British Downhill Series Round 4 - Llangollen
A wet and slick, super steep Llangollen open track was presented to riders on Saturday, but it slowly dried out meaning by the end of it, it was running a damn sight faster than the uplift was.
We woke up Sunday to blissful sunshine, and hot heat by 8am! With the uplift running better than the previous day and shifting 220 an hour, our boys got on the practice train.
Mick Whyte was attending only his second national event of his racing career and got to it well, posting a classy 10th in Seeding and holding on to it to take 10th in Veterans, fully meeting his "top 10" prediction! Mick may be racing Veterans, but he's still got a lot to learn, a lot to give and a national podium is not out of reach next year.
Jim Lycett was attending his FIRST national event, and only his fourth major race. He was seeded dead last, and the team predictions said "Top 60". Jim's a fighter though, and smashed his way through the toughest non-elite catagory to post a scorching 2:15 in seeding, only 5 seconds down on experienced winner-or-binner Sam Maddison, landing on 43rd ready for his race run. Come his race run, Jim held on to his seeding place and took a second out of his time in the process, giving him 43rd in Junior!
Andy Hughes had a solid race and looked to be fully on the pace for a top 10 after seeding 11th. Sadly, it wasn't to be and Andy dropped a second in his race run whilst those in similar positions clawed another couple away from the clock, leaving Andy in 22nd in Senior. Sometimes racing is like that though, and Andy's got a score to settle with the hill in one month's time when we head back for the National Championships!
Adam Halling's seeding run landed him 6th in Seeding, securing a good possibility of a top 10 result come race runs. Top 10 isn't good enough for Adam though, and he level headedly powered down the hill like his life depended on it, smashing 1.2 seconds off his seeding time and securing 4th as those who seeded faster crashed out around him. This is Adam's second national podium in the Senior catagory after his 5th at Nant G. Speaking after the race, I asked Adam if he'd be aiming to hit 3rd at Fort William. He replied? "3rd? I'm gonna win it!"
Elliot suffered badly at Moelfre, and came to Llangollen to prove to everyone that he really is an Elite racer. And boy did he prove it. Adam's 2:01 was fantastically quick, but Elliot stormed home with a 1:55! That secured him 26th giving him valuable points.
It was a fantastic weekend, with perfect weather and a huge crowd, we're looking forwards to the National Championships where the RG squadron will again be racing at Llangollen!
We woke up Sunday to blissful sunshine, and hot heat by 8am! With the uplift running better than the previous day and shifting 220 an hour, our boys got on the practice train.
Mick Whyte was attending only his second national event of his racing career and got to it well, posting a classy 10th in Seeding and holding on to it to take 10th in Veterans, fully meeting his "top 10" prediction! Mick may be racing Veterans, but he's still got a lot to learn, a lot to give and a national podium is not out of reach next year.
Jim Lycett was attending his FIRST national event, and only his fourth major race. He was seeded dead last, and the team predictions said "Top 60". Jim's a fighter though, and smashed his way through the toughest non-elite catagory to post a scorching 2:15 in seeding, only 5 seconds down on experienced winner-or-binner Sam Maddison, landing on 43rd ready for his race run. Come his race run, Jim held on to his seeding place and took a second out of his time in the process, giving him 43rd in Junior!
Andy Hughes had a solid race and looked to be fully on the pace for a top 10 after seeding 11th. Sadly, it wasn't to be and Andy dropped a second in his race run whilst those in similar positions clawed another couple away from the clock, leaving Andy in 22nd in Senior. Sometimes racing is like that though, and Andy's got a score to settle with the hill in one month's time when we head back for the National Championships!
Adam Halling's seeding run landed him 6th in Seeding, securing a good possibility of a top 10 result come race runs. Top 10 isn't good enough for Adam though, and he level headedly powered down the hill like his life depended on it, smashing 1.2 seconds off his seeding time and securing 4th as those who seeded faster crashed out around him. This is Adam's second national podium in the Senior catagory after his 5th at Nant G. Speaking after the race, I asked Adam if he'd be aiming to hit 3rd at Fort William. He replied? "3rd? I'm gonna win it!"
Elliot suffered badly at Moelfre, and came to Llangollen to prove to everyone that he really is an Elite racer. And boy did he prove it. Adam's 2:01 was fantastically quick, but Elliot stormed home with a 1:55! That secured him 26th giving him valuable points.
It was a fantastic weekend, with perfect weather and a huge crowd, we're looking forwards to the National Championships where the RG squadron will again be racing at Llangollen!
posted by Alex Thompson at
16:48
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