News & Results

Held at the brand new to Enduro venue of Chawton Park Woods and using the Motocross track of the adjoining 4 Marks venue made famous by our very own LFBMCC Sprint Enduro, the Carshalton club really did put on a cracking event. Well done Carshalton club... As for Team LFB, it was a very good event for our club riders. In the Clubman A class, Darren put in a stellar performance to bring his SMD Racing KTM 250 EXC to the finish in style by winning his class! This is what Daz had to say:"A tough but enjoyable event. Apart from clppping a few trees and missing the course layout a couple of times on the early laps, the race was pretty much free from incidents for me. The course flowed well, the layout through the forest was varied and only the motocross section proved difficult due to the hard-packed ruts of the track. I feel i rode well and just need to improve my speed in overtaking slower riders and lappers.. All in all it was a great event for me!"  

Next Team LFB rider across the line was Iain on his Honda CR250 again putting in a perfect ride. Iain got his Honda off the start line in second in the Vet's B class but was let past by the leader into the first woods section. Not wanting to waste such a gift, Iain put his head down and proceeded to break away for the rest of the pack. The rest of the event was a tussle between Team LFB's Honda mounted Vet's star and Sidcup's Ardew Sharp. Sharp took the lead when Iain stopped to re-fuel but our Team LFB star fought his way back to take the win by a mere 20 seconds at the finish! 

Team LFB had three riders make the start in the Clubman B class. Ben, Zade and reletaive newby to Enduro, trials ace John. Zade on the Husqvarna WR125 had a very good ride to start with, managing 6 laps without any drama and well on the pace. However on his 7th lap Zade lost his mojo and stopped to re-group for a good 10 minutes before trundling into finish 12th in class. John also had a good start to the race, bringing his SMD Racing KTM 200 EXC round to complete 5 laps before the dramas begun. Too many small crashes and problems around the course stopped John from improving on a 25th place finish. And so by far the best finisher of the clubman B class for Team LFB was Ben who didn't have the best of starts, getting his SMD Racing KTM 200 EXC off the line in mid-pack which soon got him tangled up with a few early fallers which dropped him right back to the slow end! However Ben gradually managed to pass riders as the event wore on to bring the SMD Racing KTM to the finish in 10th place. Ben: "A bit of a drama with a tree stump cost me a few minutes near the end of the day but overall i'm pleased with my pace and 'most' of my riding" 

So all in all a good start to the 2012 SEEC Hare & Hounds Championshp for Team LFB... 

So here we are at the start of another year of racing for Team LFB and it's the traditionally tough season opener run by Witley MCC. And tough it certainly was this year! mainly due to the 4 inches of snow that had fallen over night but also helping make the Witley event a classic Enduro was the awesome course set out by this highly experienced and long running club. The difficult yet flowing course was further enhanced by 3 special tests per lap - a Motocoss test, Enduro test and extreme test and certainly set the bar for the rest of the season...

The first order of the day is to thank Team LFB regular Iain who chose to sit out this event but still turned up to pit for the team - well done Iain!

Team LFB had 6 riders entered to compete on this frozen Sunday. However the day started badly as two LFB riders couldn't even make the start due to the snow! Of those who did ride, the tough guy award has to go to David who rode his Yamaha WR450 from Hackney to the venue (in Camberley Surrey!) through sub zero conditions arriving minutes before the start and lining up for his first ever time card enduro! Unfortunately David suffered a puncture on his second lap which put him out of the event, but brave effort non the less! 

In the Vets B class Team LFB new comer Kevin rode his AG Lifts/JCM Construction KTM 250 EXC-F to a superb 3rd place in class earning a Silver award to kick the season off to a great start for LFBMCC. In the clubman B class Things were left to SMD Off-road riders Ben - KTM 200 EXC and Zade - Husqvarna WR125 to earn the points for LFBMCC. With just too many falls trying to keep his KTM shiny side up, Ben was forced to retire on his second lap. Zade however managed to bring the little Husky over the line in 6th place in class despite some heavy contact with one of the large Warren Heath trees! The event was in fact shortened by one lap due to the heavy going caused by the thawing snow! But all in all it was agreed that this was a fantastic event to get the SEEC 2012 season off the line!

Determined to enjoy the late October sunshine, Team LFB riders Zade on his Husqvarna WR125 and new club member David riding his Yamaha WR450 four stroke lined up for the start of the Hampshire Police Enduro at the notoriously sandy Slab Common. And the start being in the middle of the huge sand bowl in the centre of the venue made for a tough first corner for Zade on the little 125 Husky! The flag dropped for the dead engine start and Zade got the little Husky fired up and gave the little bike all it had to try and get a good position into the first corner... unfortunately the little two stroke motor chose that moment to bog down and threaten to stall!! feathering the clutch for all he was worth Zade managed to keep the engine running and finally got it revving just in time to be one of the last riders into the first turn - typical! Zade spent much of the first lap passing tailenders before settling into a rhythm for the rest of the event. About 6 laps into the race Zade pulled into the pits for fuel and to try to work out the "claw hand" cramps and was soon joined by David also struggling but with arm pump from wrestling the big 450 Yamaha through the deep sand of Slab Common. Both Team LFB riders got under way having lost quite a while in the pits. Both Zade and David Completed 12 laps by the end of the race with both Team LFB riders earning a Silver Award for  their trouble. David brought the Yamaha home in 14th place in class while Zade managed 16th in class on the little Husqvarna... 

