Wednesday September 22, 2010 at 4:36pm
THE 2010 European Enduro Championship concluded last weekend with the Final held at Oliveira Do Hospital in Portugal over three days.
The event was also the Enduro Trophy of Nations and British Teams had been entered in the competition in National, National Junior and Veteran categories.
In the individual Championship, Greg Evans KORR KTM was holding the lead in the Senior E2 Class after faultless performances in the previous rounds in France, Poland and Italy. Greg was also holding second place in the Overall European Championship so it was all to play for, but a crash and injury at the last British Championship round in Wales a few weeks ago had meant a struggle to start in the Final and a lot less time spent on the machine than was desirable.
Ollie Moyce, on his Midwest Husaberg was defending fifth spot in the Junior E2/3 Championship and looking to improve on this position, while Tyson Maytom Jones – also Midwest Husaberg mounted - was lying in 10th place in the Championship and Phil Smithson, KTM was holding a very respectable seventh spot in the Veteran Class.
The course was three laps of 59km for the each of the first two days, which would then culminate in a shorter lap and MX races on the third day. There would be an MX Special Test as well as an Enduro Test and a very difficult but spectacular Extreme test on each lap.
To declare that conditions were hot and dusty would be an understatement and the temperature was not far short of 40 degrees at times, with several riders suffering severe dehydration, even resulting in hospitalisation for some.
Jamie Paget, a member of the ACU National Junior team was hit hard by the heat and breathing difficulties forced an early retirement. Ollie Moyce and Ashley Wood continued in the fray.
In the Senior National team, Greg Evans, Arran Poolman, James Jackman and Tyson Maytom Jones were having mixed fortunes, but at the end of Day Two were lying in fifth position.
The Veteran team of Phil Smithson, David Coles and Julian Crimp had been holding fourth spot but a torrid second day dropped them off the board.
In the individual classes Greg took a fourth spot in Senior E2 on Day One, and third place on Day Two and Ollie Moyce had a superb ride on the first day to claim third place in Junior E2/3, followed by a steady fourth on Day Two.
Tyson Maytom Jones was consistent with an eighth and ninth in Senior E3, and James Jackman and Arran Poolman both recorded top 10 placings on one of the days.
Sunday morning started even hotter and after a short run of 20km the riders returned to a new MX track close to the paddock, where the final race for each class was to be held. Unfortunately it was not to be, and after the Women and Veteran races the dust was considered to be making conditions too dangerous and the remaining races were cancelled.
A one lap special test was quickly instigated for the remaining riders and this turned very much into a sudden death, one chance only affair.
The Portuguese riders on home soil were very fast all weekend and unfortunately for Greg in the Overall Championship this tended to distort the points and did little to help him
At the end of the weekend however Greg Evans took his rightful place on the podium and became the 2010 European Senior E2 Champion as well as the Overall runner up in the entire Championship, losing out to a Portuguese rider by just two points
Congratulations to Greg and all the British ACU riders who have travelled the length and breadth of Europe to contest the series and do the UK proud.