The Tough One

[thespikeyone]

Just read that Doug Lampkin came third behind Knighter and Tom Sagar.

Did they have the trials race as they have had in previous years???? Any results???

[dab-man]

Dont think they had the trials race just the main event and the boulder dash which i believe Doug won.

[thespikeyone]

yes he did and andy cripps another good trials rider came second.

What is the boulder dash????

[Andy]

Dougie Lampkin Report:

Dougie Lampkin followed up his recent victory at Hell's Gate with a solid third place at the Tough One Extreme Enduro held near Owestry in wintry conditions. Still very much 'the new kid on the block' in these type of specialist competitions, Dougie once again showed that his two wheel skill from his trials background enabled him to record yet another podium result against World class and much more experienced opposition.

Lampkin always knew that a second win in a row at this type of event was going to be near impossible as he lined up aginst friend and rival David Knight who was the clear favourite for the victory before a wheel had even been turned. Thankfully clear blue skies and sun overhead allowed the heavily frozen ground to thaw slightly ahead of the Pro Hot laps that would determine starting positions for the main two hour race later in the day. Ahead of this initial action the main of the crowd had positioned themselves down the sides of a long and vertical descent that brought the riders from the highest point of the course to the quarry floor in a few frightening seconds.

Lampkin's trials background came into its own here as he never looked in trouble as he eased his factory four stroke Beta down amongst the rocks and trees to the applause of the crowd. Dougie held top spot in the single lap sprint for most of the session and was only beaten by Graham Jarvis and eventual winner Knight to claim his place on the front row for the afternoon race.

With the expert riders having been set off nearly half a lap ahead of the pro riders, the initial part of the main race was heavy going for Lampkin and co as they soon caught and set about the difficult task of passing these riders on a course that was single track in many places. Knight soon had one hand on the trophy as he bullied his way to the front and immediately begun to strech his lead over Tom Sagar and Lampkin who were now both without goggles due to their passage through the pack.

Dougie momentarily made it into second place before stopping to collect new goggles, and then seemed to lose his rhythm, as both Sagar came back by along with Jarvis and stretched their advanage over the ex multi FIM trial World champion. Typically Dougie dug deep to stay in touch with the front runners despite having handling problems on the higher speed parts of the course.

Just past the hour point Lampkin moved back into a podium position as Jarvis crashed and then suffered mechanical problems. Not content with third spot Dougie pushed hard in the last sixty minutes and dramatically closed the gap on Sagar in the closing stage only to run out of time as the flag was brought down exactly at the two hour mark.

The top six riders from the main race automatically qualified for the finale, aptly named the Boulder Dash, it is as it says a one hundred metre sprint over massive rocks where in the majority the riders are forced to man handle their heavy machines. Dougie looked dead and buried as his Beta failed to fire into life at the start of this short race and entered the rock strewn gulley several seconds behind his rivals. However a quick bit of thinking and some trials style riding saw Lampkin emerge two minutes later as the victor and one thousand pounds richer as he stole the winner takes all cash prize.

Clutching his winnings, Dougie smiled widely as he spoke about his day. "With the ice this morning I wasn't too sure what sort of race it was going to be, but in the end it worked out OK. My qualifying lap was quite good, it was just a shame that they had to cut that section out of the main race as that was by far the most technical part of the course. All day I have struggled with the faster parts of the course, maybe it was my tyre selection, but that is where I lost ground each lap."

"Each time I tried pushing on these sections I ended up in trouble or on the floor, it is a shame as I felt good on the other parts of the track. I still have got a lot to learn in this type of event, as just twelve months ago this was my first ever extreme enduro. Last year I was fourth, so I suppose I should be happy with a podium finish this time around." Lampkin added.

Dougie ended by saying. "Winning the Boulder Dash was a good end to a hard day, especially as I thought my chance had gone when my bike wouldn't start. Grabbing the cash will definitely make the journey home much better."