Eelmore, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Before getting into the actual race report from the British Sprint Enduro Championship (BSEC) Rounds 1 & 2 the special character of the Sprint Enduro format should be explained. Is the BSEC just another Enduro race series out there in Europe? No, it’s not. It’s actually a young but great success story and we’re positive that it will have a bright future.The success of the Sprint Enduro concept is based on its simplicity and the fact that the format very efficiently serves the needs of the riders, fans and media:
1. There is only one special test.
2. There is no liason ride between the tests.
3. The average effective racing time of each day is between 1 and 1.5 hours.
4. The paddock is right beside the special test.
While in classic Enduro there are rather long liaison rides between the special tests and the effective time actually racing the bike is 15 minutes at best, there’s only one special test at the Sprint Enduro and the average racing time adds up to 1-1.5 hours on each of the two racing days.Jonty Edmunds (34), the brain behind and promoter of the BSEC, had been successfully racing on professional level in the British and European Enduro Championships in his younger days. After a couple of injuries Jonty decided to quit racing in 1998 the bike but his huge passion for the sport of Enduro made him start a career as a journalist and photographer. Based on his frustrations in traditional Enduro as a rider – 15 minutes of racing and 7 hours of riding during a traditional Enduro event – as well as a photographer – seeing riders only few times a day – Jonty started to look into the Sprint format that had been developed in Australia.
The Sprint Enduro is not meant to replace the traditional Enduro but it’s a great addition or extension which serves as great practice for Enduro professionals and the young riders. Since the liaison rides between the special tests in classic Enduro often use tarmac roads the classic enduro requires a drivers license only available for 18+ year old individuals. Since there are no liaison rides the young guns can legally participate in an Enduro race and compete with the stars of the scene on the same track.Jonty about his experiences as a young rider: “When I was one of the riders of the British Junior Trophy team the national championship wasn’t preparing me for the international competition. What I’m trying to do with the BSEC is to put on 5 or six events per year which will hopefully help especially the younger British riders to perform better internationally. And looking at riders such as Jonny Walker makes we feel that the BSEC contributes a bit to his development.”It was at the BSEC in 2011 where the multiple Enduro World Champion and legend David Knight (UK, KTM) discovered a 16 years old super talent, Jamie McCanney. David gave Jamie a bike to train and race and in the BSEC rounds 1 & 2 2012 Jamie showed an incredible performance on his Husaberg 125 by not only winning both days in his 125 Youth class but by riding lap times that would have him finish top 5 in the Elite class!
In the Elite class besides the UK stars like David Knight (KTM), Tom Sagar (Honda), Tom Church (KTM) and Paul Bolton (KTM) international top guns showed up: Johnny Aubert (F, KTM), Taddy Blazusiak (PL, KTM), Ricky Dietrich (USA, Husqvarna). Aubert, Blazusiak and Knight brought some KTM specialists with them to test their bikes especially focusing on mapping and general set up. However the extreme weather conditions with temperatures at minus 10 degrees centigrade and parts of the track in snow and ice made it almost impossible for them to test according to the plan.It was Johnny Aubert with his incredibly smooth riding style who won the first day with an astonishing 30 seconds overall lead on Taddy Blazusiak. It’s always amazing for the spectators: Just by looking at the very aggressive style of riders like Blazusiak and Dietrich you’d guess they would score the fastest times. But it’s the unspectacular style of guys like Aubert and Salminen that appears to be the fastest.
The Knighter started a bit too ambitious by trying to catch the young gun Jonny Walker (UK, KTM) – who finished the SuperEnduro Championship second behind Taddy. While trying to catch Walker on the partially slippery surface in the forest, David made a mistake and hit a tree. So he had to call it quits for the first day.While Aubert decided to not race the second day, the Knighter wasn’t ready to leave the initial rounds of the BSEC. David continuously improved his lap times on the KTM 500 and finished the second day with the first place in the Elite class, closely followed by Tom Sagar (UK) on his Honda 450 and Jordan Rose (UK) on TM250.2012 Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship – Round 1British Sprint Enduro ChampionResults Day 1: Elite Class
1. Johnny Aubert (KTM) 37:53.05
2. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM)
3. Tom Sagar (Honda)
4. Simon Wakely (Husaberg)
5. Tom Church (KTM)
6. Jamie Lewis (Husqvarna)
7. Daryl Bolter (KTM)
8. Ricky Dietrich (Husqvarna)
9. Mark Roberts (Kawasaki)
10. Paul Bolton (KTM)
Results Day 2: Elite Class
1. David Knight (KTM) 36:34.12
2. Tom Sagar (Honda)
3. Jordan Rose (TM )
4. Simon Wakely (Husaberg)
5. Tom Church (KTM)
6. Jamie Lewis (Husqvarna)
7. Daryl Bolter (KTM)
8. Mark Roberts (Kawasaki)
9. Paul Bolton (KTM)
10. Gavin Houson (KTM)