The Ironman event run by PMCRC at Woodberry lane had a full entry and a

reserve list, that's how popular this event had become with well over 150

riders that was a mix of 2 man teams and the solos. Team LFB rider Rich T was

going to ride his Husaberg at this event but his Wife (Kaka) runs the successful Teamsnapper event

photography business and she needed him behind the lens to help and it looks

like Rich will hang up his boots simply due to the commitments of

Teamsnapper from now on but will remain an Team LFB loyal member. Anyhow the LFB

flag at the Iron man was left down to Adam Morrison on his KTM 200 EXC who was that keen he

camped the night at Woodberry Lane and what a great ride Adam had, especially as

he was a sportsman rider not so long ago and he should have won the Clubman

B class but had to make do with runner up spot. however the winner of

clubman B would have won Clubman A and as he did 3 more laps than anyone

else in the Clubman B class he was clearly in wrong class, so well done

Adam.

And well done Team Snapper for the race report and pic's... z

Another dry day for the 5th round of the South Eastern Enduro Championship at Warren Heath Surrey. Representing Team LFB in the Clubman A class was Honda mounted Iain riding the little 125cc bike for this tight and twisty venue. Ian really had his work cut out for him as the Clubman A class is rapidly becoming one of the most hotly contested classes of the series! Iain did well to bring the little Honda home in 9th Place at the end of the day. The Clubman B class saw the other three members of Team LFB entered in this event line up for the start. Zade on the Husqvarna WR125, Ben on his KTM 200 EXC and Adam, also on a KTM 200 EXC. First home was Zade bringing the little Husqvarna to the finish in 5th Place in class and earning a Silver award for his efforts. Then Ben brought his KTM over the line in 9th in class earning a Bronze award... Ben missed out on a higher result by just a few seconds on the tightest session of the day! And a brave ride which deserves an honourable mention for Adam who broke his gear lever on the very first lap and subsequently rode the rest of the event stuck in third gear!! well done Adam for toughing it out to finish the day! 

Photos from this event courtesy of Roland Adams 

Daz and Ben represented Team LFB at the porstmouth Enduro recently which turned out to be in ideal weather conditions. 

With Both Team LFB riders aboard their KTM's it was an all orange team pit for this event!

Daz was upgraded to Clubman A on the day and Ben competed in Clubman B. 

The course was very tight and twisty  especially through the woods which made it much 

more physically demanding than normal and the amount of extra strain using the clutch constantley was evidant at the end of the event

with both riders suffering badley with blisters, Bens hands were bleeding at the finish and how he managed

 to complete the event like that was a credit to him.

Daz finished the day off with a win in class and Ben  with a good solid bronze award, only missing out on silver by one place.

A great result from both riders and thanks go out to Mark for helping the

team out in the pits on the day.

Round 2 of The Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers winter series rolled round and once again the sun was shining for a fantastic day of racing. Team LFB had another full line up with yet another new member on the start line of his first XC race. Trials ace John riding his KTM 200 EXC lined up alongside Team Snapper/Team LFB rider Rich - Husaberg in the sportsman class. And what a superb day they both had! With Rich finishing the day second in class and John not far behind in 7th (a fantastic result for his first event!) it was another good finish for the Team LFB rookies.

In the Clubman class our LFB representatives were Iain on his Honda (the 250 this time) and Zade once again screaming round on his 125cc Husqvarna and Ben with the mid sized 200cc KTM. With a second place in the ultra competitive clubman class, Ian's performances are going from strength to strength in 2011.. Zade had a fairly trouble free ride to come in 17th in class with Ben digging deep after several small crashes to bring his KTM home in 25th in class...

As usual the REME guys put on a superb event and once again Erika of Team Snapper was there to record the event through her lens - see the gallery page for Team LFB photos...   

A big mention has to also go out to Team LFB rider Daz (of SMD Off-Road) who was due to race but because of a blown engine in a mid-week practice ride was unable to enter. Daz (and his mate Mark) did however come along and was a god-send in the pits helping all the Team LFB riders with re-fuelling throughout the day... cheers Daz...

The LFB Gazebo all set up and our fuel cans all at the ready, Team LFB's riders lined up for their first ride in the 2011 South Eastern Enduro Championship. Once again, Matt and Judsy lined up for the Clubman A class while Ben and Zade pushed their bikes to the Clubman B queue. Being a traditional time card enduro, both Matt and Judsy started on the same minute and got away for their first lap of the long day... And it wasn't long into the event that it became apparent that the time schedules were going to be extremely tight and so would play a major part in the results rather than everything being decided on the special test times. But keeping pretty much on time for their first couple of laps both Matt on his KTM 250 EXC and Judsy, riding the little 125cc Honda for this tight technical course, were going well. Until Matt had a slight lapse in concentration and clumped his exhaust on a large fallen tree sending him over the bars off the rapid KTM. And that was that for Matt, the bike too damaged to continue, he pushed it back to the pits where he stayed for the rest of the event helping the rest of Team LFB with fuel stops. Judsy fared a little better but had to stop one lap from the end with massive cramps in both his legs! But with the high retirement rate at this ultra tough event Judsy had done enough to secure 19th place in class despite stopping one lap from the end! 

