enduro events. In the UK Tom will be supported by Midwest Racing, who will be running the official UK Husaberg Enduro Team, in the WEC he will get support from the Husaberg Factory Racing Team.

Alongside Tom Midwest Racing signed Ollie Moyce, 3rd in British Enduro Championship and 3rd in the E1 class in the European Enduro Championship, to ride the new Husaberg FE in the British Enduro Championship, European Championship and selcted WEC races.