By Gordon Ayshford – Team manager for Witley Warriors

Status report on Witley Warriors

Witley riders Richard Alldred and Paul Jay are out walking special tests having completed their bike preparation yesterday, passed through technical inspection – the only hiccups to report were due to Richard’s bike reading high on the noise test, though the grumpy operator softened as he and his assistant who was driving the tachometer advised Richard to bring the revs up to the required value very slowly and during the re-test the bike passed OK. Next was when the technical officer came to apply the markings to the wheels, frame and engine - Richard’s bike already had markings from British rounds and the bike was rejected until they were removed (even though the paint was a different colour). While Dan Alldred was running back to the pits to get a blade to scrape the paint off with Ben Alldred produced the hotel room key from his pocket, an ideal tool that got Richard back into the scrutineering queue before Dan returned. Richard’s bike was then duly marked with the riders number and re-painted with a blob of orange(ish) paint in the necessary places for component identification. Paul’s bike sailed through as you would hope for a brand new machine on hire specifically built for this event. Daz Wilcock will submit his machine for technical inspection along with his army colleagues. Daz has a dual personality for this competition for while he is a fully fledged Witley Warrior he is also a warrior for the Queen and Country and is on duty so falls in with the army drill when required.

A wider view

Prior to scrutineering the riders have all been out on the practice track which Daz described as emotional – apparently very rough - though Daryl Boulter was reported to be flying over the whoops like they weren’t there and digging up a bow-wave in the loose berms so it is a case of horses-for-courses. Ex- Witley Warrior Kelly Paterson who has been home in South Island NZ for about 10 months now and is riding this ISDE for the Christchurch Off-Road team on a Yamaha has offered a little inside information which suggests that the going will be fairly easy but the special tests will sort the men from the boys. Having walked one so far – which looked like rows of tape in a flat field but which had a few hidden surprises – having been marked out in a disused area of a pumice quarry there were two levels of going – one at the level you could see as you entered the field and one in the underworld - with severe drop-offs several metres high in places. If any rider forgets where these deceptive hazards are lurking he will find himself rounding a flat bend to discover that the slight rise was not a small jump to show-off your style on but a prelude to the world dropping away from under him – with no landing ramp just a flat hard rock bottom !

As the parc ferme fills with bikes so a hush descends over the whole pits area (the car park of a motor racing circuit) – a calm before a storm that will break out on Tuesday morning. First of the 681 riders will be away at 7.00a.m. with the 46 British riders starting at No 12 Jason Thomas in the junior trophy team and finishing at No605 Julian Crimp in the West of England team at10.21a.m. There are still a few to complete their machinery preparations but I believe the trophy teams have got their bikes in the parc ferme and the army are only waiting for a photo shoot before taking theirs in. There were no Army (BAFMA- British Armed Forces Motorcycling Association) lads around this morning so they may also be out walking the special tests.

GB Riders

14 Edward Jones world trophy,

30 Richard Hay world trophy,

61 Andrew Edwards world trophy,

66 Dylan Jones world trophy,

90 Daryl Boulter junior trophy,

120 Simon Wakely junior trophy,

146 Tom Sagar junior trophy,

149 Chris Hockey world trophy,

162 Euan McConnell world trophy,

215 Mark Gray WTRA,

222 Ashley Woods West of England,

227 Nick Bartle RAF,

228 Dylan Davies Dyfed,

244 Kevin Murray BAFMA,

250 David (Jack )Johns BAFMA,

285 James Yearley St Georges,

304 Tim Forman wales A,

311 Steve Hunt BAFMA,

313 Daz Wilcock Witley Warriors,

330 Rowan Jones Wales A,

374 Gary Clarke WTRA,

383 Jason Naruszewicz RAF,

398 Tom Knill West of England,

400 Robert Jones Wales A,

403 Andy Frost St Georges,

413 Ben Begbie I o Man,

419 Gethin Price Wales B,

425 Gavin Hockey St Georges,

428 Michael Seward Rydale,

445 Craig Bounds Wales B,

450 Lee Edmondson Rydale,

458 Nigel Beaumont I o Man,

459 Paul Kingston WTRA,

479 Tom Williams Dyfed,

496 Cefin Evans Dyfed,

501 Andy Walton I o Man,

508 Will Midgley N Riding,

513 Luke Lusher N Riding,

530 Oliver Moyce Rydale,

541 Paul Hearn RAF,

545 Richard Alldred Witley Warriors,

547 Paul Jay Witley Warriors

574 Jonathan Williams Wales B,

604 Mark Weaver N Riding,

605 Julian Crimp West of England