In the Clubman B class it was a similar story with Husqvarna 125 mounted Zade earning penalty points right at the start when the little Husqvarna refused to start for over a minute! He then rode through to his 8th lap before also retiring from the event. The best ride for Team LFB on the day goes to Ben on his tidy 200cc KTM. Ben rode the whole race and so managed his first ever finish in the Clubman B class - well done Ben! Another honourable mention goes to Team Snapper's rider Rich who was sharing the Team LFB gazebo. Rich managed a good few laps on the big Team Snapper Husaberg before also retiring and getting behind the lens for the rest of the event! he and Erika caught some great shot which you can see on our gallery page...  

At last the LFBMCC Sprint Enduro gets the go-ahead!!

The format for the day's racing will be as follows:

Thanks to a few of the forumites on www.ktmforum.co.uk who privately hired the Golding Barn raceway, Team LFB went along for a day of MX practice. And Boy was it worth it?! With Ben, Les and myself making the drive down to Sussex (Sadly Zade's engine is still spread all over the garage floor and Matt was on duty so couldn't make it).

The weather was fantastic, bright sunshine, a gentle breeze rolling through the valley to keep you cool and a dry and slightly dusty MX training track along with a great little burger bar that does actually do quality burgers!!  With our bellies full Team LFB hit the track which for most of the day had no more than 10 riders on it at any one time.  

It took us a few laps to get used to riding such a different type of track, requiring allot of commitment to the corners as the surface pushed you out very wide if you didn't get yourself fully into it, but it was fantastic to be able to concentrate on body position without avoiding tree's at the same time.  Also with some great tabletop jumps of different sizes and shapes you could work on getting better in the air and see yourself progress throughout the day.

The bikes all ran well...oh - except for Ben who had a catastrophic failure with his rear brake caliper knocking his bike out for the day. But not to worry the biking fraternity came up trumps by all offering a loan of their bikes for him to continue riding.

So all in all i think we all had a good day, made some new friends and shall be going back again sometime soon.  There were also proffesional photographers there snapping all day and you could buy a CD with all your pictures for £20 or prints for around £8 at the end of the day. Luckily, these guys were very good at making you look like you know what you're doing,  - thanks : )

Pete. 

After a great run for us at the Kingston enduro, Team LFB were all fired up for the Croydon round.  We had all our fingers and toes 

crossed for good weather and it seemed to have paid off with just the lightest drizzle at the beginning of the race.  

Now this had a bit of a personal edge for me as it was at last years Croydon event I marshalled and did my first ever laps of an enduro 

course and for me it was difficult, almost impossible.  I was fighting with myself, the bike and the precipitous weather barely being 

able to complete one lap and that not even under race pressure.  How was i going to do at the event exactly a year on? Competing! 

How much had I improved, could i do it, well it was time to find out!!

I was so glad that myself and Ben were starting on the same minute, It gave us both the opportunity to work together through the laps

 chasing and being chased, maybe a touch of competitive spirit there too.  Zade started as our only entry in the clubman class, and after 

having a belting lap pinning the whizzy little LFB Enduro 125 Husky on the opening lap,  in a split second on lap two on the long 

straight near the pit lane his engine cried "Enough" and siezed, oh dear so thats off to be re-built!

Team LFB's Lez castle (riding under the Kingston banner..... we will have a chat!! -ed)  started just before myself and Ben putting in a 

sterling effort in his first enduro in years and finished with a smile on his face 18th in class having dropped a few minutes here and there 

on his laps but well done on getting round such a mammoth of a track.

The riding between myself and Ben was almost like a relay with Ben completing a lap before me then myself rolling in in front the 

following lap, on one occasion I saw Ben come in with a snapped visor on his helmet, a few missing bolts out of his wobbly triple clamp 

and covered in mud, (I think we all had a lap like that when the bike preferred to be belly up and thats where we both lost our minutes, 

on the same lap too!)  

I put in some good times on the special tests and overall lost 4 minutes on the going where Ben lost 6 minutes which edged me in 2 

places in front in 14th and Ben 16th in class respectivley.  

A lot of finishers and some great riding all round and some new lessons learnt.  

Pete

As the saying goes, "If it wasn't for bad luck Ben would have no luck at all!" Team LFB's Suzuki man Ben had his second mechanical breakdown in a row. Just a mile into the race the Suzuki stalled going into a turn and when Ben tried to start it the kick-start snapped clean off! That was the end of the race for Ben.

Pete, Team LFB's other sportsman class rider on the other hand had a perfect race. Only losing time on his final two laps and putting in respectable special test times Pete brought his BikeTech Gas Gas 300 home in tenth in class.

