It was a case of good speed but bad luck for Husqvarna UK rider Si Wakely at this weekend’s rounds three and four of the 2010 ACU British Enduro Sprint Championship staged near Bere Regis in Dorset as falls on both days prevented Si from turning his impressive speed into top three results. Looking to improve on his performances at rounds one and two of the series Si placed fourth on day one and fifth on day two.

With a four-rider battle to claim the runner-up result behind David Knight, Si knew he’d have to give both days his all. And in starting the first day of competition by placing third in class things were looking good for the former European Enduro Champion on his TE250. Going on to record the second overall fastest time on lap two Si looked extremely confident around the challenging Rogers Hill Farm and well on track for a strong result. Again performing well on laps three and four things took a slight turn for the worse for Si as he took a trip over the bars during lap five. Losing precious time to his rivals Si pushed as hard as he could during the remaining four tests but was unable to place higher than fourth.

Day two again started well for Wakely as he recorded the second fastest time on lap one. Confident that he could continue to run at the front of the competitive Elite class he again set impressive times on laps two and three. On lap four a crash on the extreme section of the course saw Si lose close to one-minute to his rivals, ending his chances of a top three result. Frustrated that his performances weren’t reflected in his result Si was nevertheless pleased with his riding.

Delivering great results in the Under 23 class was Joe Deakin aboard his Husqvarna WR125. With MPS Racings Alex Rockwell, class winner at rounds one and two, crashing his TE250 out of the event on lap one, Joe stepped up to win on both days.

Si Wakely: ‘The weekend’s not gone exactly as I hoped it would, but it’s been a great event and it’s been great to race so close to home. I had a big crash over the handlebars on the extreme section on day one, which messed things up for me and cost me some time. It was just a slow speed fall, but it threw me off my rhythm. I then had another crash, which meant there was no way I could challenge for second or third. Sunday started really well and I put in a good first test. But then I had another crash and hurt my ankle a bit. That was really disappointing. Myself, Greg Evans and Daryl Bolter are all pushing 100 per cent and those of us that made mistakes didn’t get the results we hoped to. I can take a lot of positives from the two days but it’s just disappointing not getting the results you know you can. It’s been great having a British championship event so close to home. It’s a busy time during the next month as I have the first European Enduro Championship race in France followed by the second round of the BEC and then rounds five and six of the enduro sprint series. I know that my speed is good, I just need to remove the few mistakes I’m making.’

Si now heads to France for this coming weekend’s opening round of the European Enduro Championship.


Results - ACU British Enduro Sprint Championship, Rnd 3 Elite class
1. David Knight (KTM) 1.35:31.68 2. Greg Evans (KTM) 1.38:50.98 3. Daryl Bolter (KTM) 1.38:59.77 4. Simon Wakely (Husqvarna UK) 1.39:33.03 5. Phillip McLaughlin (TM) 1.40:28.32 Results
 
ACU British Enduro Sprint Championship, Rnd 4 Elite class
1. David Knight (KTM) 1.23:31.87 2. Greg Evans (KTM) 1.25:34.75 3. Daryl Bolter (KTM) 1.26:02.47 4. Phillip McLaughlin (TM) 1.26:49.68 5. Simon Wakely (Husqvarna) 1.28:06.16