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Club Championship Results - click here (Updated 7-10-2008) 
Well known local Ace Andrew Knapman and his girlfriend Karen got married in America recently Mercian Dirt Riders would like to give them their best wishes. Like all good dirtriders Andrew is spending his honeymoon riding an event in Westpoint and I’m sure that a lot of you guys will be envious. Charity Ride 31st AugustJust a quick e-mail to say thanks again for Sunday, yet another great days racing & judging by the weather we've had so far this week I guess it would be safe to say we were quite lucky! Can I also express thanks on behalf of everybody who rode in memory of Martyn NORTON on Sunday and especially thanks to all of those who generously donated cash on the day. As a result we managed to collect £136 and coupled with other funds also raised on the day (later at the local pub!) a sum of around £230 to date has been raised in charity for the "British Heart Foundation". [To which Mercian Dirt Riders Club will add another £100 - WebMaster]
There were nine riders racing in memory of Martyn Norton on Sunday 31st August 2008. They arranged t-shirts for competitors and spectators (28 in all) to wear during the event. Martyn died on 27th January 2008 whilst out with his mates on his motorbike, his heart stopped as a result of major blood clots to his vital arteries... Martyn was an enthusiastic biker and undertook his first, and unfortunately only, enduro last August with Mercian Dirt Riders at this Sunday's meeting location (one year to the date ish...). As Martyn's death was heart related we would like to raise money for the British Heart Foundation by asking for donations on the day. Gareth & Lucie Rider's Review - 13th July H&HMercian Dirt Riders held their 3rd round of the year at the excellent venue, Aberbeeg. This round was originally meant to be at Pandy but due to the rain the previous week got moved at the last minute which gave the guys a hectic time trying to set a track out. The team at Mercian did a fantastic job setting the track which had a bit of everything. I started on the second row and watched the experts and Vets shoot off into the distance. Our minute came and we were off, a quick blast around a couple of fields and then into the first wooded section. I had a poor start and was close to last by this time. I managed to pass around 10 riders on the nadgery entrance to the woods and started to wind around the paths. Once we left the woods we had a short blast across a couple of fields and next obstacle was a barn and then a pond which drew a few riders towards its watery depths. Several more fields and then the second tight and twisty wooded section; this had some pronounced roots which threw a fair few off. Again several fields and an interesting little jump through 2 trees, this had me off over the handlebars on the 3rd lap when I hit it flat out. Surprisingly next we went through the Farmyard and along a short gravel track which was bone dry and dusty. You had to hold your nerve and blast through the dust in top gear. After this the motocross track opened up in front of you to give some nice little jumps and whoops to keep you on your toes. This was followed by some tight single track used in the previous race and then onto the moor which had some interesting holes that seemed to have been used for 4 wheel drives. Once again we went into another piece of woodland which twisted around and led us back up to the finish line. A totally brilliant day’s ride yet again is the only way to describe it. Thankfully we had better weather that our previous visit. Many thanks to Gail and Phil, and to all the other unsung helpers that enable to Mercian Dirt riders to put on such good events. James Wilden.
I travelled down to Mercian Dirt Riders round 3 Hare and Hounds at Aberbeeg last Sunday it was at the same venue as last time but just better weather this time. Originally we were going to Pandy but the venue was changed due to bad weather. Gail and the team rushed to get a 5 mile course set up for us all and they did an excellent job as usual the course had everything, flat out fields, old quarries, tricky woods, and old buildings to ride through, 3 hrs of really good riding. It's rare these days to ride tracks with a lot of thought put into them. I had a good start and I was in 3rd I think, then when I got to the first woods I caught a low branch and it took me right off the bike, I was out off it for a bit but got back on and carried on, I was then lying about 5th I think and then towards the end I clawed back a few spaces, I had to pit after 1.5 hrs and lost a bit of time I think its time for a big tank. I managed a 2nd position in expert again same as last two races so very pleased with that, everybody else I spoke to said they enjoyed it. If anybody out there is thinking of doing one of these events I highly recommended them. They cater for all levels of ability from Sportsman to Expert. Many thanks to Gail and the team for another good event. Steve B Mountain Top Enduro ADMCC are pleased to announce that this years Mountain Top Enduro on September 14th has been generously sponsored and as a result are able to offer the following awards.