Matt and Zade in the clubman class both had near perfect rides but both lost time in the pits. At one point Zade coasted the BikeTech Husqvarna into the pits with no fuel at all! He refueled and was back out screaming the little 125cc Husky around the 12 mile lap for a total of 7 laps to bring the BikeTech Husqvarna home in 27th while Matt rode a faultless race to get the TriCounty KTM 250EXC-F to the line in 23rd place. Both Team LFB clubman class riders were pleased with their race at the end of the day.

Zade - " It's a fast flowing course here at Blackwood. This is one of the few races down here in the south east where having a bigger bike would pay off!" 

As always with the South Eastern (and other) events the great photo's were courtesy of BikePhotos - www.bikephotos.co.uk

But also some additional shots by EnduroPix - www.enduropix.co.uk

The Time card Enduro season down here in the south east kicks off with the notorious Witley Enduro at Warren Heath in Surrey. The season opener didn't go according to plan for Team LFB... Out of the three LFB riders entered only one - Matt finished the event on the TriCounty KTM 250 EXC-F. And quite a ride it was too! Dragging his KTM past the hoards of broken down, knackered and crash damaged bikes and riders, Matt went on to finish the event in a creditable 18th place in the massive clubman class... Matt - " I was absolutely exhausted but I knew if I just kept going I'd get a good result because allot of other riders were retiring!"

The other Team LFB rider entered in the Clubman class was Zade on his little Husqvarna WR125 two stroke. However, Zade's race very quickly began to unravel... On the opening lap Zade and the Husqvarna were doing fine, with none of the root infested, log strewn trails giving the baby Husky any problems, the bottomless bogs of the course were a different story though! On the far side of the course the bogs started, and Zade not yet fully dialed into the two stroke riding technique was not quite getting through them and on a couple had to stop and dig the bike out!! This meant that the wet sandy soil was getting into his brakes and by the second half of the lap Zade was riding with no front brakes at all!! He managed to limp the Husqvarna back to the pits and effect a repair but by the time he was going again he had lost nearly 45 minutes and so rode the rest of the race just for fun and practice... Zade - " Riding a two stroke with no brakes sure takes getting used to!!"

Ben was the third Team LFB rider entered and Like Zade suffered on the tough woodland course... Riding his first ever time card enduro, Ben was in for a big surprise at the difficulty of the event! With two laps under his belt Ben set off on his third lap only for the Suzuki to cry enough with a fried clutch...

So not the best start to the season for some of our riders but hey, that's racing and the Team LFB boys will keep on keeping on and we'll see how the rest of the year goes...

On an unusually sunny morning in Bordon Hampshire, Team LFB riders Ben on his Suzuki RM250 and Zade with the Husqvarna WR125 lined up for the start of this multi lap hare & hounds event. With Zade riding the two stroke Husqvarna for it's first competitive outing this promised to be an interesting race for the long time four stroke rider...

The flag dropped on the clubman class and Zade took off with the rest of the pack - so far so good! And in fact Zade coped well all day and by the end of the event was really enjoying the rev-happy power of the two stroke 125cc motor. Although as he put it: " I don't think I got the deep sand sections of this course right once all day long!! I was always in the wrong gear at the wrong time and so kept bogging down in the wet, power sapping sand here at Slab Common..." 

With a 39th place over all and 17th in the ultra competitive Clubman class, it wasn't a bad result for Zade's first outing on the radically different machine...

For Ben the race was a steady one and a learning experience. The Suzuki rider never having ridden in sand like that found at Slab Common and with the settings of the Suzuki still to be locked down Ben did well to bring the RM250 home in 28th in the Sportsman class.

All-in-all the event proved to be a good shake-down for the Team LFB riders and machines ready for the coming year's racing...

The below report from Team LFB rider Pete: 

4^th November 2009 Wales Yamaha Off road experience

After being given a gift voucher for a day at the Yamaha off road school in Wales well over a year ago it was time to get myself down there along with Ella my girlfriend to give it a go.  Ella is new to biking and a beginner at off road with just a few laps of our field on the Bike Tech Gasser under her belt.  I took my bike to use and Ella used one of the schools bikes given the choice of TTR-125’S (Youths) ttr-230’s wr-250’s and 450’s, all great bikes to suit all abilities and sizes of riders.

On arrival the weather was beautifully typical of Wales at this time of year and hammering with rain, the location is a fully running farm nestled in the Hafren valley.  We were met by the extremely welcoming crew at the farm including our very qualified instructors (still tanned from the ISDE 6 days in Portugal) Dylan Jones and John Begley along with Geraint Jones and also everyone who works on the farm all beaming with smiles and years of experience in the off road world, oh and some soggy and very friendly farm dogs (who also probably know more about biking than me!).

Their courses can take upto 12 people. Today there was a mixed bunch of people from all over the UK with varying levels of experience, but all keen to get wet and muddy in the welsh hills.  After a safety briefing we were led outside to the line up of bikes and given the rundown on performance and left to grab the ones we wanted to have a quick ride to choose our steed for the day, I picked my Gas Gas for obvious reasons, Ella decided on the WR-250F as she liked the feel and it is on our shortlist for her first grown up bike.

