Race report and photos courtesy of Chris Roberts and Andy Fricker…
661 Mini Downhill – Chicksands
Steve Simms wins Pro Am testing out his new for the Mega Avalanche next week.
The 661 Mini Downhill returned to its birth place of the idea at Chicksands Bike Park in Bedfordshire. The track is by most people standards quite easy to ride and still is the best place to start your first taste of downhill racing with the eventual winner of the Veterans Category Adam Tarran winning his first ever race!
The forcast for the weekend was all of for very heavy rain which put a a lot of people off from racing but with Chicksands hard pack sand the track actual has more grip in the wet!
The format was for 2 hours practice and 2 race runs but with quite a few riders not coming out in the rain the practice session was extended and so to were the number of runs to 3 so best time from 3 runs would count for overall results and we even had time for a lunch break.
The track starts with a series of switch backs and you start build up speed before you it small drop and then you have a choice of the big double or the easy run round the out side before hits another series of switch back all with some tricky hidden roots that would catch a few racers out and then the hardest corner on the track was the last one, to fast in you would hit the big bright orange tree pad, to slow and you lose time on the exit or lose your front wheel over the top of berm and crash.
The racing started with 10 to 12 Rippers with the fastest time going to Joshua Mead which would turn out to be the fastest time for these young guys, it was good to see these boys jumping the big double in the middle of the track and really attacking this track to the end.
Juveniles were next up Chris Lambler just keep getting quicker and quicker in each one of race runs to take the win from Tom Griffiths.
In Youth it was local rider Connor Hudson younger brother Jack Huddson was having a good race and putting the local knowledge to good use with 33.760 winning time was enough to put him with the 6th fastest time out of everyone!
Juniors its was Jordan Lunn who set the early pace stopping the clock on 35.000 but it was Tom Geard-Beney who eventually took win with a time of 34.508
Seniors threw up allsorts of surprises with Dan Batson racing on his hard tail dirt jump bike which what are pretty much slick tyres! He managed to crash in both his first runs but improved for last run to finish is 6th place over and might have done even better if it was for not sliding out on the entry in to the last corner.
David Jaquin was putting in some good times but he two was caught out the last corner a couple of times ruining but still managed to get 3rd place on the podium.
The ride of the day was made by the winner of the Senior category Jack Huddson on his hardtail 4x bike that stopped the clock on a 32.410 which was nearly unbeatable for most of the day and only beat by one person in Pro Am.
Masters always a great category for some super close racing its was a good fight between local rider Shane Klucklow and Thomas Squibb but its was Shane that eventually took the win putting his local knowledge to good use.
Veterans, this is what these races are all about with a few riders doing there first ever race in fact the winner Adam Tarran only came out to watch but decided just before racing started he would have a go along with 65 year old Paul Mounsey also doing his DH race these two made to first and second on the podium with Alex Lawler taking 3rd place.
Pro Am field was full of 4X racers both present and past with ex 4X Pro Rider Steve Smms, Jordan Gould and current 4x Pro Pat Campbell-Jenner & Alex Metchalf
Both Steve Simms and PCJ were using to the event as a Mega Avalanche warm up race! With Steve was on his new prototype bike for the Mega and PCJ rocking a new 29niner for the race.
In between race runs PCJ had managed to lock his keys into his car with most people having a go to break into his car with Jordan Lunn eventually getting in less then 30 seconds! So if you’re ever at race and locked out your car just findJordanwho will pick the lock in no time.
For most of the day the young Jack Hudson was hanging to the fast time but in the end it was the extra grip from running the full suspension to enable Steve Simms to take win from PCJ and Alex Metchalf
Another great days racing with more new riders having a go racing and loving it all topped off with Prizes from 661 and One Industries.
Full Results & Photos on www.minidownhill.com
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Photos by Andy Fricker