Hare and Hounds May 25th 2008Mercian Dirt Riders ran their first Hare and Hounds of the year at Aberbeeg on Sunday. May 25th. The club spent a very windy day Sat marking out the course only to find on Sunday morning the wind had taken most of it away so the marshals had to go out and do it all again. Although the weather was not very encouraging 93 riders turned up to do battle. And most of them enjoyed it judging by the emails and messages after the event. “Absolutely fantastic” and “could not have been better” were some of the comments. The event was run over a 7 ½ mile course of mixed going including forestry open moor land and grassland. Martin Harding did not think that the rain was wet enough so he rode into one of the many ponds scattered around the course, Alan Gould had a creditable ride on his ageing XR 200 in the twin shock class, Dave Bayliss in the veteran class was seen at the burger van half way through the race drinking a cup of tea and he still managed 6 laps, perhaps a few of the youngsters should have a chat with him to get a bit of advice. The club and all the riders owe a big thank you to all of the volunteers that turned up and helped run the event especially Colin, Jackie and Viv Jones, Bart and Mandy, Andrew Knapman and all of his friends Fi, Jimbo and all of the regular crew. And a special thanks to Dave and Glen from the West Glos club in helping us out when the rain came. We also owe a big thank you to Howell Jukes the landowner for the use of the land. Mercian Dirt Riders have had to move the venue of their Hare and Hounds on May 25th. The new venue will be near Aberbeeg, Blaenu Gwent, where we will have about a 7 mile lap of mixed terrain. Entries are coming in fast so you need to get your entry in soon. There will be no entries on the day. More details can be found on the regs page. Newsletter Dec 2007Due to the success of our events in 2007 we have decided to have more events next year. 2008 will see 6 rounds in the club championship with 5 rounds to count. Running from April to October. We are now ready to accept members for 2008. If you are interested in joining the club in 2008 then please fill in the membership form. Club membership runs from Jan to Dec. We will have a new system to make it easier for club members to enter our events, from Jan 2008 club members will only need to fill in one entry form to cover them for all Mercian events during the year. The only time that you need to fill in another form is if you change your details (i.e. change of bike etc.). So once you have joined the club, if you want to enter an event as a club member you just need to ring Gail and book your entry. You can then turn up and pay on the day. This method is only available to club members. (conditions apply) Other benefits of joining the club are reduced entry fees, Priority Entry, Automatic entry into club Championships, Regular newsletter. Because of larger Clubman and Sportsman classes we have decided to split these classes into 2 stroke and 4 stroke. It is now possible to reserve your riding number for the year. Numbers will be first come first served
If you need more information please call Gail on 07772 142 030 or email info@merciandirtriders.co.uk CLUB REPORT. 2007Mercian Dirt riders have just completed their second successful year at running Hare and Hound events with their last event of the club championships held at St Wulstons Farm just outside Monmouth. The event was held on a dull and overcast day but the rain held off and it turned out to be a good day for all. With 110 riders leaving the start everyone had an enjoyable ride. The course was made up of fast field sections, a motocross track and also some rocky stream sections. The course remained rideable all day and even the slippery climb did not deter many riders. The fast going caught many riders out and travelling marshals Barry Quibell, Mike Wells and Mark Wadley spent lots of time collecting fuel cans to keep riders going. Dave Bayliss held the record with his faithful Kawasaki doing 1 lap to a tank full. Phill Hodges (Clerk of the Course) spent most of the day posing around on the new Yamaha Quad supplied to the club by Newman’s of Llandovery. The event was won by Expert rider Timothy Truman closely followed by Robert Lewis with Martin Truman coming 3rd. The Clubman class was won by Mike Willis, Mark Parrot from Leominster was 2nd and Mathew Mclean was 3rd. the Veteran class was again won by Rob Chivers from Barry followed in 2nd place by Andy Taylor from Newbridge and Iain Clark was 3rd. Sportsman was the largest class and 1st place went to Alan Thomas from Rhoose followed by Jeff Cripps and local boy Mike Nicholls was third. Full results for all of our events are listed on the regs page. The last round was also the final in the club Members Championship and we had a good turnout of club members to challenge the winners. One of the rounds back in the summer had to be cancelled due to bad weather so it meant that the championship was run over 3 events instead of 4. The Veteran class was fiercely contested and was finally won by Rob Chivers followed by Colin Hughes close on his heels. The clubman class was won by Di Beer and last but not least the sportsman class was won by Jeff Cripps followed by Nigel Trego the Club championship was well supported this year and we hope to make it even better next year. The Club awarded the Club Special Award to Martin Harding from Bristol, Martin has supported us at all of or events and is always enthusiastic, funny and a great competitor. The Club trophies were presented at the end of the final round and were well received by all winners. The Club would like to thank everybody for their help and support from everybody during the year and special thanks goes to Joe Binns and family, Phill Bevan and family and also Peter Baldwin and Fiona Battersby for the use of their land. Gail and Phill would also like to say a personal thank you to all of you that have made this club possible and believed in us: Bart and Mandy, Roger and Dot, Ken Karen and the kids Mark and Dawn, Potty, James, Martin, Colin Jacky and Viv, Rob and Rachel and all of the people who have ridden with us. Next year we intend to run the club championship over 