After everyone had chosen their bikes it was time to start the day proper, all mounted up and in full waterproofs we headed off into the hills on a steady but not slow trail ride to warm ourselves and our bikes through some stunning scenery and woods winding our way to a basic motocross track with flat turns, berms, small whoops and a couple of easy tabletops.  We did a couple of laps on our own to get our confidence up and then pulled in under a hanger to have a chat and a lesson in body positioning, sitting and standing and cornering.  This was followed with demonstrations of both comical bad positioning and the correct methods (made to look easy by the awesome Dylan).  We then went and practiced all these skills on the track with positive feedback and corrections as we went around the track.  There were some great falls but all very controlled and resulting in much laughter.  These lessons although covering basics were brilliant, it turns out I had been doing pretty much everything wrong and getting away with it, after this I found my riding much more fluid and  could get into and out of corners much faster and safer.

We then took our new found confidence into the woods and took a trail ride that ended back at the farm for our well deserved lunch and hot coffee and tea, this gave us time to ask questions and excitedly discuss the morning’s thrills and occasional spills.

The Afternoon was all about fun being split into 2 groups based on technical content and it was up to you which course you took, both of which were great the main difference being the effort required in the riding so depended more upon how tired you wanted to go home (very or extremely).  Then was more riding through woods up and down the valley through water crossings before both groups met up again on a small loop through the woods you could go and blast around or just chill out and watch others having a go, then a gentle ride back to the finish to get a shower and ask a million questions to our instructors about what other courses are available and when could we come back!!  Brilliant!

The Course we did was the off road experience (Basic), they also run experience PLUS+ days (intermediate) and during the winter 2 day enduro schools (Advanced).   This was a great day as i could ride out with my partner and still learn a thing or two and its great for a bunch of people of mixed ability for a great day out.  They will also organise tailor made days for your teams or buddies covering whatever you would like to do.  Check out the website for more info and prices at  www.yamaha-offroad-experience.co.uk

A big thank you to all at the school, look forward to visiting again soon.

In early October Matt and Zade loaded up the Team LFB Toyota and headed down to Plymouth to catch the overnight ferry to Spain...

An ordeal of rough seas and sea sickness and 21 hours on a boat and our two teamsters arrive in northern Spain. A 7 hour drive and they are at their base at Matt's folks place in Cataluña. 

The following morning - itching to get out on the trails they kit up and hit the road. No more than a mile from the house the LFB riders turn up a dry riverbed and head upstream.... 3 hours of extreme Enduro riding over rocks and then bolders gets Matt and Zade only 3K's up the river!!! After a quick rece' they decide that turning back is the lesser of the two evils.... the rest of that afternoon is spent hooning around the nearby hills along near deserted dirt roads. 

Day two is spent fixing Matt's KTM after it got some dirt in the fuel.

Then it was back into the hills for some fantastic mountain trails in the rugged terrain of the Cataluña countryside.

On the second to last day Matt managed to rip the antena off his GPS which left our two riders to do it the old skool way with a map and compass!

The return ferry ride was as rough if not rougher than the way out which left both Team LFB riders a little green around the gills when they set foot (set wheel) back on British shores....

Due to work and other commitments, Zade was the only Team LFB rider entered into this notoriously though event - and with a score to settle with the Ardua enduro. Zade has entered this event 3 times in the past and not finished ANY of those races!! (twice he crashed out of the race and once his old Husqvarna broke down). So on this rare hot, dusty day, Zade lined up the Bike Tech Husqvarna on the start line. And with the help of the Kingston Club members in the pits (thanks fellas) Zade made the first four laps clean on time and managed his two special tests without crashing - so far so good! On the fifth lap however Zade was slowed with a stitch/cramps and lost a couple of minutes out on the course but was pressing on and confident that this time he would finish the Ardua Enduro at last! Yes, I think you can all guess where this is going.... On lap six Zade was powering the Bike Tech Husky through the deep soft sand close to the pits area when he lost all forward momentum.... After stabbing at the gears and fiddling with the clutch lever Zade looked behind and saw good mates of Team LFB - Rob and Simon from EnduroPro.co.uk standing in the track holding the Husqvarna's chain....Doh! Another DNF (did not finish) for Zade at the Ardua. A shame because with only two more laps to do Zade was confident that although he was down on time he still would have had a reasonable result due to the sheer number of retirements there were that day. Pushing the bike back to the van was all that was left of the race for Zade. Oh well - maybe next year.....

Check out the Gallery for action photo's courtesy of Steve Cowell... 

Once again at the Emsworth venue, Team LFB showed up in force! The event was open to two man teams or "Iron man" which is the class for riders tackling the whole 5 hour race single handed...Obviously Team LFB's riders entered in the Iron Man class for this 5 hour charity enduro. In true team spirit - each rider wanting to beat the others to be top Team LFB finisher!

At the start of the race, Zade didn't event bother to tear off the line with all the other riders. "what's the rush?!" he commented " I've got 5 hours of racing, I'm sure two minutes to finish my breakfast won't hurt..." And so after a bowl of cereal Zade jumped on the Bike Tech Husqvarna and was away.

