26-2-2006

David Knight KTM Results Service
Diss MCC Ltd organised, Brandon Park Enduro,

Round 1: ’06 British Enduro Championship

Knighter dominates ’06 BEC opener

Reigning FIM Enduro 3 World Champion David Knight claimed a convincing win at the opening round of the ‘06 Motul British Enduro Champion on his new D3-Racing 525 KTM, the Diss MCC Ltd Brandon Park Enduro, where he finished 54 seconds ahead of runner-up Paul Edmondson at the end of the gruelling one-day event. Winning each of the four timed special tests comfortably Knighter claimed his sixth win in seven years at the opening round of the BEC series.

Knowing that the event was going to be a challenging one for all Knighter made his intentions of taking victory crystal clear right from the start of the race and topped the opening special test by some 14 seconds. Going on to win the second test by 11 seconds Knighter then posted his quickest special test time of the event on the third lap where he once again finished 14 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. With a commanding lead of close to half a minute David then eased his pace during the fourth and final special test yet still managed to post a time some 11 seconds quicker than anyone else on the final lap.

As is often the case with Diss MCC Ltd organised BEC events the Brandon Park Enduro wasn’t all about being the fastest rider on the sandy special test. With each lap split into two time checks, the second check of each lap became increasingly tight on time as the day went on. On the fourth and fifth laps the majority of the Championship class riders dropped time with just eight finishing the day without time check penalties. With a minimum of two minutes to spare at the end of the tightest checks Knighter finished the event with no time penalties.

David’s next event is the opening round of the ’06 FIM World Enduro Championship, which takes place in Sweden on March 18-19

David Knight: “I’d say the event was the most physically demanding race I’ve ever done in the Thetford Forest. I reckon it’s just about the best I’ve ever ridden at the opening round of the BEC as well. I was expecting it too be tough and it was but I’ve really enjoyed it. It really has been a great event and winning it is a perfect start to the championship.

“The first test was quite tricky for me because I was expecting it to be nice and smooth and ride pretty fast but it was already really rutted with some nasty tree roots in some of the corners. I was quite aggressive and just used all the berms, which gave me a good time. The second lap was much nicer because all the berms flowed well and I was able to really get on it. I felt really good on that test and put in a really good time. The test got a little rougher on lap three so I decided to ride really relaxed. It seemed the harder you pushed the worse it was. On the last lap it was difficult to know how hard to push so I slowed my speed a bit and rode safely as I knew I had a pretty good lead.

“The long check was fun to ride but a bit dodgy in places. On the fourth lap it was really tight because there were a lot of Clubman riders to get passed, which resulted in a few near misses. I still had two minutes at the end of it. The tight check on the last lap was a real workout, you were close to riding flat out the whole check, for 40 odd minutes. Although it was hard work it was really enjoyable, a great start to the British championship.”

Results – Championship class

1. David Knight D3-Racing KTM 1337.83

2. Paul Edmondson 250 Honda 1391.98

3. Jake Stapleton 250 TM 1398.32

4. Euan McConnell 450 TM 1414.18

5. Simon Wakely 250 Honda 1418.33

6. Wayne Braybrook 250 Honda 1447.55

7. Chris Hockey 250 Husqvarna 1461.48

8. Richard Hay 125 KTM 1461.66

9. Edward Jones 125 KTM 1571.53

10. Tim Forman 250 Kawasaki 1575.23