6 rounds and have plans to make the tracks more challenging for the better riders while also keeping them rideable for the sportsman. If you are interested in joining the club or have any comments on the way our events are run please do not hesitate to contact us. Details are on the contacts page. Chicken Run Report by Gail Lucas On Sunday Mercian Dirt Riders Club Organisers Phill Hodges, Ken Brown, and Mark Wadley travelled to the Hendre near Monmouth to ride the West Glos and Forest of Dean clubs Chicken Run Hare and Hounds. Phill has not ridden competitively for at least 6 years Kenny the same, Mark was the club Enduro virgin more used to using a chainsaw or gun. When we arrived it was good to se so many familiar faces. Club stalwarts Roger and Dot Brown had travelled from Weobley to fuel. The start time came and off they went Mark got the holeshot in the novice class, the look on his face was one of sheer terror. I set off to walk around the course and watch from various points, the first hill out of the woods on the first lap was carnage the bikes were covered in thick red clay blocking up the tyres but the marshals soon sorted it out. I walked around various points to see the riders and spotted another club member Karl Moller having a good time in the Veterans class. As the day went on Phill, Kenny and Mark were settling in to a rhythm and everything was going well until I spotted Kenny pushing his bike up a long hill, it turns out his bike had swallowed a piston. Phill and Mark were on the same number of laps until Phill took a marshals advice and ended up stuck in a mud hole ( can I send his washing for Dave Pinney to do) It took a little while to drag out his bike so Mark then went a lap ahead. Phill managed to overtake Mark at the end of the race and managed to get past the clock just before the 3 hour mark and so was able to gain the extra lap. So Mark and Phill both finished on 10 laps. Karl Moller had a good ride finishing on 9 laps. The event was a first for the West Glos club and they did a very good job with everyone enjoying themselves. Full results at www.wgdfmcc.org.uk West Gloucestershire and Dean Forest MCC. Mercian Dirt Riders have added a new date to their list of events this year, we have a new venue near Monmouth and will run an event there on 7th Oct. This is a new venue not used by MDR before and looks to be a good track. This event will replace the event cancelled on 29th July so will count in the club championships. NEWSLETTER TWINSHOCK and TRAILBIKE classes We have decided to add a couple of extra classes to our events this year. They are a Twinshock class for all Enduro and Motorcross bikes with twin shocks on the back. There is an ever increasing interest in these bikes so we would like to invite them to join us. We also plan to have a Trail Bike class for riders that have a trail bike and want to have a go at competitions. LAND We are still looking for suitable land to run both events and training days and we are offering a free entry to anyone that can put us in touch with suitable landowners. NEW TRACK Club members have just finished early preparations for the new track near Abergavenny and everything is looking good. We hope to have a lap of between 8 and 10 miles long of varied going including woodland, open fields and rocky tracks. There should be something to suit everyone from beginners to seasoned competitors. Our aim is to provide a good days ride for everyone. TYRES If anyone is interested Phill Hodges has a selection of Used front and rear Enduro tyres for sale, they are tyres that were used in the ISDE in New Zealand and most have only been used for 1 day. Prices are Rear £15.00 Front £10.00 All monies raised will be fed back into the ISDE fund for use in Chile this year. Contact Phill on 07817 414 429 Mercian Dirt Riders recently ran a fund raising enduro to help the British ISDE (International Six Days Enduro) Trophy and Junior Trophy teams with their trip to New Zealand. The event raised £350 towards the trip. Great Britain sends riders to the ISDE every year and it is always a battle to raise funds to go. The money that Mercian Dirt Riders raised was spent on tools and equipment needed to support the riders. Because of the long distance, the bikes and equipment have already been crated and shipped in a sea container. These photos show some of the riders and support crew packing the equipment ready for loading into the container.  Some of the riders who will complete in New Zealand, including Richard Hay, Daryl Bolter, and Chris Hockey. Some of the support crew. Gail Lucas of Mercian Dirt Riders and Dave May-Miller the logistics manager. Sorting kit.
Hare and Hounds event August 27th 2006 Mercian Dirt Riders held their inaugural Hare and Hounds event on 27th August and it turned out to be a great success. The event was run over a fantastic 5 mile course which was a mixture of open farmland and woodland set on a hillside just outside Abergavenny in South Wales. The weather stayed fine and sunny all day and the rain in the previous week ensured that there was not too much dust. The event was such a success that the landowner has invited everybody back in October. The overall winner was Phill Gardner from Ross on Wye with 18 laps, followed closely by Derry Milling. The Clubman class was won by Rees Jones, Veteran Class by Clifford Hayward and Sportsman Class by Thomas Badham. It was good to see a lot of local riders competing and winning awards. Many of the competitors congratulated the club on such a well run event and some even said that it was the best marked out track that they had seen. The first three riders in each category went away with prizes of bottles of Cider. The event was the last round in the East South Wales Enduro championship and tropies for the winners were presented at the end of the event by Championship Sponsors Cwmbran Gearbox Centre and Enduro News. Special thanks to the Hunt family (landowners) for all of their support and also to all of the event officials who put in a lot of hard work to make the event such a success. Also thanks to Abergavenny St Johns Ambulance Brigade, Monmouthshire County Council and West Glos. MCC.
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