Meanwhile, Matt was continuing his run of bad luck. On the opening lap Matt tackled one of the extreme log crossings and getting it slightly wrong was forced to dab a foot down and thus damage the ligaments in his foot and that was that - the TriCounty KTM was out of the race!

New team member Pete was on form once again, the 300cc Gas Gas rider this time took things steady in the early part of the race. Settling into a steady race Pete was running at a good pace in the Sportsman-Ironman class and made it to the finish with much less bruises than his last enduro. 

Honorary Team LFB member Ben was once again with the team on his Suzuki RM250 and once again managed to finish the race despite some spectacular moments! - Zade: " I came around the corner on about lap 4 or 5 and was just in time to see Ben launch his Suzuki off a small kicker jump, he landed on the front wheel ,somehow stayed on the bike and after swerving all over the place came to a stop in the middle of a big bramble bush! - I was laughing so much I nearly crashed myself!!"

Zade once again took the Bike Tech Husqvarna to the finish in the Clabman-Ironman class and with only one small tumble all day considered the race a success.

Another good mate of Team LFB at the event was Dave Kirtley on his two stroke KTM and also riding in the Clubman-Iron man class. A regular top finisher in the Track & Trail Enduro's this was Dave's first visit to Emsworth and very well he did too (although we have to wait for the results)...

Dave's wife Jan was also on hand at the event and as usual was behind the lens for the entire event! Visit www.janpix.co.uk for some great pictures from this and many other events. 

Due to problems with the transponders/computers the race results are not yet released - as soon as they are they will be added....

Held at another demanding woodland venue, this event again started with a monsoon type deluge before the race. However this venue - not having any huge hills was allot more manageable for the riders.

Team LFB's Bike Tech Husqvarna rider Zade got off to a good start this time (all lights working according to the rules!!) And managed to stay on time for the first half of the race. On the tight time check however, Zade had a big get-off on a fast,rutted section of the course and took at least five minutes to recover and carry on racing. At the finish Zade - battered and bruised brought his Bike Tech Husky to the line in 22nd place.

Matt had even more troubles! Riding the TriCounty KTM straight after a night shift and so was over tired even before the start. After 3 laps Matt decided the safest option was to retire from the race and go home to bed! A wise choice. 

The outstanding performance of the day goes to new Team LFB member Pete who rode through all manner of disasters to bring his 300cc Gas Gas to the end of the day in 7th place in class - that's superb for his first proper enduro!!!

Held at the notoriously difficult West Harting Down venue, this event lived upto that reputation. 10 minutes before the start of the race the heavens opened and soaked the already slippery clay soil making the course an absolute nightmare for all the riders.

Out of the 142 riders entered in the race 42 pulled out with problems of one sort or another! And although they did go on to finish the race, Team LFB had their share of problems.

Zade lost 60 points before even turning a wheel!! The Bike Tech Husqvarna's lights were not working as the rules stipulate they should and so Zade was penalised before he even made it to the start!! He then struggled on through the wet and muddy conditions to finish the event in 30th place.

Matt fared a little better and with only the usual bumps and tumbles brought his TriCounty KTM home in 23rd place at the finish.

New Team LFB member Pete was also at the race but riding as a marshal to gain experience of these time card enduros before his debut at the next round of the SEEC.

With Team LFB's star rider Matt off on holiday, it was down to Zade to uphold Team LFB honors. And with the Bike Tech Husqvarna now all patched up after it's last race mishap, Both he and the bike were up for the challenge. Arriving at the venue, Zade began to worry that his choice to stick with the part worn Metzeler tires on the Husky was possibly not a wise one... The team van drove into the car park and promptly sank in the mud!! It was going to be a muddy (slippery) one after the week of rain leading upto the race. Once again joining Team LFB was Ben on his Suzuki RM250. This would be Ben's first race back to enduro in nearly 8 years! 

In the early part of the race Zade took things steady to check out the best (safest) lines and, after last time, make sure he warms up properly before hooning up any hills! And a good job too, allot of riders dropped out of this race early on due to the VERY slippery clay soil which was like ice to ride on in places! By the midway point Zade was into his groove, The Bike Tech Husky didn't miss a beat and both bike and rider made it to the finish in one peace. Zade managed a 9th place in class with only one minor tumble all day. Ben, in his first race back to the sport brought his Suzuki home in the mid pack of his class - not a bad day for both riders...  

With the Normandy club having laid out a superb course for this milti-lap hare and hounds event. The team LFB riders were looking forward to a good race. And, well, 50/50 is the best way to describe the team LFB results. The old adage that if it wasn't for bad luck, Zade would have no luck at all is certainly true for the 2009 season so far for the Bike Tech Husqvarna rider! On the very first lap Zade stopped to help a fallen rider (who was unhurt but trapped under his bike). Only loosing 30 seconds or so, Zade hopped back on his own bike and shouting encouragment over his shoulder (or more likely taking the mickey!) Zade blasted his Husky TE250 up a short sharp hill, looped it, bailed off the bike and watched it cartwheel down the hill and come to rest in the branches of a tree half way down the hill!!

