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

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.

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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.