The 2012 ACU Doodson British Enduro Championship will get underway in a beautiful Welsh valley in Powys over the weekend of February 18-19, with Britain's top enduro riders again keen to win the most coveted title in UK off-road, that of ACU British Enduro Champion. The seven round 14 race series will travel the length and breadth of England and Wales before a new champion is crowned at the final round in Surrey in October.
Britain's best enduro racer, David Knight MBE, a three-time world enduro champion, will be looking to gain his tenth ACU British Enduro Championship, after injury ruled him out of last year's title chase. The Manxman will be competing on a full-works KTM 500EXC identical to the bike he'll race in the Enduro World Championship (EWC).
His toughest competition is likely to come from former EWC KTM team-mate, now a Fast Eddy Racing Honda CRF450R-mounted Tom Sagar, from Newtown in Powys. Sagar won the outright title in 2007 and 2008 and narrowly missed out on the title again in 2011 and having withdrawn from EWC now views the ACU BEC title as his primary target for each season.
Last year's outright champion Greg Evans from South Wales is taking a one-year sabbatical from the sport and will not compete in the series this year.
David Knight: “The British title means a lot to me, and to gain my tenth is a definite must in my list of career goals. I like riding the BEC as when the conditions are bad it's as tough as anything we see in EWC – so good preparation for a wet round in Europe. Equally we've seen hot sunny days that again rival any EWC round. It's a long series and you have to stay on top of your game if you're to be in with a chance of the title.”
Tom Sagar: “The BEC is the title everyone wants to win. It's traditional enduro with time cards and all the elements we see in EWC or the International Six Days Enduro. For Fast Eddy Racing Honda this is our primary objective. This year we've brought Honda back into the series at importer level, so we're serious about winning the ultimate British title.”
THE ABBEY ENDURO
Round one, the ?Abbey Enduro' will take place at Saints Well, Abbeycwmhir, Powys (post code LD1 6PT). The course, an innovative figure-of-eight, has been designed to allow supporters and spectators better viewing of the action. There will be two special tests per lap, one flat paddock ?motocross' test and an ?enduro' test through the forest, both within easy walking distance, and viewable from, the main competitors' paddock. The course, utilising both the Cwmcynnydd and Red Lion forests, will take just over an hour for each lap, with the championship class completing four laps – so including eight special tests. Former four-time world enduro champion Paul Edmondson heads a team of three course setters (with Harry Hockly and Steven Fletcher).
Paul Edmondson: “We've put a lot of thought into taking the traditional format of time card enduro and modernising it to make an event that works for championship through to clubman riders and for their supporters as well. We think this is the ideal solution of marrying the traditional concept of enduro with modern demands for more tests and a more attainable level of participation for the amateur riders.”
Local accommodation can be found on www.visitmidwales.co.uk and www.rhayader.co.uk
2011 ACU British Enduro Champions
Outright Champion: Greg Evans KTM 350EXC-F
E1 (two-stroke) Champion: Ashley Wood KTM 125EXC
E1 (four-stroke) Champion: Paul Edmondson KTM 250XC-F
E2 Champion: Tom Sagar KTM 450EXC
E3 Champion: Danny McCanney Gas Gas EC300
Expert Champion: Lewis Belfield KTM 250EXC
Clubman Champion: Rob Johnson Husqvarna TE250
Veterans Champion: Wyn Hughes Husqvarna TE449
About the ACU Doodson British Enduro Championship
The ACU British Enduro Championship (BEC) is the premiere off-road motorcycle championship in the UK. With an officially-sanctioned 36-year history the championship encompasses the UK’s most long-standing, toughest enduros. Past champions include world champions David Knight and Paul Edmondson and worldwide enduro legend Geraint Jones. BEC enduros see riders compete for up to eight hours per day following a cross country trail according to a strict and often demanding time schedule, along the way completing special tests timed to the second. The winner is the rider who typically stays penalty free on the trail and sets the best times in the tests (the riders‘ scores being a accumulation of trail and test times – the least time wins). The BEC is governed by the ACU – the internationally sanctioned national governing body for motorcycle sport in the British Isles (except Northern Ireland).
2012 ACU Doodson British Enduro Championship
Round 1: February 18-19 Saints Well, Mid Wales
Round 2: April 14-15 Helmsley, North Yorks
Round 3: July 14-15 Hafren, Mid Wales
Round 4: August 4-5 Dyfi, Mid Wales
Round 5: September 1-2 Natterjack, Hampshire
Round 6: October 13-14 SEEC, Surrey
Note: ACU BEC results service provided by www.enduronews.com