Diss MCC Ltd organized, EMG Ford Breckland Enduro,
Round 1: ’05 Motul British Enduro ChampionshipDavid Knight claims a double win at ’05 BEC opener
D3-Racing KTM rider David Knight limped away from the opening round of the ’05 British Enduro Championship, the Diss MCC Ltd organized Breckland Enduro, with two overall day wins to his name and the lead in the overall British Enduro Championship after finishing ahead of Paul Edmondson and Ryan Voase on both days at the Thetford Forest. With all competitors having to deal with snow, ice and rain during the opening day’s competition the ’05 edition of the Breckland Enduro proved to be every bit a challenging as previous Diss run BEC openers.
Getting the defense of his British Enduro Championship title off to the best possible start, Knighter topped all but one of the event’s timed special tests, winning the opening day by nine seconds and day two by 17 seconds. Heading into day one’s opening test first Knighter was forced to carve a line through the soft sand, one that all other Championship class riders would follow. As a result of being the first man on the test David was only able to post the third quickest time before soon moving ahead of his competitors on tests two and three.
Topping test two by two seconds, Knighter did enough to move himself to the front of the Championship class and with check times eased because of the bad weather it meant that the opening day’s final test would decide the day’s results. Posting a test time six seconds quicker than any other rider David placed his D3-Racing KTM at the top of the Championship class claiming an overall win of some nine seconds.
Despite there being no snow on day two a heavy overnight frost meant that the day’s opening test wasn’t timed. And with check times again much slacker than usual due to the challenging conditions the day’s three remaining tests would decide the winners. Posting a test time eight seconds faster than his closest rival on the first run through the whooped out special, Knighter then placed five seconds clear on test two and a further four seconds ahead on the third and final test to top day two by 17 seconds.
Early on day two Knighter found himself sprawled out on the ground after clipping his foot on a tree stump he hadn’t seen on the going. Despite being brought to the ground with a thump, as well as finishing the event with a swollen right foot, Knighter now heads to Italy to compete in the second round of the Italian Enduro Championship in preparation for the start of this years World Enduro Championship, which takes place in Spain in early April.
David Knight: “It’s a great start to the British championship for me, I’ve enjoyed this year’s Breckland enduro more than any other I’ve ridden - It’s just a shame that it looks as if this year’s event will be the last.
“Day one was really slippery early on, it was difficult out on the first few checks because the ground was really hard in places under the snow. The first test was really tricky, not because of the snow and ice but because the organizers had rotavated the test so the ground wouldn’t be too hard.
“It was really, really soft, like I knew it would be, and it was hard to get my bike to do what I wanted it to. Half way around the test I backed off because pushing hard, and having to cut a line through the soft sand for others to follow, wasn’t getting me anywhere. I knew that the riders behind me would be using my ruts so I wasn’t surprised that there were three of us on the same second.
“The course got much better on the second lap after bikes had been around it. I knew that there were some slippery bits on the test so I rode reasonably steadily on the second test and put in a pretty good time. I knew where I could push on the last test and again I felt that I was riding well, and well within myself.
“The first timed test on day two was a little bit tricky as well because of the lines that the Clubman riders had left behind. I tried hard where I could, but I didn’t want to push too hard or get caught out by the ruts. My first test was really good, I didn’t know whether to go inside or out wide on some of the corners and I think I took quite a few different lines to most riders, which seemed to work.
“Having pulled a good lump of time on the first test I didn’t have to ride too hard on the second one, which I won. On the last test I tried a few different lines and really relaxed and managed to win that one as well.
“My bike has been spot on all weekend and it’s been a great opening round to the championship. The bike I rode was the same as what I’ll compete on in the WEC. I really enjoyed the event. The test was really good. It’s just a shame that the organizers couldn’t run tighter times on the checks because of the snow and ice.”Breckland Enduro – Championship class day one results
1. David Knight (D3-Racing KTM) 994.52 secs
2. Paul Edmondson (Honda) 1003.12
3. Ryan Voase (Kawasaki) 1017.99
4. Euan McConnell (Honda) 1032.31
5. Daryl Bolter (Husqvarna) 1039.24
6. Jake Stapleton (TM) 1040.07
7. Paul Whibley (Gas Gas) 1042.75
8. Wayne Braybrook (Honda) 1043.04
9. Dylan Jones (Yamaha) 1056.85
10. Si Wakely (Honda) 1057.63Breckland Enduro – Championship class day two results
1. David Knight (D3-Racing KTM) 964.47
2. Paul Edmondson (Honda) 981.51
3. Ryan Voase (Kawasaki) 1010.23
4. Euan McConnell (Honda) 1012.69
5. Paul Whibley (Gas Gas) 1017.42
6. Jake Stapleton (TM) 1019.22
7. Edward Jones (KTM) 1036.81
8. Si Wakely (Honda) 1038.60
9. Daryl Bolter (Husqvarna) 1041.70
10. Tim Lewis (TM) 1051.72