With the help of a couple of Normandy club marshals (thanks guys) Zade was able to retrieve his bike and press on. After a further two laps and countless falls and slides it was obvious that all was not well with the front end of the Bike Tech husky. He pulled into the pits and with the help of new LFB team member Pete (not riding due to a smashed up motorcycle) they were able to straighten the fork alignment on the Husqvarna. Zade Then went back out and continued the race but that whole episode had cost him dearly and put him at least two laps down on the rest of the field. Zade finished the race managing 8 laps and coming home in 22nd place in class. 

Matt on the other hand rode a superb race to bring his TriCounty KTM to the finish in 6th place in class and earn a Bronze award in the process.  Both Matt and the TriCounty KTM 250 EXC-F rode flawlessly, not missing a beat with bike and rider tackling the course as if it were a stroll in the park. Well done Matt!!

To be loading up the Bikes for a day's riding in the heart of London's Docklands was a new experience for team LFB's Bike Tech rider Zade! But that's the Location for the latest addition to the south east's already fantastic enduro venues...see the track here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgq0VF1A0Cc . Zade was joined on this training day by Ben on his Suzuki RM250 and brand new team LFB member Pete on his equally Brand new (to him) Gas Gas EC300. A big hats off to Pete as this was not only his first ride on his bike but also a first real introduction to Enduro! You'd think the team would take him somewhere a little less daunting!

The track itself is a short sharp shock of an enduro lap, relatevly fast in places with logs to cross, a few jumps, man made obsticles such as stacked pallets, railway sleepers (both across the track and along the direction of travel), as well as truck & tractor tyres to be crossed, stairs, rocks, car wheels, in fact everything except the kitchen sink! (And given time I'm sure Chris and Dylan the organisers will fine a way of adding that too!!). Every obstacle has a chicken option too so riders can build up to tackling the harder ones in their own time without spoiling their lap.

Team LFB started the day off with Zade not paying attention and riding straight into the "hard route" through the trees and, wheelying over the first fallen tree he spotted the massive  fallen log at the end, closed the throttle at just the wrong moment and nose dived into a big heap in the middle of the track!! But no harm done and next lap he tackled that route again and cleared it easily. In fact team LFB & co coped very well with most of the obstacles and came away at the end of the day with a great confidence boost to their riding!

The only real mishap of the day was that Pete managed to cart-wheel his Gas Gas over one of the fallen logs and smashed most of the rear end of the bike...

The last word from Zade: "This place is not the extreme nightmare I was expecting! in fact it's a great little flowing course with plenty to keep a real enduro rider busy all round the lap. It's good for bike fitness, riding skills and just plain fun to boot! As an average clubman rider I was expecting to struggle here, but far from it, I was able to ride at my own pace and tackle each section as and when I felt ready. Basically, I can't wait to come back!"

Just minutes before the start of the enduro the heavens opened! As if the freezing cold wasn't enough! But, as usual, once the race started any thoughts of the weather were forgotten.

The Leatherhead club's event at a brand new and fantastic venue - Hungry Hill, Surrey,  was a perfect event for both Team LFB riders. Despite the downpour, Zade on the Bike Tech Husqvarna had a steady and uneventful first lap. His special test on the second lap didn't go according to plan though. Zade caught up with a slower rider who took a tumble right in front of our Bike Tech Husky rider, Zade had no option but to ride right over the stricken man's bike!! (they shook hands after the race though). That episode cost Zade valuable seconds which ultimately put him out of the top 10. Zade did however win a Bronze award for finishing 18th in class. Matt on the other hand had a perfect special test on the TriCounty KTM and by contrast saved all his dramas for the rest of the course... That said, Matt did an amazing job, despite falls in most of the deep bogs/ruts he dragged his TriCounty KTM 250 EXC-F to a fantastic 10th position in class and a Silver award to boot! Both Team LFB riders had a great day and having fixed all the dents and scrapes to the bikes are raring to go for their next race... 

In what can only be described as perfect enduro weather, Team LFB headed down to West Sussex to take part in this notoriously technical Portsmouth club event. Both Team LFB riders got off from the start with no major problem. On lap 1 however, Zade almost threw it all away as he took a small jump over a little ravine only to land the Bike Tech Husqvarna with the front wheel in one rut and the back wheel in another!! Zade kept the throttle wide open and him and the bike carried through the ruts and out to the left of the course, missed a track marker post and came to a stop just inches away from a large oak tree - Phew!!

Matt had no major dramas but unfortunately the TriCounty KTM rider didn't stop at the lap marker on lap 1 and therefore rode the whole race one lap down!!

Zade and the Bike Tech Husky had a small fall on the penultimate lap which cost him a few minutes to recover from to place 17th by the end of the event. however Matt's outstanding ride in this event was over shadowed by his early race blunder! 

As Team LFB hasn't raced this month, here's what the team get upto on a normal practice day out...Coming off a night shift, the team loaded the van and drove down the M3 in the pouring rain. But for a change, the sun came out just as they arrived at the track. Although it's a motocross track, Popham is much more of a natural terrain track rather than the more supercross-y tracks in the area - in other words, ideal practice for Enduro riders. Out on the still very wet clay track it was like riding on an ice rink! But despite many tumbles team LFB kept on circulating clocking up valuable practice for the next race which will be at Emsworth - a similarly slippery clay venue. After a short break for a bite to eat the team lfb boys were back out and with the track drying by the minute lap times were starting to build. Team lfb were joined by some mates from south west London - Heiko, Tim and Don - all on CRF Honda's while Vikki was behind the lens tacking snaps. A good day was had by all...

On arrival at the Broxhead venue we couldn't believe that such a small place could host an enduro! But Hant's police and XHG Tiger put together a fantastic tight and technical course.

Matt and Zade lined up side by side at the start and when the flag dropped Matt went blasting off ahead while Zade took the steady approach on that first lap. Sure enough within a couple of laps both team LFB riders were riding side by side again. And that's how it stayed for most of the race. At the pit stop they noticed that Matt's chain was drooping, on closer inspection they found That Matt's rear wheel had come loose!!! 

After the pit stop team LFB were once again bashing handlebars out on the course. On the faster more open sections Matt on the TriCounty KTM would pull away a bit while on the tight wooded sections Zade and the Bike Tech Husqvarna would reel him in. (poss Zade's experience and the lower gearing of the Husqvarna coming into play there).

By the end of the race both riders were exhausted (Matt even suffering from the effects of dehydration) but both made it to the finish line ok and collecting a finishers medal each for their troubles...

The day didn't start off well for Team LFB. A phone call from Matt to say he was sick and wouldn't be able to ride meant that the team was down to one rider for this event. So although without the luxury of a team mate to help if the bike got bogged down, Zade lined up for the start of this 4 hour race.

Knowing that he had to keep a reserve of energy for the last hour, Zade took things steady for the first part of the race. That's not to say things went particularly well for the Bike Tech Husqvarna rider. For some unknown reason, Zade just couldn't get into the stride of the race. Silly mistakes, choosing the wrong line on most of the difficult big hill climbs and generally using up far too much energy early on in the race.

But digging deep, Zade pressed on and was soon reeling off the laps. The rain in the weeks before the race meant that the Bagshot venue was unusually soft under the bikes and pretty soon deep ruts started to form claiming many riders. It was very easy to choose the wrong line and end up in a deep rut or be pitched over the handlebars by an exposed root half way along a rut! 

By about the halfway point, Zade really found his rhythm, By the end of the race Zade managed a (joint) 9th place in class and had had a thoroughly good day out.  

This event is without doubt one of the most challenging events of the South Eastern Enduro Championship. Whether it's because of the fantastically varied and technical course, tight time allowance or because it's the first event of the season or all three I'm not sure. 

Both team LFB riders only managed to stay clean (not lose time) on two of the six timed sessions with dramas unfolding on almost every lap! Zade Broke the side panel and bent the handlebars on his Bike Tech Husqvarna, while Matt's Tri County KTM radiator now has the perfect indent of one of the Warren Heath trees in it. That said they did better than allot of other riders who failed to finish this notoriously though event. 

Matt came in 15th place in class while Zade limped home in 20th, both riders earning a Bronze award for getting to the finish line. 

Although not a Team LFB rider, another LFB member was at the event - Steve Goodman who rode a borrowed Husaberg to 4th in class earning a gold award for his efforts...well done Steve! 

The day started off in the huge Weavers Down sand bowl with Dylan and Ed Jones (both accomplished championship riders and members of British Enduro's first family!) teaching sand riding techniques. Matt was the first rider of our A-group to bite the dirt! As you can see from the photo in the gallery, Matt was flat out in third gear still convinces he would make it as the bike hit the ground!! Lucky it was sand and a soft landing! 

After a short break for a cuppa, our next session was with Husqvarna supremo Wyn Hughes. Wyn took us into a particularly muddy, rutted and 'whooped out' track in some tight woods - in short a technical session. And what a help it was too!  Wyn let us all go 'round a short lap he set up and watched each rider. He then stopped us and pointed out what each of us was doing wrong and more importantly, how to put it right. I for one could immediately feel the difference.

After lunch our group went out with Garaint Jones - the godfather of british enduro! A multi british and european enduro champ' Garaint rode a hotted up Yamaha YZ300 and was hard to keep up with even though he was obviously only cruising! Again this session was very technical - a tight, root infested track in between the trees. Before today, this type of riding would really have taken it out of me but now I find I can maintain a fair speed and still find the strength to breath!

I would strongly recommend these courses to any off road rider, whether racer or trail rider they cater for all levels. The instructors are all first rate and best of all - friendly and helpful. In the lunch break we noticed several riders with bike troubles (not us for a change!) and in every case one of the instructors was there giving a helping hand.

Lastly I'd like to say a big thanks to Graeme Warren Photography for the fantastic pix of the day. Cheers Graeme.

The main goal of this event for the LFB team was to make it to the finish line - then see what result we got.  I'm pleased to say that both Zade and Matt finished the tough 2 day event in the sportsman category.

                  Day 1 pos            Day 2 pos               Overall combined pos

Matt            10th                    4th                         6th

Zade           13th                    9th                        12th 

Next year we will be moving upto the Clubman class and we intend to have a go at more British championship rounds.